I am so frustrated. My daughter is a junior and suffers from migraines and was recently approved for extra time for tests at school on a 504 plan. She took her first SAT recently and was only able to complete 3/4 of it due to a terrible migraine. She got under 1200. If she had continued as the first 3/4 she would have been around the 1350 range. She had to stay in her room the rest of the day. The school applied for extra time for the SAT for her and controlled lighting. It was ‘rejected’ because she has good grades. It did say that we can appeal it and provide more information but I am not sure what to do now. I am cancelling her next SAT in March. There is no way she can get through it without taking breaks staring at a piece of paper. Anyone been in this situation before?
I don’t see what the big deal is. You either know the material or you don’t. Extra time for resting your eyes so you don’t trigger a migraine should NOT make a difference.
It can be difficult for juniors and seniors to qualify for testing accommodations from CollegeBoard and ACT…when granted a new 504 or IEP at their HS.
I would appeal and work with your HS’s testing coordinator and physician to make the best case possible.
Good luck.
Have you provided dr info and any medications that she currently takes to your Hs? Perhaps more of a detailed explanation of how often headaches occur, what dr recommends, any testing done about her headaches. My s19 had an iep and accommodations were never a problem. He had LOTS of medical documentation for iep so not difficult for Hs when requesting extra time/quiet 1:1 testing. My D 21 used to have bad headaches and found that hydrating (but then worry about restroom break) and ibuprofen helped. Does dr have any suggestions to control migraines? We did not request any extra time for D and luckily has not had a headache during testing.
I agree. Provide a detailed explanation including doctors info, and why the school provides these accommodations.
The school needs to also state that they use them…that will help too.
If you can speak with someone on the phone at SAT, that might be helpful. They could guide you as to why they refused and what to do about it.
Yes I believe this is the issue… that her 504 is new. However her migraines seem to be affecting her more this year with all the stress of junior year. Up until now she just dealt with them. But taking an hour test or a 4 hour SAT is very different. Migraines are so hit or miss, she could need to be in bed all day or completely fine the next. But I know from myself as a migraine sufferer, things like staring at letters on a piece of paper for a long time can trigger a migraine. When that happens I need a break, and many times that can be all it takes to prevent it. Which will be impossible to do taking the SAT. I’m going to make an appointment with her doctor next week and the school said we will appeal it. Hopefully they understand what the situation is!!
They were nice on the phone and helped me change the date of the SAT to get though the appeals process(for a $30 fee) Told me to get more documentation and more detailed info from her doctor. Hopefully that works.
Good idea. She has started medication for them (beta blockers) so we will see how that goes. I don’t believe this I got was in the accommodation request.
Migraines are so different than headaches, ibuprofen does nothing. 
I think she is working her self up about it because she had such a horrible experience last time which makes it even worse. The bright lights and intense concentration trigger it and then there’s no going back…
Migraines are NOT headaches. I get terrible migraines and my head never hurts. Granted, head pain is often a big part of a migraine for many. But migraines are a major neurologal event and can resemble seizures.
The 504 is new because the migraines have worsened, is that right? Her grades are still okay because of the 504? It needs to be clarified that good grades before the 504 were because the migraines had not worsened as they have now.
Get lots of documention from a neurologist who can explain the effects of looking at printed words over a period of time, the effect of bright lights, and the cognitive effects of migraines (not from pain, though that affects functioning, but migraine effects like loss of vision or blurry vision, confusion, inability to concentrate). Have the neuro write about all this. Or write it yourself and have the neuro sign it (I did that and the doc didn’t mind at all!).
She could also look at this list of test optional schools, which include some of the top schools in the country https://www.fairtest.org/university/optional It’s a remarkable list.
If these tests are an issue, then the reading workload at college may be also. I know one migraineur who put her readings on a tv screen. But the main thing is to get the meds right. Not sure beta blockers are the best approach. Has she tried Lamictal?
Find a neuro specializing in migraines and seizures in young women. Hormones play a big role.
The accommodation you want may be longer or more frequent breaks. Try asking for one of those (with documentation) rather than extended time.
It’s tough when it’s a new 504. Getting good grades is the problem. They expect every kid with good grades not to have issues. What they don’t understand is the struggle to get the good grades with the migraines… Keep fighting… But you have to get your school’s evaluator on board. It took our school a long time to " get it" even with medical documentation since middle school and actually earlier. We had them watch him take a practice test and then they understood what was going on. I would suggest the same. They can do a practice test any weekend or day in a quiet room with an evaluator watching. Even if it’s just a small section for an hour. Plus meeting my son at that point also gave them lots to go on. Looking solely at the report card does not tell the whole story.
My experience with The College Board and ACT is dated but appealed to TCB for one kid and ACT for the other. In neither case was the issue migraines.
Both TCB and ACT are distrustful of privately paid psychologists as they are probably inundated with requests from affluent parents seeking advantage for their kids who have no issues.
The second kid went to private school and was granted extra time preemptively by the middle school and, after the HS suggested testing, she was granted extra time there as well. Because we didn’t have an IEP or a 504, it turned out to make a great difference to have the teachers describe why they had, on their own, given her extra time on tests and what they saw in her behavior that had led them to their decision. We also supplemented with an additional report from a psychologist (and, if I may say so, a compelling summary of the evidence and logic of the case by me). It took a couple of months, I think.
Our appeal to the TCB for the first kid was more complicated. We asked for the tests to be taken over two days with 100% time. He had an IEP starting in 2nd grade so we didn’t have an issue there. The problem was that he was/is so bright that he doesn’t do badly with no extra time. But, the LDs are real and profound and mask a truly gifted mind. Again, we asked teachers to write. But, we got nowhere until I spoke with one of the psychologists at TCB and explained the issues. At the time, the implicit rule was that you didn’t get the exam over two days or with 100% extra time unless the disability was physical (as opposed to “just in his head”). I had to document the physical impact of the tests. As a consequence, the whole process took a year. He did not take SAT/ACT until his gap year.
Incidentally, the psychologist at the TCB began to understand the prodigious strengths and weaknesses of the kid and told me she was actually eager to see what happened with him. I have been reporting on his successes over the years.
I would agree with others that you need to ask for breaks, rather than extended time. My daughter has some physical issues that can make writing for long periods of time difficult. Rather than ask for extra time, we asked for breaks between sections (and the ability to use an adaptive device on the pencil to make gripping it easier.). I applied directly, and not through the school as I was applying over the summer. I did include the 504 and letters from her rheumatologist and Occupational Therapist, but I was very specific in my request of what I wanted the letters to say. Much to our surprise, she was granted breaks “as needed” and not just between sections.
I wish you the best with the appeal!
Thank you! Good idea. Can they make up the time they use for breaks? My daughter needed the full time for the SAT so I’m worried with breaks that she would not be able to finish.
The breaks as needed won’t cut into her time to complete the test…they will make her overall testing experience longer if she takes extra breaks…but she will still get the same actual time to work on the test questions when she is not on a break.
I have had horrendous migraines for almost 30 years so I completely understand. Both of my daughters started to get them in college. They’ve both graduated but the younger one will be starting med school soon so we will see how that goes with tests. My son (Sr in HS) is starting to get them we think but has a 504 for ADD.
It’s essential your daughter is on meds! One daughter had to take national boards for Athletic Training (all day test) & the other the MCAT. If not on meds no way could they have taken them.
We are on daily preventative & have a rescue RX (naratriptan). I also get bimonthly Botox injections in my head bc mine are so bad.
My oldest and I are on monthly injectible Emgality - life changing!! Ask Doc about this. Make sure you’re taking her to a neurologist that’s also a headache specialist.
Good luck & I hope she feels better.
Thank you so much for the suggestions! I get them too so it seems to be hereditary for sure.
As far as the college board goes, her SAT was canceled and it looks like current juniors may not be able to take it at all before the fall. I wonder if college admissions will make it test optional for this year!
If you think she would test well if accommodated, consider waiting. As I told my kids, “Life is not a race.”
With my son, it took a full year to get the accommodations agreed. He took a gap year and did his tests in the fall of that year. He did very well. He thought the gap year was a great thing. Gave him time to study for the tests and do his applications without the stress of HS. He got in to lots of good schools and has done very well since then. No obvious downside to waiting.