Test Prep Professionals

(North Jersey Record) By Deena Yellin — Student requests for extra time, more breaks or a quieter room when taking the SAT have doubled over the past five years, according to the College Board, which administers the test.

That upward trend for these requests — known as accommodations — is likely to continue as the number of children being diagnosed with a disability continues to grow and a new policy, which took effect Jan.1, now makes it easier for students to get an accommodations approval when taking the SAT.

High school guidance counselors and parents of disabled students across North Jersey say the change is long overdue and will help streamline the process for thousands who lack the resources to fight the denial of an accommodations request.

For years, parents and guidance counselors have complained about the difficulty of obtaining approval for modifications in taking the SAT, even if the student is already receiving similar supports in school because of a classified disability.

Robert Valli, supervisor of guidance at Cresskill High School, used to spend hours gathering and sending paperwork to the College Board in order to document a student’s disability and need for accommodations. The student then had to wait several weeks for a response. “Sometimes the kids were frustrated because they couldn’t take the test until they heard back,” he said.

Now, under the new policy, most students with an individualized education plan (IEP) that includes modifications for test-taking will receive automatic approval for the same supports when taking the SAT, PSAT, SAT subject tests and AP exams, which are all administered by the College Board. The new policy does not apply to the ACT, which is administered by a different group.

“This cuts down on the paperwork and on the time,” Valli said, adding that he’s seen more students apply for the modifications in recent years. “Now the approval will be easier and simpler.”

The new regulation comes as the number of requests to the board has soared, officials said:

The vast majority — 85 percent — of the requests are approved.

“In New Jersey we have more students with IEP and 504 plans (a specified educational plan for students who have an impairment) than we had five years ago and definitely more than 10 years ago,” said Dana Karas, president of the New Jersey School Counselor Association, who attributed the increase in accommodations requests in part to the surge in classified students. Because many students feel the adaptations can lead to higher SAT scores, there is an impetus to get an edge, she said, adding that higher scores can yield scholarship money and acceptance to better colleges.

Roughly 220,000 students in New Jersey have a special education classification, according to the New Jersey Department of Education. Guidance counselors at Bergenfield High School, Passaic High School, Emerson High School and the Northern Valley Regional High School District say the numbers of students requesting special accommodations on the college entrance exams are on the rise.

Making a difference

The ultimate goal is to level the playing field so that all students can prove themselves, said Heidi Cosmic-Godau, supervisor of guidance at West Milford High School. “You want students to have the accommodations that will help them demonstrate what their abilities are, so you want to eliminate the barriers,” she said.

“For students with anxiety, the time limit really affects their ability to think. They are more worried about running out of time than doing their best. Some students don’t even need the extended time, but it helps reduce their stress level.”

For one Glen Rock High School graduate, taking the SAT with 100-percent extra time (eight hours in total) and additional breaks made all the difference, said his mother, who did not want to be identified. “The request was handled by a case manager for the child study team who did all the paperwork,” said the mother. Her son, who suffers from severe dyslexia, “absolutely needed that time and those extra breaks,” she said, adding that he’s been very successful as a college student.

It was not always easy to secure such accommodations. Kristen Antone, 20, of Middletown had special support since elementary school due to processing issues and problems with visual motor perception, said her mother, Karen Antone. But when she applied for accommodations for the SAT, the College Board demanded a new evaluation proving her disability.

“At the time, my husband had just passed away and I didn’t have $1,000 for an evaluation,” Antone said. She appealed to the district, the College Board and various special needs groups for help but to no avail. Kristen had to take the SAT without accommodations and scored 60 points lower than required by the college of her choice.

She is currently an honors student at her second-choice college but believes she would have had a shot at getting into the college of her dreams had she been granted the accommodations. “It wasn’t fair that if you had $1,000 you had a better chance of going to a good college than someone else,” Antone said. “The new policy is how it should be.”

Under the new policy, if the answer is “yes” to both “is the requested accommodations in the student’s plan” and “has the student used the accommodations for school testing,” the student is automatically eligible for the accommodations on the College Board exam. Once students are approved for the accommodations with the College Board, they don’t need to reapply if they want to retest. Colleges are not notified if students utilize accommodations.

Reason for change

College Board spokeswoman Maria Alcon-Heraux said the new policy was made in response to educators, parents and students who requested that the board cut down on the red tape. “The process will further reduce confusion and uncertainty by aligning College Board accommodation with students’ existing IEP, 504 plans and other formal school-based plans. All students should have access to the testing accommodations they need so they can show their best work on our assessments.”

More students today are getting special services and accommodations because schools today are better at identifying issues early, said Betty Faber, a tutor for the past 17 years in Tenafly.  Getting the extra help can make a world of a difference. “You can have a very bright kid who has poor processing delay or an auditory delay, and these kids can do very well if you give them extra accommodations.”

The SAT can be a daunting exam for any student, but it’s even worse for those who suffer from ADHD, dyslexia or other disabilities. “Classified students are already struggling. There’s a lot of drama over taking tests,” said Linda Leenstra, a special education advocate and special needs consultant based in Sussex County, who welcomes the loosened restrictions.

But some parents and experts are critical of anything that might make it easier for some students to gain an edge over their peers. Kate Robinson, a college consultant based in Wayne, agrees “100 percent there are going to be situations with students who should not be receiving accommodations.”

Types of accommodations

Examples of typical accommodations available for test-takers with disabilities