When a student has submitted their Letter of Accommodations, the professor and student should have a conversation about how the exam accommodations will be administered.
This page will outline some important information to help professors understand how to make appropriate testing arrangements if they choose to accommodate a student's exam accommodations.
Things to remember:
- You are not alone. ODS is here to answer any questions, and assist professors as needed.
- Respect the students confidentiality. It is recommended that the professor and the student speak in private when discussing the exam arrangements.
- Read the Letter of Accommodations. All of the student's approved accommodations are listed on the student's Letter of Accommodations. Students are responsible for ensuring that their Letter of Accommodation meets their needs for their particular courses. If there are any changes necessary or the letter does not address the specific needs, the student is responsible for notifying ODS as soon as possible.
- If professors have questions about any of exam accommodations, the professor should contact the student's coordinator listed on the bottom of the Letter of Accommodations.
Professors or Departments should provide appropriate exam arrangements:
- Adhering to equal standards. The student should take their exam under the same conditions (i.e multi-part exams, use of a calculator) applied to other students in the class.
- Securing appropriate space. All testing arrangements should be in a quiet location away from distractions, such as: ringing phones, typing sounds, running copier machines, loud fans, and areas with high foot traffic. For these reasons, offices or hallways are not ideal testing locations.
- Faculty who would like to reserve additional classroom space for exams may do so by completing an Instructional Space Reservation.
- Students with "reduced distraction" may be placed in a room with other students, but the room should be absolutely no more than half full. So if capacity is 30 there should be no more than 12-15 students in the room.
- Adhering to the accommodations listed on the Letter of Accommodations. This will often include extended time or a reduced distraction environment. You can find information about some of the most common accommodations on the faculty support page.
A Note About Quizzes
If you will be having timed, graded quizzes as a part of your course it is important to think about how a student with extended time (and possibly other accommodations such as reduced distraction) will get those accommodations met. Some options for quizzes include:
- Allow the student to take the quiz just prior to class in a location you have arranged
- Allow the student to take the quiz immediately after class in a location you have arranged
- Allow the student to take the quiz on a different day/time either in a location you have arranged or with ODS
- Consider moving to online quizzes for all students that are done out of class. This easily allows you to add extended time for students who are approved for it.
Please note that this will need to be worked out on an individual basis with each student who has accommodations. You will need to consider the student's availability and other course obligations when making arrangements. Students should NEVER miss your class time or another class time in order to be accommodated for a quiz.
Did You Know?
The Office of Disability Services has two dedicated exam testing spaces, room A137 in Lucy Stone Hall and room 105 in Livingston Apartments, Building C. These spaces have been designed specifically to accommodate students in a private, quiet environment.
