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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

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.  [/quote]

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. [/quote]

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.

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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.
[b]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.[/b]

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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? [/quote]

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.  [/quote]

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. [b]If I had insisted on becoming an engineer, I would have needed accommodations.[/b] [/quote]

And you would have struggled mightily in your career or just become a bureaucrat.[/quote]

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