Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Extended Test Time Accommodation

Hi all, could I get more than 'time and a half' extended test taking time for my 2e son if it is becoming obvious he needs it for a certain course? Do not have much time for detail but he is an accelerated math class and the teacher is very erratic... She often gives extremely long tests and he can not use a calculator. He knows the work but can not get the some of the tests done in time and a half and she will not willingly give him more. He gets penalized for those he can not get done. He has dyspraxia, dysgraphia and slow processing speed. He is in the 5th grade. It would only be necessary for the math class - he is fine with his other tests. Thanks for any help!

It was possible to get 2X extended time on the SAT a few years ago but my understanding was that is only offered in extreme situations. On the other hand, if you think your DS will need 2X extended time in high school for all those standardized tests for college, then it may make sense to advocate for changes to his IEP now. However, taking 8 hours for a 4 hour test can be exhausting and have been known to create its own problems.

Yes. You can get 100% additional time. For SATs, that will matter. (Though you should know it will have to be administered individually, by his school, and not at a testing center.) For right now, I would suggest a combination of extended time and 'key items only'. This means the teacher stars the items that will allow her to adequately assess mastery of the standards, and then leaves the others as optional. You'll want to target cutting assignments in about half. Between halving the items and 50% extended time, that usually puts the volume of work into a manageable range.

What requirements would the school have to grant something like it? Our issue is different. Her processing speed is indeed much lower than the rest of her scores, but still above average, but she does have test anxiety and may finish a test in half the time, making mistakes and unable to go back and check. Her test scores vary wildly from 103% to 75% in the same subject.

The ADA requires three inquiries to determine whether a requested modification to a policy, practice or procedure is required: (1) whether the requested modification is “reasonable;” (2) whether the modification is “necessary” to enable the disabled student to participate; and (3) whether it would “fundamentally alter the nature of the school or cause undue burden to the school.”

In a public school setting, the reasonableness standard does not apply in the case of a child who is a qualified individual with a disability-- see Letter to Zirkel.

Fundamental nature and student need are the considerations. So-- yes, to the OP. (Bearing in mind that I am absolutely not an attorney).

http://alpha.fdu.edu/psychology/GUY_504_reasonable_stand.htm

The issue, it seems to me-- is demonstrating need.

On the flip side of this, however, is the possibility that the teacher is basically throwing the occasional assessment that NOBODY can finish... in which case, giving one child sufficient time to finish while the rest of the students have no hope of doing so isn't really in the scope of what is intended with disability accommodations. Some math teachers in particular use TIMED assessments in just this way. It is much more common in secondary and beyond, however.

Might be worth discussing with the teacher first just to see if that is the case-- and what the reasonable and right thing to do is under those conditions.

It almost seems like alternate assessment should be on the table here, given the range of issues preventing him from being able to demonstrate his level of mastery. Would the teacher be willing to conduct a one-on-one assessment instead of the paper tests?