Accommodation requests for sitting for SAT and ACT college entrance and talent search examinations

[Anonymous]

I don't know why you think parents have suddenly discovered a learning disorder in 10th grade. Most likely it was always there but you didn't know about it until the child took the PSATs.

ADHD is underdiagnosed in minority communities.

But hey, as one poster pointed out, if you want your non-ADHD child to sit in that room for 7 hours, go for it.

Now, you would have us believe that discerning parents make the diagnosis of ADHD after their children in these fancy exclusive private schools take the PSAT exam in the 10th grade?

Perhaps, you would recommend that we all take the PSAT exam earlier so that we may discover learning disorders we didn't know about? The PSAT exam should serve as a screening exam for learning disabilities. Does poor performance on the PSAT qualify as a learning disbility or ADHD?

Do you have clinic office hours so we can sign up?

I am waiting for valid references not stories on the front page of the National Globe in the supermarket lines.

[Anonymous]

Two points, FWIW:

First, the sudden discovery of learning issues in tenth grade can be entirely legitimate. Just as first graders have to sit still for the first time, just as fourth graders move from "learning to read" to "reading to learn, and just as middle schoolers have new, challenging organizational demands, sophomores are faced with textbooks and writing projects at a whole new level. A poor reader who has gotten by on familiar words, context clues, and great reasoning may find those strategies to be ineffective; a poor writer who has gotten by with memorizing many facts may not be able to organize their thoughts and explain their analysis. Not that no-one is trying to game the system, but don't assume that EVERY new diagnosis is bogus.

Second, there is research that shows that giving extra time to kids who don't need it does not lead to higher scores, at least on the SAT. Instead, their scores may go down as they use the time to second-guess and change correct answers.

Too much sports, too much video games, too little homework, tutoring too late = learning disability/ADHD and request for accommodation

[Anonymous]

...But hey, as one poster pointed out, if you want your non-ADHD child to sit in that room for 7 hours, go for it.

Spinning out from left field. Where did this come from?

[Anonymous]

10:03 I actually know a student at a Big 3 who was diagnosed with ADHD in Grade 10. I also know FIRSTHAND that college counselor offices at top schools grasp at every possible angle to game the system. Some of the stories are shocking and in fact to me unethical. I am not sharing them here because I don't want to risk identifying the family but boy oh boy, it's a jungle out there.

[Anonymous]

Yes this is so true! I've known 2 kids in private school in virginia suddenly diagnosed with reading problems in 10th grade and getting lots of extra time on SATs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

...But hey, as one poster pointed out, if you want your non-ADHD child to sit in that room for 7 hours, go for it.

Spinning out from left field. Where did this come from?

From PP who pointed out that studies show that kids who don't have ADHD get lower scores when given extra time becuase sitting the room for extra hours causes them to go back and change answers they got right the first time. Not to mention the boredom of sitting in that room.

[Anonymous]

From PP who pointed out that studies show that kids who don't have ADHD get lower scores when given extra time becuase sitting the room for extra hours causes them to go back and change answers they got right the first time. Not to mention the boredom of sitting in that room.

Spinning out of control from the seat of the pants. What studies?

[Anonymous]

Two points, FWIW:

First, the sudden discovery of learning issues in tenth grade can be entirely legitimate. Just as first graders have to sit still for the first time, just as fourth graders move from "learning to read" to "reading to learn, and just as middle schoolers have new, challenging organizational demands, sophomores are faced with textbooks and writing projects at a whole new level. A poor reader who has gotten by on familiar words, context clues, and great reasoning may find those strategies to be ineffective; a poor writer who has gotten by with memorizing many facts may not be able to organize their thoughts and explain their analysis. Not that no-one is trying to game the system, but don't assume that EVERY new diagnosis is bogus.

Second, there is research that shows that giving extra time to kids who don't need it does not lead to higher scores, at least on the SAT. Instead, their scores may go down as they use the time to second-guess and change correct answers.

Always spinning and fishing for some rationale to explain why largely white and affluent students and families in prestigious and elite area D.C. private schools hide behind the veneer of a learning disability to attain accommodation for advantage in sitting for the SAT/ACT and other examinations used for performance metrics. When such spikes and peaks in accommodation requests occur in the tenth grade in the affluent private school community much suspicion is raised, and should be. This is a community that spends millions on educational counseling, tutors for WPPSI, ISEE, SAT, ERB, therapists and nannies well before the 10th Grade and you think any sane individual will believe it's common that learning disabilities go undiagnosed for 15 years in this community? Hogwash.

[Anonymous]

...Testing organizations have long feared that unmerited accommodations, especially extra time, undermines their exams’ integrity.

A 2000 audit of California test takers showed a disproportionate number of white, affluent students receiving accommodations, igniting suspicions of exaggerated or nonexistent disabilities. Three years later, in the wake of a lawsuit, ACT and the College Board stopped flagging scores of accommodated students for admissions offices; with the stigma gone, the incentive grew to game the system

[Anonymous]

I don't know why you think parents have suddenly discovered a learning disorder in 10th grade. Most likely it was always there but you didn't know about it until the child took the PSATs.

...unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

Actually, quite believable ... given the source.

[Anonymous]

Do you think that a student can progress through a fancy, $35,000/year exclusive and challenging education in area Big 3 private school (ERB exams every year) and in the 10th grade develop the acute onset of a learning disability? Are you a Neurologist/Psychiatrist or a microbiologist working with Petri dishes? Please give us a valid reference for any one of your speculative claims.

Maybe the image of the fancy, $35,000/year exclusive and superior education in area private schools is just that -- an illusion.

[Anonymous]

From PP who pointed out that studies show that kids who don't have ADHD get lower scores when given extra time becuase sitting the room for extra hours causes them to go back and change answers they got right the first time. Not to mention the boredom of sitting in that room.

What does this specious red herring have to do with the ethics of students from affluent families in D.C. area private schools illegitimately gaming the system for gain through aggressively seeking accommodations for taking exams in school and in the national arena -- PSAT, ACT and SAT?

[Anonymous]

Interesting snippets on the topic from the College Confidential Board:

10-13-2010, 08:16 PM #2
phagocytosis
New Member


Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 9 I can't speak for how her peers will react, because I know how cruel high schoolers can be, but here's my experience:

I also went to a fairly competitive high school - I frequently heard kids bragging about their high scores on exams or the SAT. My senior year in high school, I was diagnosed with a learning disability. I get 50% more time on exams. However, I was never allowed that in high school because I got A's and B's (they would only help out kids who were doing poorly). In college, I received extended time on all of my exams and I took the exams in a separate location that was proctored by the disability services office. None of my friends noticed that I wasn't in the same room as them on exam days. It wasn't until I told them that I took the test elsewhere for extended time that they realized I wasn't there. No one teased me about it - everyone was very understanding. If anything, I think people were a little jealous that I got more time. Personally, I have never been embarrassed about it. I like the perspective that even with my disability, I still do well in classes. I'm a smart person, it just takes me a little bit longer than most people.

Again, I know high schoolers can be mean, but I really hope your daughter can see that it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Once she's in college, she'll realize that no one cares. Many people struggle in college and no one will make fun of anyone for getting a bad grade. Actually, now that I think about it, I think I've only witnessed teasing for a stupid comment. As long as people see your daughter as a smart person, and I assume she is for being in a gifted program, no one will care at all about the extended time. When I was asked why I got more time (and most people sounded jealous), I would either explain why or I would jokingly say "because I'm special". Most people wanted to figure out how they could be special too.

Also, I would strongly recommend taking the PSAT with accommodations. It's very silly to miss out on a higher score because of embarrassment. I don't remember if the PSATs count for anything, but the SATs definitely matter for many reasons. I wish I had known that I could have gotten accommodations on the SAT because I'm fairly certain that I would have gotten a higher scholarship for college. My scores were fine for getting into college, but at my university there are 3 levels of merit-based scholarships, and I'm fairly certain that if my SAT score was higher, I would have gotten the middle scholarship instead of the lowest one.

Good luck!
Reply

10-15-2010, 01:35 AM #3
juggler1990
New Member


Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 19 definitely for the sat take extra time. i took the act not sat but for the act i didn't take it at my school cause they didn't offer it there and i don't even think i knew anyone in the building. also, they make it descrete. you just sign in at a different table and take it in a different room. trust me know one will notice. especially if she doesn't go in with a friend. there are so many people there and everything no one will notice. i know the psat was administered at my school. i signed up for it last minute and didn't have time to get accommodations. i did bad and the colleges i was applying to didn't care whether i took act or sat and i heard act is easier to get extra time for so i just took it. i did bad on the psat though cause i only finished half or less of every section. talk to who ever coordinates extended time for the psat and see if she can do it discretely. im sure the guidence counclor would know. maybe she can tell her friends that she decided not to take it or forgot to sign up or something. then she could just report to wherever she was taking it with extra time and they'd never know. no one will really notice or question her i am guessing. as far as accommodations go. i can completely understand. i dont like telling my peers especially cause i don't want them to think i am taking advantage of the system or something. but i have found that they are always very understanding if i just explain very simply what i have trouble with. i just say i have adhd and have to read everything 3 or more times to understand it so it takes me forever to take tests. if i didn't have the accommodation i would probably fail but i study really hard so i don't think that would be fair. having a good understand of what your specific problems are is the most helpful when advocating for yourself. for instance, i know i can't pay attention at all in class, drift off when reading and have to re read it a lot and don't process information fast. i also have trouble getting out what i want to write down so it takes me forever to write things. this is helpful when i am trying to explain it to people. people want to know specifically what you struggle with cause a term like ld is very broad and can affect people in many different ways.
Reply 10-27-2010, 11:18 PM #5
Swgyswgy
Junior Member


Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 69 Sigh what is with all the parents requesting special favors for their children? You might think that they are brilliant and that they deserve to have all the accommodations made for them, however chances are they are of average intelligence. It sickens me to see people get unfair advantage for such benign issues. Just take the damn test and be happy with what you get. Too much blood, sweat, and tears are wasted on the standardized testing process.

Many students who just plain suck at math or reading aren't diagnosed with dyscalcula nor dyslexia. They don't use a "disorder" as an excuse for their lack of ability or understanding. Chances are the parent's kid is just a normal student, they aren't "brilliant". How many CC parents brag relentlessly about their "brilliant kids"? Brilliant kids are a dime a dozen.

I don't know your situation, but try working with your child. Accept them for who they are. Not what you want them to be. If she fears the "stigma". just let her be a normal teenager. Teenager don't need their parents making every single decision on their behalf.. Teenagers yearn for independence. Regardless, best of luck and wishes to your current situation.

[Anonymous]

Brings up an interesting point:

Why doesn't the College Board just permit students from poor test performing schools to have an extra 2 hours for their exams?