Accessible Digital Assessment
for Learners with
Additional Support Needs
Paul Nisbet, CALL Scotland
University of Edinburgh
CALL Scotland
• Strategic Leadership
• Pupil Assessment and Support
• CPD and Training
• Information and advice: books,
guides, resources, videos, web site
• Loan of assistive technology
• Knowledge Transfer, research and
development
www.CALLScotland.org.uk
Real pupils, real challenges
“Over the last 20 years the Centre has achieved an
international reputation for its expertise, quality and
depth of advice, and its innovative developments.”
Professor Martyn Roebuck,
Review of the CALL Centre, 2004
EXAMS!!
SQA Assessment Arrangements
“Assessment arrangements allow candidates who
are disabled and/or who have been identified as
having additional support needs appropriate
arrangements to access the assessment without
compromising its integrity.”
Introduction to Assessment Arrangements for Schools and
Colleges
SQA January 2010, revised June 2013
Research, Development and trial
2002
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
need for Digital Question Papers
identified
research into specification;
development of papers
evaluation in 6 schools
pilot trials #1 - 31 students used
digital papers in 105 examinations
pilot trials #2 - 80 candidates used
490 digital papers in 200
examinations
Type of Assessment Arrangements
requested, 2005
Total number of requests
Assessment Arrangement
Extra Time
Reader
Scribe
PA Referral
Use of ICT
Transcription with correction
Coloured Paper
Calculator
Transcription without correction
Enlarged Print
Question Paper signed to candidate
Candidate Signs Responses
Use of tape recorder for responses
Braille
41,454
Number of
requests
33,146
15,740
14,505
3,658
2,388
1,178
1,108
893
742
737
92
38
26
19
Percentage of
requests
79.96%
37.97%
34.99%
8.82%
5.76%
2.84%
2.67%
2.15%
1.79%
1.78%
0.22%
0.09%
0.06%
0.05%
Disability/difficulty of candidates requiring
Assessment Arrangements, 2005
Nature of disability or difficulty
Specific Learning Difficulties/Dyslexia (SpLD)
Specific Learning Difficulties/Other
Mild/Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD)
Specific Learning Difficulties/Dyspraxia
Visual/Hearing Impairment
Other Health Problems
Visual Impairment
Autistic Difficulties
Other
Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD)
Speech and Language Impairments
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Hearing Impairment
Blank
Concentration Difficulties
Epilepsy
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.)
Number of
requests
23,068
3,436
2,778
1,915
1,643
1,288
1,270
1,016
981
971
629
600
577
526
409
191
152
Number of
candidates
5,353
872
770
426
431
284
283
236
244
241
137
137
174
132
111
50
43
SQA Digital Question Papers
Read questions with
text-to-speech
Use on-screen drawing
tools
Type your answers
Click to tick
Digital Answer Booklets
• Only ‘Question and Answer’ papers (most
Intermediate and National 5’s) have the red answer
boxes
• To answer most Higher and Advanced Higher papers
use Digital Answer Booklets in PDF or Word.
• Digital Answer booklets are downloaded and made
available from SQA’s web site
Staff evaluations 2006 trials
Traditional papers
Digital Papers
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Confidence
Independence
Motivation
Expertise
Reduced accommodation
“We had 2 rooms set up with
double sized tables to allow a
comfortable amount of room
for laptop and papers. Each
candidate was allocated a table
which was the same for each
exam. All tables were
numbered and we made use of
screen dividers which created a
booth effect and cut down
distractions and gave a certain
amount of privacy in the small
classroom.
We had 9 candidates sitting the
exam in digital format and 2
writing in the same room for the
Standard Grade English exam.”
Pupils’ comments 2006 & 2007
I would prefer to have split screens
so that I could see questions and
tables together instead of having to
refer to another page.
Enjoyed using it!
Easy to do. You can see both the
questions and the text at the same
time.
Pupils’ comments 2006 & 2007
Papers are simpler to use. You do not have to
fiddle about with different papers. By switching
windows, you can see both the question and the
text at the same time.
Because it is much easier to use than a
reader
SQA Assessment Arrangements
2013 requests
• Requests for Assessment Arrangements
made for 17,263 candidates
(11.3% of candidates)
• Requests made for 61,680 entries
(8.3% of all entries)
2013 assessment arrangements
Extra Time
47,038 Calculator
639
Separate accommodation
37,584 Transcription without correction
534
Reader
19,058 Referral of script to the PA
271
Scribe
Modified Content (e.g. text
14,905 description of images)
233
Use of ICT (inc DPs)
Adapted Certificate (e.g. in
11,844 Large Print / Braille)
100
Prompter / Practical Helper
3,351
Paper signed to candidate
66
Rest Period
2,410
Candidate Signs Responses
37
Coloured Paper
1,968
Live presentation
36
Transcription with correction
1,327
Braille
23
Enlarged or Adapted Print
1,310
Digital Paper Requests 2008-13
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Number of requests
514
1,167
2,000
2,832
3,694
4,291
Number of centres
46
73
101
149
173
188
204
422
675
1,069
1,327
1,677
11.17
15.99
19.80
19.01
21.35
22.82
4.43
5.78
6.68
7.17
7.67
8.92
2.52
2.77
2.96
2.65
2.78
2.56
Number of
candidates
Mean number of
requests per centre
Mean number of
candidates per
centre
Mean number of
requests per
candidate
Digital Question Papers 2008-2013
5000
4500
4000
3500
3000
Number of requests
2500
Number of candidates
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
AA trends
(number of requests)
25,000
20,000
Reader
15,000
Scribe
Use of ICT not including
digital papers
10,000
Digital Question Papers
5,000
0
2008 2009 2010
2011
2012
2013
AA trends
(% of total requests)
45%
40%
35%
Reader
30%
25%
Scribe
20%
Use of ICT not including
digital papers
15%
Digital Question Papers
10%
5%
0%
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Staff comments, 2010
• Increases candidates’ feelings of independence and control over
their speed of progress. Helps with confidence to face next
step, e.g. college, work.
• Digital Papers provide an excellent opportunity for more able
pupils with additional needs to work independently without a
scribe.
• Help cut down the number of readers/scribes and invigilators . .
. a significant cost saving for the centre.
• Use further in the future with the aim of completely replacing
readers and scribes for some subject exams.
• . . . very worthwhile – provide increased independence and a
real sense of achievement which the ethos of Assessment for
All would promote.
Staff comments, 2011
• The pupils selected for digital papers during this diet provided
us with evidence that they could show their potential and
complete their papers independently. They all felt satisfaction
at being independent.
• Our Academy has suffered a drastic cutback on SfL staff and
this will have the knock on effect of making us work harder to
have the pupils use Digital Papers instead of having a reader.
• The pupils really like the independence the digital exams give
them. It was also good to have the answer books.
• This was the first time our centre had used digital exams. I was
pleased by how easy, user friendly the process was. It was a
great benefit to several of our students and we are going to
develop the use of these further through the school.
Staff comments, 2012
• I enthusiastically endorse the use of digital papers for pupils with ASN Specific learning difficulties with reading, writing, spelling.
• We have used the CALL Centre website and materials to train staff via
twilight courses. Now virtually every department in the school has one
person trained, plus there are 2 classroom assistants and 2 ASN
assistants who can now create digital prelims from Word documents
using Adobe Professional which has been installed on computers .
• There were still pupils in school who were more comfortable with Reader
and Scribe this year because this is the method they were familiar with.
However, I am encouraging most of ASN pupils to consider this method in
the future.
• This is our second year of using digital and I am convinced it is the way
ahead. I have encouraged English Department to prepare S2 Close
Reading Assessments in digital format so that this becomes the norm for
pupils as they move through the school and undertake assessments.
Science is also beginning to develop this method for pupils.
Staff comments, 2013
• Intending to direct more pupils towards digital papers as much as
possible especially with readers / scribes not being permitted for the
literacy element of Nat. 4 & 5. Pupils will require to be up to speed
with alternatives to R / S. Intending to try and digitalise
assessments within the lower school for training purposes.
• I think the digital exam system is an excellent option for pupils with
ASN and gives them more independence.
• Digital exams are growing to a vast level, very difficult to manage
the increased numbers, especially with IT crashes that happen on
occasion.
• I am hoping to switch to digital assessments for all learners with
ASD, ADHD and dyslexia/dyslexic-type needs. It would be very
helpful if assessment materials on the secure site for CfE courses
were available in digital format.
Not a panacea!
• Digital versions of paper assessments.
• Some questions do not ‘translate’ particularly well to the
screen.
• Only ‘question and answer’ papers have answer boxes.
• Options for drawing and for writing mathematical and
scientific notation are limited.
• Text-to-speech can’t read maths and science and makes
occasional mis-pronunciations (but getting better …. )
What the customers want…
• All papers to be in question-and-answer format
with answer boxes.
• All learners to be able to use DQPs (or online
assessment).
• A practical mechanism for completing maths
and science papers digitally.
• More computers, more staff, more money, free
beer, peace on earth…
Free , cheap or already in schools
= better access for all
To use the papers:
• Adobe Reader (free)
• MS Office (in schools)
To use text-to-speech:
• Adobe Read Out Loud (free)
• Ivona MiniReader (free)
• Scottish computer voices (free from CALL
www.TheScottishVoice.org.uk)
To revise and practice:
• Digital Past Papers from SQA
Partnership
Pride
• SQA have provided DQPs since 2008…
... RUK boards will start this year
• Scottish learners can use free high quality
Scottish computer voices…
… only FE/HE (not schools) in England have free
English voices; there is a free Welsh language
voice; no other nations make such provision)
Costs of readers/scribes
• 19,058 reader requests; 14,905 scribe
requests
• ~ 36,000 individual exams
• ~ 54,000 hours
• Say average £20/hour for reader/scribe?
= £1,080,000
• Say £10/hour for invigilator?
= £540,000
• TOTAL = £1.62m in Scotland last year
Impact on practice
Narional Literacy Assessment
“In relation to the National Literacy Units at all levels:
(i) exemption from demonstrating any of the four
assessed skills of reading, writing, listening or
talking will not be a reasonable adjustment and
(ii) (ii) using human readers and scribes will not be
reasonable adjustments where reading and writing
abilities are being explicitly assessed.”
http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/64702.html
Reasonable Adjustments
“In order to minimise the disadvantage faced by
some disabled learners in attaining the National
Units in Literacy, the use of word processors
and other assistive technologies such as screen
readers, spell checkers or speech-recognition
software would be acceptable as reasonable
adjustments.”
http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/64702.html
A 6th year pupil at Denny High in Falkirk was assessed using the Neale Analysis, reading with
and without text-to-speech. Reading herself, her comprehension age was 6 years 9 months.
With text-to-speech, it was over 13 years.
Curriculum for Excellence
How can you be a:
 Successful learner - if you can’t read books and
learning materials?
 Confident individual - if you depend on others to read
to you, write for you or talk for you?
 Responsible citizen - if you don’t have access to
information?
 An effective contributor - if you can’t speak, write or
communicate?
Use ICT!
Reliant on Readers?
Stuck with Scribes?
or
Independent with ICT?