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October 2007

Dear Parents and Students,

The College Board permits students who have proper documentation of a disability to take PSAT, SAT,and AP Tests with accommodations, meaning with extended time and/or aids such as cassette orcomputer. Families of students with learning differences often have questions concerning that option. Iam, therefore, listing responses to the most frequently asked questions.

Who is eligible for accommodations?

To be eligible for College Boards accommodations, the student must have the following: A documented disability . Documentation must take the form of a complete psychological

and/or psycho-educational evaluation by a professional evaluator, done within the past threeyears.

Documentation must be on file in my office. It must specify the recommended accommodations. The student must have been receiving AND using these accommodations on tests/exams within

the regular school environment for at least four months.

What settings are available for accommodations?

Each student using accommodations is approved for only one of the two available options.

Center Testing allows up to 50 percent extended time. Students approved for Center Testingtake the test on the national test date at a National Test Center, in a room designated for extendedtime students.

School Testing allows up to 100 percent extended time (sometimes called double time).School Testing is also the only option for anyone needing a cassette, computer or any otheraccommodation. Students approved for School Testing take the test with a proctor designated bythe schools SSD Coordinator, in the Learning Center or some other quiet room, some timeduring the four-day period that begins on the national test date. As George Schools SSDCoordinator, I try to schedule this testing on the national test date (Saturday) to avoid havingstudents miss class. Students requiring double time on the SAT Reasoning Test take the testover two consecutive days, usually Saturday and Sunday.

Regardless of which time accommodation is granted (50% or 100%), all students must wait for thedesignated stop time for each section and receive directions from the proctor before moving on to the nextsection.

What about IB exams?

Students who qualify for accommodations on College Board tests will also qualify for accommodationson IB exams. These are made available through the Learning Specialist and the IB Coordinator.

How are scores from tests taken with accommodations reported to colleges?

Scores from College Board tests taken with accommodations are reported in exactly the same form asscores from regular testing. These scores are not flagged in any way.

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Should all students with a documented learning difference use these testing accommodations?

Not necessarily. The decision should be based on whether time or other handicapping conditions trulyimpact achievement on these tests. Students who are already receiving extra time or otheraccommodations on school tests are likely to benefit.

What should I do before deciding to request testing accommodations?

Students and their families contemplating this request should check their most recent psychological orpsycho-educational evaluation to ensure that it meets College Board criteria. (These can be reviewed on-line at www.collegeboard.com/ssd ). They should review their experience with standard testingconditions, and speak to me as soon as possible.

If you do decide to request accommodations for College Board tests, here are the procedures:

Right now, check with me to be sure that the documentation on file is:o Current (conducted within the last three years)o Accurate (states the desired accommodations)

As soon as possible, but no later than eight weeks in advance of the first test date (before June 1if the student wishes to test in October), the student, parent, and I will fill out and mail anEligibility Form to College Boards Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD).

Once SSD has reviewed the form and approved the eligibility, this eligibility will extend to allCollege Board tests the student takes while enrolled at the school. Students who change highschools must submit a new Eligibility Form.

If eligibility is approved, SSD will issue the student a letter with an SSD code number, specifyingthe approved accommodations. When registering for SAT tests, the student must enter this codenumber. If using the mail-in paper test registration form, the student should attach a copy of theeligibility letter. (College Guidance registers students automatically for the PSAT no separatetest registration form is needed.)

The cost is the same for both regular testing and testing with accommodations.

Although I may contact a student for whom I think these accommodations are appropriate, the finalinitiative must come from the student and his or her family.

You may have unique concerns or other questions about testing with accommodations. Id be happy toreview those with you.

Sincerely,

David YoungLearning Specialist/SSD Coordinator(215) 579-6513 (phone)(215) 579-6604 (fax)David_young@georgeschool.org