Giving students with learning disabilities additional time is not intended to allow them to "do better"; it is a measure to ensure that they can perform equally. Just as someone who uses a wheelchair requires a ramp to get to class, someone with a learning disability needs the additional time in order to perform equally.
JENNIFER,
I agree with your conclusion -- that if students do not know the material, all the extra time in the world won't help. And I applaud your recognition of the impact time can have on testing for ANY student, and the fact that you advocate for *all* students to have "enough" time. The practical implementation of your solution (letting all students receive extended time) can be tricky in the midst of an environment that runs on schedules, limited space, and so on. But if you can pull it off -- go for it!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
A student with or without a disability should not determine the additional time;I recommend all students to receive extended time to complete their test. As we all know test taking can sometimes be intimidating even when the student are knowledgable with the selected information. Anxiety began to kick in, you begin to prespire, and finally your mind goes blank; this can happen to anyone. The thought of testing you skills and the fear of making a mistake can be overwhelming, which is why extended time should be allowed. The individual with disablity challenges will then have the extra time to throughly evaluate the question, and the individual without will also be able to focus on the question at hand, for those who have not study the material it will reflect regardless of the time.
Garry,
You are right. Someone in a wheelchair may need extra time for maneuvering around the kitchen, but no extra time on a written exam. Someone with a learning disability may need extra time on a written exam, but no extra time for maneuvering around the kitchen. "Each according to his/her need"!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Fairness of time considerations are determined by the functional limitations of the disability to complet the task. A student in a wheel chair may need additional time for a project when mobility is part of the needs to complete the assignment however if it is a written assignment then the time restraint shoud be equal to other learners.
Tammy,
Just to clarify, when a student with a disability is given extended time, it is STILL a timed test. The determination is made that the student with a disability needs additional time to have the *same* opportunity to demonstrate mastery. But we do not switch to "untimed tests" as an accommodation.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
All students would benifit but hten we would not have timed test. Only the student who has a disabilty that would not allow them to test the same as others is alloted the extra time.
Josh,
That's definitely the right way to handle the situation. Just be careful to respect the privacy of the student with the disability while making the case to others. I would always speak in generalities about why "some students" need extended time, rather than sharing anything specific about the disability of a given student.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Josh,
Agreed. Accommodations are all about responding to NEED. If the student doesn't NEED the extra time (because of disability-related interference), having the extra time won't help them.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I would handle this by taking the time to explain to the student the reason for extended tests if this was brought up to me.
I do not believe that increasing time for tests is in anyway an advantage to a disabled students. As mentioned previously a student is either prepared on unprepared for a test.
Miriam,
The laws say that you may not do less that ____ to provide equal access for a student with a disability, but they NEVER prohibit you from doing more (either for a student with a disability or for all the other students). If you feel that reading the questions aloud did not jeopardize the academic integrity of the test, then why be concerned?
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I have a student who struggles with reading but does not have a documented disability. She asked at our first class for extra time. I decided to offer to the entire class that I would read to them any question they had difficulty with during a test. Was I unfair to the student who asked or was I too generous to the entire class? They have only asked a few times this term and my reading the question aloud made a difference to all of them, hum?
William,
The determination that a student with a disability needs extra time in order to have equal access should be determined by someone at your institution who is assigned the responsibility for making such decisions. In my view, faculty should be asked to facilitate access, not decide it!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Kelly,
You are spot on. Lots of students might LIKE to have extra time, but that doesn't mean that they NEED the extra time.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
An unprepared student with or without a disability is not necessarily going to do better with more time. Access versus success.
Today, it is more important than ever to make sure we give equal attention to each student as earned. Each student has qualified for extra time, yes everyone would do better but what scenario do we have that makes the more time equal to the ordinary time.
I agree with you completely. If you don't know it doesn't matter how much time you are allowed. I do feel though more time for those who really need to maybe read over their questions is fair. I feel with certain disabilities you might need more time to understand what you have just read.
LaTavia,
There are other reasons (besides processing problems) that students with disabilities might need extra time to have the same chance, but you are generally on track here.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
This is a very touchy subject with students regarding allotted time on tests. Many students would like to argue that they would do considerably well if they had more time but the truth is that they would probably do worse because they would second and third guess themselves when they already knew the answer of choice. It has to be explained to students that students with disabilties thought processes take longer because they are slower at processing what the question is asking and putting there thoughts together to reach the answer.
