<p>I found it harder to get extended time for ACT than SAT. Anyone else share the same experience? What suggestions or experiences do you have? Please share.</p>
<p>If you take a look through this forum, and through the LD forum [Learning</a> Differences and Challenges - LD, ADHD - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/learning-differences-challenges-ld-adhd/]Learning”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/learning-differences-challenges-ld-adhd/) , you will see that some people had more trouble getting accommodations for the SAT, and others had more trouble for the ACT. There doesn’t seem to be a clear pattern. I expect that is because each request is evaluated separately, and there would be any number of different factors that could come into play in the decison-making process.</p>
<p>Thank you for your reply. The reasons from the ACT were that ACT had different standards in judging. My s had extended time at his high school for more than one year and he was diagnosed as ADHD at the end of his 10th grade. According to ACT, because he didn’t have a HISTORY of ADHD (for example, since he was a little boy,) they denied him. ACT told me their standard was based on comparing my s with other “average people” and based on my his report card (with all As and Bs), he was not “disabled” and thus he was not qualified for extended time. But how about the fact that he was on medication, he became hyper-focused, and he actually needed time to finish his test. Also, he already got extended time from his high school for a year, got approved from Collegeboard, and he was already used to these extended time. I have appealed three times to ACT with all kinds of documents but they still denied my s. Can someone share experiences like this with me? Should I hire an attorney?</p>
<p>What they are trying to guard against are parents who suddenly “find” that their kid has a disability shortly before they take the ACT (or SAT). I am definitely not saying you are doing this, but that is the reasoning behind their desire for an older diagnosis in addition to a more recent one. (They want both, and I know plenty of parents who have griped about having to go through the cost of testing again in high school to satisfy them when the diagnosis was already in place from earlier years).</p>
<p>I doubt getting an attorney will do you any good. You probably should have him take the ACT without accommodations to see how he does. But only send scores to colleges if you think they are better than his SAT scores. Pretty much every college will take either one.</p>
<p>I agree, if he got the extended time on the SAT why not just have him take both and submit whichever score is better? We didn’t have any trouble with the extended time on the ACT, but S has had an IEP since first grade and is retested with a full battery of the tests by the school. the ACT is required for all students in Michigan. The school handled the request for us. I highly suspect in your case it was the “recent” diagnosis. Hopefully the extended SAT will work for you son, the college really don’t care anymore which one you submit.</p>
<p>Thank you for sharing your ideas. I am just upset at how the ACT judged that my s should not be granted extended time because he was not diagnosed much earlier. The problem is I have two daughters before him and I didn’t know many of his behavioral symptoms were because of ADHD. I thought those were just typical for a boy and also he is my first boy. Now, after a whole year of getting extended time at school and for all the tests from Collegeboard, it is just very hard for him to do it without extended time. I wonder if anyone has argued or appealed with the ACT and finally succeeded. How to deal cases like this? I have turned in letters from teachers, doctor, psychologist, and school counselors. Actually, they asked me to turn in all those. After I did all that, they still denied it - simply because he was not diagnosed before. That was why I am so upset.</p>
<p>Why does he even need to take the ACT? Every college in the country that requires an admission exam will accept the results of either the SAT or the ACT. If he has taken the SAT already, he’s done. Send those scores and skip the ACT.</p>
<p>I have a physical disability that I needed accommodations for the ACT for and they wouldn’t budge on it. I’d had documentation of having the problems my whole life but it took us until I was already in high school to find a doctor who could diagnose it, and my guidance counselor fought tooth and nail and nothing could be done. I don’t know if this is a battle that can be won.</p>
<p>Hi Happymomof1, thank you for your advice. My s is taking the ACT so then he does not have to take the subject tests. Also, he is more a math and science guy. I am just upset that they told me to get all those information to turn in and then they told me a reason that I couldn’t change, i.e. to turn the time backward so I could take my s to check for his ADHD? Anyway, I really appreciate your sharing.</p>
<p>Emaheevu107, I felt your pains. The people at the ACT are really stubborn and they insisted on some really weird standards. When I told them my s became even slower in reading and comprehension after he was on medication, they told me, “Why don’t you send him there without medication?” I don’t think they are professional and they certainly don’t know how to judge who needs help or who doesn’t.</p>
<p>I have noticed that you have posted on a Ivy forum so if your son is interested in any Ivy school than he will need to take the subject tests regardless of whether he takes the SAT or the ACT.</p>
<p>^^^ Actually there are many schools (although not all) which permit ACT with writing in lieu of the otherwise required SAT II tests.</p>
<p>^ Of the Ivy’s the only schools that do not require the subject tests with the ACT are Brown and U Penn. I believe all the others schools in the league require at least 1 subject test, and most require two.</p>
<p>^^^ Yale will also accept ACT with writing instead of the SAT II, I just checked.</p>
<p>Thanks for checking, fendrock. I wondered if Yale still accepted ACT w/o subject tests. They did 4 years ago when S applied.</p>
<p>Apparently, ACT is looking at whether the student has extended time in school for tests as an accommodation. If not, they are less likely to approve the request for extended time on the ACT. They see no difference between the school tests and the standardized tests. But there is a difference! SAT doesn’t see it this way- they’ll grant extended time without extended test taking time as an accommodation in school. ACT I feel is very rigid. If you appeal and still don’t get it, they’ll refund your registration money. Good luck.</p>
<p>My son has had double time for years in HS. He got it for the SAT, but not the ACT(only time and a half). He fared better on the SAT as a result (2100) The ACT he couldn’t finish about nine questions on each section(25).</p>
<p>You could try to seek further tests to support the extended time and appeal. My son just went with the SAT,did subject tests and AP’s as well.</p>
<p>There was a recent federal study that calls for the US Dept. of Justice to improve oversight of testing companies. It is titled, “Higher Education and Disability: Improved Federal Enforcement Needed to Better Protect Students’ Rights to Testing Accommodations.” Please refer to [U.S</a>. GAO - Higher Education and Disability: Improved Federal Enforcement Needed to Better Protect Students’ Rights to Testing Accommodations](<a href=“http://gao.gov/products/GAO-12-40]U.S”>Higher Education and Disability: Improved Federal Enforcement Needed to Better Protect Students' Rights to Testing Accommodations | U.S. GAO). Essentially, the report indicates that testing companies are placing undue burdens on test takers. My child was denied extended time on the ACT despite a neuropsychologist report documenting a learning disability and ADHD, plus the school documenting that extended time was allowed on math tests. I won’t go into details because it still upsets me. My appeal was not successful but I certainly hope that others have some good luck.</p>