Exams

As with any reasonable accommodation, testing administration is determined by the Coordinator of Disability Support Services, in accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and after initiation by a student registered with FIT-ABLE.

The following policy applies.

Students

1. It is a student's responsibility to initiate reasonable accommodation requests from instructors, such as, but not limited to:

  • extended time for testing (typically, time-and-a-half)
  • readers for exams
  • scribes for exams
  • use of a computer with spellcheck/grammar check for essay exams
  • testing in a distraction-reduced setting
  • enlarged font exams

2. It is a student's responsibility to notify the Office of Disability Services at least a week in advance of all exams and quizzes. Scheduling and coordination of exams, the obtaining of exams, pertinent instructions, and coordination of proctors, readers and scribes require lead time by FIT-ABLE. It is not advisable for testing administration to be arranged personally by any student with their tutor or to circumvent the services of FIT-ABLE.

3. It is a student's responsibility to send a reminder to faculty, after they have provided and discussed their reasonable accommodation letters with them, that exams should be sent to the FIT-ABLE office (Dubinsky Student Center, Room A570).

4. Students are not permitted to carry, except in a sealed envelope, any exam. Testing administration, except as otherwise determined collaboratively by FIT-ABLE and faculty, shall be at the same time as the class for which the student is taking the same exam. Students shall not determine their testing administration dates, times, or proctors.

5. Extensions beyond class time to a different day shall be determined by the instructor in consultation with either by the Coordinator of Disability Support Services or the Learning Disabilities Coordinator. Substantiated chronic illnesses may be a determining factor in the extension of a test date beyond that which was originally scheduled. Lack of preparedness in a course subject matter is not considered a valid reason for the rescheduling of any exam.

Faculty

1. All exams should be delivered to the Office of Disability Services, FIT-ABLE, one week in advance of the exam time.

  • Exams may be submitted to the Coordinator via email with pertinent instructions included.
  • Exams may be delivered to the FIT-ABLE office (Dubinsky Center, Room A570) in a sealed envelope marked CONFIDENTIAL by faculty members. FIT-ABLE hours are 8 am - 5pm each day, but there is a mailbox next to the front door where exam drop off can occur any time. All exams are retrieved upon the office opening the next business day.

After receiving the exam, FIT-ABLE completes its internal paperwork and begins working on obtaining reasonable accommodations related to each student, such as a reader, scribe, or enlarging exams. In such cases where exams must be enlarged to a particular size font for a student with a visual impairment, the exam should be provided to our office on a disk so that enlargement can occur.

2. Students are encouraged to speak with their instructors privately to request reasonable accommodation for exams. We ask that students remind instructors throughout the semester whenever testing administration is about to occur. If, for any reason, you have determined to permit testing administration on a day other than which the class is scheduled to take their exam (either prior to the class date or after the class date), or if you agree that students for an evening class can take the exam earlier in the actual day, please contact the office at [email protected] with copy to be attached to student's exam and to become part of that student's file for reference.

3. All completed exams are returned to the originating department where a signature is obtained upon receipt for our purposes in tracking. If otherwise instructed (an exam is to be returned to the classroom or adjunct office, for example), please include this information, along with the course name, number and section number and the student's name when a.) either turning in an exam or b.) sending an email to the office.