Abstract
This study examined the relation of type and degree of disability and examination method on score distributions on the Joint First Stage Achievement Tests specially administered for students with 9 categories of disability. The results of the study showed that type of disability noticeably affected score distributions, because the distributions of the total scores for 5 academic subjects (English, Japanese, mathematics, science, and social studies) were significantly different among the students in the 9 categories of disability, and there were specific significant differences among the students in the various disability categories in terms of their scores on the 5 academic subjects. It was also determined that the test method affected the score distribution, as evidenced by the fact that the scores of students with severe writing disabilities were significantly increased by changing the method of answering. The group of blind students scored significantly higher than the group of students who were partially sighted; this was caused by the extension of testing time allotted only to the blind students. It is concluded that differences in score distributions among the groups with different disabilities clearly reflect the direct effect of their disability on test scores showing their achievement level, which is measured by this examination, and the indirect effect of their disability, which is derived from the factor of the examination method
