Hi all, we were thinking of having my middle daughter (freshmen) take two SAT 2 tests in June, but realize we don’t have time to request time and a half accommodations. Would it be a huge mistake to have her take them without accommodations if we plan on asking for them for her SAT tests in the future? I ironically worry that if she does well on them, they will deny her just on that basis alone.
She has documented ADHD, Asperger’s, and an anxiety disorder, and has been on meds for ADHD and anxiety since elementary school. She was given a 504 in 6th grade, and has had it renewed each year. We had a neurospych exam done before 7th grade, and she has a psychiatrist who can also attest to these issues. Her 504 currently allows for time and a half for all tests, which she uses in many classes. She is extremely bright (like so many of our children), but I don’t think she could be pulling an A in Algebra 2 or Honors Bio right now if she weren’t given extra time (although languages are her worst).
Are we damaging our future application for extra time if she takes a couple of SAT 2 tests (Bio and Math 1) in June and does reasonably well on them?
Does she have to take them in June? Why not have her take them in the fall? That way, she can review the material and take some practice tests over the summer, and take the real test in the fall with accommodations.
The issue is that she is a fall athlete (soccer), and just won’t have time. Otherwise that sounds like a great suggestion. I was just trying to get some testing out of the way for her, and right after she finished the coursework in these subject areas, but I’m nervous that she will score sufficiently well that they will deny her any subsequent accommodations, but not anywhere near as well as she would have with accommodations.
Thanks for the input, LovetheBard. We’ve decided not to have her take them, mostly because of the intense anxiety she is feeling at taking them without extended time accommodations. I guess there’s a reason why these accommodations are given 
I wanted to see if she could do it without the accommodations, but I should just realize that they are needed, and for good reasons.
Glad you figured that out…Giving advice is easy – figuring out what to do with your own kid is another matter altogether. We are stressing out about accommodations as well; the very nice-but-altogether-incompetent resource person at my daughter’s school (who is the one that is responsible for requesting accommodations) submitted the paperwork a month after the due date for approval for the AP exams…We still don’t know whether or not she will be approved and she’s scheduled for AP World exam next week and two SAT subject tests in June.
Good luck to us both!!!
Ack! Sorry to hear. That’s part of our problem. When I asked my daughter’s guidance counselor how we go about requesting accommodations, she told us that that was up to us. Then I did some research and saw that the school was supposed to be involved…. Not helpful. I really hope your daughter’s accommodations come through before the AP exam next week!
Hi - I hope that you have managed to get your school on board and submit the request for you and that you will have the accommodations in time for the June testing. We finally got my daughter’s approval about 2 hours before she was scheduled for late testing on the AP World exam – what a relief!
Such good news – glad it worked out!
We actually ended up deciding against her sitting for the tests in June. She’s just a freshman and has plenty of time to take her SAT2s in the future. But yes, I am lining up her accommodations with the school.
I’ll be rooting for her! And, yes, if she’s a freshman, you’ve got lots of time…Math 1 is probably a waste anyway – you’re probably better off waiting until she can take Math 2 after her sophomore or in her junior year, depending on her level. Too bad about bio - might she take AP Bio later?
Yes, she will likely take AP Bio later on, so Bio can wait. In any event, even if she doesn’t, she’ll take some science she can take an SAT 2 test in. She’s taking Trig/Intro to Calc next year (sophomore), so Math 2 makes much more sense down the line.
Don’t count on getting the extra time the first time you apply. TCB goes out of its way to make it difficult for parents.
Got it the first time out for both The College Board and the ACT! The CB thing was a real nail-biter, though…as I mentioned in an earlier post, we found out right before the late testing for the AP exam.
It was a very good thing DD got it – she used every second and was nevertheless in a lot of pain afterwards (her problem is a physical one - rheumatoid arthritis that primarily affects her hands, hips and knees).
Interestingly, the ACT recommended special testing over several days even though I had only requested national testing with extended time. I ended up having extensive conversations with two of their reviewers, and I must say, they were very thoughtful in their deliberations.
As for the CB wanting to give parents a hard time, I think that the combination of a deluge of paperwork (every lab test, full-on medical evaluations from a variety of MDs, several teachers commenting about accommodations used in their classes, a solid accommodations plan (private school equivalent of a 504 plan) with rationales for each of the accommodations, a very heartfelt parent letter and phone calls to TCB nearly every day probably made them figure that I wasn’t going to go down quietly and maybe they wanted to save themselves the time and trouble.
Perhaps with a physical disability there is less of a gray area than there might be with a psychological issue (my daughter has no shortage of those too but that’s not what we were looking for accommodations for!) or for learning challenges, so maybe they a bit less jaded/skeptical??
Congratulations! I think with adequate documentation TCB is not a problem. DD had LD’s documented back to first grade plus recent educational testing and there were no problems getting accommodations. TCB will allow testing over multiple days as well, depending upon circumstances. Good luck to your DD!