Accommodations Denied by the College Board, What to do?

I understand and I probably should have gotten a neuropsych evaluation but this is a very obvious visual tracking issue and she still has a slight turn that the glasses distract from but she sometimes gets asked what she is looking at when speaking to people who do not realize. We did everything they asked each time they came back with a denial.

Had they responded back in November which would have been 7 weeks I might have spent the thousands on the neuropsych but it takes months to get an appointment. At this point it cannot be done in time for the APs. Plus there are substantial costs involved and I do not believe the neuropsych can really add anything helpful beyond the extra time, what I mean by that is identifying an issue or a coping strategy for her, the extra time and enlarged print work very well. She does not like the SAT as a test anyway and already has the time on the ACTs. It is frustrating. But seriously 5 months?

@2kids2cats2crazy Thank you and good luck. Fortunately they called first but honestly 5 months! I really do want to add the new information. I am thinking of sending a letter from me and including the new material. The case was expedited weeks ago, as of yesterday still pending

@parentologist there are a few kids in our school who get double time already and they are very good about accommodating the testing times and so on. I am told APs are given on one day not two but SATs are given on two with double time

I know it may be too late for the SAT, but in anticipation of college, a neuropsych. evaluation would be helpful. If there is any medical basis for a disability, we found that insurance covered it. As I remember I had to talk to a supervisor at our insurance company.

So sorry your family is going through this.

The Federal Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights was very helpful to us in a lot of situations. Maybe one short session with an education lawyer? It is hard being on your own with this.

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I appreciate the input but I am not sure why she would need it for college?

She has an established 504 which will follow her to college and a long standing history plus she did get ACT accommodations which we can present. Would something more be needed?

This is a little off topic for your current question…but college disability offices will want current assessments and how this affects education. So…when the time comes, you might want to make sure that any assessments done to support the 504 are current.

@compmom can explain…but your child’s current 504 won’t follow her to college. I believe it can be the basis for accommodations that are approved by the disability office at her college.

I’m wondering…did I read correctly that in your initial submission to the college board, you sent vision info from when your daughter was 10? I know that her situation hasn’t changed, but I’m wondering if that was the snag. These places want current info.

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I agree with Thumper, adding that 504s do NOT automatically transfer to college, they end when the student graduates from HS. Your D will have to work with the college’s Disability Office and give them the info they want in order to grant her accommodations.

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@Mwfan1921 An IEP (which she does not have) will not follow her to college but her 504 will, although not exactly the same way " Section 504 and Title II protect elementary, secondary, and postsecondary students from discrimination" Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education The ADA of course continues for everyone but I obviously not an expert so please do your own research

Yes I submitted old medical reports in summer 2020, her 504 was current. It was mid pandemic, I am medically vulnerable and so is my daughter’s eye doctor so they were limiting to emergencies. Plus since the CB had announced back in 2017 that they would accept 504s and she had one for so long I never questioned it. The most recent eye report is from 2021. The teacher reports were current. The issue now is that it has been 5 months without a response! Even if my paperwork was inadequate this is outside the bounds of reasonableness

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Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to college but that does not mean that the high school 504 plan follows the student to college. The law itself still applies, but at the college level the accommodations are to a different standard. They cannot pose an undue financial or administrative burden or substantially change to academic program. In general that language really doesn’t have any effect, but just so you know: college does not just follow the high school program.

I wrote letters for my kids’ doctors to sign to send to the schools. I researched accommodations and listed them in the letter. Doctors did not mind me doing this at all.

The student registers with the Office of Disabilities and is given letters to give to each professor. The student then negotiates accommodations with the professor. For wheelchair access, single room, testing spaces, etc. etc. the O of D handles that, not the prof’s, obviously, and if your daughter needs any equipment or assistive technology the O of D would do that too.

In our experience, it is often advisors, deans and doctors who support accommodations with professors. It can take a little while to figure out how to work the system and each school is a little different.

I believe schools like documentation of a diagnosis or neuropsych. eval. or whatever that has been done in the last 3 years but someone can correct me if I am wrong.

The College Board is pretty strict . Your daughter deserves accommodations and I hope the giltch can be found.

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I agree this is taking too long for an answer. Did you call CB today?

I spoke to the school and they claim that I will get an answer in the next couple of days! (breath being held!) They suggested I hold off consulting an attorney or taking other action until we hear but I am not sure that is a great course

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Thank you again to everyone who offered suggestions and support. We got a response at the end of last week. This was after the school called a few times and finally got someone who believed that my daughter’s file was in some type of limbo so she put in a “decision request” and within a week we had one. It is mostly good news, she got enlarged print, and the other non time based accommodations, such as no scantrons. She got 1.5X time and they acknowledged that her 504 says 2X but they claimed her record did not warrant it. They wanted to see a tracking test (not sure why, her eyes do not work together, she cannot track with both, she alternates and actually has a dominant eye which was noted in the prior report) or some other tests for conditions she does not actually have nor have we ever claimed she has. All in, it took about 24-25 weeks to get an answer and the actual letter came today (tomorrow would be 6 months exactly). They stated that many of her conditions can be resolved with glasses. What do they think, that she has prescription glasses that she does not wear for tests?? She wears them day in and day out. I found that not an appropriate response. Clearly if glasses helped her sufficiently she would not have a 504!

While 1.5X is better than standard, this is a student who really relies on the full double time and I have had teachers tell me she does not finish even with the double time. All her documentation said double time, I am not sure how they can make such a subtle distinction remotely.

At this point, AP exams are in three weeks so while we did appeal again! (the school had done some testing on her with and without accommodations and the ACT had given her 2.0 (in 10 days!) since we applied in October, we presented that). With the timing even if they agree we may not get a response in time, I am not sure how to get them to expedite since they are essentially the ones who put us in this position. BTW for future reference, this is a very interesting handout from the DOJ which has recommendations about how accommodations for these tests and requests for more information should be handled Redirecting…

They were much more specific this time and if I had been told this last Fall she could have had a tracking test done but it was too late. It reminded me she had one done when she briefly did vision therapy. I called the doctor and he was very nice and is sending over records but they are probably too old. I am hearing from more than one optometrist that vision is not an easy accommodation to get. I do not understand why, especially in a situation where there is a public school 504 or IEP that is documented, long standing and followed by the high school

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Thank you for the DOJ ADA testing link. I found the section on the need for the testing agency to respond in a timely manner helpful and plan to reference that when I call the College Board and the high school tomorrow (text below). We’re now at 3 months from initial request with no update.

Testing entities should ensure that their process for reviewing and approving testing accommodations responds in time for applicants to register and prepare for the test.6 In addition, the process should provide applicants with a reasonable opportunity to respond to any requests for additional information from the testing entity, and still be able to take the test in the same testing cycle. Failure by a testing entity to act in a timely manner, coupled with seeking unnecessary documentation, could result in such an extended delay that it constitutes a denial of equal opportunity or equal treatment in an examination setting for persons with disabilities.

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With inadequate accommodations and ongoing appeals, is it possible to be exempt from the AP exams and still get class credit?

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I am not sure. At this point I paid for the tests which are expensive and I doubt anyone is giving me a refund, and there is no downside to taking them since she is not required to report the scores as far as I know. I think you can even delete a very bad score from your record if you request it or so I was told 8 years ago when my oldest was looking into APs but that may have been bad information, I have no idea. She can self report where and if she does ok for applications. If she had gotten nothing then for next year I would have insisted that the school exempt her and not charge me. With this she may do ok but not at the level she is performing in school otherwise.

@2kids2cats2crazy glad it helped. The school asked for expedited review on March 8. They called back a couple of times and around April 4 or so got someone who found her file in the system. They requested a decision letter and that is how we got a response. Her second application was pending last April from a mid April application to a late June response, about 10 weeks but I am estimating

Do you mean in high school or college?

Colleges generally will not give credit or placement for a high school AP course without a sufficiently high score on the AP exam (if they would ordinarily give credit or placement for the AP score). However, for some subjects (most commonly foreign languages), some colleges may have alternate means of giving advanced placement, such as their own placement tests.

No I meant high school. Our local high school, at the time my kids were there, did not give credit for AP classes if you didn’t take the exam, so not taking the exam could potentially delay graduation.
ps for college credit CLEP’s are a lot easier!

I also have problems with binocular vision and have a dominant eye.

I know this isn’t preferable, but I usually read by closing one of my eyes. Would that be something that might work for her, just in this one situation where she is not getting the accommodations that she needs?

I’m so glad I found this thread. We submitted my son’s paperwork (including recent neuropsych report) to the CB in early February and we too seem to be stuck in a “pending decision” limbo. As it is, son already prefers the ACT. But that doesn’t help us with the AP’s and son’s dysgraphia requires basic accommodations such 1.5 time for math and circle answers in test booklet. Plus, I’d like him to take the PSAT.

It has been 9 weeks as of today and no word at all from the CB. Has it always been this backed up?

As I remember it took 6-8 weeks even for something as clear cut as type 1 diabetes (back in the day before CGM’s) .

IIRC, you are in NYS.

I think that you should make a request to your school for an initial eval and get an IEP. Having an IEP will make it so much easier for her to get testing accommodations on all local, city and state-administered testing. In addition she would be eligible for transition services- and have a formal exit summary that she can take to college.

Once you get an IEP before your D leaves high school, during senior year, she should apply for ACCES-VR services.

http://www.acces.nysed.gov/vr

ACCES-VR services are lifetime as long as she is in NYS. Any testing that she will need for her 504 in college will be paid for by ACCES-VR.

She may also be eligible for funding for college from ACCES-VR.

http://www.acces.nysed.gov/vr/40500-college-and-university-training-services-policy

hope this helps

Interesting. I do have binocular vision (or I think I do) and I loved to read. About 20 years ago I realized I was closing one eye when I was reading for hours. I would only notice it because that eye would take a minute to adjust when I stopped. Short periods of reading I use both eyes. It has gotten harder for me to read in general as I become more farsighted with age. She already reads only with one eye but she alternates which and loses her place. I will ask her how it works exactly but I know she reads very slowly and I often have to get her the kindle version of her English book so she can enlarge the print or even the audible version.

@sybbie719 thank you but that would not apply to us but it sounds like a great resource for those who are in NYS and are eligible

@Auntlydia after 7 weeks the school can call and ask for expedited treatment. The limbo is not normal. It seems to depend on the situation and disability. I personally know students who got either 1.5 or 2.0 with ADHD in under a month in time for the PSAT and with everything requested granted. They presented 504s or school plans and a neuropsych evaluation. Meanwhile more than one optometrist I have spoken to says they have a lot of back and forth with the College Board. It seems that disabilities based on physical issues are not treated the same way as other disabiliites which seems strange, as in @compmom’s diabetes example