Exam Access

Timed exams can present a barrier to students with disabilities  Testing often accounts for the majority of a course's final grade. Below is a list of some common testing accommodation. 

Instructors are encouraged to work with their department to determine if space is available to provide test accommodations. When space is lacking, the SSD Werth Testing Center is a service provided by SSD that may help. 

Extended Time

Extended time is intended to address limitations directly connected to information processing and/or physically recording responses. It is provided to students and instructors as a multiplier of the orignal test time (1.25x, 1.5x, 2x, etc). Students should provide a copy of their Course Accessibility Letter to their instructors, which will detail their individually approved testing accommodations. 

Reduced Distraction Testing Environment

Reduced distraction accommodations are typically intended to support cognitive disabilities. The expectation is that the room should have limited visual and auditory stimulus (such as a conference room, small classroom, instructor office, etc.). It can also take one of two forms -- small group testing or private room testing. Small group testing is the most common. The general expectation is for the small group to be 15 or fewer students in a room. Private room testing is uncommon and often connected to the tools (such as speech recognition) a student needs to complete their test. 

Breaks

The use of an off-the-clock break may support cognitive disabilities and chronic health conditions. The break is intended to be 15-minutes for every 60 minutes of test time. Depending on the student's needs, the break include the ability for the student to leave the testing room for the break to address their access needs. 

Test Environment

The intention behind these type of accommodations is to address limitations directly connected to medical or cognitive needs. Students and instructors will receive instructions that explain how to implement these accommodations. Some examples of these environment accommodations are:

• Access to food, drinks, and medication during exam
• Access to cell phone to moniter health conditions
• No more than one test per day
• No early morning tests before 10 a.m.
• No evening tests after 5 p.m.

Tools

The intention behind this accommodation is to address limitations directly connected to reading, writing or recall. Its origin is in removing barriers for students with learning disabilities, vision impairment or mobility issues. Students and instructors will receive instructions and support for any additional tools that may be needed for implementation. Some common tools are:

• Reader for test: (Text-to-speech) Read aloud software
• Basic four function calculator
• Formula Sheet
• Word Bank 
• Write on test rather than opscan
• Word processor for tests
• Magnification software or large print for tests
• Human scribe for test
• Scratch paper
• Speech to text software for tests