For parents who are jealous of kids who get extra time/think it's unfair

[Anonymous]

I don't give a crap.

My sons are the kind that finish early. I don't care if they give someone 5 extra hours. I only care about my own kids. We've been fortunate they have no academic struggles or learning/processing disabilities. I think when mine have more time they go back and change correct answers to wrong answers. lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens when these kids make it through college (presumably with accommodations) and then enter the working world? I'm not aware of employers making accommodations.

Many will not need accommodations when they are not within the very strict constraints of the school system. Work will give them the opportunity to shine at what they are good at.

+1000 I have very low processing speed but am an extremely successful research professional because my work does not necessitate working under 3 hour time constraints. My projects are all long-term and give me ample time to process information and execute based on that information. There actually aren't that many jobs where speed is critical and most people that I know with ADHD or other disabilities that affect processing speed/working memory are acutely aware of those and would never enter those professions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens when these kids make it through college (presumably with accommodations) and then enter the working world? I'm not aware of employers making accommodations.

They do not function in the real world.

Ridiculous! Of course they function in the real world—a place with very few tests. In the real world, they can listen to music while they work, to help them concentrate. They can take breaks as needed. They can choose jobs that highlight their strengths. Most of these kids will function very well in the real world. Standardized testing is nothing like the real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once they were presented with timed exams that were between hard and impossible to finish, lots of law students discovered that they had ADHD. A little research, an appointment with a psychiatrist and you not only get enough time to finish, you also get medicine to help you study

Make that performance enhancing drugs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happens when these kids make it through college (presumably with accommodations) and then enter the working world? I'm not aware of employers making accommodations.

Most employers do not administer standardized tests under time limits on daily/weekly/monthly basis. My DC is def thinking about careers where the strengths will be front and center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens when these kids make it through college (presumably with accommodations) and then enter the working world? I'm not aware of employers making accommodations.

+1

You have not heard of the ADA? Employers make accommodations all of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People see it as unfair because of parents who game the system without a real need for the child but for unfair advantage. It’s a regular scam, often used for athletes but not limited to them.[/quote

If the need for extra time is legit, then fine.

Rich people tend to use this accomodation a lot, gaming the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happens when these kids make it through college (presumably with accommodations) and then enter the working world? I'm not aware of employers making accommodations.

They won’t need them. They will choose careers where hyper focus is an asset and creativity is valued and time is fluid. They will have staff and secretaries and they will not be alone in a room for three hours fighting against a clock. Gosh, it’s almost as if you don’t know what you are talking about.

[Anonymous]

i think part of the issue is that the amount of extra time is not determined with any sort of thought. if kids without extra time are having trouble finishing an exam in the time allotted because of the length and/or difficulty and a student with extra time gets 2x the amount time and has no problem finishing, is that fair or not? Maybe that student should only get 1.5x or 1.25x amount of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i think part of the issue is that the amount of extra time is not determined with any sort of thought. if kids without extra time are having trouble finishing an exam in the time allotted because of the length and/or difficulty and a student with extra time gets 2x the amount time and has no problem finishing, is that fair or not? Maybe that student should only get 1.5x or 1.25x amount of time.

In my experience, the psychologist recommends certain increments, like 1.5 or 2. I know some kids take it over multiple days. My DD gets 2x and I will tell you, it’s brutal for a kid with dyslexia and ADHD to focus for 5 hours with only one break. Because of her dyslexia, she really needs the time, but the work is so painstaking (and boring) that it’s virtually impossible to maintain concentration that long. She was entirely stressed and wiped out by the end. She did not get a score to be envious of. She would way rather be neurotypical and not need the extra time!

[Anonymous]

I remember when my dyslexic kid got the College Board notice that he was allowed double time on his exams. I was very happy for him that he got the accommodation. But I also admit feeling really sad for my son that even the College Board, which is notoriously difficult to get double time from, acknowledged that he had such a severe learning disability and he wasn't going to grow out of it. Somehow the College Board ruling on it hit me harder than any of the psychological-educational testing he had done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People see it as unfair because of parents who game the system without a real need for the child but for unfair advantage. It’s a regular scam, often used for athletes but not limited to them.

This is the problem with it. I don't think people are upset with kids getting extra time who legitimately need extra time. It is akin to parking in a handicapped spot when you don't have a real need for it, but you nevertheless have a handicapped hangtag. You're permitted to do so, but you're not who it is intended for and your ability to game the system frustrates others.

(And I hope you know by "you" I don't mean you, personally.

This. I don’t begrudge kids who actually need the extra time. What pisses me off are the kids who don’t, but whose parents paid several thousand dollars for a phony evaluation saying they do. The SAT/ACT/AP exams should have a notation indicating that the student received extra time. Maybe then only the kids who actually need it would use it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People see it as unfair because of parents who game the system without a real need for the child but for unfair advantage. It’s a regular scam, often used for athletes but not limited to them.

This is the problem with it. I don't think people are upset with kids getting extra time who legitimately need extra time. It is akin to parking in a handicapped spot when you don't have a real need for it, but you nevertheless have a handicapped hangtag. You're permitted to do so, but you're not who it is intended for and your ability to game the system frustrates others.

(And I hope you know by "you" I don't mean you, personally.

This. I don’t begrudge kids who actually need the extra time. What pisses me off are the kids who don’t, but whose parents paid several thousand dollars for a phony evaluation saying they do. The SAT/ACT/AP exams should have a notation indicating that the student received extra time. Maybe then only the kids who actually need it would use it.

But how does that work for the kids that have disabilities? They have a scarlet D. I think it’s harder than folks realize to get accommodations. We submitted a neuropsych report and a school report indicating that our child uses accommodations at school. So if people are faking, the schools are complicit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People see it as unfair because of parents who game the system without a real need for the child but for unfair advantage. It’s a regular scam, often used for athletes but not limited to them.

This is the problem with it. I don't think people are upset with kids getting extra time who legitimately need extra time. It is akin to parking in a handicapped spot when you don't have a real need for it, but you nevertheless have a handicapped hangtag. You're permitted to do so, but you're not who it is intended for and your ability to game the system frustrates others.

(And I hope you know by "you" I don't mean you, personally.

This. I don’t begrudge kids who actually need the extra time. What pisses me off are the kids who don’t, but whose parents paid several thousand dollars for a phony evaluation saying they do. The SAT/ACT/AP exams should have a notation indicating that the student received extra time. Maybe then only the kids who actually need it would use it.

But how does that work for the kids that have disabilities? They have a scarlet D. I think it’s harder than folks realize to get accommodations. We submitted a neuropsych report and a school report indicating that our child uses accommodations at school. So if people are faking, the schools are complicit.

They use the reports to get extra time at school too.
Yes, it could stigmatize those with disabilities. But presumably you will need to let whatever college your kid goes to know about the disability so he/she can get accommodations there. So it’s not like you can keep it secret.

[Anonymous]

It’s like food stamps and disability benefits. They have a bad name because many people game the system.
A few people genuinely may have issues but many do not.
Psychologists have been very cavalier about doling out special Ed. designations and medications and it has resulted in a dysfunctional system