<p>My son, a junior in high school, was diagnosed midway through his sophomore year with ADHD, predominantly inattentive. The diagnosis was done by a licensed clinical psychologist in the U.S. who administered the standard battery of tests (Wechsler, Woodcock-Johnson, etc.) His scores on information processing time and short-term memory were extremely low. In addition he was diagnosed by a ophthalmologist with a visual problem that makes reading very fatiguing. He has been taking Concerta for about 5 months now, and has been getting therapy for the visual problem. His high school has agreed to provide extended time on tests on a case-by-case basis, generally on longer tests with multiple essay questions or complicated math problems.
So far, so good. The problem is, we live in France. We would like to get accommodations on the SAT, but since the administrators at his school do not speak good English, I am having to figure out exactly what information we need to provide. The College Board disabilities website has some information, but it some of it is difficult to apply to our situation -- for example there is no such thing as an IEP or 504 plan here.
Moreover, the College Board makes it difficult to get access to the website where the school could obtain detailed information about the required documentation. First they asked the school to submit a request for an access code to the site. I helped them fill out the form, which they faxed to the College Board, but then weeks went by with no response. I phoned College Board, and they said that before getting the access code, the school had to apply to get a basic College Board code ... and to do that they had to fill out yet another form and fax it in. This has now been done .. we are waiting to get the code, and then will we have to re-fax the first form. All extremely frustrating!
Here is my question for the forum: Does anyone have a DETAILED list of documents and information that the school and my son's doctor will have to provide ... in other words a list that goes beyond the generic information on the public website of the College Board?
We have already spent several weeks going round & round with College Board, and they have warned us that processing the request could take as long as 2 months ... I am tryiing to get a headstart on gathering the necessary information.
Thanks for any help you can give!</p>
<p>I called the College Board this morning regarding a similar situation. We are currently living in the U.S., but will be moving to Switzerland. My daughter will be taking the SAT in Switzerland a few months after we arrive. We are requesting accommodations for the test that she will be taking there. This is what they told me: (1) You can have the school make the request on your behalf OR you can submit the request for accommodations yourself. In the U.S., high schools can submit the requests online. (2) If you want to submit the request yourself, it is done via snail mail. You first need to request the STUDENT ELIGIBILITY FORM from College Board. They will mail it to you. (3) Along with the completed form, you will need to submit the report from the doctor, which includes the doctor’s diagnosis and the results of the tests he administered to your child. (4) College Board will evaluate – I think she said it can take ~7 weeks – and make a decision. (5) You will get a decision letter with an SSD number on it if accommodations are approved. Include the SSD number when you register for the tests. The SSD number is valid all through high school plus one year after graduation. It can be used to take the test (AP, SAT, and SAT subject tests) anywhere in the world. The rep made it sound very simple. I suspect it’s not. The number I called is 609-771-7137. They are available from 8 am to 6 pm ET. The email address is: <a href="mailto:ssd@info.collegeboard.org">ssd@info.collegeboard.org</a>. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Hello, College Board did tell us that we could submit the request ourselves, without going through my son’s school. However, I have been told by numerous people that it is almost impossible to get SAT accommodations unless the school is providing accommodations. That – as well as the snail-mail requirement – is why we decided to get the school involved. But maybe we will have to go the same route as you … I would be interested in hearing how it goes. Good luck!</p>