Unlabeling the Disabled: A Perspective on Flagging Scores From Accommodated Test Administrations

Abstract

Accommodations to standard test administrations are granted on many tests for students who have one or more disabling conditions. In some instances, students’ scores from these nonstandard administrations are “flagged” to caution those who interpret the test score that the test was not administered under typical conditions. The practice of flagging such test scores is contentious. Some argue that it essentially informs others that a student has a disability and creates the opportunity for bias against the student. Others argue that such scores must be flagged to be fair to those who took the test under standard conditions and to promote valid test score interpretations. This article reviews the psychometric issues regarding the flagging issue and discusses the guidance provided by the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Research in this area related to college admissions testing is also reviewed and suggestions for avoiding the flagging issue in the future are provided. This review lends support to the recent decisions by several testing agencies to discontinue flagging practices.