I have a LD son in eighth grade who is in a parochial school where he gets mostly B’s with minimal resource support. I just found out that the Catholic school I was thinking of sending him to does not provide any accomodations. Our public school is the largest in the nation (5,500 students) so I have some concerns about sending him there.
He may be able to manage high school without accomodations but standardized timed testing is a different issue. If we send him to public school, where he would have accomdations, I think accomodations for college testing should not be a problem. He still has an open IEP and has had an IEP since he was 4 years old.
But are we going to give up having accomdations for college testing, if he does not have them at the Catholic high school?
I will post this on college board as well, but it doesn’t get much traffic.
Beth
Re: accomodations for ACT/SAT
Beth,
If your son is in a private school the route to ACT/SAT would start with updated private testing. The tester would verify the disability meeting the criteria of the ACT and SAT boards. Unfortunately, if the private school will not put any of the accomodations into place I think you are out of luck. The SAT looks for a record of the child getting the accomodations requested. The SAT will look at the child as a child who has preformed without accomodations.
I have two college sons who are in college and went through the process via public school.
Helen
Re: accomodations for ACT/SAT
Hi Beth, our son took the SAT with accomodations - a tape, maybe extended time, through his private school. I never had much luck getting our public school to do anything and I don’t think they would have known how to get the SAT accomodations. Still, you might start with the College Board and ask them about the steps involved in getting accomodations. What type are offered and how to go about it. I think I remember checking with them. Good luck.
accomodations for ACT/SAT
Thanks for the information. I had an interesting conversation with the public school. Sp. ed coordinator told me that in her opinion College Board was very random in granting accomodations for testing. IOW very similar cases with different results.
Made it seem like having history of accomodations didn’t matter very much.
Still not sure what we’re going to do…there are no good options.
Beth
Re: accomodations for ACT/SAT
My children go to a catholic school in Michigan. Last year when our oldest was a senior we had considered having her take the ACT again. She took it in 10th grade with fair results, but no accom. The advisor at the catholic school told me if I had written doccumentation that my daughter needed certain accom. she could go as far as reading the whole ACT test to her individually. We didn’t take the test again, but have run into the same issues now that she is at a catholic university. I had to dig out the papers from her original testing that stated her accom. clearly. They then processed a paper for my daughter to take to each of her professors. It stated clearly what they were to do for testing, notes, ect.. It has worked out smoothly for us. They even told me if the accom. on her original testing were not appropriate for college level (she was tested in 5th grade) to see a pychologist in our area to have written accom. updated. The key seems to be in the written documentation from a psychologist or equiv. It seems your IEP should work for this. If you read the directions on the ACT it basically states the same. I guess I would see the head of your child’s school and ask for the appropriate accom. If they don’t seem receptive, and ask what they suggest for you to do.
The Catholic school doesn’t have to honor the IEP, but they do have to follow a Section 504 Plan. I would contact the school that your child plans on attending and ask for the Section 504 coordinator in order to get more information.