Delmar,
I do get your point -- and you seem to get mine! "Each according to their need" is what it is all about, and it is illogical to suggest that if everyone doesn't have the SAME circumstances, they don't have EQUAL opportunity. The others don't need Braille or sign language -- OR extended time!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Then you need to go back and think it through again, Barney. Besides the fact that formal testing in a limited time period generally had little direct translation to the world of work, it doesn't make a lot of sense to suggest that because people in the workplace have time limits, people in college shouldn't be allowed to enter the world of work -- and that is essentially what you suggest when you say it is "unfair" to others to allow students with disabilities necessary extra time on tests.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I would put it to my students like this, sure we all can have extended test time, but starting at the end of the class you all need to order brail books and learn sign language. It’s not fair that the students that use these tools may have an unfair advantage over you. Maybe I wouldn't be so bold but you get my point.
In the workplace we all have deadlines we have to meet - fortunate or unfortunate. More time in terms of "testing" for those with documented disabilities I believe in many cases constitutes an "unfair advantage" for these individuals.
Barney,
I can't tell whether you are arguing "for" or "against" the idea of extended time for students with documented disabilities who need it for access. Could you clarify, please?
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I think the student either knows or doesn't know the material - more time doesn't validate the knowledge process. The teacher putting together the testing should know how much material can be answered within a reasonable amount of time.
James,
Recommending untimed tests for one and all is a bold move -- and one that most faculty are not going to be happy with. Until they are ready to be that brave, we'll settle for providing appropriate accommodations of extended time as needed.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Even students without disabilities have testing problems like nervousness, confusion, distraction, etc. Time limits on test seem to pigeon-hole students, whereas, no time limits would help to better serve all students no matter if they have a disability or not.
Absolutely NOT, Danielle. Please go back and read my response to Lizzie. What you suggest here is not only wrong thinking, it is a potential violation of federal law to pursue this path. Extended time is not showing favoritism or providing an advantage to a student with a disability. To even think like that suggests you have missed the point of accommodation.
I agree, even though one student has a disibility, you don't want your non-disabled students to feel you are showing favoritism for another. So, in order to prevent any of those thoughts, it would be in the best interest of everyone to just give all students the extended time to take the test.
Lizzie ,
You have not only defeated the purpose of providing extended time, but you have made it LEGALLY necessary to give the student with a disability even MORE time. The extended time is not time added on to what the instructor thinks is necessary. It is an extension over the time everyone else is given. If you give everyone more time, then the student with a disability gets their extended time on top of that. Go back and review the section on extended time again. You seem to have lost the concept in there somewhere. The purpose IS to give everyone the same chance to do well on the test. THAT is why the student with the disability is getting more time -- because they will not have the same chance without it.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I would respond to this concern by saying, if one student gets a time extension, then so do the rest. Disability or not, each student deservs the same chance to do well on a test. Although every student may not need the extended time, it would still be to the student's advantage to have that extra time. Students without disabilities could use the extended time to proof read, correct errors, and therefore possibly score better. The point being, disabilty or not, each student deserves the same opportunity.
Again, you have outlined the issue most eloquently, Donna. Studies show that providing extra time to students without disabilities on a test that is designed to be finished in a given amount of time does not significantly improve the performance of the student (as you say -- if you don't know the answer, all the time in the world won't change that). But providing extended time for the student with a learning disability CAN significantly improve their performance. Accommodations always focus on "each according to their need" and these students NEED more time to show the same amount of mastery.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
As a former teacher, I have had many students that it really wouldn't have mattered how much time I gave them to take the test...if you don't know it, you don't know it!
But an individual with a learning disability for example may very well know the material; but the time it takes them to process the knowledge, complete the thought, and transfer that answer to paper is what holds them up. That is what they need the accommodation for. The knowledge is in there; the testing process is where the disability affects them the most.
That is how I would explain it to someone, to demonstrate that giving someone extra time to take a test certainly does not suddenly give them more knowledge. It gives them time to work through their personal hurdle of getting the knowledge on paper.
Eric,
Hmmm... I am all for teaching test-taking strategies to all students, including those with disabilities. Just so we are clear, however, the difficulties that create the need for extended time for students with disabilities will not go away with practice. They are here to stay!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Student should be given the time up front for the assessment and studied information related to the assessment. Test takng strategies should be taught for all student on how to manage their time during the assessment.
Stacie,
I agree with you, but that isn't always an easy "sell" to faculty who are used to worrying about issues of "fairness". It SEEMS like everyone should have the same amount of time. What we have to convince them is that in order for everyone to have the same OPPORTUNITY, some need more time.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Time doesn't determine if students would do better, or not. It is weather or not they have learned the information on the exam.
You are exactly right, Joseph. The purpose of accommodation is, as much as possible, to "level the playing field." The purpose of the extended time is to provide the SAME opportunity to show what you have learned as is available to any other student. For the student with a disability, to have that "equal" chance to demonstrate knowledge means giving additional time.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I believe that there are some disablities that would require that a student NEEDS more time to properly take the test. Those who don't have that disability don't NEED extra time to properly take the test and therefore they should not be afforded that same accomodation. It is a question of meeting a NEED. The extra time allows the person with the disability to have access to the same opportunity to properly complete the test.
