Both ACT, Inc. (the company administering the ACT) and College Board (the organization administering the SAT Suite of Assessments) allow for various modifications to testing arrangements, based on individual student needs. They range from allowing for extra breaks and a sign language interpreter to larger print test booklets and a reader who vocalizes written text on behalf of the student. The most common, however, is extended time, which means the student has more time, typically 1.5 times as long, to complete the test.
The process for applying and getting approved for accommodations can be complicated, particularly for the ACT, which requires students to have had testing accommodations in place at their school for at least 12 months before even being considered for approval. Below is an outline of steps to register for accommodations for each test.
ACT Accommodations
Step 1: Begin by registering online for the ACT via act.org. On the registration form, you can indicate a request for accommodations and specify which type of accommodation you are requesting.
Step 2: After you submit the registration form online, you will receive an email that tells you how to work with your school to submit the proper documentation. In order to begin that process, you must forward that email to your school along with the Consent to Release Information to ACT form.
Step 3: Your school will submit your request along with the documentation to the ACT. ACT will then review your request and notify the school.
For more information on what is needed to substantiate learning disabilities for the ACT, visit the ACT ACCOMMODATIONS PAGE.
SAT Accommodations
Step 1: Begin the process of applying for accommodations by speaking with your school’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) coordinator. The school’s SSD coordinator will know the submission deadlines and will be able to access SSD Online — the submission portal through which extended time accommodations are made to the College Board.
Step 2: Before the rest of the application for extended time can be processed, a parent or guardian must sign the Parent Consent Form.
Step 3: The SSD coordinator will open a request in SSD Online and provide the College Board with the requested accommodations, information about the student’s disability, and information about any formal accommodations plan (ex: an IEP, 504, etc.).
Step 4: If documentation is required, then the SSD coordinator will compile the documents and submit them through SSD Online. Documentation varies depending on the accommodation or on the disability/difference — learn more on the SAT’s How to Provide Documentation page.
Step 5: The SSD coordinator will receive the decision through SSD online and the student typically receives notice in the mail. If accommodations are approved, then the decision letter will also include an eligibility letter with test-by-test details. The letter will also include the student’s eligibility code, which is necessary in order for the student to register for the SAT.
For more information on what is needed to substantiate learning disabilities for College Board (PSAT, SAT, AP exams, etc), visit the SAT ACCOMMODATIONS PAGE.