Tag Archives: learning disability

Evidence of Need for Accommodations for SAT/ACT

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This is a memo I prepared for parents of students, and students themselves, seeking accommodations for the SAT and ACT college entrance exams.  It also applies to graduate level high-stakes exams such as the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, etc.  I revised it after hearing a presentation by the psychologist in charge of granting accommodations at the Educational Testing Service, which owns and manages the SAT, at the 2012 Learning Disability Association annual conference (at which I also presented, with colleague Jordi Kleiner, on LD/ADD evaluation).

As the SAT and ACT exams approach, parents, students, and therapists, sometimes wonder whether to request accommodations, such as for extra time taking the exam.  It used to be the case that a therapist’s note stating that a student had a disability and needed extended time or other accommodations was sufficient, but that is no longer the case.  SAT and ACT now require both substantial evidence of disability and evidence of both eligibility for, and use of, the specific accommodation(s) being requested, including:

1.  An evaluation documenting both that a student has a disability and that the disability, in his or her specific case, impacts processing speed or effectiveness in reading, mathematics, or other cognitive or learning processes in such a way as to require extra time (or other accommodation).  A copy of the report of evaluation has to be provided with the request for accommodation, not just be referred to by a therapist or other third party.  It has to include detailed test results and supporting information (such as case history, behavioral observations and teacher and parent rating forms or interviews).  It is not enough for an evaluator to say that a student has a condition, such as ADHD or anxiety disorder, and therefore needs extra time.  The evaluation has to document that the disorder affects this particular student in such a way as to substantially affect the student’s information processing and test taking.  “Document,” here, means not just saying that it does, but showing how it does, through empirical methods.

2. A history of the student actually having both been found eligible, in school, for the specific accommodations being requested, and having actually used those accommodations.  This history should document a track record of accommodations going back several years–not weeks or months.  It is not sufficient for the school to have found the student eligible for an accommodation which the student did not use.

There are several situations in which requests for extra time or other accommodations are unlikely to be granted by SAT or ACT:

•Parents asking us to request extra time, or other accommodations, on behalf of a student whose record does not contain the necessary supporting evidence referred to above.

•Therapists making the request on behalf of student patients, without the supporting evidence referred to above.

•Parents asking for extra time, or other accommodations, for students who have received them on an informal basis, that is, without an evaluation specifically calling for them based on a diagnosed disability, and without being provided as part of a formal educational plan for that student.

The date of the evaluation may make a difference to SAT or ACT.  Generally, evaluations over three years old may be regarded as too old to be valid.  First-time evaluations done shortly before the request for accommodations may be regarded as done solely or primarily for that purpose, rather than to elucidate the needs of the student for educational accommodations.

Another issue is timeliness of our receiving the documentation from parents/families in order to include them in our documentation to ACT or SAT.  Note that evaluations and any supporting documents need to be on file at school within the time limit specified prior to the date of submission to ACT or SAT.  Evaluations or other documents submitted after that date may not be included with the request for accommodations, or may be included without being integrated into our request.

Nine Criteria For Usefulness in Evaluations of Learning and Attention Issues

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(As consulting psychologist, I am asked to review private evaluations of learning and attention issues in students, and explain them to administrators, teachers, and even the parents whose children have been evaluated.  Since the quality and usefulness of evaluations varies, I prepared this memo as a guide for parents, as consumers, and evaluators, as providers.)    

This memo is prepared for parents who are considering seeking evaluation of learning and attention issues in their children, and also for potential providers of such evaluations.
Methods for evaluating learning and attention issues and disorders, and for reporting on evaluations, have evolved over the years, not necessarily in a consistent or integrated way. Professionals from several fields, with varied backgrounds, have entered the marketplace as evaluation providers. As a result, we have seen evaluations of varying quality and usefulness. Here are nine criteria that characterize a more useful evaluation:

1. A specific problem statement provides the focus for the evaluation. It tells the readers what this evaluation is about, and why it is important for this child to be evaluated for this problem at this time.

2. A detailed case history places the referring problem within the context of the child’s developmental and family history. Part of understanding a learning and/or attention disorder is understanding its history in this child’s life, and whether it might also be reflected in this child’s family history.

3. Information from the school, from teachers and other staff who may have useful information to report, tells readers how the school sees the child and the referring problem. Detailed descriptions by teachers and staff help to clarify the the referring problem. Observations by the evaluator of the student in school can also shed light on the referring problem, especially where classroom behavior is contributing to the referring problem.

4. Information from other sources, which may include therapists, tutors, former teachers, etc., who can contribute to the evaluator’s, and the readers’, understanding of the child.

5. Behavioral observations of the child during the evaluation process, with specific reference to the referring problem. The evaluator’s astute observations of the child’s behavior can contribute to the evaluator’s, and the readers’, understanding of the child.

6. Selection of tests that are specific enough and comprehensive enough to address the referring problem. Selecting tests that focus on the child’s cognitive functioning with reference to the referring problem will help the evaluator and readers understand the child’s cognitive functioning with regard to the referring problem. Where multiple explanations of a child’s problem are possible, it can be important to have testing across different areas in order to rule some out and establish others as associated with the problem.

7. Report of test results, including all scores. Reporting all scores supports the evaluator’s conclusions and provides professional readers with the information necessary to understand the basis of those conclusions.

8. Discussion of all the foregoing information leads to an impression about why the child is having the referring problem, in the context of his or her developmental history and cognitive processes, including a diagnosis, if appropriate. By discussing all the foregoing information, the report makes sense of the child’s referring problem, and helps readers make sense of it also.

9. Recommendations that are specific to the referring problem, the specific child, and the child’s situation, will help insights in the report find integration and application in the child’s educational program. When multiple recommendations are included in a report, prioritizing recommendations helps educators and parents determine the most appropriate next steps in supporting the child’s education.