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

[Anonymous]

Doesn't this whole discussion make the reams of acrimonious debate about "prep" for the WPPSI or SAT exam sound so ludicrous. The irony, the students and parents truly gaming the system are not largely from urban public schools; they have always been from affluent private and public schools.

[Anonymous]

Yes, my child's pediatrician and a teacher I know at one of DC's top privates have commented on this very thing. You would not believe the percentage of students who get accommodations at this top private. It flies in the face of the school's reputation.

The gaming is amazing.

[Anonymous]

The College Board has gotten much stricter as have many of the schools. People are just stirring up trouble here

[Anonymous]

Has it really? According to the Times article cited earlier, something like 85%-92% of accommodation requests are granted.

[Anonymous]

The College Board has gotten much stricter as have many of the schools. People are just stirring up trouble here

No one is causing any trouble here. I will refresh you on the topic for discussion:

Do affluent families and students in area D.C. private schools game the national testing system (SAT/ACT) with special requests for accommodation (e.g. spurious diagnoses such as A.H.A.D.)?
...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

Can you specifically cite what trouble people are stirring or is this a topic that is off bounds?

[Anonymous]

The College Board has gotten much stricter as have many of the schools. People are just stirring up trouble here

Do you have any data or sources to support your contention the College Board has gotten stricter or are you spinning out of control by the seat of your pants as usual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, quite believable ... given the source.

What is that supposed to mean? I'm the source. I have a daughter with ADHD and there's no reason anyone in her school should know it. As it turns out she probably won't ask for extra time on the SAT, but if she did, would other parents start gossiping that we had just gotten her diagnosed? She was diagnosed in 3rd grade. But thats nobody's business, so nobody knows this.

Studies, cite studies. Show me that there is a epidemic of parents "gaming" the system by "pretending" their kids have ADHD. I'm not saying they don't try. I know of one family who did try and it totally backfired on them. It doesn't work. Honestly, the rest of you don't have to be so angry, so threatened. Really, are kids aren't taking anything from yours.

[Anonymous]

What is that supposed to mean? I'm the source. I have a daughter with ADHD and there's no reason anyone in her school should know it. As it turns out she probably won't ask for extra time on the SAT, but if she did, would other parents start gossiping that we had just gotten her diagnosed? She was diagnosed in 3rd grade. But thats nobody's business, so nobody knows this.

Studies, cite studies. Show me that there is a epidemic of parents "gaming" the system by "pretending" their kids have ADHD. I'm not saying they don't try. I know of one family who did try and it totally backfired on them. It doesn't work. Honestly, the rest of you don't have to be so angry, so threatened. Really, are kids aren't taking anything from yours.

A credible source indeed with impeccable credentials to speak for the College Board and how they are handling accommodation requests. Can you tell us what the specific requirements are for the College Board to approve or deny requests for accommodations ... or is that information top secret?

[Anonymous]

Studies, cite studies. Show me that there is a epidemic of parents "gaming" the system by "pretending" their kids have ADHD. I'm not saying they don't try. I know of one family who did try and it totally backfired on them. It doesn't work. Honestly, the rest of you don't have to be so angry, so threatened. Really, are kids aren't taking anything from yours.

Did you read the NY Times article from this weekend? At least someone has attempted to gather some data on this practise. You are free to dismiss the article and current trends in requests for testing accommodation, largely emanating from white affuent families and students in private school, but you do not have the authority to prevent others from discussing the merits or demerits of the article. Try moving on to another topic if this upsets your world view.

I do not believe your kids have what my kids desire and I can assure you, from what you're described of your kids over the year, they certainly will not take anything away from mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

A credible source indeed with impeccable credentials to speak for the College Board and how they are handling accommodation requests. Can you tell us what the specific requirements are for the College Board to approve or deny requests for accommodations ... or is that information top secret?

Not top secret, it's on line...

For the college board to grant extra time, the student must have (1) a relevant diagnosis, (2) testing by a psychologist which specifically supports the need for extra time, (3) to have been granted extra time for testing by their school (schools tend to require 1 & 2), and (4) to have been using that extra time regularly for at least four months.

[Anonymous]

Not top secret, it's on line...

For the college board to grant extra time, the student must have (1) a relevant diagnosis, (2) testing by a psychologist which specifically supports the need for extra time, (3) to have been granted extra time for testing by their school (schools tend to require 1 & 2), and (4) to have been using that extra time regularly for at least four months.

Very vague and top secret indeed:

1. What is a "relevant" diagnosis? How many exist?
2. What are the credentials required for the "psychologist' ... if any?
3. to have been granted extra time for testing by their school opens up another can of worms (What are the requirements for this by the area D.C. area schools?)
4. One needs to T this up before important exams...may explain why there is a spike in accommodation requests in early high school years

It sounds like elite area D.C. private schools can really make this work for a student. If you are attending a fancy and elite area private school it would be in your best interest to be sure that students perform well on these tests (great for the student and the school). I would suspect granting accommodation requests flow like Gatorade at a lacrosse game from these schools ... flush with in-house "psychologist" to make the case on paper. Do you doubt me?

[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]

Well, everyone knows that only affluent white kids have learning disabilities. The poor and black kids are juvenile delinquents.

[Anonymous]

The "misdiagnosis" of juvenile deliquent probably wouldn't qualify as a "relevant" diagnosis for accommodations to take the PSAT/ SAT/ ACT.

[Anonymous]

To the pp with the child diagnosed in 3rd grade. I believe you. I know kids like her and they are self conscious about getting accommodations especially if they are LDGt. It has driven many parents crazy that their kids who can have extra time refuse to take it.

As for the others gaming the system, it is absolutely an epidemic in the area privates. The kids start getting extra time in high school, often suggested by the school because the school knows their needs to be an established history of receiving and USING extra time on tests to meet the accommodation requirements.

And while I agree that sometimes these issues crop up later, I know several kids whose problems showed up in college, I think one would have to be naive to believe that the children admitted to these schools are both "the best and the brightest all scoring 95% Wppsi and WISC and 35% LD.