By Angelina Vollucci
Assistant Circulation Editor
In an attempt to prevent cheating on the SAT, ACT and Advanced Placement exams, College Board and ACT have developed strict requirements to receive accommodations such as extended time.
The application process for accommodations has become strenuous and costly to the extent that it discourages qualified applicants from applying and penalizes those who are not financially able to provide the voluminous documentation required.
The current College Board and ACT general guidelines to determine eligibility include a professional diagnosis of the disability; evaluation or diagnostic testing; relevant educational, medical and developmental history; comprehensive descriptions of the techniques used to arrive at the diagnosis and functional limitations of the disability.
The specific documentation that supports a student’s request for accommodations depends on the student’s disability and the accommodation being requested; however most require a neuropsychological evaluation, which can cost from $3,000 to $6,000.
Whether one is affluent or not, this cost is an undue burden for any family to bear in order to assure that a student is given an opportunity to test on a “level playing field.”
However, the testing and documentation required to obtain a 504/IEP Plan, which are used by public schools to determine class accommodations, is a much more efficient process and much better than the rigourous procedure College Board requires. Applying for accommodations for both public schools and testing is redundant and punitive for families and students.
In addition, disparity in requirements impose substantial costs and time-consuming re-evaluations on some students and their families and is inherently discriminatory.
The College Board and ACT have recognized that accommodations such as extended time may be abused by those seeking an unfair advantage. Therefore, it is logical to make the process to obtain accommodations more difficult to prevent this.
These problems could be corrected by a government mandate that a fully documented current 504/IEP Plan translates and automatically qualifies a student for accommodations needed on the SAT, ACT, PSAT and AP Exams.
Those attempting to obtain accommodations dishonestly would be discouraged, as the 504/IEP process is rigorous enough to prevent fraud without making the procedure for aid too complicated for needy students.
The current application process for accommodations on College Board and the ACT exams places unfair burdens on students with true disabilities to have to prove their right to a reasonable accommodation for their disabilities – unfairly penalizing the very people whom the accommodations are intended to help.
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