How can assessments be universally designed?
Universally designed assessments are intended to be both accessible and valid for the widest possible range of students. In order to develop a universally designed assessment, the entire test development process must incorporate aspects of Universal Design. First, the purpose of the assessment must be clear, and the assessment should be designed specifically for that purpose. Test items should be designed to be usable with accommodations (for example, avoid using graphics that cannot be made available in Braille). A detailed discussion of universally designed large-scale assessments is available in Thompson, Johnstone & Thurlow (2002). Additional material on Universal Design of assessments is available on the Web site of the National Center on Educational Outcomes (http://cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/TopicAreas/UnivDesign/UnivDesignTopic.htm).
