Disability
Documentation - ACT
Guidelines for Testing Accommodations
What
Diagnostic Information Will I Need?
Students
requesting accommodations or services because of a physical, learning
or psychiatric disability at Kaw
Area
Technical
School
are required to submit documentation
to determine eligibility in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 and The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A diagnosis
of a disorder/condition/syndrome in and of itself does not automatically
qualify an individual for accommodations under the law. For students
previously diagnosed who have not continuously received medical
and educational support, a comprehensive evaluation may be necessary
to determine whether academic accommodations are appropriate.
To establish that a student is covered under these laws, the documentation
must indicate that the disability substantially limits some
major life activity, including learning.
Accommodations
for Entrance Testing:
Examinees
with physical or learning disabilities who cannot complete the ACT WorkKeys assessments in the standard time limits, using standard
materials, and under standard conditions may, at the discretion
of the test administrator, following review of disability documentation,
be tested under special conditions and/or using special testing
materials available from ACT. Written documentation of evaluation
and diagnosis of disability printed on official stationery must
be on file to receive testing accommodations. All documentation
is kept confidential.
Documentation
must include:
• Clearly stated
diagnosis of the disability or disabilities by a qualified diagnostician -
(Qualified diagnostician—name,
title, and professional credentials and area of specialization
must be clearly stated in the documentation.) Documentation
should clearly identify the disability for which the accommodation
is to be given, i.e. the basis of the claim.
•
Describe functional limitations -
There should be
a clear statement of the functional limitations emanating from
that disability which are known to impact the person’s ability
to perform tasks in the assessment. A statement such as “Examinee
has ADHD and therefore requires additional time” is not adequate.
The statement identifies the diagnosis but fails to indicate
any limitation. A limitation for this individual
might be that memory skills are weak and examinee needs to reread
questions in order to understand the meaning implied.
•
Link between disability,
the limitation and the tasks required for
this particular testing situation. A learning disability in
math does not imply difficulty with reading or written expression.
Individuals with reading difficulties often have difficulty
with written expression, but not always, and many individuals
who have difficulty with written expression have no trouble with
reading (either decoding or reading comprehension).
•
Currency of Documentation
- The disability
must have been diagnosed or reconfirmed by a qualified professional,
usually within 3-5 years prior to the date of the request. Although
accommodation in school does not necessarily imply the necessity
of accommodation in standardized testing, in most cases a current
Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) prepared by appropriate
academic/psychological staff for a student will be acceptable
documentation for accommodation. ( NOTE: a. within
the last 6 months for psychiatric disabilities. b. three
year requirement does not apply to physical or
sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature).
•
Complete educational, developmental,
and medical history relevant
to the disability for which testing accommodations are being requested.
•
All test instruments
used for the evaluation report include relevant subtest scores
used to document the stated disability are helpful in determining
the relevancy of the accommodation(s). These requirements do
not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or
unchanging nature.
•
Description of the specific
accommodation(s) being requested - Documentation
must sufficiently support each of the requested accommodation(s).
Accommodations must be directly related to the disability that
is documented.
List
of possible accommodations
All
accommodations need to be requested in advance of testing, allowing
time to arrange for materials and/or services needed. Accommodations
available will depend on the assessment being taken. Examinee
documentation will be evaluated to determine qualification for receiving
requested accommodation.
•
Large-print Assessment Materials
- ACT offers large-print
WorkKeys assessment booklets and answer documents—arrangements
for materials need to be made in time to obtain materials.
•
Braille Assessment Materials
- Braille assessment
booklets are available for both the Reading
for Information and the
Applied Mathematics assessments—arrangements for materials need
to be made in time to obtain materials.
•
Reader/Signer
- arrangements need to be made in time to obtain materials.
If an examinee is assisted by a reader, assessments must be administered
in a separate room to avoid disturbing other examinees. It is
important that readers read the assessment exactly as printed,
with no interpretation. Likewise, no additional information
may be supplied by the sign language interpreter. Please note
that the Applied Mathematics assessment contains large numbers
of graphics that are difficult for someone else to describe.
ACT cautions that using a reader or signer to assist visually
impaired examinees with the Reading
for Information assessment
substantially changes the skill being measured.
•
Assistance in Recording
Responses - When
an examinee is unable to mark responses on the regular WorkKeys
answer document, the examinee must schedule in advance of test
date.
•
English as a Second Language
- Examinees for
whom English is a second language may use a foreign language dictionary.
The examinee must supply their own foreign language dictionary
and the test administrator must check the dictionary before and
after testing. Examinees do not have extra time.
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