This was my assumption but thought I would check. This means it is on the student and parents to assess whether the schools and/or degree programs considered are a good fit with someone needing that particular accommodation. I know the requirements for being granted accommodations at my school are much looser than they are for testing so any student that had approved testing accommodations is pretty much guaranteed at least the same accommodation once they are a student. But unless the student proactively seeks out additional guidance/help to aid with overall success, it seems like they are just left to fend for themselves? I have observed a significant (factor of 4) uptick in the number of my students requiring accommodations over the last 12 years. And I am also seeing a pattern of lower performance (on average, there are exceptions) with these students. I have no way of knowing for sure, but the problems I see most often are more executive functioning issues (failure to turn in assignments, attendance, not following directions, etc....), not raw ability. I worry that they are not being supported, both during the application process (in order to protect privacy) and then once they become students (unless they choose to seek support). To bring this back on topic, I am far more concerned about the success of students who have legitimate accommodations than the few that may "buy" their accommodation in order to inflate their scores. The people in the latter category would just find another way to buy their way into whatever school they want so I'm not sure it really matters if they cheat. As someone else mentioned, admission has more to do with income and anything else. The admissions system is broken in way bigger ways than testing accommodations.

Does anyone know if the colleges know that a student had accommodations when their score is reported to them? And if not, is a student's accommodation needs declared during the application process? It's a little off-topic but this thread had me thinking about accommodations and the role they play in my classes as a university instructor.

I have seen these and wondered about them. But it looks like they hold no more than 2 bikes? Is that correct?

I wouldn't count on that. I generally remember more random details than most people but there is something about my only child's birthdate that is a mental block. I can usually produce it on the spot, but often not on the first try. I often flip the month and the date for some odd reason. I just had that awkward moment at her last eye appointment a week ago. Yet, I can remember my childhood next door neighbor's birthdate even though I have not seen or talked to her in 30+ years.

Did the place have lots of reviews? Dh is more adventurous than I am and will stay in places that have sketchy reviews (or none at all) to save a few bucks when he is traveling alone. I am not. I will only stay at places that have LOTS of reviews. Dh has ended up in dirty places. It has never happened to me. The closest to a bad experience I have personally experienced was actually the last place we stayed. It was clean but we had to make up our own beds and were short some bedding items to have enough to go around. A quick call to the hosts resulted in delivery of the missing parts. We were not terribly surprised because the place was far cheaper than normal for the market and the reviews were positive but there had been more mentions of "comfortable" (AKA a dump) than I would normally be comfortable with. However we were reserving last minute during a busy weekend in that locale. It was that place or paying 3x as much for a crappy chain hotel room, so I agreed to it.

I have stayed in more AirB&Bs overseas than I have in the US, which is saying a lot since it is our primary lodging mode even domestically. I find them the only way to go for international travel. Not only is it usually far more economical per night, the ability to cook, do laundry, and chill makes it even more cost effective. It also brings my anxiety down a lot. I get easily overwhelmed by crowds and "the unknown." Knowing we can eat in or have a low-key evening at "home" any time we want makes the other travels snafus less daunting. I can still feel like I am doing "something" by drinking wine on the deck of an AirB&B in the middle of a major European city while holing up in a hotel room seems like such a waste.

We have found that there is usually everything one would need for cooking utensils and basic cleaning. Often even laundry soap. But no guarantees. I would bring a little bit of anything you know you need like dish soap, paper towels, etc.... or plan to be flexible to make a store run should you need something not provided. Most even have basic spices, cooking oils, and coffee, but again that varies. These are usually left by previous guess rather than provided by the host so it is hit or miss. We tend to just deal with whatever is there. We usually do cook but always make a grocery run so get what we need after we see what is available. A basic kit with small amount of spices, oils, and coffee is wise just so you don't have to lug around a big bottle of olive oil to each place.

Three things I would take note of before buying: 1. Some straps are more difficult than others to use. We once had a bike carrier with rubber straps with holes that you pulled around the bike frames to secure on buttons (for lack of a better word). I found the strength needed to get these tight enough to prevent the bikes from bouncing around to be too much for me. I do better with a buckle system. 2. The size and type of bike will matter in the bike rack "tetris" required. Some kids bikes do not mesh well with bigger bikes. Usually this can be fixed by figuring out the direction of each bike to make them fit well (sometimes turning a kid bike upside down helps too), but not always. Dd's kids' mountain bike had too little clearance between the top bar and the rest of the frame to get it on the rack properly so we had to stow hers inside the car until she upgraded to an adult bike. The worse they "mesh," the more scratched up they will get, if that matters to you. Physically taking your bikes with you to the shop to test out or getting a rack from a place with a very good return policy will be important. We visited an REI that had them set up so we could try them all out. It turned out the one we thought would be perfect just did not work well with our particular bikes. 3. Some hitch mounted racks have all of the bikes on one side of the post and others split the bikes back and front. I would go for the split if possible. Less bouncing of the whole rack when driving and it makes the "tetris" easier, IMO.

I don't think it is that unusual or a sign of a bigger issue, although I do understand this is just one of many other things in this case. The kid going to votech is an important detail. What time of day is not IMO. My dh is a very involved parent but would probably fail any quiz on even the most basic questions about dd's daily schedule even though most of it is pretty steady and has been for years. He is not here during the day. He knows what she does (mostly) but not when. I don't see why I should care about this. He has a decent handle on the evening and weekend schedule because he often helps with taxi duty but if I did not maintain a calendar, he would have no idea. On the flip side, dh travels a great deal. I cannot even count how many times someone has asked me where he is and I realize I have no idea. I generally can get the time zone correct but actual state/city is sometimes just too much for me to keep track of. I am not uninvolved in his life, it is jus a detail that does not matter to me.

Dd is taking her first AP exam this year. AP Latin, which is the last Friday so she is still frantically studying. We have to travel to another state (with a time zone change) for the exam so I am working out the logistics. Good to know on the passport....I did not even think about ID! I think I am more nervous than dd is.

Not Latin, Ha ha! That is dd's first AP class (as a 9th grader) and I think that will be the last AP anything for her.....but that is more because we really struggled to find a test site for the exam. I have heard the same as previous posters about Human Geography, Environmental Science, and Psychology.

Bump.

I need essay prompt ideas. Anyone want to play? Dd is reading Greek Lives and Roman Lives. Both are the Robin Waterfield translations. The chosen lives for these translations do not have parallels (as in, there are no pairs in the Greek/Roman "life stories"). This is unfortunate because my original (and most obvious) idea for an essay prompt would be to select a few parallel characters and work up some sort of comparison prompt. I am drawing a bit of a blank here. This will be dd's last significant writing project for the 9th grade and I am hoping to come up with something interesting for her to chew on.

I always carried a sharpie, just like others, to write info directly on a child too young to remember info. Instead of arms, I usually wrote on the lower back as this concealed the info from anyone unless/until needed. I did not stop at phone numbers. Sometimes I wrote campsite numbers, hotel names, passport numbers, or whatever I thought would be most useful in the situation. When traveling oversees I would stash a photocopy of dd's passport and hotel address in an old sock safety pinned inside her clothing somewhere. We usually move around a lot and this was the easiest way to update info on a daily basis since sharpie takes awhile to wash off. Plus we are often in places where finding English-speaking help is not always easy. Another thing we learned the hard way....talk to your kids about what to do should you get separated on subways/trains/buses....especially in an area where you don't speak the language. Doors close fast and twice now we have had one or more of our party not make it on. Plans vary but for my family, the rule is to exit the train/bus at the very next stop and WAIT there until an adult can catch up. If a kid is left behind, they are to stay there until an adult can travel back. This lead to the next rule, kids always sandwiched between adults when exiting/entering. If only one adult is present, adult enters last. Kids must always carry a photocopy of passport in case that train was just about to go over a border (don't ask how big of a mess that can be.......).

We have flown through that airport and have also spent time in Reykjavik. There are plenty of busses and taxis from the airport. We found the bus to be easy and cheap. Many will drop you right off at your hotel. We did not find the prices in Iceland to be high compared to anything in Europe. Pro tip - don't bother changing any cash currency. You can pay with a CC for anything....and I mean anything. We were there for five days and did not use cash once. Do know that the airport is a zoo and WAY over capacity. Our plans to grab breakfast (or even pee) before boarding were immediately dashed upon entering the building. The lines for the bathrooms were unreal during the day. We have also been there in early morning and middle of the night, which were not so crowded. Bring eye masks for sleeping.

OP back. Thanks for the input. My friend did not know that AP scores are self-reporting so I think that changes the game for them. She also now highly suspects that her ds would like to be off the hook for the final preparations for the exam.

Help contribute to a discussion I am having with a friend. Having taken an AP class (does not matter if homeschool or B&M) and knowing you are likely to get a 3 at the most and quite possibly a 2 on the AP exam, does it "look better" to not take the exam at all? A local-to-my-friend's district has a large number of AP students that are historically scoring 2s and 3s. We are discussing it as her ds is now pleading to not take the exam as he feels it will look better than taking it and scoring low.

Thanks for the recent encouragement and ideas. I really appreciate it. I'm looking into almost everything people have suggested as I collect my ideas and start to plan.

I am asking for ideas about a particular subject in hopes of someone sharing something I had not thought of, not a critique of the basic plan. I can assure you that what I have in mind is significantly less of a load than the alternative subjects we were considering for that last slot. In addition, she is already being asked to do much of this as part of her off-season training, including significant tracking and some research and writing. The bulk of the activity would be in the summer when dd is not taking any other classes so would indeed be a lessened load during the academic year. Lastly, dd researches and writes in ALL of her classes. That is the whole idea of a classical education, is it not? I see little educational value in counting up training hours and calling it credit-worthy. That is why I did not plan to put PE anywhere on dd's transcript. But I see an opportunity to make more out of it in order to indeed make it worthy (in my mind, YMMV) of true academic work. Not that I feel any of this requires a justification. I am hoping others have done some out-of-the-box things with PE that they would like to share. I appreciate, and will continue to, the suggestions people are offering.

Good idea!

I know she could just log it and call it good. I just think dd could get a lot out of taking it a few steps further. I would like to tie in data analysis, setting measurable goals, and research because dd will likely be very active for a long time. I think it would be valuable, both in self-improvement and injury prevention, to learn how to research different topics and think (and therefore be able to write) analytically about them. This would also be a form of accountability to help dd stay on track when not training with her team and without direct coaching support. These are skills that have been historically difficult for her teammate predecessors.

Thanks for the tip!

I am in the brainstorming stages of crafting a PE class for dd's 10th grade year. I had not originally planned to include PE as a for-credit class. My state requires that we "cover" it but no specific credit is required. However, I am attempting to lighten dd's academic schedule going forward. A significant factor in our decision to homeschool is that dd is heavily involved in a competitive sport and another activity. Both require a lot of travel and even when not on the road, dd devotes 3-6 hours daily to the two activities combined. Dd wrapped up the competition season for her sport for the year and is now heading into off-season training, much of which she does on her own. I have five solid and rigorous academic subjects figured out for 10th grade. We have been considering different options for the 6th subject (six is the minimum number of credits I would like to see dd earn annually). We have struggled to select a subject because we both feel like a shortage of time has produced a lot of anxiety this year and all that are under consideration are difficult and time consuming. In her annual meeting with her coaches to discuss her off-season training plans, goals, and accountability, it occurred to me that we could make this into a pretty neat educational opportunity. She has to do the actual training anyway so I am toying with the idea of crafting this into a PE credit. There was a lot of discussion about tracking heart rate, training metrics, what a "measurable" goal is, and injury prevention. She is to craft a formal plan with goals, tracking mechanisms, and schedules. If I formalized this, it could be part of class. I would then like to add research and writing about health-related topics such as nutrition, heart rate training, injury prevention, different training methods for her sport, bios of athletes she admires, etc..... For instance, dd asked her coach if she should consider taking a Crossfit class for high school athletes offered near our home. He discouraged her and asked her to read up on the injury rates and make her own notes to then discuss with him at their next meeting. I could ask her to write a formal paper on a topic like this. And this could all largely be done over the summer, taking the pressure off during the academic year. Anyone ever do anything like this? If so, did you find any specific materials helpful? Books, videos, curriculum? I am gathering ideas so all thoughts are welcome.

Yep, start calling/texting/whatever. No one does this right anymore.....

Interesting question. Dd, an only child, is in 9th grade this year. She has been homeschooled her whole life so most of her learning is done independently at this point.....as in, I am not sitting there giving direct instruction very often. She has two online classes that I have no role in except to help her with time management and answering questions as they come up. Her other subjects are "managed" by me but seldom involve direct instruction. Dd and I are both introverts. There is little talking during the school day. We sit together as a family for breakfast and dinner, where there is chatting. Dd and I eat lunch together but usually read while eating. All of that said, dd seems to need someone near at all times. I work part-time so am out of the house for parts of the week but am able to work from home and be at the same table with her 75% of the school time. She needs me here to keep her focussed and to listen to her occasional stream-of-consciousness thoughts. There have been a few semesters that I have had a heavier course load and have been gone more than 25% of the school time and dd's studies and psychological well-being suffered. I think this will vary widely from one student to the next. Since yours is coming from a school environment, she may need more interaction at first.