A question came up recently regarding the appropriateness of using materials with enlarged text for AIMSweb benchmark testing.
Although many accommodations are not appropriate for benchmark testing as they can compromise the standardized procedures, enlargement of text for students with mild visual impairments does not invalidate the standardized procedures.
See the text below from the M-COMP Administration and Technical Manual:
(Entire Manual is here: http://www.aimsweb.com/uploads/M-COMP%20Manual.pdf)
From page 11:
Testing Students With Special Accommodations
“Some examples of special accommodations include (a) increasing the amount to test-taking time for a particular student, (b) having a student practice the test beforehand, or (c) providing feedback during the testing process to a student about whether an answer is correct or incorrect.
These accommodations are changes in the way the test was standardized, and should not be allowed. Like all standardized tests, using M–COMP probes with some students may be inappropriate because the demands of the test do not match the capabilities of a specific student. For example, because M–COMP requires pencil-paper test taking skills, students with severe motor problems may not be appropriate candidates for M–COMP use. Although the stratified sample includes students with disabilities, those students were administered the test in the standardized manner, with no special accommodations. For students with mild visual impairments, text enlargement may be an appropriate accommodation as it does not invalidate the standardized procedures.” (emphasis added)