What's the Difference Between "All the Time You Need" and "Extended Time"?

Here's the scenario. You are signing a test accommodation form for a student who needs additional time. Inadvertently, you tell the student they can have "all the time they need" for the test or even write it on the request form. Now we have a potential problem. Why?

When you said "all the time you need", you probably were thinking "within reason". Unfortunately, many students take it literally; it can turn into hours of testing. Depending on the student's style, several things can go wrong.

• The student may over-analyze test questions leading to confusion about what is being asked and what the student actually knows.
  
  
• The student may work a single problem over and over, trying all combinations of numbers or factors, ad infinitum.
  
  
• The student may have no incentive to keep working at a steady pace and begin to second guess themselves.
  
  
• The student may write page after page on an essay test, hoping to somehow 'cover' the essential points.

Although students protest, there comes a point when we have to be the bad cop and stop the exam - or we would never go home.

That's why we use the phrase "extended time". This means extra time - with limits.

For the vast majority of our students, "extended time" means 50% additional time. However, for some students, up to 200% of the original exam time may be appropriate. the DR specialists work hard to determine what works best for each student. If you have any questions regarding the specialist's parameters, please feel free to call them to discuss it. After all, we might be missing something that is special to your situation.

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.

Wednesday, 07-Oct-2009 16:40:31 CDT