Claiming a disability on the SAT/ACT - have people been gaming the system?

[Anonymous]

From this wsj story from May:
More than a decade ago, the College Board, which administers the SAT and PSAT among other tests, stopped alerting colleges when students received extra time, and the numbers who requested it began to increase. From 2010-11 to last year, the number of accommodations requests jumped 171%, while the number of people taking the exams increased 22%. Last year, 94% of those requests were approved.

Sounds to me that the ultra rich weren't the only ones who knew this trick.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/colleges-bend-the-rules-for-more-students-give-them-extra-help-1527154200

[Anonymous]

DDs experience was exactly opposite. She’s had verified testing and accommodations since age 8. And lengthy neuropsych testing and reports every 3 years. She was denied extra time on the ACT. Our appeals were denied. (My full time day job is writing appellate briefs — usually successfully.) She’s since graduated college (where she chose not to continue accommodations) and is well employed. So I’d love to know how so many others were able to get accommodations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DDs experience was exactly opposite. She’s had verified testing and accommodations since age 8. And lengthy neuropsych testing and reports every 3 years. She was denied extra time on the ACT. Our appeals were denied. (My full time day job is writing appellate briefs — usually successfully.) She’s since graduated college (where she chose not to continue accommodations) and is well employed. So I’d love to know how so many others were able to get accommodations.

That is super frustrating.

[Anonymous]

It is pretty random.

My DC has had an IEP since age 3; transitioned to a 504 with 1.5 time for all tests, permission to use a keyboard instead of pencil/pen for all written work. Documented by complete neuropsychological evaluations at age 6, 9 and 15.

After 2 rounds of appeals, the College Board agreed to the keyboard and extra time for written sections only (so AP exams and SAT writing if he took it) and for marking answers in the test booklet instead of the bubble sheet (something we didn't ask for). Once you receive any accommodations from the College Board, they are good for your entire high school career.

ACT agreed to all of DC's school accommodations, but if you take more than once you must request accommodations before each sitting.

Since we went through the College Board process 2 years ago, they have instituted a new process -- they rely on schools to submit the requests and provide any evaluations documenting the disability and attest that the student has had the accommodations throughout high school and that the student USES them all the time.

There are exceptions for injuries. If you broke your hand 3 months before the test and are in a case and cannot write, you can ask for a scribe. If you were in a car wreck and have a brain injury you can ask for additional time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DDs experience was exactly opposite. She’s had verified testing and accommodations since age 8. And lengthy neuropsych testing and reports every 3 years. She was denied extra time on the ACT. Our appeals were denied. (My full time day job is writing appellate briefs — usually successfully.) She’s since graduated college (where she chose not to continue accommodations) and is well employed. So I’d love to know how so many others were able to get accommodations.

PP, I think your experience is interesting and I'd be interested in knowing, too, if others have found this to be the case.

My small POV: My fifth grader recently took a standardized test (independent school) for the first time. DC was flabbergasted that so many classmates (by observation, about 50%) were "put in a special room and given more time than everyone else." Not understanding this at all, my DC found this "very unfair." This leads me to wonder if it is easier to get accommodations for younger kids, but by the time they reach high school/ college prep age, they are not given the same consideration?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DDs experience was exactly opposite. She’s had verified testing and accommodations since age 8. And lengthy neuropsych testing and reports every 3 years. She was denied extra time on the ACT. Our appeals were denied. (My full time day job is writing appellate briefs — usually successfully.) She’s since graduated college (where she chose not to continue accommodations) and is well employed. So I’d love to know how so many others were able to get accommodations.

PP, I think your experience is interesting and I'd be interested in knowing, too, if others have found this to be the case.

My small POV: My fifth grader recently took a standardized test (independent school) for the first time. DC was flabbergasted that so many classmates (by observation, about 50%) were "put in a special room and given more time than everyone else." Not understanding this at all, my DC found this "very unfair." This leads me to wonder if it is easier to get accommodations for younger kids, but by the time they reach high school/ college prep age, they are not given the same consideration?

I think that says more about the sample size.

It is kind of like autism -- more people are aware of disabilities like ADHD or dyslexia now than when we were young.

To get an ADHD diagnosis (the most 'common' one for school-age children), the child is supposed to exhibit significant difficulty at home, in school and with peers. Some percentage are probably truly misdiagnosed, or learn to compensate and can get by without accommodations as they get older.

I'm one of the PPs above who went rounds with the College Board. My DC has ADHD inattentive type but that's secondary to their language disorder (affects ability to get things down in writing without unusual effort), and developmental coordination disorder that affects fine motor skills.

If you look at my kid (anyplace but PE) you could not tell he has any disabilities. With literally thousands of hours of therapy from age 18 months through 6th grade, his deficits were remediated to where he doesn't need special instruction anymore but still requires some accommodations.

Back in middle school when he got permission to use a laptop rather than paper and pen, his classmates went crazy and literally all called it unfair. With my and my son's permission the special ed coordinator came in the next day and gave a strong but data-filled lecture on equity, access, disabilities. It was a close call between his privacy and providing a learning opportunity but we opted for transparency with his peers. My son's accommodations were never questioned again and he was not ostracized.

[Anonymous]

Sure, more kids are being diagnosed and supported with disabilities, but the fact that extra time on tests nearly TRIPLED when they stopped disclosing the extra time to universities suggests there is some serious cheating going on here.

[Anonymous]

I graduated from high school in 1994. I had an IEP. I was allowed to take the SATs in a separate location and given more breaks and more time.

A separate location sucked - it was in a classroom with all the kids who also had IEPs but because their behavior sucked. So it was louder and more distracted in a room with 20 hyper kids than it would have been in the gym with 250 kids.

I didn't need extra time, and I only took one break.

I got a 780. Thank god I spelled my name right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure, more kids are being diagnosed and supported with disabilities, but the fact that extra time on tests nearly TRIPLED when they stopped disclosing the extra time to universities suggests there is some serious cheating going on here.

Oh, no worries on that front. The ACT has found a back door to signal to universities many of the students who are getting disabilities by asking the kids straight up, who may not realize it isn't going to be kept private, if they have ever received extra time or other accommodations in school as part of their College Search questionnaire (given before every test administration).

It is optional, but the vast majority of students complete it. And most colleges buy the data from ACT.

My kid completed that form, and disclosed that he did have a disability, unfortunately. No way to know yet if this will hurt or not. There is a court case now to determine whether ACT is allowed to disclose HIPPA data with only a minor's permission, not a parents'.

[Anonymous]

Kids change and so should their accommodations. My child had testing and break accommodations since 3rd grade (IEP since K and now a 504 in middle school). My child attended a 504 meeting for the first time and was clear that he only needed additional time for writing and/or reading long passages on standardized testing like MAP R or PARCC. Interestingly, his counselor advised us to keep all testing accommodations even though he doesn't need it for math. She argued that it would be difficult to get SAT accommodations without a history. We discussed as a family and decided to honor our child's opinion of his needs. He didn't feel comfortable using something he didn't need (always obsessed with fairness, right and wrong).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from high school in 1994. I had an IEP. I was allowed to take the SATs in a separate location and given more breaks and more time.

A separate location sucked - it was in a classroom with all the kids who also had IEPs but because their behavior sucked. So it was louder and more distracted in a room with 20 hyper kids than it would have been in the gym with 250 kids.

I didn't need extra time, and I only took one break.

I got a 780. Thank god I spelled my name right.

Oh, forgot to add that with that stellar SAT grade, I also went to summer school for two summers in order to graduate from high school on time. Then I went to a college that was ag/tech after going to summer school BEFORE college, and promptly failed out of that college anyway within the first semester. But yeah, I shouldn't have had all that extra time given to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure, more kids are being diagnosed and supported with disabilities, but the fact that extra time on tests nearly TRIPLED when they stopped disclosing the extra time to universities suggests there is some serious cheating going on here.

If your kid had learning challenges, neurological deficits like slow processing or difficulty writing, ADHD, or autism, would you want to disclose that on a college application when it's so hard to get accepted as it is?

My kid is intellectually gifted but has all of the above. Some people choose to disclose in applications but many don't for fear of rejection (knowing that with accommodations they will handle college just fine). So it makes sense that the number of people using accommodations would spike when privacy laws kicked in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DDs experience was exactly opposite. She’s had verified testing and accommodations since age 8. And lengthy neuropsych testing and reports every 3 years. She was denied extra time on the ACT. Our appeals were denied. (My full time day job is writing appellate briefs — usually successfully.) She’s since graduated college (where she chose not to continue accommodations) and is well employed. So I’d love to know how so many others were able to get accommodations.

My child has a bizarre illness which included below the lowest levels of white bloods, antibiotic immunity, blood pooling at lower extremities if they sat for more than 30 minutes, and parasympathetic nervous system symptoms. This kid fought to keep up in school and to do the best they humanly could. Neuropsych and cardiologist reports sent to ACT.

Rejected from accomodations by the ACT until the night before the test.

[Anonymous]

My niece got unlimited time at the SAT over the course of 2 days in a private room with ADD and Anxiety. I had never heard of that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My niece got unlimited time at the SAT over the course of 2 days in a private room with ADD and Anxiety. I had never heard of that!

Yeah, that's exactly what Singer got for his clients. It is really unusual and not even in the standard list of accommodations available on the CB website.