Which accommodation is most beneficial for a student with a learning disability in the area of written expression?

• A. Giving verbal answers to essay questions on an assessment
• B. Taking assessments in a small-group setting
• C. Creating a self-selected portfolio for an assessment of literacy skills
• D. Taking frequent breaks if needed during standardized assessments

Answer: (A)

When a student has a learning disability in written expression, the aim is to reveal what they know without the barriers of producing written text. Giving verbal answers to essay prompts allows the student to express ideas, organize thoughts, and present an argument orally. This reduces the impact of handwriting, spelling, and transcription difficulties while still assessing understanding and reasoning. To keep the assessment fair, the oral responses can be scored using the same criteria as written essays, often with the response either recorded and transcribed or scored as an oral equivalent to the essay task.

Other options address different needs, like reducing distractions or showing literacy progress in a portfolio, but they don’t directly lessen the specific barriers of writing during an essay assessment.