Students with disabilities taking the ACT/SAT are legally protected from submission of flagged scores to colleges for a very good reason.Flagging suggests that the scores are not quite fair or representative of a student’s skills, knowledge and aptitude for college-level work. Information about accommodations on the SAT and the ACT are found easily on their websites.
Please note that an IEP or a 504 plan in high school is not sufficient in many cases to receive accommodations on either test. Both websites identify documentation standards, but ETS/College Board provides far more and better explanation about the standards and how they are met.
Please consider the document standards and start working to fulfill them. They are the standards that disability services office use to determine accommodations. Why? The student is moving from a school environment where to goal is ensuring all students learn to an institution that the student means admissions criteria and needs accommodations to access classes. Accommodations are now civil rights that don’t guarantee any positive outcome, only that access was provided effectively. Then it is up to the student to pass or fail on their own merits.
In my opinion, adding information about disability in the application is self flagging. If the decision to admit includes information about disability and that information was supplied by the applicant, how can a claim of denial of admission based disability be brought and/or substantiated when the applicant disclosed the information? Its easy to find an attorney, but winning isn’t. Everything in the application is fair game for the admissions committee. If the student with a disability is denied admissions and decides to appeal the decision, the student’s disability then can become part of the appeal.
Oops. I started out in midstream. Students with disabilities who received accommodations in high school and had an IEP, 504 plan or a formal plan can request accommodations on the SAT/ACT. The most common request is extended time at 15 time. Both provide a wide and widening range of accommodations such as readers, extra or extended breaks, enlarged text, special desk, etc. These special accommodations (out-of-the- ordinary) are applied for on a separate form and often require more information about the student’s need.
Are you asking a question or trying to make a point? I’m not sure I get what you’re saying. We found our local college to be VERY accommodating to our son with a mental illness. I could not have asked for nicer people or better accommodations.
I want parents who are new to college admissions and services to understand how criteria and accommodations differ from those in high school.
I am delighted that you found your son’s college accommodating and the service providers to be very nice. That is exactly what you should expect and receive unless the request is outsides the bounds of legal or institutional policy.
The privacy of students with mental illness is legally protected. However, s/he may have interactions with counseling, disability and/or health services. It would be helpful for the student, parent(s) or parent substitute and the service providers to co-ordinate services. Please request signed permission for parents to talk to all offices or, maybe more importantly, for all service providers across offices to be allowed to speak to each other about a student’s situation and needs. It is frustrating and, sometimes deeply concerning, when a student is experiencing a mental health crisis in one office and a service provider at another office can’t speak to the caller because of privacy. Calling the police or an ambulance is such a cold, cruel suggestion.
Another thought and experience. I had parents tell me their student wouldn’t have graduated without my help. Yes, flattering. But all students who graduate do so on their own effort and persistence. We adults are interested, enthusiastic bystanders to their successes but they graduated as their own success stories.