Important HSGQE News!

For the upcoming HSGQE testing in April, CD recordings of the test questions for the writing and math tests are available to order from the state. These audio CDs are ordered several months before testing begins, and it is important that accommodations are properly documented in student IEPs so that we have an accurate count when ordering materials from the state.

There are a number of high school students who have an accommodation in their IEPs for “Reading or signing math, science or writing test questions on the state required examinations to the student.”  If you have students who need test questions read aloud, and for whom CD recordings of the test would be appropriate, please make sure that the accommodations box for “Using test contractor audio version of the HSGQE writing and mathematics tests,” is checked on the IEP.

If this accommodation is necessary and the box is not already checked on the student’s IEP, you will need to do an amendment to add the accommodation. For students who are first-time HSGQE testers, this box may not have been checked on previous IEPs.

If the student needs a person to read the test questions aloud (rather than using an audio recording), then “Reading or signing, math, science or writing items…” would be the appropriate accommodation to select. For the HSGQE, non-certified staff (ex. paraprofessionals) can act as readers or scribes but they must be directly supervised by a certified proctor.

Accommodations used for testing MUST correspond with those that are used on a regular basis in the classroom. New or unfamiliar accommodations