Elementary tech: Assistive technology, specific learning disability, and state standardized testing

There is little research regarding the impact of assistive technology for students identified with Specific Learning Disabilities at the elementary level, and none that considers assistive technologies' effect on high stakes testing. This study employed state standardized testing data for a cohort of students with learning disabilities as they moved through the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade tests. A causal-comparative design was used to determine if assistive technology was an effective accommodation for elementary students on the state standardized test. First, a Factorial Analysis of Variance was performed to compare performance outcomes of the state assessment scaled sore across different accommodation treatments. Second, a Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance, along with t-tests was performed, to compare a student's growth across testing years where assistive technology was used, or not used. When assistive technology was compared to the four most common accommodation conditions (directions read, extended time, oral script and no accommodation), students using assistive technology preformed significantly better than those using directions read, p = .003, with a small effect size eta 2 = .047. For the second ANOVA, students were grouped by their pattern of assistive technology use. The group that used assistive technology two years in a row performed significantly better than the group that did not use assistive technology two years in a row, p = .005, with a medium effect eta2 = .076. When individual student growth scores were compared across two testing years, one where they used assistive technology and one year where they did not, students performed significantly better in years that they used assistive technology with p = .0004 and .002 for the two groups, within-subject effect size was large, eta 2 = .173. These findings suggest that assistive technology was an effective accommodation for elementary age students, identified with specific learning disabilities, on the state standardized test. Students using assistive technology generally scored better than peers who did not, and showed higher growth in years that they used assistive technology.