Since this is the beginning of the semester and professors are receiving Accommodation Memos from students, I thought this would be a good time to share some information about what is probably the most common accommodation: extended time on tests, quizzes, and in-class assignments. It also can be perceived by some as an “unfair advantage,” and this will be addressed as well.
First, why is this accommodation given? This accommodation is meant to provide an equal opportunity for students who, due to a disability, need this extra time to be able to demonstrate what they know or can do as opposed to the impact of their disability. The need for this extended time is evaluated based upon what is known as the individual’s “functional limitations,” most commonly pertaining to things like reading, writing, concentrating, learning, thinking, and communicating. For academic purposes, these functional limitations are measured through various tests, typically called a “neuropsychological evaluation” or “psychoeducational evaluation.”
These tests are comprehensive and look at several components of performance. Cognitive functioning is measured; the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, or WAIS, is the most common instrument used for individuals age 16 and older. This test includes verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. Verbal comprehension includes things like vocabulary, analogies, general knowledge, and comprehension. Perceptual reasoning looks at visual-spatial and non-verbal problem solving, as well as quantitative reasoning. Working memory is the amount of information one can hold in very short term memory while working with the information on some cognitive task. Processing speed is how quickly information is taken in, one can make sense of it, and one can communicate information. Other tests are also given that measure academic achievement on reading, math, and writing. For some individuals, tests of executive functioning, such as planning and organization, and/or attention are given as well.
Extended time may be issued as an accommodation when the testing shows a substantial limitation to reading (fluency and/or comprehension), a limited working memory, a slow processing speed, or difficulty concentrating and focusing (this is not an exhaustive list, but the most common reasons). As I said above, the extra time, often issued at 50% extra time, is meant to allow the student to compensate for the limitations due to a disability in order to demonstrate what they know or are capable of doing. As a straightforward example, someone who has a very slow reading rate, would likely not finish a test that included a large amount of reading; the low grade that results does not accurately reflect knowledge or how well that student is capable of responding to the text, but rather would be due to the fact that he or she was not able to get through the entire test due to the reading disability.
What about fairness? On the surface, it can sound unfair that someone has 50% more time to work on a test. However, as far back as the early ‘90s, a study by Dr. M. Kay Runyan showed that students with learning disabilities benefited from extra time on tests, while non-LD students did not. There have been several studies since that have duplicated the finding that students without a learning-related disability do not make statistically significant gains with extended time. This is because, in the words of Nicole Ofiesh, Ph.D., who conducted some of these follow up studies, “No one will outperform their own potential . . . All the time in the world will not help someone answer a question if the answer if not known. However, for those who know the answer and need more time to demonstrate what they know, extended time levels the playing field” (www.nicoleofiesh.com).
