Testing Accomodations
Disability Services administers/proctors various types of exams to help ensure students receive approved testing accommodations. This includes placement exams such as the TABE and KYOTE, the ACT, and course exams for both on campus and online classes.
Testing accommodations for placement and class testing are arranged through the regular intake and documentation process with DS. If students have already completed placement testing prior to registration with DS, they can request to retake any portion of their placement testing with approved accommodations.
Accommodations for the ACT must be approved by ACT, and are requested online as part of the test registration process. There are various forms of accommodations available for the ACT, so students are encouraged to meet with a DS staff member for assistance with the request process. Please keep in mind that registration deadlines for the ACT are typically a month prior to test administration.
When giving placement tests, or the ACT, Disability Services follows the testing policies outlined by the test manufacturer, which are carefully explained to the student. The guidelines below are the internal policies of DS developed for course exam testing, but share some of the same requirements as standardized testing.
General Accommodated Test Proctoring Guidelines
- Disability Services will include information about approved testing accommodations
on qualifying students’ instructor notification forms at the beginning of the semester,
volunteering to proctor students’ exams to help meet their accommodation needs. However,
it is the student’s responsibility to remind instructors prior to an exam that they
will be testing with DS, and to notify DS of upcoming exams.
- All proctored exams require prior scheduling. Requests for proctored exams should
be made as soon as the student is aware of the date of the exam, and at least two days prior to the exam date. Availability is not be guaranteed for requests
received less than two days prior. Students requesting a reader and/or scribe should
submit requests no less than three days prior to the exam date, to guarantee reader/scribe
availability. Requests can be made in person, by email, or phone call, to either
DS staff member.
- Testing accommodations are not retroactive, meaning that students who qualify for test accommodations, but choose to test in the classroom, may not retake exams through alternative testing because they are displeased with their original score. A student may choose to take the remainder of exams for a course with DS, but may not retake previously completed exams.
- To assist faculty in grading/returning exams, and to remove the appearance of any misconduct, exams are administered at the same time at which the student’s class is taking the test, or as near to that date/ time as possible. Special arrangements may be made on a limited basis, but require instructor approval.
- All hard copy exams must be received from faculty members, department assistants, other faculty designees, or through inter-office campus mail. Exams are returned in these ways as well, unless otherwise requested from a faculty member. Students should not hand carry their own exams to or from the testing appointment, unless directed by a faculty member who has expressed their approval to DS.
- While testing, students may only have with them what their instructor has expressly said they may have (e.g. calculator, formula sheet, note cards, etc.). DS staff must get direct approval from instructors for these items.
- When using a computer for testing, students may only visit the website(s) used to administer the exam unless an instructor has specifically approved other sites as reference for student use.
- Students are not permitted to have cell phones while testing, as they can be used for cheating, and can be a great distraction from testing. They can’t be used as calculators. Calculators are available if needed.
- Students must leave all phones, purses, backpacks, and any other unapproved items with a staff member prior to starting an exam.
- Students may be monitored by camera while testing, especially if a proctor is not in the testing room. All incidents of cheating caught on camera or by a proctor will be reported to the faculty member for whom the student is testing.
