What's the Difference Between "Unlimited", "All the Time" and "Extended Time"?

Here's a scenario. You are signing a test accommodation form for a student who needs additional time on tests. Inadvertently, you tell the student they can have "unlimited time" or "all the time they need" for the test or you write it on the form. You have just created a potential problem.

Why?

Telling a student they have "unlimited time" or "all the time they need" might seem harmless, but to the student your statement literally means "unlimited time" or "all the time they need" which could turn into hours upon hours of testing. Obviously, this is not what you had in mind. While you said "unlimited time", you probably were thinking "within reason". Unfortunately, the damage has been done. When we try and take the test away from them, within a reasonable amount of time, we are told "but my professor said I could have all the time I need." How can we argue with them? We have to or we would never go home.

We use the phrase "extended time". This means time... with limits.

So, a few rules of thumb...

On the test accommodation form you will notice the Disability Services & Resources Counselor fills in Section 2. This is where the counselor puts a "time limit" for testing. This decision is based upon the students' disability. The "extended time" ranges from 50% up to 200% of the original class time. However, realize that there are always exceptions to every rule and the counselor will determine what works best for each student. If you have any questions regarding the counselor's parameters, please feel free to call them to discuss it. After all, we might be missing something that is special to your situation.

Again, we cannot stress enough your word choices. Try and incorporate "extended time" in your speech instead of "unlimited" or "all the time you need." It will make all the difference when we are proctoring tests for you within our department.

If you have any problems or are unsure how to handle a situation call us, that is why we are here. We look forward to helping you out.

Sunday, 15-Jun-2008 15:18:36 CDT