Accessibility of Computer-Based Testing for Individuals with Disablities and English Language Learners within a Validity Framework

There is a great need for designers of computer-based tests and testing systems to build accessibility into their designs from the earliest stages, thereby overcoming barriers faced by individuals with disabilities and English language learners. Some important potential accessibility features include text-to-speech, font enlargement and screen magnification, online dictionaries, and extended testing time. Yet accessibility features can, under some circumstances, undermine the validity of test results. Evidence centered assessment design (ECD) is offered as a conceptual framework—providing sharable terminology, concepts, and knowledge representations—for representing and anticipating the impact of accessibility features on validity, thus helping weigh the consequences of potential design alternatives for accessible computer-based tests and testing systems.