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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Don’t think it is contradictory to say they deserve extra time and to question whether too much is given. I think that is a logical question. There are several open questions on extended time:
1. Abuse and how easy accomodations are given especially among the wealthy and private schools
2. The amount of time given - are too much been given in certain cases that it creates an unfair advantage over those without accomodations? There is also the cases where too little are given. Yes, we do not wish an SN child on anybody etc but the issue at hand is the fairness of the system
3. How can the tests be changed to be fair to every kid? Should tests give everyone an extra time or be changed to be less on speed but test more on knowledge?[/quote]

As a parent of a child who qualifies for extra time (I replied earlier, we don't use the time):

1. We're angry about accommodations being provided to kids who don't need it and have gotten a "fake" diagnosis for the purpose of extra time. It disrespects and undermines the real struggles that our kids have faced throughout their education. 
2. Yes, I've thought about "if my DS gets a 99nth percentile with 75 minutes instead of 50 minutes, is it really a 99th percentile?" I imagine that a lot of parents in my shoes think about this and it may sway their decision to take the accommodation even when their child benefits from it and needs it. It's the same reason people don't do a lot of things to help themselves or live in denial when things are functioning in a typical way--we're socialized to believe that we need to overcome or accept that we're seemingly less capable than others. 
3. I don't care if your typically functioning child gets 50 minutes or 500. If I used the extra time accommodation for my child, it's only because I want the admissions boards to know what he's capable of--not because I'm seeking and advantage over your child. [/quote]

The unfairness if the system for kids who are getting extended time they do not deserve (yes, including SN kids who got more time than they needed for their disability):
1. Merit scholarships
2. College - grades/gpa - if the grades are curved, then it would be difficult for kids without any accomodations to get As which in turn impact their cumulative GPA
3. Internships that depend on GPA - let’s face it, when we interview kids from the same colleges, are we going to pick the kid w the 3.0 GPA or the kid w the higher GPA?
4. Jobs

So there are consequences down the line when there is abuse of the system and the system is unfair to those without accomodations and SN kids who do not get the proper allocated time for their disability.

The current system is tilted to the wealthy who abuses the system and also the SN kids who get too much time.
[/quote]

The SN kids who you think are overly accommodated (and getting unfairly benefited by the things you mentioned) are most likely UMC, because those are the parents who have the knowledge and the time to go get the testing showing that their bright children still have uneven performance and thus get the "edge case" children a benefit.

Let me be the first one to tell you that UMC children are privileged, whether they have SN or not. My UMC children have had all sorts of enrichment camps and opportunities. They have benefited from having college educated parents who could encourage them to push through frustrating courses knowing the college-admissions game. They have had access to tutors, coaches, private schools. Are you outraged by the UMC children who are taking your child's college spot, because they've had the benefit of private tennis coaches since they were 5, and had a national standing bump that your child didn't have? Are you outraged by UMC children who have had access to research opportunities, and may have publication credits in HS, because of parent support and contacts? Are you outraged by UMC college students who can plan for a 6 year college career in order to make sure they are able to focus on their classes, vs those kids who don't have families who can afford the extra time in college for their kids? Or the UMC kids who get to take unpaid or low paid internships because the bank of mom and dad subsidizes them?

SN kids who may only need 25% extra time but get 50% extra time are a tiny, tiny fraction of unfairness in this process. I'm sure you're also outraged by URMs and legacies getting benefits. And tall men and attractive women. And smart people. [/quote]

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