My DD will be taking the SAT this fall. We applied for extra time with the College Board and were denied. The College Board stated that they need us to provide cognitive and academic testing results. They also need documentation to demonstrate difficulty with test taking under timed conditions which can be demonstrated by taking the SATA, WIAT or other tests. I don’t know where to begin (i.e., who do I even go to to have these tests administered?) Does anyone live in Northern NJ can can suggest who I could call? Thanks so much.
Does she have a documented/diagnosed disability? Has she had/qualififed for/used accommodations in school? Has she had any psychological/neuropsychological testing?
We used a psychologist and had neuropsychological testing done on my son. The doctor’s report stated specifically that he should be given extra time on tests. He’s actually just submitted the report to try to get extra time on the first actuarial exam (you have to pass a series of exams to become an actuary).
The neuropsych report should have some of the cognitive and academic testing that the College Board would want to see. How complete an evaluation was done? What tests were administered? What was the diagnosis? Has your son had accommodations for testing such as extra time at his school? (If not, it will be very hard to justify need. Is there a learning resource center at his school? Is there a 504 or IEP in place? Did you submit the request to the CB yourself or did the designated school representative do it for your son? Was the neuropsych report included?
Sorry for the barrage of questions, but these are some of the things the CB will be taking into consideration…
Collegeboard has all this on their website. They are very open about the required documentation.
It is very difficult to get this accommodation unless your child can document that they have needed extra time in the past in order to complete their every day school work - tests and such. If they don’t have an IEP or testing stating they need extra time, talk to the counselors in charge of special education at your school and they can advise you - in many schools these are the folks who file the paperwork for you.
Also be aware that extra time is not always helpful, some adhd kids for example find the extended test time unbearable.
Ask the GC at his school if they have a recommendation. However, be aware that CB isn’t as likely to grant extra time to students diagnosed shortly before starting standardized testing in high school.
The people who do this testing (WIAT etc called educational evaluations) can be neuropsychologists, educational consultants or others. The wait for private evaluations in Northern NJ can be quite long - sometimes 2 months. Your child study team or GC will be able to give you some names. We used the Essex County team many years ago and they were great. (If in private school, it will be the county where the school is located who does your testing but your school will have to agree it is necessary and arrange it for you). If your school is not being cooperative, you can arrange for private testing. We also used Phyllis Lakin in Denville. Here are some resources:
http://www.morrispace.org/id17.html
KEEP TRYING. I applied three times because they continued to deny me. When I was finally accepted, my mom was so happy she cried. I have a slight processing delay which causes me to take extra long to figure things out. My two hour English exam as a freshman took me 4 hours! ( I got an A!) It just takes me twice as long to read 
I know am intelligent, but my scores were not reflective. with my extended time I received a 1940 on my SAT and was much more satisfied.
My point is, DO NOT GIVE UP. Keep applying, keep pushing, annoy them until you get what your child has worked so hard for.
good luck 
I disagree with the above advice. Staff of SAT, ACT and other testing agencies as very capable and experienced in reviewing documentation and denying accommodations that don’t meet legal requirements. It is not personal. Just the number of persons on CC talking about accommodations should give you a limited vision of the number of files carefully reviewed. Separating out your child’s file for approval and denial is too difficult to locate and decisions are justified. If someone knows your student, then they will notify the manager and not venture any opinion or even come close to the documentation. Testing agencies work very hard to maintain the integrity and fairness of their processes, procedures and products.
Annoying staff to get accommodations? No, staff are careful to remain polite and on point and can listen almost endlessly (privately they may even become frustrated), but not enough to provide accommodations unless backed up by good documentation. If nothing changes in the information sent and accommodations were denied, pushing doesn’t get the desired result. Even the fanciest, most expensive lawyer won’t get agencies to approve accommodations in the face of insufficient documentation. Lawyers are advocates and may write a letter supportive of your position, that doesn’t result in approval of poorly documented requests for accommodations. BTW, the agencies all have lawyers who clearly know documentation and when accommodation requests meet standards for approval or denial of accommodations.
Pestering testing agencies with multiple applications or appeals isn’t a good use of your time, energy and advocacy. I suspect that the prior poster included something new in her latest documentation that led to approval. You are sent a letter about the most recent decision, but won’t be asked why you hadn’t submitted that new piece before.
So what to do:
- Look at the documentation guidelines printed in proximate to the application for accommodations. That is what you must submit. What you send in must answer each and every standard, but you shouldn't rip apart and organize information topically. It is probably helpful to you at least, to keep a checklist of where each point is located.
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- You, your child will receive an letter approving or denying requested accommodations with a brief explanation why some requests were denied. If you don't understand, call and speak to someone in the disability office. In cases of denial, you will get clarification why documentation was insufficient or why somethings are not actually accommodations.http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/1797361/seeking-sat-accommodations-for-extra-time-need-recommendations. For example modifications such as question clarification or varying directions by simplifying vocabulary of length of directions. When you understand what is needed, supply it.
- When they are taking a college-admissions test, students are no longer accommodated under the IDEA 2004 or the equivalent portion of Section 504. In public schools, a generic term, students are eligible for special and related services and will receive appropriate accommodations. Students of the same age who have a disability will receive accommodations, but not special education or services. Students may change from one law to the other if circumstances change. Your child should have an IEP, or a 504 Plan or perhaps a Formal Plan that private schoos may use. Please understand that the goal of the IDEA and Section 504 in the public schools in promoting educational success leading to positive post high school outcomes. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT!! Secondary schools and post-secondary schools refer to leveling the playing field. In high school and earlier, that means children eligible for special education are guaranteed equal outcomes. For example, the actual classwork, homework or tests may differ in some degree, but students with special needs earn comparable grades to their peers. In contrast, in higher education and beyond or at work, leveling the playing field means providing the opportunity to earn equal outcomes by the use of accommodations
Most people probably think more about accommodations, but the real and critical point is functional limitations. Functional limitations are tangible problems whose actual presence and relationship must be clearly tied to the disability. For example, a student whose vision is so poor that s/he can’t access print text visually would be accommodated by Brailled text or a reader. Someone who has an medical issue that limits stamina could be accommodated with extra test days. A student who is on required medication that affects vitality after a particular period of time may be approved for testing during hours when s/he is more alert, engaged, pain free…Accommodations after high school (SAT/ACT) compensate for aspects of the disability
Well this is seriously too long!!!
that are clearly tied to the aspect of the disability, verified professionally and be student report, and mitigate the functional limitation(s) of the disability. Accommodations allow the individual with to try and earn a comparable score to non-disabled peers.
As Gordon and his co-authors express it, accommodations are outcome neutral. A few points, the IEP or m504 Plan is no longer a legally-binding document under a different part of 504 or the ADA so those plans do not verify a disability. You will need to submit documentation to SAT, ACT and the same information will be needed by college disability services to register for accommodations. Your child with a disability has become an adult.
Looking at CC, lots of students freak out, shut down, space out or something in, have test anxiety, run out of time, can’t remember what they no, etc. Any number of problems taking these tests have difficulty beyond what may be typical, But problems with processing speed, time management, anxiety, etc. must reach the level of disability through clear, compelling documentation to merit accommodations.
Thank you for reading if you even get this far!
The Feds updated their ADA documentation guidelines in early 2016 with respect to specific diagnoses, with the key part being that they say that if a student has been receiving accommodations in school under IDEA or 504, the testing agency should generally accept this documentation without requiring additional testing, and provide the same accommodations (if appropriate- such as, e.g., time an a half or quiet room). Read it carefully though, as it looks like the individual agencies or schools are not bound by this- it sounds permissive, and suggestive, but stops short of being a requirement. It “encourages” the schools/agencies to accept the previous documentation if sufficient and if the accommodations are in place and used. http://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/dyslexia-and-accommodations-new-ada-guidelines-2016-for-school-and-work/
Thanks. I am familiar with the update.
Neither ACT nor SAT have modified their documentation guidelines. AHEAD has a more user-friendly version of guidelines with explanations that are used by disability service providers. The government.s goal was increasing the number of persons with disabilities who were denied accommodations because of overly-stringent use of guidelines.
I also appreciate the expansion of disabilities, but it will never be exhaustive or sufficiently inclusive of disability. For example, psoriasis is far more than some nuisance, ugly skin condition. People die of psoriasis, my mother did, and heath and additional health problems, mobility, pain, swelling, burning, red and hot extremities and the body. Yet the stigma of the “heartbreak of psoriasis” still negates severity of this condition
If I were to guess why the testing agencies are so tied to the guidelines. I think their goal is equity for students with and without disabilities. I have read more IEPs than most people in special education or anywhere else. What I find is the almost universal inclusion of ET that often does not include a reason for its use. If I were a parent, I would ask what the accommodation is supposed to do for my child and how I would know if it is or is not working.
Beyond the near-universal use of ET, I find that schools and even states differ dramatically in what accommodations are used, how students are identified with an eligibility and which one, what academic program or assistance is provided,…Although schools are now mandated to adopt the IEP from another district when the child enrolls in a new school, there simply is little uniformity in who is identified, the eligibility selected, the accommodations received, the programming implemented, presence of a transition plan, the recency of data, state definitions of disability and educators’ differences in their beliefs about education and special education. My guess is the use of very formal documentation helps to approve accommodations in an orderly fashion in a disordered world.
Many students and their parents think providing ET to a student without disability will allow the student to show what they really know. The research is not supportive of this. The reality is college admissions are competitive. Scores indicate how many questions students can answer correctly within time constraints. The SAT is a competition like sports, how quickly or well one performs a required task at work, and who wins elections. It is reasonable to debate the use or quality of tests or their impact on admissions, but the competitive aspect is key.
Don’t know if you ever watched Dance Moms, a reality program of sorts about a competitive dance team whose members sometimes competed individually. The girls were not performing in recitals, but competitions that added to the school’s and dancers’ reputations and provided financial rewards to it. One mother pleaded for her daughter to solo; eventually, the girl did dance a solo. Her mother was pleased and proud when her daughter came in 5th, She was a member of a dance team that routinely won the overall prize and usually won the top position or two of the solos. The girl who came in 5th was a talented dancer in the group, but wasn’t strong as the soloist. The coach-owner recognized that the girl was more talented than most dancers, but was not competitive as a soloist on a team that expected to win every category they entered. Like the SAT/ACT some are winners and some are excellent and some are average and admissions groups most select the best performers on their desired criteria.
Guess we all do the best we can with what we have. I have had special education materials submitted for documentation of disability that is worthless at confirming functional limitations. In the olden days of special education, it as quite clear that the eligibility was not the same as a diagnosis but the means of qualifying kids for important, needed special education.
ACT is apparently planning to update theirs. It was announced on NPR but isn’t on the website yet. AM reporting this second hand, so not sure what their changes will be, other than I believe they will be, like SAT, making it possible to submit the documentation online.
As an aside, this thread is a year old. Someone bumped it. The OP’s DD took the SAT last fall, and is likely heading to college this fall. Hopefully they go the accommodations they needed, if they qualified for it with documentation of a diagnosed disability, and if so, applied for the accommodations in college as well.