Scribe
A scribe works one-on-one with a student to record the student’s responses verbatim as they speak aloud.
Who is this for?
A scribe may be necessary to support equitable learning opportunities for learners:
- Who have difficulty writing legibly.
- Experiencing significant pain due to persistent, episodic, or temporary medical conditions.
- Whose stamina, energy, or ability to engage is significantly diminished by disability.
- Whose spelling, grammar, and punctuation and or clarity and organization of written expression is significantly below expected level.
- Where assistive or adaptive technology has been tried but has proven to be ineffective or not feasible.
This accommodation supports students to:
Equitably complete assessments.
What it is
A scribe records verbatim the student’s speech and instructions.
Students are permitted to skip questions, complete questions out of order, and return to a previous question.
Students can review and edit answers throughout assessment.
Students are responsible for correct punctuation and spelling of technical terms. Students can correct errors during dictation or afterwards.
What it’s not
Scribes will record the student’s answer, even if it is wrong.
Scribes will spell words as the student dictates, even if it is incorrect.
Scribes do not assist the student with hints, suggestions, strategies, indicating correct or incorrect answers, or directing student to redo or review any part of their assessment.
Scribes record exactly what the student dictates without paraphrasing, editing, omission, or addition.
Scribes may ask the student repeat words or phrases to ensure accuracy and clarity of transcription, but not to suggest changes or corrections.
How can I support this in my classroom?
Coordinate with accessibility services offices to ensure timely delivery of assessment material.
