The SAT: Where It's At - Página 3

Paula Kuebler

There are several research sources that address the question of benefit from extended time. As one recent example, the College Board conducted a study that simulated extra time by reducing the number of questions in a test section. This research, conducted on students without disabilities, measured the impact of allowing more time for each question on SAT I: Reasoning Test scores by embedding sections with a reduced number of questions into the standard 30-minute equating section of two national test administrations. Allowing more time per question had a minimal impact on verbal scores, producing gains of less than 10 points on the 200-800 SAT scale. Gains for the math score were less than 30 points. High-scoring students tended to benefit more than lower-scoring students, with extra time creating no increase in scores for students with SAT scores of 400 or lower. (Effect of Fewer Questions per Section on SAT I Scores. College Board Research Report No. 2003-2).

Also, a finding across a great many studies pertaining to test accommodations was that the accommodation of extended time improves the performance of students with disabilities more than it improves the performance of students without disabilities (The Effects of Test Accommodation on Test Performance: A Review of the Literature. Center for Educational Assessment Research Report no. 485. University of Massachusetts/Amherst.)

Writing presents unique challenges that continue to be studied and the effects of which we will continue to closely monitor.

How difficult is it to have an accommodation approved and what types are most commonly requested? What are the most common reasons for rejecting an application for an accommodation? Do the majority of students who request and receive an accommodation actually make use of it?

Paula Kuebler

When a student meets the College Board's Eligibility and Documentation Guidelines, receiving accommodations on our tests is not difficult. The Board developed its Eligibility and Documentation Guidelines more than eight years ago with significant assistance and input from professionals in the field of educating and assessing students with disabilities. A student is eligible for accommodations if the student:

• Has a disability that necessitates testing accommodations;
• Has documentation on file at school that supports the need for the requested accommodation and meets the Board's Guidelines for Documentation;
• Receives and uses the requested accommodations, due to the disability, for school-based tests.

The current Guidelines for Documentation to support the need for testing accommodations direct the applicant to:

• Specify the disability, as diagnosed
• Be current (e.g., evaluation; tests, as appropriate)
• Provide relevant educational, developmental, and medical history
• Describe the comprehensive testing and techniques used to arrive at the diagnosis
• Describe the functional limitations resulting from the disability
• Specify the accommodations being requested
• Include the professional credentials of the evaluators

There are two ways in which students may be determined eligible for accommodations based on disability

Verification

The more routine determination of eligibility is when the student/parent and school verify on the College Board's Student Eligibility Form that the student's disability documentation meets the College Board Guidelines. Or, Review students also may be determined eligible based on the Board's review of the student's disability documentation. A national panel of experts on educating and assessing students with disabilities helps the Board by reviewing students' disability documentation for its adherence to the College Board Guidelines. This panel is composed of:

At the higher education level

• all members hold doctoral degrees in school psychology, clinical psychology, or special education and work either as fulltime professors and/or researchers or directors of the Disability Support Services Programs;

• At the secondary education level all members hold doctoral or master's degrees in school psychology, clinical psychology, or special education and work as fulltime school psychologists or in special education; and

Private practitioners

All members hold doctoral degrees in school psychology or clinical psychology and conduct psycho-educational assessments and college counseling.

The most frequently requested accommodation is extended time. Accommodations are not approved if the student's documentation does not meet the Board's Guidelines. Most often, when the Board does not approve the requested accommodations it is because the student's documentation does not describe the comprehensive testing and techniques used to arrive at the diagnosis or the functional limitations resulting from the disability. In cases such as this, upon request of the applicant, the Board will make its qualified staff available for assistance. When a student is approved for accommodations, these accommodations may be used, or not used, on any of the Board's major tests (SAT I and II; PSAT/NMSQT; AP) and, with annual renewal notification by the student's school, the student may continue receiving accommodations on our tests.

Other Resources

• The College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities