Existing research suggests that students with ADHD may not receive the expected benefit from some testing accommodations. One possible explanation for this lack of benefit might be that students do not receive adequate instruction in and practice with testing accommodations to make them effective. The current study was designed to investigate…

This study investigated the effectiveness of five commonly administered academic testing accommodations on reading and math performance in children with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A total of 96 parents of 3rd-8th grade students with ADHD participated. More than half of the sample also had parent-reported learning difficulties…

In this paper, we describe the design, development, and initial validity evidence for the Screening to Assign Accommodations Tool (SAAT). The purpose of the SAAT is to identify students for whom construct irrelevant variance (CIV) might obscure measurement of their knowledge, skills, and abilities in mathematics. Once students are identified as…

The purpose of this alternating treatment, single-case research study was to compare reading comprehension and time expended reading, of a doctoral student with learning disabilities, under two reading conditions. In condition one, the student used a self-discovered accommodation, that is, listening, on an iPod, to an audiobook version…

As students with disabilities attend postsecondary education and request accommodations on high-stakes exams, documentation of their disability and how it impacts their learning is even more important. This overarching reality is a result of several factors. These include the legal protections for individuals with disabilities, changes in the…

Unprecedented increases in the use of technologies throughout postsecondary education and the workplace are redefining traditional concepts of accessibility during testing for college students with learning disabilities. High stakes testing practices are under pressure to change. The challenge for professionals is to ensure that tests are designed…

Psychological disorders lead to functional limitations that can impact a student's performance in school. These students are eligible for accommodations if they can demonstrate that a specific disability exists and that it substantially limits one or more major life activity. The most common functional limitations reported by this population…

Important legal and policy changes in recent years have made postsecondary education an increasingly viable option for students with learning disabilities. These include substantive changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) in the area of transition planning, research examining the importance of a college degree on…

Extended time on high stakes testing is the most sought out accommodation for individuals with learning disabilities. This accommodation is necessary for many individuals with learning disabilities for a variety of reasons, but often for individuals who have ongoing difficulties with reading fluency. For many students with reading based learning…

Given the high number of requests for test accommodations and the myriad of test accommodations available, test agencies give considerable attention to the process involved in the provision of test accommodations for high stakes tests. The decision to provide an accommodation to an individual with learning disabilities is based largely on the…

This article discusses court cases and other sources on each of four major topics regarding federal disability discrimination laws and claims made by post-secondary students with learning disabilities: (a) Which students are entitled to the protection of the statutes, (b) What if any deference should be afforded academic institutions in their…