National Survey of Alternative Assessment Arrangements Policy and Practice in Tertiary Education with Reference to International Policy and Literature A Research Report Martha G. Bell, PhD Media Associates April 2015 © 2015 ACHIEVE, The National Post-Secondary Education Disability Network Incorporated National Survey of Alternative Assessment Arrangements Policy and Practice in Tertiary Education with Reference to International Policy and Literature: A Research Report For further information, please contact: ACHIEVE, c/o University of Otago PO Box 56 Dunedin 9054 New Zealand Email
[email protected] Web www.achieve.org.nz ISBN: 978-0-473-31119-3 2 Executive Summary New Zealand’s 29 tertiary education institutions (TEIs) are mandated in the Education Act 1989 to provide access to education guaranteeing equal educational opportunities to students with impairments who enroll for academic study in public providers. In 2013, the number of students with impairments rose to 5% of all students. The proportion of students with impairments in the tertiary population has almost doubled since these statistics were first recorded in 1998. ACHIEVE, the National Post-Secondary Education Disability Network Incorporated (ACHIEVE), is concerned that there be continuity in professional practice across the sector. This study was contracted to survey and compare policy and practice of alternative assessment arrangements to accommodate diverse needs for extra time in examinations and tests for students with impairments in tertiary education institutions in New Zealand. The study findings illustrate how alternative assessment arrangements for accessing, allocating and evaluating extra time supports are provided in the 28 TEIs which set examinations as a mode of assessing student achievement of learning outcomes.