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] 
Sorry, no, if you request accommodations you have to use those accommodations. You do not get to leave early. You get to sit there and wait. Just like kids do now if they get extra time.

Before you take the test, you can decide if you want to sit there for 4 hours or 8 hours, but if you choose 8 hours and you leave early, your exam is invalidated.

And you realize that now you've set up a system that will work just fine for smart kids who need some accommodations, but means average and below average kids with disabilities are now at a significant disadvantage. All because you want to make sure the super smart kid without a disability isn't disadvantaged by a super smart kid with a disability. (Which, seriously, try having a disability. It's not something someone would volunteer for just to get the perk of extra time.)[/quote]

Well that's unnecessarily strict. What are you trying to test for? And a system where everyone gets all the time up to 8 hours, that creates a new disadvantage for kids with disabilities how? Their situation is exactly the same as before! Do you mean because *gasp* other kids will get more time? Does that mean you are pitting the kids against each other? Aha. Truth comes out. Shouldn't it be level playing field and it's each kid showing what he can do without a time constraint?[/quote]

Is it unnecessarily strict right now that kids aren't allowed to leave the SAT or ACT early?

I'm suggesting that extra time for average or below average students is still limiting. If you have an average or below average student (with no disabilities) who does notably better on the exam if they have 8 hours instead of 4 hours, then it's reasonable to suggest that perhaps an average or below average student (with disabilities) might do notably better if they had 10 hours.

You can't suggest accommodations for all and just think about the above average students. You have to consider the average and below average students as well. Once you offer accommodations for all, it's quite possible and reasonable for a child with dyslexia to suggest that their disability means more time is of benefit to them. And since you've completely removed the concept of time pressure for above average students, then surely the average and below average students (with and without disabilities) should have as much time as they could possibly want or need. [/quote]

Of course. 8 is an arbitrary cutoff. Excusing the fact that there will be diminishing returns as students get tired. But you still haven't explained why there is a new disadvantage to disabled kids by giving all kids (above average too, ok) more/unlimited time! It's because you are pitting the kids against each other rather than viewing them individually as they achieve their personal best. [/quote]

Because you weren't talking about unlimited time. You mentioned 8 hours. To repeat myself, that could give average and below average students without disabilities enough time, but that might not be enough time for average and below average students with disabilities. If they're offered 10 hours, then I assume you would want all children to be able to use 10 hours. And so on.

Some students get breaks as an accommodation. I would assume that, plus a reader/scribe/quiet room/etc accommodations would still be available for children with documented disabilities who need those accommodations. Or do you need all of those accommodations available to all? The cost of the ACT and SAT is going to skyrocket of course, but I suppose that's the consequence of children without disabilities feeling like children with disabilities are getting it "easier." I've been paying for therapies for my child forever, having to pay a a grand in order to get him the testing environment he needs would just be another expense. Although, now we're back to poorer students, with and without disabilities, being disadvantaged even further. So now it's not wealthy kids with disabilities scamming the system, it's all wealthy kids scamming the system (by increasing the costs to the point only wealthy kids can take the test). An improvement in your eyes?

I also didn't see your answer - Is it unnecessarily strict right now that kids aren't allowed to leave the SAT or ACT early?[/quote]

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