ATLAS staff designed this interactive tool to show how the UDL framework can be applied in the design and delivery of large-scale assessments. Our hope is that assessment designers, developers, researchers, and teachers can use this tool in planning how to incorporate and self-evaluate their implementation of UDL principles in large-scale assessments.
Assessment Examples
Perception
1.1 Offer ways of customizing the display of information
Example:
Text and image display options (e.g., color, font size, magnification) are customizable for students. Teachers can easily choose preferred options...
Assessment Development, Assessment Platform, Assessment Administration
Student Focused
Perception
1.2 Offer alternatives for auditory information
Example:
If an assessment requires listening to sounds or words to answer a question, such as listening to baking soda react...
Assessment Development, Assessment Platform, Assessment Administration
Student Focused
Perception
1.2 Offer alternatives for auditory information
Example:
Options for sign interpretation are available for students. Teachers can easily choose preferred options for students, like sign language, via...
Assessment Development, Assessment Platform, Assessment Administration
Student Focused
Perception
1.3 Offer alternatives for visual information
Example:
Options for machine or human read aloud, tactile graphics, or manipulatives are available for students. Teachers can easily choose preferred...
Assessment Development, Assessment Platform, Assessment Administration
Student Focused
Perception
1.3 Offer alternatives for visual information
Example:
If an assessment requires watching and interpreting an image or video to answer a question, such as seeing bubbles in...
Assessment Development, Assessment Platform, Assessment Administration
Student Focused
Language & Symbols
2.1 Clarify vocabulary and symbols
Example:
Scientific vocabulary is included only when absolutely necessary to access the science concept, and support for vocabulary is embedded throughout...
Assessment Development
Student Focused
Language & Symbols
2.2 Clarify syntax and structure
Example:
Item writers are provided simplified syntax and structure guidelines to ensure sentences are concise, not unnecessarily complex. Context clues and...
Assessment Development
Student Focused
Language & Symbols
2.3 Support decoding of text, mathematical notation, and symbols
Example:
Options for machine or human read aloud, tactile graphics, or manipulatives are available for students. Students can access tables and...
Assessment Development
Student Focused
Language & Symbols
2.4 Promoting understanding across languages
Example:
Assessment items use video and/or images to support decoding, and language in assessment is concise and appropriately complex. Calculator tools...
Assessment Development
Student Focused
Language & Symbols
2.4 Promoting understanding across languages
Example:
Test administrators may translate the text for students who are English learners. A glossary is developed for science-specific vocabulary.
Assessment Development
Student Focused
Language & Symbols
2.5 Illustrate through multiple media
Example:
Assessment incorporates video and textual representation options, as well as simulations, picture response cards, individualized manipulatives, and Braille.
Assessment Development
Student Focused
Graphic Organizers
Comprehension
3.1 Activate or supply background knowledge
Example:
Assessment content centers on common, real-world science contexts that are relevant to students, and it can provide students information outside...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Real-World Contexts
Comprehension
3.2 Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships
Example:
Assessment items are clustered around one context, for example, a science narrative about a hypothetical student conducting an experiment on...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Graphic Organizers
Comprehension
3.3 Guide information processing and visualization
Example:
Assessment content may be accessed through physical scale models or computer-generated model. Information is "chunked" into smaller elements, leading up...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Graphic Organizers
Comprehension
3.4 Maximize transfer and generalization
Example:
Assessments may contain graphic organizers, concept maps, or scaffolds to link new items to prior knowledge. Situating items in familiar...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Graphic Organizers, Real-World Contexts
Physical Action
4.1 Vary the methods for response and navigation
Example:
Gather feedback from teachers to understand what options students need to navigate screens (e.g., eye gaze, switches, adapted keyboard, touchscreen...
Assessment Platform, Assessment Administration
Teachers
Physical Action
4.2 Optimize access to tools and assistive technologies
Example:
Students and teachers are familiar with assistive technology options available in testing platform. If a student uses switch and scanning options during...
Assessment Platform, Assessment Administration
Student Focused
Expression & Communication
5.1 Use multiple media for communication
Example:
Assessment items include simulations or other interactive virtual tools, as well as flexible options around using physical manipulatives. Students may...
Assessment Administration
Student Focused
Expression & Communication
5.2 Use multiple tools for construction and composition
Example:
Assessment content may be responded to through organizers, story webs, and concept mapping tools. For example, students can build a...
Assessment Administration
Student Focused
Graphic Organizers
Expression & Communication
5.3 Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance
Example:
Assessment system provides individualized feedback to teachers on the progress of their students that is meaningful for them in understanding...
Assessment Administration
Teachers
Expression & Communication
5.3 Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance
Example:
Assessments may contain graphic organizers, scaffolds, or models for similar science constructs but employ different strategies to solve, such as...
Assessment Administration
Student Focused
Executive Functions
6.1 Guide appropriate goal setting
Example:
Provide teachers with test structure information so they can engage the student with planning for the test session. Be clear...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Executive Functions
6.2 Support planning and strategy development
Example:
Unscored "thinkaloud"/"think about it" assessment items are embedded in a context or short narrative to support strategy development, such as...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Executive Functions
6.3 Facilitate managing information and resources
Example:
Data within assessment items can be presented in tables or graphic organizers to facilitate organization and management of information, such...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Graphic Organizers
Executive Functions
6.4 Enhance capacity for monitoring progress
Example:
Students should have opportunities to monitor their own learning and progress. For example, unscored items such as "How did you know?"...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
"Think About It" Questions
Recruiting Interest
7.1 Optimize individual choice and autonomy
Example:
Include an unscored "wonder question" to give an opportunity for students to reflect on what they already know about a...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Recruiting Interest
7.1 Optimize individual choice and autonomy
Example:
Give the student a choice between two parallel assessments that assess the same knowledge and skills, just in different contexts...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Recruiting Interest
7.2 Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity
Example:
Assessment content centers on common, real-world science contexts that are relevant to students, both during and outside of classroom instruction. Using...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Real-World Contexts
Recruiting Interest
7.2 Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity
Example:
Assessment context is instructionally relevant and age appropriate. Assessment is written at an appropriate level of complexity. For example, a...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Real-World Contexts
Recruiting Interest
7.3 Minimize threats and distractions
Example:
Assessment content only includes basic imagery or graphics that enhance student context, not adding extra information for students to process.
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Sustaining Effort & Persistence
8.1 Heighten salience of goals and objectives
Example:
Assessment items can be grouped by learning objective(s) that are clustered and linked together in complexity. Assessments can use "thinkaloud"/"think...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
"Think About It" Questions
Sustaining Effort & Persistence
8.2 Vary demands and resources to optimize challenge
Example:
Item writers only focus on assessment content rather than system requirements to reduce and optimize the cognitive demand. Item writers are...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Item Writers
Graphic Organizers, Real-World Contexts
Sustaining Effort & Persistence
8.2 Vary demands and resources to optimize challenge
Example:
Assessment context is instructionally relevant and age appropriate. Assessment items are written at an appropriate level of complexity, including providing...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Graphic Organizers, Real-World Contexts
Sustaining Effort & Persistence
8.3 Foster collaboration and community
Example:
Flexible grouping for item writers; item writers can collaborate with other item writers in similar or different grade levels as...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Item Writers
Sustaining Effort & Persistence
8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback
Example:
Educator dashboard within assessment system provides timely and informative feedback to educator, including the student's mastery of targeted content skills.
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Teachers
Sustaining Effort & Persistence
8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback
Example:
Assessments go through a peer review process so item writers can use this feedback to improve their assessment before submitting it...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Item Writers
Self-Regulation
9.1 Promote expectations and beliefs that optimize motivation
Example:
Include assessment items (unscored) that ask students to reflect on their performance and the assessment (e.g, "Did this assessment show...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
"Think About It" Questions
Self-Regulation
9.2 Facilitate personal coping skills and strategies
Example:
Provide schedule for item writers with clear dates (if remote) or time (if in person) for deliverables.
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Item Writers
Self-Regulation
9.2 Facilitate personal coping skills and strategies
Example:
Assessment delivery system incorporates opportunities for student to take breaks when needed.
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
Self-Regulation
9.3 Develop self-assessment and reflection
Example:
Students should have opportunities to reflect on their own learning and progress. For example, unscored items such as "How did...
Assessment Design, Assessment Development
Student Focused
"Think About It" Questions