Participation Guidelines for West Virginia State Assessments, 2023-2024. Guidance for Accommodations for State Testing

The purpose of educational assessments is to provide an academic check-up and to give educators, parents, students, and policymakers valuable feedback about students' academic strengths, areas that need improvement, how well they are progressing toward college and career readiness, and the effectiveness of the state's educational system. This document integrates and explains what is legally required by various authorities governing education in West Virginia, regarding providing testing accommodations to several classifications of students. The purpose of these Participation Guidelines include the following: (1) Providing policy guidance to individualized education program (IEP) teams, Section 504 committees, and English learner (EL) committees for appropriately accommodating students in statewide and county-wide assessments; (2) Helping teachers and schools work within the framework of federal law and state policies; and (3) Providing information for documentation of implementation and assurances for federal requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA 2015) which has replaced requirements within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) enacted in 2002. This document includes requirements set by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004).