Recently I was asked how to modify tests for special needs students. That could lead to an extremely lengthy response so I’m going to attempt to keep my answer brief but hopefully to the point.

The best resource for how you should modify tests for a special needs student really is their Individualized Education Plan, assuming it was well written. If you find that it is lacking then you may want to consider checking your school’s Child Study Team to get clarification and help you determine what additional modifications are appropriate for each specific child. Since children’s needs vary what one child requires may not be what is suitable for another.

Generally, I like to think of modifications for children, with mild learning disabilities, who are fully included as just good teaching. As a result most of the “modifications” that I would use for special needs students also tend to work well for the remainder of the class. Of course it’s also helpful to remember that children with special needs often test poorly because they frequently do not have a mastery of strategy usage or a bank of strategies to draw from. Special Educators know these strategies must be explicitly taught and reinforced. Therefore it’s important when considering modifications for testing to also consider how to teach and reinforce test taking strategies.

Help Your Students Ace the Test!

1. If your school gives you formula for grading then follow that. Otherwise remember you want a balance of assessments such as: Tests, Projects, Assignments and Participation. Remember Bloom’s Taxonomy.

2. Prior to testing consider providing study guides in advance with answers that you review in class. To encourage kids to study at home reward them, with something tangible or intangible, if they bring back a study guide signed by a parent that certifies that they studied with their child or their child studied.

3. Review directions and even questions together and ask them to highlight or underline key words. Talk about why those words are important to signal out. Fade this out so that eventually your students are telling you what words are important. * You can do this as a whole class or small group.

4. True/False questions can be especially difficult for any student let alone those with special needs. Consider balancing the format of your tests to include multiple types of questions.

5. Assign weights to questions based on level of difficulty and level of skill.

6. Provide word banks for fill in the blank types of questions.

7. If needed teach students to mask a portion of their test with a ruler or paper to get rid of visual distractions.

8. Teach test taking tips to teach students how to eliminate answers from multiple choice questions and learn how to answer other types of questions.

9. Teach students how to organize their thoughts to complete essay questions. Use graphic organizers and model how to set up the answer by restating the question. Give partial credit for key words.

10. Teach kids to use and create their own mnemonics to help them remember information.

11. Teach kids to go back and check their work. Consider allowing them to correct answers prior to grading for items such as math calculations. Or let them recalculate for partial credit.

12. Allow students to have time in class to study together and form study groups or study buddies.