Wall Street Journal on rampant growth in percentage of college students with “disabilities”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If anyone was curious about what disability accommodations look like specifically from Pomona: https://www.pomona.edu/accessibility/student-accessibility/accommodation-services

Test-Taking Accommodations
50% or 100% additional time on traditional tests
Quiet location for testing
Computer test reader
Dragon Naturally Speaking as a test writing resource
Use of computer to type essay exams
Assistive technology for exams or for course work
Spelling and punctuation considerations on exams
Classroom Accommodations
Notes or course notes
Permission to record the course lecture
Preferential seating
Course handouts in an enlarged font
Course handouts in an electronic format
Use of service animal in the classroom
Assistive technology in classroom

Mobility Accommodations
Relocating classrooms, lab, field trips and living spaces in accessible locations.
Pomona Medical Supply will provide carts and mobility devices.
Foreign Language Exemption
All exemptions are processed through the Academic Procedure Committee. Contact the Associate Dean of Students to assist with this process.

Emotional Support Animals
To obtain permission to have an emotional support animal on campus, review the pets in residence hall policy and have the medical professional complete the emotional support animal application form. Once that is completed, contact the Dean of Students Office to secure permission to have an emotional support animal on campus.

Housing Accommodations
Please contact the Dean of Students Office to secure permission to have an air conditioner or single room.

Here is the form students fill out: https://www.pomona.edu/sites/default/files/disability-request-for-services.pdf and the one professionals do: https://www.pomona.edu/sites/default/files/disability-documentation-form.pdf

I find it strange that the student form asks- "What accommodations do you need?" Shouldn't this be to the judgement of the professional solely? If the student form is the primary way accommodations are assigned, the potential for abuse is significant.

A further look at "tips for accommodations" gives far too much leverage, IMO, for students to create accommodations as they WANT rather than as they NEED (or as is reasonable). https://www.pomona.edu/accessibility/student-accessibility/accommodation-services/how-make-most-your-academic-accommodations

Pomona's Common Data Set states that 94% of entering students ranked in the top 10% of their high school class. Their profile states 27% of enrolled students ranked valedictorian. Pomona seems to bend over backwards to accommodate students that I could not imagine happening at any high school. Those students clearly thrived academically- most without needing accommodations in the first place. They're not suddenly going to come into college unable to handle the lifestyle or workload. The reality is that Pomona needs to take a long hard look on the ease which it allows accommodations and ensure that the students who genuinely need them are getting the bulk of the resources.

The free "market" will sort all this out by declining to hire Pomona grads, then smart students and their parents will revolt and demand standards. Smart students won't allow the devaluation of their hard won credential (the diploma) by the allowance of practices (e.g. excessive accommodation) that are not respected by prospective employers. The same problem afflicts POC who are the beneficiaries of affirmative action - people rationally question whether a POC doctor is capable or a beneficiary of "special accommodations". Of course there are many capable and even brilliant POC doctors (e.g. Ben Carson) but their achievement is called into question by the practices of affirmative action. Meet the standard, don't lower it.

Or they will do just fine. I don't think you're getting it. People who need accommodations in college often succeed very well in their careers and needing accommodations isn't reflective of intellect. In fact, those that have to work harder to do as well as their peers in school often do better when they're no longer being judged in such an artificial environment.

What you say was true in the past. But it does not grapple with the fact that it's facially ridiculous that a full 20% of kids in a well-to-to Chicago suburb are somehow so disabled as to need ACT accommodations.

+1 With this generation, parents don't want to accept that perhaps their child is not "college material." They'll medicate them, provide extensive private tutoring, pay for assistance in writing their essays, etc. ANYTHING to be sure their child is college bound.

Yep. Once my son was diagnosed with dyslexia, we located an accredited language therapist and paid over a grand per month for tutoring. He gained 2 years on his reading level in 10 months and is now on grade level. Since she also works with him on composition and test taking, his skills in those areas are ahead of his peers. He puts in far more work that other kids in his grade and is advanced in science, math, and social studies. Since he also has ADHD, I expect in MS or HS I will hire a coach to help him learn organizational and study strategies to compensate. He deserves every bit of what he accomplishes and I'm not apologetic at all.

PP here. And you shouldn't be apologetic. I'd do the same, but it does skew the numbers. I think they should extend the time for the SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc for everyone.

Why stop there? Why not just give people the degrees they want, no work required

[Anonymous]

Hope his future wife is ready to do the same for him and his adhd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS- I bet it kills you OP to know that my kid had a 216 selection index on his sophomore PSAT, taken in a small group setting with extended time. That would have qualified him as National Merit Commended Scholar. If he improves by about 3 questions this year, with accommodations, he will be a NMSF.

And you can suck it up. This kid is brilliant, and works harder than his very hard working peers for the same or lower grades.

Brilliant, but low processing speed. There's no way he should get NMSF. He can be recognized in other ways for his brilliance.

Low processing speed is a classic ADHD marker. And whether he gets NMSF or not is not call to make. And looking at the psychoeducational testing, and with TJ’s recommendation, the college board decided to go be him time and a half on the PSAT, SAT and APs. So he will take his extended time and be recognized as national merit commended or NMSF. And if you think ADHD kids working at a super high academic level at TJ have it easy, you are way off base. He has the aptitude to succeed at TJ, and he has the aptitude to succeed at any college in the country. And I could GAF whether you approve or not. Because it is not your call. Maybe you should worry less about my kid, and Focus on your own children.

Sorry, but if he's getting extended time he doesn't measure up. It will catch up with him when he can't compete without benefits.

Well I would say my kid who got time and a half on the ACT who scored a 36 and has a 4.2 GPA certainly measures up!! I am so proud of him!! With all of his issues (from adhd to anxiety to developing very late physically) he is doing so wonderfully in high school. Well, for goodness sakes, he even got himself a girlfriend this year. So so so so so so proud of him!!! He is going places and you can say he cheated, but I say he earned every bit of it!! Without the accommodations, maybe he would have gotten a 34. But he deserves and earned this. And to know that it makes all of you angry gives me even more pleasure!! So so so so happy!!!!! I can hear all those doors opening up!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"I REALLY disagree. That's catering to a child with ADHD, not helping them learn to be successful in the workplace. Barring jobs where pure, isolated genius compensates for everything else, nobody can escape some drudgery. If the only goal there is to assess the child's knowledge of the content -- find, then just giving them the 3 hardest question works. But that's FAR from setting them up to be a functional person."

Do you understand how much drudgery that ADHD student has to go through to learn all the material and answer the three hard questions compared to a student without ADHD?

They aren't a genius, they have to learn the material. The student without ADHD can focus for an hour or two and do the home work or study for the test. It takes the ADHD student much longer.

They are an expert at drudgery because everything they do has to be done through drudgery. They can't do anything any other way.

You don't need a job that relies on genius, you just need a job that isn't under some type of time crunch all the time and to put in the time required for you to get the job done like any salaried employee would.

Huh? No. That does not describe the ADHD people I know. The ADHD people I know do GREAT when they have time-crunches that require them to produce important things quickly. They do terribly when they have to do drudgery-type things.

YES!!!! It is called hyper focusing! My DS does it. He scored 36 on the ACT and didn't really need the extra time. Used it to check his work. Read it and weep people!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS- I bet it kills you OP to know that my kid had a 216 selection index on his sophomore PSAT, taken in a small group setting with extended time. That would have qualified him as National Merit Commended Scholar. If he improves by about 3 questions this year, with accommodations, he will be a NMSF.

And you can suck it up. This kid is brilliant, and works harder than his very hard working peers for the same or lower grades.

Brilliant, but low processing speed. There's no way he should get NMSF. He can be recognized in other ways for his brilliance.

Low processing speed is a classic ADHD marker. And whether he gets NMSF or not is not call to make. And looking at the psychoeducational testing, and with TJ’s recommendation, the college board decided to go be him time and a half on the PSAT, SAT and APs. So he will take his extended time and be recognized as national merit commended or NMSF. And if you think ADHD kids working at a super high academic level at TJ have it easy, you are way off base. He has the aptitude to succeed at TJ, and he has the aptitude to succeed at any college in the country. And I could GAF whether you approve or not. Because it is not your call. Maybe you should worry less about my kid, and Focus on your own children.

Sorry, but if he's getting extended time he doesn't measure up. It will catch up with him when he can't compete without benefits.

Well I would say my kid who got time and a half on the ACT who scored a 36 and has a 4.2 GPA certainly measures up!! I am so proud of him!! With all of his issues (from adhd to anxiety to developing very late physically) he is doing so wonderfully in high school. Well, for goodness sakes, he even got himself a girlfriend this year. So so so so so so proud of him!!! He is going places and you can say he cheated, but I say he earned every bit of it!! Without the accommodations, maybe he would have gotten a 34. But he deserves and earned this. And to know that it makes all of you angry gives me even more pleasure!! So so so so happy!!!!! I can hear all those doors opening up!!!

clearly you need medicated. Your poor kid...on so many levels

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS- I bet it kills you OP to know that my kid had a 216 selection index on his sophomore PSAT, taken in a small group setting with extended time. That would have qualified him as National Merit Commended Scholar. If he improves by about 3 questions this year, with accommodations, he will be a NMSF.

And you can suck it up. This kid is brilliant, and works harder than his very hard working peers for the same or lower grades.

Brilliant, but low processing speed. There's no way he should get NMSF. He can be recognized in other ways for his brilliance.

Low processing speed is a classic ADHD marker. And whether he gets NMSF or not is not call to make. And looking at the psychoeducational testing, and with TJ’s recommendation, the college board decided to go be him time and a half on the PSAT, SAT and APs. So he will take his extended time and be recognized as national merit commended or NMSF. And if you think ADHD kids working at a super high academic level at TJ have it easy, you are way off base. He has the aptitude to succeed at TJ, and he has the aptitude to succeed at any college in the country. And I could GAF whether you approve or not. Because it is not your call. Maybe you should worry less about my kid, and Focus on your own children.

Sorry, but if he's getting extended time he doesn't measure up. It will catch up with him when he can't compete without benefits.

Well I would say my kid who got time and a half on the ACT who scored a 36 and has a 4.2 GPA certainly measures up!! I am so proud of him!! With all of his issues (from adhd to anxiety to developing very late physically) he is doing so wonderfully in high school. Well, for goodness sakes, he even got himself a girlfriend this year. So so so so so so proud of him!!! He is going places and you can say he cheated, but I say he earned every bit of it!! Without the accommodations, maybe he would have gotten a 34. But he deserves and earned this. And to know that it makes all of you angry gives me even more pleasure!! So so so so happy!!!!! I can hear all those doors opening up!!!

clearly you need medicated. Your poor kid...on so many levels

I need medicated? Alrighty then. You need to proofread better.

[Anonymous]

There needs to be a longitudinal study to assess the careee prospects of students who received accomodations through college. I can imagine that for many, this ends with many unhappy employers, co workers, and overwhelmed employees.

I am absolutely incapable of complex math. If someone would hold my hand and give me all the time in the world, I may be able to complete an accounting degree, but accounting would still be a struggle for me. If I managed to land and keep a job, what I lack in speed and accuracy would have to be made up by someone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS- I bet it kills you OP to know that my kid had a 216 selection index on his sophomore PSAT, taken in a small group setting with extended time. That would have qualified him as National Merit Commended Scholar. If he improves by about 3 questions this year, with accommodations, he will be a NMSF.

And you can suck it up. This kid is brilliant, and works harder than his very hard working peers for the same or lower grades.

Brilliant, but low processing speed. There's no way he should get NMSF. He can be recognized in other ways for his brilliance.

Low processing speed is a classic ADHD marker. And whether he gets NMSF or not is not call to make. And looking at the psychoeducational testing, and with TJ’s recommendation, the college board decided to go be him time and a half on the PSAT, SAT and APs. So he will take his extended time and be recognized as national merit commended or NMSF. And if you think ADHD kids working at a super high academic level at TJ have it easy, you are way off base. He has the aptitude to succeed at TJ, and he has the aptitude to succeed at any college in the country. And I could GAF whether you approve or not. Because it is not your call. Maybe you should worry less about my kid, and Focus on your own children.

Sorry, but if he's getting extended time he doesn't measure up. It will catch up with him when he can't compete without benefits.

Well I would say my kid who got time and a half on the ACT who scored a 36 and has a 4.2 GPA certainly measures up!! I am so proud of him!! With all of his issues (from adhd to anxiety to developing very late physically) he is doing so wonderfully in high school. Well, for goodness sakes, he even got himself a girlfriend this year. So so so so so so proud of him!!! He is going places and you can say he cheated, but I say he earned every bit of it!! Without the accommodations, maybe he would have gotten a 34. But he deserves and earned this. And to know that it makes all of you angry gives me even more pleasure!! So so so so happy!!!!! I can hear all those doors opening up!!!

clearly you need medicated. Your poor kid...on so many levels

I need medicated? Alrighty then. You need to proofread better.

Oh yay. The shameless system gamer is back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS- I bet it kills you OP to know that my kid had a 216 selection index on his sophomore PSAT, taken in a small group setting with extended time. That would have qualified him as National Merit Commended Scholar. If he improves by about 3 questions this year, with accommodations, he will be a NMSF.

And you can suck it up. This kid is brilliant, and works harder than his very hard working peers for the same or lower grades.

Brilliant, but low processing speed. There's no way he should get NMSF. He can be recognized in other ways for his brilliance.

Low processing speed is a classic ADHD marker. And whether he gets NMSF or not is not call to make. And looking at the psychoeducational testing, and with TJ’s recommendation, the college board decided to go be him time and a half on the PSAT, SAT and APs. So he will take his extended time and be recognized as national merit commended or NMSF. And if you think ADHD kids working at a super high academic level at TJ have it easy, you are way off base. He has the aptitude to succeed at TJ, and he has the aptitude to succeed at any college in the country. And I could GAF whether you approve or not. Because it is not your call. Maybe you should worry less about my kid, and Focus on your own children.

Sorry, but if he's getting extended time he doesn't measure up. It will catch up with him when he can't compete without benefits.

Sorry, but there is no law of the universe that lightning bolts strike people based on testing behavior. It's just as possible that someone who gets an excellent score without even needing their allotted time will go on to have a sucky life.

It's just a test--you really believe there's a four digit number that ranks your kid perfectly? Accommodations are a modest attempt to help someone in need. If you're so bent on showing the PP's son doesn't measure up to yours, have your kid prove it by doing something application worthy with all that extra ability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:



No, the SAT and ACT literally measure processing speed and working memory, in part. That is why they are *timed.* Your child may have many strengths, but processing speed is not one of them. It would be much better that he focuses on a college and major that does not prioritize processing speed metrics, than that he circumvent timed tests. That would be a better fit for him.

what college would that be exactly? Almost all colleges from whom a degree means something require one of these tests. As long as that remains the case, accommodations on these tests is necessary.

And meanwhile, scores on SAT and ACT are extremely poor predictors of success in college, but colleges largely don't ditch them because their standing and income is dependent upon students' SAT and ACT scores.

They are excellent predictors of grades. And coupled with a kids’ grades they show if a kid has learned a lot and gotten a good education.
Just because your kid can’t do well on the tests is not a valid reason to trash them.
The test should be telling you and your child that maybe he should pick exercise science as a major instead of engineering, say.
Great so my technical magnet child who is great at math and CS (but needs extra time on tests and projects), needs to study what? Drawing? Music? Dancing? Sorry, he is really bad in those areas.

He should study math and hopefully he’s good enough at it to go far with it. Upper level math is NOT TIMED in the least. Big thinkers take years and years to think of solutions to problems that haven’t been solved yet.
Or entrepreneurship?

Honestly, if he's so good at math and upper level math doesn't have timing restrictions ... great, go on and shine! Why do you then need to have a whole raft of unfair testing accommodations otherwise for the things you aren't good at? Not everyone excels at everything. That's what bothers me about all of this, the focus on TESTS and outcomes.

This.
Why is it necessary to have a “level playing field” where everyone appears to excel in everything when everyone actually has varied strengths and weaknesses that will help them excel in certain careees and cause undue stress in others.

I was diagnosed with a few very specific learning difficulties as a preteen. I have issues with spatial relations and auditory processing. Math was a struggle, as were a lot of other things. I did not have any accomodation in school or college or on standardized testing. I scored a manageable 1180 on the SAT and graduated college with a 3.2. I chose a career in social services and I’m absolutely indistinguishable from my colleagues. If I had insisted on becoming an engineer, I would have needed accommodations.

And you would have struggled mightily in your career or just become a bureaucrat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS- I bet it kills you OP to know that my kid had a 216 selection index on his sophomore PSAT, taken in a small group setting with extended time. That would have qualified him as National Merit Commended Scholar. If he improves by about 3 questions this year, with accommodations, he will be a NMSF.

And you can suck it up. This kid is brilliant, and works harder than his very hard working peers for the same or lower grades.

Brilliant, but low processing speed. There's no way he should get NMSF. He can be recognized in other ways for his brilliance.

Low processing speed is a classic ADHD marker. And whether he gets NMSF or not is not call to make. And looking at the psychoeducational testing, and with TJ’s recommendation, the college board decided to go be him time and a half on the PSAT, SAT and APs. So he will take his extended time and be recognized as national merit commended or NMSF. And if you think ADHD kids working at a super high academic level at TJ have it easy, you are way off base. He has the aptitude to succeed at TJ, and he has the aptitude to succeed at any college in the country. And I could GAF whether you approve or not. Because it is not your call. Maybe you should worry less about my kid, and Focus on your own children.

Sorry, but if he's getting extended time he doesn't measure up. It will catch up with him when he can't compete without benefits.

Well I would say my kid who got time and a half on the ACT who scored a 36 and has a 4.2 GPA certainly measures up!! I am so proud of him!! With all of his issues (from adhd to anxiety to developing very late physically) he is doing so wonderfully in high school. Well, for goodness sakes, he even got himself a girlfriend this year. So so so so so so proud of him!!! He is going places and you can say he cheated, but I say he earned every bit of it!! Without the accommodations, maybe he would have gotten a 34. But he deserves and earned this. And to know that it makes all of you angry gives me even more pleasure!! So so so so happy!!!!! I can hear all those doors opening up!!!

EST to frame that test score & hang it in the wall as that might be his highest achievement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS- I bet it kills you OP to know that my kid had a 216 selection index on his sophomore PSAT, taken in a small group setting with extended time. That would have qualified him as National Merit Commended Scholar. If he improves by about 3 questions this year, with accommodations, he will be a NMSF.

And you can suck it up. This kid is brilliant, and works harder than his very hard working peers for the same or lower grades.

Brilliant, but low processing speed. There's no way he should get NMSF. He can be recognized in other ways for his brilliance.

Low processing speed is a classic ADHD marker. And whether he gets NMSF or not is not call to make. And looking at the psychoeducational testing, and with TJ’s recommendation, the college board decided to go be him time and a half on the PSAT, SAT and APs. So he will take his extended time and be recognized as national merit commended or NMSF. And if you think ADHD kids working at a super high academic level at TJ have it easy, you are way off base. He has the aptitude to succeed at TJ, and he has the aptitude to succeed at any college in the country. And I could GAF whether you approve or not. Because it is not your call. Maybe you should worry less about my kid, and Focus on your own children.

Sorry, but if he's getting extended time he doesn't measure up. It will catch up with him when he can't compete without benefits.

Well I would say my kid who got time and a half on the ACT who scored a 36 and has a 4.2 GPA certainly measures up!! I am so proud of him!! With all of his issues (from adhd to anxiety to developing very late physically) he is doing so wonderfully in high school. Well, for goodness sakes, he even got himself a girlfriend this year. So so so so so so proud of him!!! He is going places and you can say he cheated, but I say he earned every bit of it!! Without the accommodations, maybe he would have gotten a 34. But he deserves and earned this. And to know that it makes all of you angry gives me even more pleasure!! So so so so happy!!!!! I can hear all those doors opening up!!!

Best to frame that test score & hang it in the wall as that might be his highest achievement.

[Anonymous]

I felt sorry for the mentally challenged kids at first but after reading this it really is a lot of BS - thank goodness the best employers will require their own testing for entry. Good luck with that.

[Anonymous]

People with disabilities aren't inherently inferior to you. Using a computer instead of a pencil to type an essay isn't cheating any more than using a ramp instead of the stairs is cheating. Having simply average working memory isn't going to make a surgeon botch a surgery. Using a calculator isn't going to doom an engineer into a life of professional ineptitude. Having dyslexia doesn't mean that a writer won't become a best seller or a financier won't succeed so wildly that he becomes a household name. Having ADHD and dropping out of college doesn't mean a person won't create a start up and become filthy rich. And a single test that arbitrarily penalizes anyone with atypical strengths and weaknesses in no way justifies withholding future opportunities from that individual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If anyone was curious about what disability accommodations look like specifically from Pomona: https://www.pomona.edu/accessibility/student-accessibility/accommodation-services

Test-Taking Accommodations
50% or 100% additional time on traditional tests
Quiet location for testing
Computer test reader
Dragon Naturally Speaking as a test writing resource
Use of computer to type essay exams
Assistive technology for exams or for course work
Spelling and punctuation considerations on exams
Classroom Accommodations
Notes or course notes
Permission to record the course lecture
Preferential seating
Course handouts in an enlarged font
Course handouts in an electronic format
Use of service animal in the classroom
Assistive technology in classroom

Mobility Accommodations
Relocating classrooms, lab, field trips and living spaces in accessible locations.
Pomona Medical Supply will provide carts and mobility devices.
Foreign Language Exemption
All exemptions are processed through the Academic Procedure Committee. Contact the Associate Dean of Students to assist with this process.

Emotional Support Animals
To obtain permission to have an emotional support animal on campus, review the pets in residence hall policy and have the medical professional complete the emotional support animal application form. Once that is completed, contact the Dean of Students Office to secure permission to have an emotional support animal on campus.

Housing Accommodations
Please contact the Dean of Students Office to secure permission to have an air conditioner or single room.

Here is the form students fill out: https://www.pomona.edu/sites/default/files/disability-request-for-services.pdf and the one professionals do: https://www.pomona.edu/sites/default/files/disability-documentation-form.pdf

I find it strange that the student form asks- "What accommodations do you need?" Shouldn't this be to the judgement of the professional solely? If the student form is the primary way accommodations are assigned, the potential for abuse is significant.

A further look at "tips for accommodations" gives far too much leverage, IMO, for students to create accommodations as they WANT rather than as they NEED (or as is reasonable). https://www.pomona.edu/accessibility/student-accessibility/accommodation-services/how-make-most-your-academic-accommodations

Pomona's Common Data Set states that 94% of entering students ranked in the top 10% of their high school class. Their profile states 27% of enrolled students ranked valedictorian. Pomona seems to bend over backwards to accommodate students that I could not imagine happening at any high school. Those students clearly thrived academically- most without needing accommodations in the first place. They're not suddenly going to come into college unable to handle the lifestyle or workload. The reality is that Pomona needs to take a long hard look on the ease which it allows accommodations and ensure that the students who genuinely need them are getting the bulk of the resources.

The free "market" will sort all this out by declining to hire Pomona grads, then smart students and their parents will revolt and demand standards. Smart students won't allow the devaluation of their hard won credential (the diploma) by the allowance of practices (e.g. excessive accommodation) that are not respected by prospective employers. The same problem afflicts POC who are the beneficiaries of affirmative action - people rationally question whether a POC doctor is capable or a beneficiary of "special accommodations". Of course there are many capable and even brilliant POC doctors (e.g. Ben Carson) but their achievement is called into question by the practices of affirmative action. Meet the standard, don't lower it.

Or they will do just fine. I don't think you're getting it. People who need accommodations in college often succeed very well in their careers and needing accommodations isn't reflective of intellect. In fact, those that have to work harder to do as well as their peers in school often do better when they're no longer being judged in such an artificial environment.

What you say was true in the past. But it does not grapple with the fact that it's facially ridiculous that a full 20% of kids in a well-to-to Chicago suburb are somehow so disabled as to need ACT accommodations.

+1 With this generation, parents don't want to accept that perhaps their child is not "college material." They'll medicate them, provide extensive private tutoring, pay for assistance in writing their essays, etc. ANYTHING to be sure their child is college bound.

Yep. Once my son was diagnosed with dyslexia, we located an accredited language therapist and paid over a grand per month for tutoring. He gained 2 years on his reading level in 10 months and is now on grade level. Since she also works with him on composition and test taking, his skills in those areas are ahead of his peers. He puts in far more work that other kids in his grade and is advanced in science, math, and social studies. Since he also has ADHD, I expect in MS or HS I will hire a coach to help him learn organizational and study strategies to compensate. He deserves every bit of what he accomplishes and I'm not apologetic at all.

PP here. And you shouldn't be apologetic. I'd do the same, but it does skew the numbers. I think they should extend the time for the SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc for everyone.

I assume you'd also be fine with making everybody take it in audio format only with no written questions? It would be completely fair for typical learners to be measured against someone who's been absorbing information in audio format at 2-4x speed for the last 6+ years, right? Obviously it should be the same amount of time given to both because it would be an unfair advantage for the person who's used to eye reading to get extra time to be able to listen at 1x speed.