As high school students return to classrooms this fall, college entrance exam season is also beginning to heat up. Across the U.S., students register for high stakes tests like the SAT and ACT, hoping that a good score will help them secure a spot in the college of their dreams.
For some students with learning disabilities, medical conditions, and other documented needs, these tests often come with "special accommodations" - such as extended periods for testing, a quieter setting, or specific seating arrangements - to eliminate some of the obstacles that might affect their performance or undermine their ability to demonstrate their knowledge.
About 15% of U.S. students in grades K-12 (7.5 million) receive special education services, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Some of these students may also be granted learning accommodations in testing situations. However, students do not require school-based special education services to qualify for testing accommodations.
As the number of students receiving such accommodations rises sharply, with the highest rates reported in affluent communities, however, the practice has become the subject of growing debate. Critics question whether every student receiving accommodations truly needs them, and whether accommodations are giving some kids an unfair advantage in the college admission process.
Clinical child psychologist Jackie Britt-Friedman is intimately familiar with the controversy. An assistant professor of psychology at the Yale Child Study Center at Yale School of Medicine, Britt-Friedman evaluates and diagnoses students for conditions that qualify them for special accommodations. With extensive experience in schools and in clinical settings, she works with children who face challenges such as executive functioning weaknesses, learning disabilities, anxiety, mood difficulties, and social skill deficits.
Special accommodations enable students who require changes to the standardized testing process to participate in assessments without being unfairly limited by their disability, says Britt-Friedman. While there may be situations where people bend the rules, for many students, the accommodations are warranted. And there is a diagnostic process in place to help assure they are administered fairly and equitably, Britt-Friedman says.
In an interview, Britt-Friedman discussed accommodations, who gets them, and why parental and cultural anxieties are fueling the controversy.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
What are special accommodations in testing situations?
Jackie Britt-Friedman: There are a variety. Sometimes they include preferred seating arrangements during a test, maybe in a quiet room with fewer students. There are also time-based accommodations, where students get extended time or the ability to take breaks or take different portions of the test at certain times. And then there are accommodations that support children with reading, math, or writing disabilities, and ones for children who have vision or auditory impairments, as well as other physical or medical disabilities.
How does a student qualify for accommodations?
Britt-Friedman: Children need some sort of comprehensive evaluation, usually a neuropsychological or a psychoeducational evaluation that assesses various aspects of their functioning. There needs to be verification and documentation supporting a diagnosis and functional impairment that can be substantiated. Just having a disability isn't supposed to be enough.
It seems that accommodations for physical challenges don't stir controversy?
Britt-Friedman: Yes, there's no controversy there. The allegations that parents are "working the system" more often come into play when it comes to conditions like ADHD, or anxiety, or depression - all of which are diagnoses that can be deserving of accommodations when they're properly verified. I would say that ADHD and anxiety stir the most controversy.
Is it that people are skeptical of these diagnoses themselves? Why is there a perception that these kids or their parents are "gaming" the system?
Britt-Friedman: The answer is multifaceted. First, more children are getting accommodations these days, and the number of requests for those with ADHD and anxiety have risen in recent years. I think that's really a result of the difficulties that kids are experiencing, increased awareness about these conditions, and policy changes that have made it less likely to be discriminated against.
I also think it has a lot to do with stigma. Mental health conditions still don't get the same kind of legitimacy that physical disabilities do. With a physical disability, it's much easier to see what a child needs in order to level the playing field. Whereas with ADHD, there's still this notion the person just needs to "get it together." It's just a matter of effort, and they don't need any other help.
And anxiety disorders face similar stigma?
Britt-Friedman:Yes, there is this "just deal with it" belief that doesn't consider the impairing nature of anxiety disorders. While we all experience anxiety to some degree and generally can manage it if we don't have a disorder, the extent to which some kids experience it can interfere significantly with their everyday lives and requires treatment. The notion that these kids can just "get over it" is not reality. That's like expecting a child who can't read just to do it when you tell them to. This is not to say that we want kids to always have to rely on accommodations in these circumstances. You want them to make progress with treatment so that they no longer need them.
What role are parents playing in the controversy over rising rates of accommodations?
Britt-Friedman:I think the strong feelings that some parents have speaks to parental anxiety, quite frankly, and all the cultural urgency that we're experiencing with achievement pressure today. It becomes a pressure-cooker when it feels like so much is riding on one test. While many kids would benefit from accommodations, they are supposed to be about creating a level playing field for those who are disadvantaged. Some parents may wish to pursue whatever they think will help their child, even if the child doesn't have an impairing disability.
But there's a flip side?
Britt-Friedman: Yes, I should note that while there may be children who are incorrectly given accommodations, there are many children who deserve accommodations but aren't getting them, for one reason or another. Many parents might not be aware of these resources. Maybe schools aren't providing guidance, or parents can't afford to pay for a private psychoeducational or a neuropsychological evaluation if the school is not conducting an evaluation themselves. These children are at a real disadvantage.
What should parents do if they're concerned their children have a learning or test performance issue?
Britt-Friedman: I always recommend partnering with the school if you can. The teachers are with your child all day. Being able to share your concerns and hear feedback from them about what they're seeing is incredibly valuable. You start there. And if teachers are not seeing the same thing that you're seeing and you still have concerns, then you work your way up. Speak to other people in the school who can help. Maybe you'll end up convening a PPT [Planning and Placing Team) meeting to begin an assessment. And don't forget your pediatrician. Doctors can begin the investigative process, too, and point parents to the right resources.
