SAT/AP Test Accommodations: Should we ask? Will they say yes?

Parents Forum
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<p>Posting this here since most of the posters in the test forum seem to be students and I need mostly parent/professional input. </p>

<p>My daughter is a sophomore in high school. She has a 4.0 from 9th grade and so far has all A's including in the 3 honors/AP courses she is taking. All good, right? The problem is that she has a vision disorder which makes her a very slow reader and I am growing increasingly more anxious about what is going to happen when she is required to take her first ever timed tests--AP, SAT and ACT. I am wondering if we should pursue test accommodations for her and whether or not our requests are llikely to be granted:</p>

<p>None of her high school teachers are aware that she has a problem. She has never received any testing or treatment from the public schools. For years (2nd-5th grade) her elementary school teachers realized there was some kind of a problem and requested LD testing, as did we. However, because she was at or above grade level in every subject, we were never able to get testing, or any other services, for her. We did finally get a private evaluation and 2 years of therapy which was very effective. Her reading rate increased dramatically but is still far below grade level and nowhere near what her comprehension level is. In middle school and in high school she has pleaded with me not to discuss her difficulties with any of her teachers or counselors and I have for the most part honored those requests because she is so good at managing her challenges on her own. So, there is no official documentation in place with our school district. Our state required standardized testing is not timed so she has performed very well on those tests. </p>

<p>So, I am wondering if it is possible to request accommodations with no input from the school district? The MD's and vision therapists are willing to provide all the test evidence and submit the necessary forms. Are we required to get input from our less than helpful school district, too?</p>

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<p>I think the best thing to do is probably just to ask, though there probably is something up on the College Board website regarding testing accomodations (not the first time this has come up, I’m sure). I have no idea what the likelihood of accomodations being granted is (I suspect it varies?) but I think there’s no harm in asking as the worst they can say is no. You’ll definitely have to provide documentation, but since the SAT and the AP test are created and run by a non-school district body, you may not have to provide school district related documentation. Again, just speculating on that, but it’s worth a try.</p>

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<p>Hi Schooner - Somewhere else in this Forum there is a comprehensive thread on requesting and obtaining accommodations. </p>

<p>I once shared your mindset - not wanting others to know about my son’s disability, wondering if he would be treated differently. But then I started to get nervous that, despite his healthy GPA, his disability would absolutely prevent him from finishing a standarized test on time. When he took the PSAT w/o accommodations and was on the verge of tears because he just couldn’t do it, I started the paperwork. </p>

<p>And I forget for which test - SAT or ACT - but the request for the accomodations actually has to come from the school with a GC signature (with your private testing attached). The other thing you should know is getting approval for accomodations takes months and, more often than not, there may be an initial denial which you then have to appeal (which we did successfully).</p>

<p>Your D is not to blame for her vision. Don’t listen to naysayers who believe accommodations are a racket to get a better score - they are necessary for kids who are differently-abled. I DO think the testing is a racket for those of us who can afford it - how many kids w/o resources who need accomodations actually get them (since most educational testing is not covered by insurance)?</p>

<p>The real question becomes, how willing are you to risk poor test scores and a frustrated and demoralized D to keep the school from getting involved?</p>

<p>Whatever you decide, best wishes and good luck.</p>

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<p>Some would advise that you pursue formal testing and accommodations for this difference now, so that the records can follow her to college. Her current coping skills may prove inadequate to a college-level workload, and it could be very helpful for her to start college with up-to-date information in case she needs help from the disability services office there.</p>

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<p>Yes, I would advise requesting them. Even in they are granted, you could choose not to use them. However, they would be in place should you so choose. We applied for and were granted SAT accommodations last year. We just started the process for ACT last week. Both organizations are clear they want documentation from within the last 3 years. Both applications ask if these accommodations have been in place and used regularly during the last 3 school years. Both forms required portions be completed by the school and signed by GC. Not saying they won’t be granted otherwise, but I think there are probably more hurdles to cross if that is the case.</p>

<p>She is doing extremely well! Congratulations on her hard work. However, I echo the earlier poster. College level amount of reading may well prove very different. It would be nice to have testing in place to obtain college accommodations too, should they be necessary.</p>

<p>Good luck on this process. You may also want to post this on the LD forum in cc.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the replies. I did some reading on the CollegeBoard website but it’s confusing–the guidelines there indicate that where visual impairemets are concerned documentation from health providers is sufficient to request accommodations. However, CBs info about the requiremets for extended time indicate that much more documentation is provided. The information seems to be contradictory. </p>

<p>I’m thinking that I will meet with the district psychologist to find out what she knows about the process. I realize in the end I may have no recourse other than to inform the counselor who will probably fill in the teachers even if I ask her not to. I am reluctant to start this process, because in each of the three instances where I informed middle school teachers about daughter’s situation we noticed an almost immediate difference in the way she was treated and in the way her assignments were graded.</p>

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<p>Why don’t you just call CB?</p>

<p>I second the poster who warns you that getting accommodations takes some time.</p>

<p>Even if your child does well in class, you can still ask for school testing. Parents have a right to do this. Then, they can deny services/accommodations based on how well she does in class. At that point, you can disagree with their findings and get private testing paid for by the school.</p>

<p>Does this vision problem qualify as a medical problem? If so, it would seem that you could have enough documentation medically to get some accommodations, but through a 504 plan, not an IEP. Once you have a plan in place at school, it can be sent to CB.</p>

<p>I have a child w/multiple health issues who did very well in high school thanks to a 504, and is now at an Ivy League college where she is registered with the disabilities office. She resists accommodations fiercely (and is widely admired for doing so), but they are there if she needs them. It is a godsend.</p>

<p>Plans and accommodations should not stigmatize, and our feeling is that they help avoid misunderstandings. If teachers or professors have the information, then they have more insight into what the student is actually accomplishing, in the context of those obstacles.</p>

<p>Our younger daughter has some reading issues, and “slow processing,” but does not qualify for formal accommodations at her school. She does quality work, but slowly. Rather than seek accommodations from the CB, she is applying to test optional places, which is another option if scores are impacted.</p>

<p>The bottom line is that CB will consider the fact that your child does well in school without accommodations. Much better to have them in place at school. However, with a medical problem as opposed to LD, for instance, there may be some wiggle room. I would call and ask CB. There is a number to call for accommodation help, on the site.</p>

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<p>We never officially classified our daughter until last year when we felt it necessary for the SATs. Our daughter is dyslexic and the schools have been very accommodating “unofficially” since 2nd grade. I highly recommend you find out what is necessary for accommodations but I am pretty certain that the school guidance counselor must be the one to send all the appropriate paperwork once they receive it from you. It is all confidential and no one except the guidance counselor will know of this. Even colleges will not know of her accommodations. </p>

<p>My daughter (junior) was given time and a half and use of a word processor which she doesn’t want. We figured she could just say “no” to the word processor on the day of the exam but then we found out that she would have to take the test over two days during the week and miss classes for it because of the word processor accommodation. I had to get a form from the guidance counselor to sign off that we didn’t want the word processor and then the guidance counselor had to sign also and send it into the College Board.</p>

<p>I don’t see how you’re going to get around the guidance counselor involvement. You can understand that if parents could send in these requests the College Board would be totally inundated with requests. You are starting at a good time with your daughter being a sophomore it should give you plenty of time to get it all approved.</p>

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<p>I concur with other posters - go for the accommodation. The school does need to submit the paperwork, however. DS has an accommodation for a word processor b/c of a congenital physical issue (amtc, it doesn’t have to be so onerous - DS took the test the same morning as everyone else, just in a different room with a “personal proctor”). He took APs last year very successfully, and we just got the SAT results back (also good, although he’ll take it again). It does take a while to get the accommodations, so starting early is wise (like one of the posters, we had to appeal an initial denial). The only “catch” that you might run into is that one of the standards the school is asked to affirm is that the accommodations are regularly used in the school setting. Then again, as your daughter heads into more rigorous work, she may in fact find she needs the accommodation.</p>

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<p>I’ve been there, done this-- and I think you need to get the school involved, partly because your daughter (like everyone on earth) needs to understand her own strengths and weaknesses and be able to advocate for herself when it’s appropriate. Also because I believe the school has to make the request to the CB. Yes, it pains my D to be sent to another room for the SAT, to have a different answer sheet for the state tests, etc. But it has also meant that she has learned to talk directly to her teachers, to find ways to study that work around her problem (visual/spatial). She is closer to her teachers because of it, and a better student all around. And she has a kind of groundedness that has come from acknowledging the problem and understanding how to deal with it. Go see the GC, or school psychologist! They’ve dealt with it all, and they know kids are uncomfortable about it, so they can help with that too.</p>

<p>hello pittsburgh-o-phile and happy t-giving! xo</p>