Timed Tests UC

Timed Tests & Activities

Use case

Sometimes students with disabilities require additional time on timed activities and tests. However, it is not always desirable to allow students to adjust the time limits themselves. Often an instructor or administrator should adjust the time limit to match the requirements that have been determined to be appropriate for the student. For example, students with learning disabilities like dyslexia are often assigned particular time extensions, such as time and a half or double time. In this situation, educators often want to assign that particular amount of additional time to the particular student, maintaining fairly strict time limits for the activity.

Requirement(s)

Non-normative sections of WCAG 2.0 and perhaps WCAG 3.0 proper could speak to three-party situations regarding time limits.

WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion (SC) 2.2.1 'Timing Adjustable' speaks to this issue for two-party situations: The content/software provider and the user. Teaching this SC as it stands within an educational publishing company could be misleading as it states, "Essential Exception: The time limit is essential and extending it would invalidate the activity." and does not mention the three-party situation and particular time adjustments per student, which are common in educational publishing and which are required by schools to gracefully meet their obligations.

Stakeholder(s)

PUBLISHERS-ED, PUBLISHER-TESTING. (I think we need these new values.)

Ranking

TBD

Relations/dependencies

To be added once all of the user examples have been added.

Relevant W3C group(s)/specification(s)

WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion (SC) 2.2.1 http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#time-limits

External relevant group(s)/specification(s)

• IMS: APIP (Accessible Portable Item Protocol) PNP (Personal Needs & Preferences) 3.3.2 Additional Testing Time http://www.imsglobal.org/apip/apipv1p0cf/APIPv1p0_PNP_v1p0cf.html#_Toc320690822 (PROFILE-BASED SOLUTION)
• Pearson Guideline 2: Timed Tests: http://wps.pearsoned.com/accessibility/115/29601/7577872.cw/-/2/index.html#PG3 (BASIC FEATURE RECOMMENDATION WITH ED IN MIND)
• IMS: Guidelines for Developing Accessible Interfaces and Interactions: http://www.imsglobal.org/accessibility/accessiblevers/sec8.html#sec84 (SIMILAR TO CURRENT WCAG RECOMMENDATION)
• Section 508 Web § 1194.22 (p)When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.

Comments

While this could be handled as a stand alone setting to be adjusted for the student by an instructor in each situation where student adjustment would invalidate the activity (WCAG-type guidance, as seen in the Pearson Guidelines), it might also be handled through user profile settings (as seen in the IMS specifications listed). These options don't exclude each other and could easily be used together.

Here is an APIP PNP example that indicates that the student with this profile should have time and a half:

   <control>
      <apip:apipControl>
         <apip:additionalTestingTime>
               <apip:assignedSupport>true</apip:assignedSupport>
               <apip:timeMultiplier>1.5</apip:timeMultiplier>
           </apip:additionalTestingTime>
       </apip:apipControl>
   </control>

Submitted by

Suzanne Taylor

Status

NEW