approval for accomodations

[Julie of KY]

My oldest has been approved for accommodations (extra time) by both the College Board and ACT.

 

Just wanted to share with someone and no one in real life really understands.

[FairProspects]

Woohoo! Now the inevitable question - how much documentation did you have to provide?

[PeterPan]

Super congrats!!!!!  

 

:party:   :party:

 

That represents a lot of hard work on your part to organize the info, apply, reapply (did you have to?), etc.!  Does he now feel comfortable using them?  Did they give you everything you wanted?

[PuddleJumper1]

Good News!!  :hurray:  :hurray:

[Julie of KY]

Woohoo! Now the inevitable question - how much documentation did you have to provide?

I filled out the required forms. I sent a copy of the neuropsych report. I made a "Homeschool Educational Plan" which summarized accommodation and evaluations through the years. I summarized elementary years, and then listed accomodations by grade year from there out - mostly the same thing each year. I provided a simple cover letter stating what I was asking for and why.

[Julie of KY]

Super congrats!!!!!  

 

:party:   :party:

 

That represents a lot of hard work on your part to organize the info, apply, reapply (did you have to?), etc.!  Does he now feel comfortable using them?  Did they give you everything you wanted?

Yes, it was a lot to organize and think through. It was all approved on first try. College Board gave the most important things asked for, but not quite everything. ACT approved what was asked for - national extended time.

 

I applied this year before the PSAT (in 10th) grade so that if we needed to reapply it wouldn't affect AP, SAT, or the 11th grade PSAT scores. They listed out accommodations for each different test - extended time, extra breaks. He took the PSAT this fall. Now that he has been approved, the accommodations will be in place for any college board testing he wants to do. It sets us up to be able to take AP exams in the spring, which I wouldn't feel comfortable letting him do without extended time.

 

He'll be taking the ACT in Dec. with extended time. Some people find the way ACT does extended time to be difficult because the student is given 5 hours to break up any way and can use as much time as they want on one portion before moving onto the next. However, this will set up some students to not have enough time at the end to finish the last section of the test. My son will be fine and prefers this method of extended time.

[Mom22ns]

Congratulations!

[MyLittleBears]

:hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray: Great to hear it! We can totally relate!!!!

[Tokyomarie]

So glad you were successful in getting accommodations approved! I'm sure it is a relief for your family to have this in place.

[MerryAtHope]

He'll be taking the ACT in Dec. with extended time. Some people find the way ACT does extended time to be difficult because the student is given 5 hours to break up any way and can use as much time as they want on one portion before moving onto the next. However, this will set up some students to not have enough time at the end to finish the last section of the test. My son will be fine and prefers this method of extended time.

 

My son actually requested NOT to do the SAT because having to sit for a specified time even if he was done sounded horrible to him. He much preferred the way ACT was set up, and I gave him guidelines to shoot for based on practice tests, so it really wasn't a surprise or hard to guide. 

 

I found it was much easier to get accommodations through ACT than college board--they required much less documentation from us (we were only going for extended time though, perhaps the accommodations asked for make a difference--I had all kinds of documentation ready that they never asked for). The process was also very fast (they emailed less than 10 business days after we applied--College Board took weeks to respond). 

 

Only negative in the whole experience here was that the other student in his room must have had extreme testing anxiety--he said she sobbed for an hour and a half. I thought he must be exaggerating, but then he said it was for the whole English test (which took him 1 hour, 15 minutes) and part of math. He felt so sorry for her! I'm surprised he was able to concentrate, but somehow he did.

[SandyKC]

Congratulations on the accommodations!  We preferred the ACT way of doing things too.  It worked WELL for my DS.. Hope it works as well for yours! :D

[Himhimthem]

Hi- I am new and actually looking for help with exactly this.  Would you be willing to share the formatting or language you used to put it together.  We have extensive neuropsych testing, years of homeschool accommodations, and tons of "proof in the pudding" so to speak, but I don't know the most professional/official way to put together the plan formatting.  We applied for my older daughter and was denied,  and I have son who would have qualified with a traumatic brain injury and serious processing issues and didn't want to, but with this particular daughter (we have 6 kids) there is no way she will be able to show what she is capable of without the accommodations. 

[wordnerdjenn]

@Himhimthem - Feel free to PM me.  Putting together accommodations documentation/appeals is part of my business, and I can give you a few pointers.  I'm actually in the process of writing an ebook on accommodations, and I'd love to have some input on the experiences of home school families, too.  Hope to hear from you!

[EKS]

Hi- I am new and actually looking for help with exactly this.  Would you be willing to share the formatting or language you used to put it together.  We have extensive neuropsych testing, years of homeschool accommodations, and tons of "proof in the pudding" so to speak, but I don't know the most professional/official way to put together the plan formatting.  We applied for my older daughter and was denied,  and I have son who would have qualified with a traumatic brain injury and serious processing issues and didn't want to, but with this particular daughter (we have 6 kids) there is no way she will be able to show what she is capable of without the accommodations. 

 

Not the OP, but my son also received accommodations from the College Board and the ACT people.

 

For both places, it is really important to have a solid report from a professional who knows *exactly* what the CB/ACT is looking for.  There also needs to be a history of disability--so the disability shouldn't be diagnosed for the first time during the high school years (obviously for a kid with TBI the history starts when that occurred, but for kids with LDs or ADHD or some other lifelong disability, you're going to want a documented diagnosis prior to the teen years). For extended time they want to see results of testing showing not only a very slow processing speed (like 1st percentile or lower--this is apparently equivalent to doing things 2x more slowly than average) but also achievement testing that is given under timed and untimed/extended time conditions.  An evaluator with experience doing evaluations for these types of accommodations will know the tests they need to do. 

 

For the College Board submission, I just filled out their form and submitted it along with my son's report.  

 

For the ACT submission I filled out their form and submitted the report but also I wrote a letter that summarized the accommodations he had received from me in our homeschool and accommodations he received in the schools he attended at various times.  I included a copy of the 504 plan he had when he was enrolled in a public "homeschool school"--we enrolled him in the school specifically so that he would have this paper trail--as well as the accommodations plan he had at a private school he attended for a year during high school.  

 

PM me if you'd like to see the letter I wrote.  But, I should note, that I don't think my letter is what got him the accommodations.  I think it was a combination of a documented history of disability, a report tailored to what they wanted to see, and documentation of accommodations received outside the home.  

[Julie of KY]

My impression is that the neuropsych test scores are the most important and that the educational plan pretty much says you do use accomodations in real life.

 

How I did my "Homeschool Educational Plan"

Basic info - name, birthdate, address, etc.

List of diagnoses - with ICD codes and name and date of person diagnosing

 

Elementary accomodations - a single paragraph summarizing that I had scribed throughout elementary. I also included a paragraph summary of testing done in elementary school.

 

Middle school - I started listing by year - most years were a duplicate of other years - I borrowed some of the language from neuropsych and educational testing reports where they listed suggested accomodations.

 

Here's what I listed for 9th grade:

 

School Accommodations:

• ... may ask for any work to be dictated and scribed. He then edits it independently.
• Limit amount of copy work or written work that can otherwise be done orally.
• Learning Ally subscription gives ... the option to listen to literature rather than read it himself.
• ... may read to himself, listen to texts on Learning Ally or request texts to be read aloud.
• Extended time for reading.   

• Allow any type of print and do not count off for messiness or mixed upper and lower case.
• Extended time for all written assignments and tests.
• Reduce amount of copying.  For instance, provide math problems rather than the student copying them.
• Break written assignments into step-by-step plans that break written assignments into small tasks. Edit the assignment separately from the writing of the assignment.

• Allow student to dictate work and have it scribed. The student will then edit the work independently.

• Allow student to use writing instrument of choice (e.g. pen instead of pencil)
• Allow graph paper for math.
• Allow much of math to be done in head. If written, ... is allowed to dictate all answers.
• ... may request any schoolwork to be read aloud.
• Teacher to provide copy of lecture notes.

 

I also summarized pertinent testing by grade.

 

We got accomodations by both College Board and ACT, but his testing scores reflected his need for accomodations.

[kbutton]

Thank you all for providing this information! 

[OneStepAtATime]

Thank you all for providing this information! 

What kbutton said.  :)

[Himhimthem]

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

[Tokyomarie]

For both places, it is really important to have a solid report from a professional who knows *exactly* what the CB/ACT is looking for.  

 

 

For extended time they want to see results of testing showing not only a very slow processing speed (like 1st percentile or lower--this is apparently equivalent to doing things 2x more slowly than average) but also achievement testing that is given under timed and untimed/extended time conditions.  An evaluator with experience doing evaluations for these types of accommodations will know the tests they need to do. 

 

Seconding the comment that a solid report from an evaluator who knows what the College Board & ACT want to see. Especially with CB, there are very specific testing requirements which depend on the disability and the desired accommodations.

 

Just a small clarification- CB doesn't necessarily require processing speed in the lowest single digits percentile before it will grant extended time. It's the whole profile that counts. In our case, the processing speed score was a relative weakness, but it wasn't in the single digits. There were other scores that supported a request for extra time, however, including the regular time and extended time Nelson Denny.

 

[Mom22ns]

I hadn't been back to visit, but I totally agree with what others have already said. Basically, it takes two parts. The letter/ documentation of what you have been doing and the testing that proves it is necessary. If both are in place, you should be good. Everyone I have talked to has found the ACT board easier to work with than the college board. 

 

Please feel free to pm if you need a copy of my letter to the ACT board. I started from a copy of someone else's that I got from these boards and modified it to fit our situation.

 

The thing I love most about the WTM boards is the fact that the community is large enough to always be able to find someone who has gone before you and is willing to help.

[maize]

Hmm, all of the talk of early documentation makes me wonder if I need to be doing something now in case dd11 needs testing accommodations. She does fine with untimed tests, but her WISC processing speed score was in the single digits, while her other subscore percentiles were in the 80's and 90's.

 

I wondered when I first saw those scores if it would negatively affect her in a timed test situation, but she has never faced a timed test so I don't really know. I would love to get a full neuropsych evaluation, we only have the limited testing we were able to get through the school district and I didn't feel it was very helpful.

[Mom22ns]

Hmm, all of the talk of early documentation makes me wonder if I need to be doing something now in case dd11 needs testing accommodations. She does fine with untimed tests, but her WISC processing speed score was in the single digits, while her other subscore percentiles were in the 80's and 90's.

 

I wondered when I first saw those scores if it would negatively affect her in a timed test situation, but she has never faced a timed test so I don't really know. I would love to get a full neuropsych evaluation, we only have the limited testing we were able to get through the school district and I didn't feel it was very helpful.

 

If you have done a WISC, then you have early documentation. When you go to apply for accommodations some day, you should refer back to the first testing as diagnosing her issues with processing speed. Then go on to say how you gave the accommodation of unlimited time for testing in her school environment :). You're documenting - you just didn't know it yet.

[geodob]

Some exam boards, are more interested in seeing evidence of a history of testing accommodations being used.

 

A problem has emerged, where teenage students are coached in how to fail a neuropsych evaluation?

So that they get a diagnosis and have test accommodations detailed.

But they apply to use the test accommodations, only for more critical exams.

Where giving a student extra time for a test, that they don't need.

Can unfairly lift their final scores a few points.

 

But some exam boards are aware of this practice.

Where one way to expose this, is to ask for proof of a history of use of the testing accommodations.

So that it would be good to keep a record of using test accommodations, so that you can prove a history of usage if required.

[MerryAtHope]

Some exam boards, are more interested in seeing evidence of a history of testing accommodations being used.

 

A problem has emerged, where teenage students are coached in how to fail a neuropsych evaluation?

So that they get a diagnosis and have test accommodations detailed.

But they apply to use the test accommodations, only for more critical exams.

Where giving a student extra time for a test, that they don't need.

Can unfairly lift their final scores a few points.

 

But some exam boards are aware of this practice.

Where one way to expose this, is to ask for proof of a history of use of the testing accommodations.

So that it would be good to keep a record of using test accommodations, so that you can prove a history of usage if required.

 

That's awful! Just what kids with learning issues DON'T need to go up against. Is it really that widespread? Schools won't test unless a kid is at least 2 grade levels behind, and it's expensive to do privately. It's kind of surprising that it could happen enough to be an issue. 

 

That being said, I do know that providing a history of accommodations is considered important, and also that it is very important is to specify that accommodations are in place for both regular work and assessments. When I looked for a plan to model our formal accommodations plan after, I found one that listed "instructional accommodations, environmental accommodations, and assessment accommodations." So, that plan is very specific as to what is done in various situations. 

 

 

If you have done a WISC, then you have early documentation. When you go to apply for accommodations some day, you should refer back to the first testing as diagnosing her issues with processing speed. Then go on to say how you gave the accommodation of unlimited time for testing in her school environment :). You're documenting - you just didn't know it yet.

 

Yes, and if you are using special curriculum (such as something Orton-Gillingham based) or provide certain helps, you are making accommodations. Start keeping a list of these things now. 

[Julie of KY]

That's awful! Just what kids with learning issues DON'T need to go up against. Is it really that widespread? Schools won't test unless a kid is at least 2 grade levels behind, and it's expensive to do privately. It's kind of surprising that it could happen enough to be an issue.

 

It seems to be areas of the country and specific school systems where this is more prevalent. I find it awful that it will affect kids that really need the accommodations. After my son got accommodations I googled to see how common it was to actually get accommodations. I found many stories of people cheating the system to try to boost their scores just a bit. I also was infuriated by articles that say all kids that score in the upper percentiles with accommodations obviously don't need the accommodations. Well this applies directly to my child who is very smart, but has to have the extra time to read and process the questions.

[Mom22ns]

ItI also was infuriated by articles that say all kids that score in the upper percentiles with accommodations obviously don't need the accommodations. 

:glare: Another parent of a child who gets top scores ONLY with accommodations. Those accommodations allow him to demonstrate his abilities instead of being held back by his disabilities. 

 

I did feel like the ACT board cared more about the history of accommodations than current proof. Getting a diagnosis just in time for high stakes testing is a big mistake in this environment. I think it looks very suspicious and raises red flags. For homeschoolers it is easy to go along without formal diagnosis and accommodations until those outside classes or testing is necessary, however, getting some testing and documenting the accommodations or special curriculum you are using all along is important. And honestly, I'm not sorry that the testing boards are trying to prevent people from cheating the accommodations. I am sorry that people try to cheat and make it more difficult for those who have real disabilities.

[Himhimthem]

I have been working on this steadily during the holidays and just wanted to pop in and say thank you again.  I keep coming back to this thread to review everything. It has all been invaluable and i am reaching out those of you that offered the extra help.  Thank ya'll again.