The right support

This year sees Scotland trailblaze the use of Adapted Digital Question Papers for pupils with additional support needs. Paul Nisbet, who developed the papers through the University of Edinburgh, explains the benefits.

On 30 May last year, Sir Jackie Stewart opened a one-day conference showcasing developments to support pupils with dyslexia in Scotland. He spoke movingly about his own experiences at school and described how he was told he was stupid, the pain and humiliation he felt and how he believed his experiences at school almost ruined his life. Thankfully, as we know, that didn’t happen and he went on to become Formula 1 World Champion and a successful businessman.

Although Scottish education has made a lot of progress in the way that pupils with dyslexia and other barriers to learning are supported and educated in Scotland, Sir Jackie pointed out that there is still much to be done. A new initiative by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the Communication Aids for Language and Learning (CALL) Centre at the University of Edinburgh will improve opportunities for young Jackie Stewarts in Scotland.

This year, the SQA will be the first UK examination board to offer Adapted Digital Question Papers for any candidate with a disability or additional support need who  has difficulty accessing a traditional paper. The Adapted Digital Papers are the result of a series of projects between the SQA and CALL Centre.

Nowadays, young people in Scotland who have problems with reading or writing in SQA examinations can get support by means of the school requesting one or more ‘Assessment Arrangements’. A dyslexic pupil who has problems reading and writing can make use of a member of staff to read the paper and write their answers; a candidate with a physical handwriting problem due to arthritis, for example, can use a word processor and have extra time to complete the exam; a blind pupil can ask for the question paper to be provided in Braille; while someone with visual or perceptual problems can have the paper printed in a larger or different font, or on coloured paper.

The past decade has seen a huge increase in the number of pupils requesting Assessment Arrangements – SQA figures show a rise from 3,094 in 1995, to 10,650  (7.2% of the total number of candidates) in 2006. These 10,650 pupils requested support for 43,291 examinations, and the most common method of help (apart from extra time) was readers (16,815 requests) and scribes (15,059 requests).

In some respects this is admirable because now pupils with dyslexia are given the help they need to demonstrate their abilities. But I think we need to ask ourselves if we are content to have thousands of pupils in Scotland being read to, and written for, in examinations. It’s also very expensive, because each pupil needs a private room, a member of staff to read or scribe, and their own invigilator.

Curriculum for Excellence aspires to 'enable all children to develop their capacities as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society'. Does reading to and writing for thousands of pupils in examinations, and in school generally, help us achieve these aspirations?

Introducing digital papers

Computer technology offers one way for students with difficulties to learn more independently. In the 2006 SQA examinations there were 3,063 requests to use ICT, which for the majority of pupils meant a word processor. There were approximately five times as many requests for a reader or scribe as there were for ICT. One aim of developing Adapted Digital Question Papers is to increase the independent use of ICT by pupils and reduce reliance on readers and scribes.

But just what is an Adapted Digital Question Paper and how does it work? Put simply, Adapted Digital Question Papers are computer versions of traditional question papers. Some key features and benefits include:

• They look exactly the same as the hard copy paper, maintaining the integrity of the question paper and enabling candidates to use both the digital and paper copy if they wish.
• The papers are in Adobe Acrobat PDF and can be accessed using the free Acrobat Reader program.
• Candidates can type their answers into the digital versions of question-and- answer papers and those with reading difficulties can use (free) text-to-speech software.
• The papers are not ‘online’ and so can be completed on standalone or network computers.
• The completed papers are printed out and sent to SQA for marking along with handwritten scripts.

It is important to appreciate that the original exam papers were designed to be completed on paper, not computer, and so some digital version papers are better suited to on-screen use than others. For example, it is only possible to type into the papers that are question-and-answer format (generally Intermediate 1 and Standard Grade Foundation and General papers) – otherwise pupils type their answers using a word processor.

Pupils spend around 11 years at school before they sit SQA examinations for a few short weeks. If they benefit from digital format exam papers then presumably they benefit from digital format 5-14 tests, worksheets, textbooks and other learning resources.

One of the really exciting developments by some of the schools who have used the papers – and I believe this will have a much bigger impact than the adapted digital papers themselves – is that staff have started to adapt first prelim papers and then other printed resources into an accessible digital format. This means that pupils will now have an opportunity to read and access learning materials independently. This in turn means that pupils who are currently disadvantaged by their print disability will be able to access books – as RNIB (the Royal National Institute of Blind People) put it in one of their reports: ‘If I can’t read it, I can’t learn it’.

Looking ahead

At the end of his speech, Sir Jackie Stewart said that Scotland has the ability to tackle the issues of dyslexia and other forms of learning disability more effectively than almost any other country. Imagine if we in Scotland could develop a digital library of textbooks and other learning materials where pupils with print disabilities could get the books they need in the format (print, digital or audio) they need. Imagine the impact on young people’s education and aspirations if those who currently have problems with reading books, for whatever reason, could have access to the same book in an accessible format.

There are many technical, legal and educational issues that need to be tackled to bring this vision to reality, and CALL’s Books for All project (see Useful Links), funded by the Scottish Government, suggests some ways forward. One of the tangible results of Books for All is the creation of a pilot Scottish Accessible Curriculum Resources, through a joint venture between CALL, Learning and Teaching Scotland, Glow and SCRAN.

We hope this will grow into a Scotland-wide library of accessible books for pupils (like Sir Jackie Stewart) who have talent, ability and drive but who need a little extra support.

Paul Nisbet is a Senior Research Fellow at Communication Aids for Language and Learning (CAL) Centre, University of Edinburgh.

Case Study

A liberating solution

The pupils of Stranraer Academy are among hundreds to enjoy the benefits of new digital exam papers. Liz Longden reports

Stranraer Academy has been piloting SQA’s digital ‘papers’ with a small selection of students since 2005. Following the success of the trials, the school has opened up the new system to all pupils requiring alternative assessment arrangements.

For the most part, these consist of pupils who have either severe difficulties with reading and spelling, or physically debilitating conditions such as cerebral palsy, arthritis or dysphraxia, which make holding a pen or book either impossible or excruciating. Sheila Siwo, Additional Support Needs Teacher, believes the piloting has shown that digital papers, and the use of assistive technology in day-to-day classroom learning more generally, are invaluable in helping pupils to attain a higher academic standard because they allow an autonomy and independence which boosts the students’ confidence and self-esteem.

One specific example of technology which has had a liberating effect is the Dragon Naturally Speaking software. “Some pupils have serious problems writing, and if their handwriting is really poor they get embarrassed about it. But with the voice recognition software suddenly their work is as neat as everybody else’s, so it’s a real confidence boost for them.”

What’s more, by removing the obstacle of writing and spelling, Sheila says that the software has allowed pupils to express themselves in type with the same freedom they enjoy in their speech.

“Some of them have an excellent command of vocabulary when they’re speaking, and use all these descriptive words like ‘gigantic’ and ‘humongous’. But then you ask them to write it down and they write ‘it was a big car’, because they can’t spell ‘gigantic’ and ‘humongous’. It just makes such a difference.”

Giving the pupils the possibility of working independently, and of seeing their own ideas presented clearly on screen, has further increased their confidence, helping them plan answers more effectively during exams.

“Before the digital papers, it was a case of having a reader and a scribe. Apart from the difficulties that created with resources, sometimes the children would say they couldn’t read the scribe’s joined up handwriting, and they wouldn’t check or go over their answers. But when they could see their words on the screen they seemed to feel much more connected, and very often they would make corrections to their own work. I think they definitely felt more in control.”

Together with her colleagues Julie McManus and Hazel Manderson, Sheila has started up an after-school club which aims both to familiarise the pupils with the technology in preparation for exams and to teach them more generally how to use it to improve their study skills. And, as Sheila explains, with a gradual mastery of the technology has come greater confidence and self esteem, and, ultimately, higher attainment.

“The issue of confidence is absolutely paramount, and coming to the club really builds up their self esteem. They can see themselves getting better. Like all of us they love to get a little bit of praise and encouragement, and when they get that you can just see them blossom.”

Useful links

• Read Sir Jackie’s presentation
• Read more about Adapted Digital Exams
• Discover the Books for All project
• Find SQA Assessment Arrangements

What the pupils thought

Adapted Digital Papers were developed by CALL Centre and SQA and trialled successfully by schools in 2005. They were then used ‘for real’ by 31 pupils in 105 examinations in 2006, and in 2007 341 papers were used by 80 pupils in 12 schools.

Responses to the pilots showed that pupils who used the papers preferred them to readers and/or scribes, while staff felt that pupils were more independent, confident and motivated. Schools also felt that the digital exams required fewer staff and a smaller number of rooms.

The pupils said:

“Typing into the paper is much easier than writing. Prolonged writing is difficult and causes a lot of pain.”

“My writing is illegible – even to myself! It avoids the need for a scribe. I don’t like using a scribe.”

“It is much easier to use than a reader.”

The teachers said:

“I personally would like to see digital exams as the default choice for pupils with physical disabilities, and paper, helpers, scribes etc. as options that would need to be specially requested. This is because I believe they [digital exams] are empowering, less difficult to administer and cost-effective.” (Teacher, special school)

“We really appreciate this format of exam paper. The pupils are generally much happier to be independent rather than depend on scribes and readers. This year all our S3 and S4s sat the SG English examination at the same time. If we had had to provide readers and/or scribes for this we would not have been able to staff it.” (Support for Learning teacher, secondary school)

For more feedback, visit the Adapted Digital Exams website.

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