Content Specifications for the Summative Assessment of the ...

into regular assessments to meet the needs of all students, not just those with disabilities, once the
content is more carefully defined. To determine whether a complex linguistic structure in the assessment
is a necessary part of the construct (i.e., construct-relevant), a group of experts (including content and
linguistic experts and teachers) should convene at the test development phase and determine all the
construct-relevant language in the assessments. This analysis is part of the universal design process.
Accommodations then should be identified that will provide access for students who still need assistance
getting around the barriers created by their disabilities or their level of English language proficiency
after the assessments themselves are as accessible as possible. For example, where it is appropriate,
items may be prepared at different levels of linguistic complexity so that students can have the
opportunity to respond to the items that are more relevant for them based on their needs, ensuring that
the focal constructs are not altered when making assessments more linguistically accessible. Both
approaches (designing accessible assessments and identifying appropriate accommodations) require
careful definition of the content to be assessed.
Careful definitions of the content are being created by SBAC. These definitions involve identifying the
SBAC assessment claims, the rationale for them, what sufficient evidence looks like, and possible
reporting categories for each claim. Further explication of these claims provides the basis for ensuring
the accessibility of the content – accessibility that does not compromise the intended content for
instruction and assessment – as well as accommodations that might be used without changing the
content. Sample explications are provided under each of the claims.
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