Leveling the playing field: Graphical aids on mathematics tests

Abstract

This research suggests that structural accommodation can be implemented during the construction phase of standardized mathematics examinations. Data from a racially diverse district in the United States are used to compare student performance on questions with and without graphical aids. Findings suggest that mathematics questions possessing helpful graphical aids significantly reduce the performance gap between ELLs and non-ELLs. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis flagged 32 items, with just five containing a helpful graphical aid. Interestingly, these five all had negative coefficients favoring ELLs. As graphical aids are implemented in the construction phase of standardized testing, test score validity issues associated with typically used ELL accommodations are minimized. This research suggests that more useful graphical aids should be used when constructing mathematics examinations for elementary school students.

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