Qualifying

Many students who register with the Accessibility Resource Center qualify for testing accommodations, such as extended time, low-distraction environment, and alternate test format, as well as other accommodations, depending upon the functional impact of the individual’s disability.

These accommodations are decided upon in conference with the student, both in the initial intake interview as well as any subsequent meetings discussing academic progress. Testing accommodations do not make tests easier, and they do not impact the grading standards. Accessibility Resource Center issues testing accommodations only when the functional impact of a student’s disability affects their ability to display content mastery in the same time frame and circumstances as students without disabilities.

Communicating

Accessibility Resource Center notifies professors of a student’s testing accommodations in the official letter of accommodation. These letters constitute a three-way agreement between the Accessibility Resource Center, the student requesting accommodations, and the faculty member, all of whom share some degree of responsibility for making sure that the academic accommodations are met within a reasonable timeframe.

Testing accommodations apply to quizzes, tests, midterms and final exams (QTF).  Contact your instructors to verify they received your course access letter and to discuss the logistics of your testing accommodations. Students are generally expected to take their accommodated exams on the same date and time as the class. Discuss alternative testing times with your instructor if, due to accommodations, there may be times where you will encounter a conflict with other classes or with the Accessibility Resource Center hours of operation. They will work with you to identify an alternate time.

Location for Accommodated Testing

The Accessibility Resource Center has space reserved to test students registered with our office. This is a service we provide to students and faculty. The majority of tests taken with accommodations require proctoring within the Accessibility Resource Center testing space. Some tests, due to the nature and/or format of the subject, don’t travel well outside of the department—for instance, laboratory exams with special equipment, foreign language exams with listening components, live performances, etc. The student’s testing accommodations are not contingent upon the location of their test; in fact, many departments handle testing accommodations for students with disabilities in house, and their usage of our testing facilities is limited.

Online tests generally do not need to be taken in the ARC Testing Center, since most accommodations can be provided online.

Please contact your ARC Coordinator if you have any questions or concerns. Instructors may provide accommodations themselves, but they will typically expect you to take your QTFs in the ARC Testing Center.

Student Responsibilities

In order to schedule an accommodated test, fill out the online alternative testing request located in the Student AIM portal. Accessibility Resource Center will work directly with the professor to obtain and proctor the test.

You are responsible for submitting EACH exam requests in the Student Portal, AIM portal, accordingly. ARC will notify you via email when an exam request is approved.

Upon receiving a request for alternate testing accommodations, the Accessibility Resource Center will review and approve, deny, or request more information. Five (5) business days’ notice for regular exams/quizzes and 10 business days' notice for final exams is required. The notice is necessary for seat assignment in the testing room and to allows ARC time to communicate with the professor and coordinate exam details, test times, and instructions.

Late requests may result in forfeiture of the accommodation for that exam. If the student does not wish to take the exam in the testing room at ARC, but still wishes to receive alternate testing accommodations (extended time or distraction-reduced environment), then they must discuss this with the professor in advance of the test so that arrangements can be made (i.e. tests through Canvas or professor proctored testing, etc).

Review course syllabi carefully to understand course requirements and determine which accommodations you plan to utilize.  Contact your instructors at the beginning of the semester to introduce yourself and discuss your accommodations and how they will be provided in each course.  Utilize campus resources such as the Writing Center, STEM Lab, Supplemental Instruction and other resources provided through the Student Success Center.

Test Integrity

Tests being taken with our office are to begin at the regularly scheduled class time. Any changes to the schedule (i.e. requests to take exam earlier or later than the regular time, at a later or earlier date, etc.) must be arranged with the professor. We require the professor’s written consent before any changes can be made. Professors may consider late arrival for a test an integrity violation, and refuse to grade the test.

The only exception to this is when tests are scheduled after our hours of operation (8:00-5, M-F). Tests that would normally start before 8:00 AM or will require staff to remain in office after 5:00 PM should be scheduled in accordance to our hours of operation, at a time approved by the course instructor.

The testing space is video monitored by Accessibility Resource Center staff, and cellphones are not allowed during testing unless we have approval from the professor. Any suspicions of misconduct or academic integrity violations will be reported immediately to the course instructor and the Student Conduct office.

ARC Exam Proctoring Special Note

Contact your ARC coordinator if you:

Accommodations Request Guide

Please download this document for your reference – Accommodation Request Guide