Reasonable accommodations
As an Instructor there is something that I struggle with whenever I have a student with an accommodation. Lets use private testing as an example. If I am administering a test and then send a student out of the room. Am I not pointing out that this student is in some way different to the rest of the class? This has yet to be an actual problem but it is something that makes me uncomfortable. I feel as though I am outing that student.
Robert,
Thanks for sharing Robert, great examples.
Sarah Smoger
Maybe you can stay with the student after class to take the test or already have the student to go to the place that he or she will be testing before they come to class, and then come when they are done testing. Only you and the student will know what is going on.
Thomas,
As a previous high school teacher, I can say that accommodations for individual students are a very normal part of the classroom. As students transition to adult learning environments, I believe most of them will not think anything is unusual about making specific accommodations for individuals. For most of my classes, I would send two to three students (out of 30) to another test location.
There are many reasons for alternate locations. Students can be read the questions, for example, if they have vision or processing (dyslexia) problems. They can also be there to allow for more time or to provide a distraction-free testing environment.
It sounds like you are worried about the stigma for the student. There are so many reasons for this testing accommodation. I would discuss with the student and if they aren’t concerned, you can probably not worry.
Rob
Thomas,
Typically what we do is have the student take the exam at a different time from the rest of the class. However, this will largely depend on the structure of your class and when exams are administered.
Sarah Smoger
I can understand where you are coming from on this it's almost as if you are singling the student out. If it is part of the accommodation then that is just how it is handled to even the playing field so the student can concentrate on the task. But I feel the younger students have more accommodations and don't get the chance to work though scenarios to improve themselves or their problem solving skills. Then are we really giving all of them the benefit?
