The LIGHT Center, T-90, College of the Redwoods (476-4290) - April 10, 2000

Time…it’s an interesting concept. Some people never have enough of it while others seem to have way too much of it on their hands. Our concept of time passage is equally puzzling. There are days that seem to slip by in an instant, while others never seem to want to end. The interim of time referred to in the saying "Time flies when you’re having fun" is no different in reality than the time that seems to hang in the air prior to an important interview, meeting or exam.

How individuals respond to time and time constraints is fodder for a thesis. One’s skill in managing time is affected by many factors, including one’s own perception of the amount of time available in which to finish a task, the nature of the task to be completed, as well as the confidence one has in her/his own skills related to the task. This is exemplified when one considers an exam situation in which there is a limited amount of time. Most instructors format their exams so as to allow them to be completed within the allotted time. For some instructors, the ability to "pull out" or express the information on the exam within the time frame is an additional measure of the student’s mastery of the material. A student who doesn’t finish an exam, yet gets all the questions she/he did answer correctly is different from the student who finished the exam but had scattered errors. While the scores of these two students may be comparable, their qualitative performance is not.

What happens then, when a student has some sort of disability that impinges on their ability to complete an exam in the allotted time? This is where the Americans with Disabilities Act comes into play. Students with a verified disability may be eligible for extended time during which they can write exams, if there is something about their particular condition which would interfere with their ability to complete the exam in a timely fashion. At the LIGHT Center, we can assess students who may be found eligible for services based on a Learning Disability. This is the only category of disability that can be ascertained here at CR. All other disabling conditions must be diagnosed and verified by a medical professional. In other words, prior to extended exam time being even considered as a reasonable accommodation, the student must have verification of a disability. It is then up to the counselor and the student to discuss the student’s need for extended time, and hence determine if it is appropriate and reasonable. If extended time is granted, it is typically either time and a half or double time depending on the circumstances.

An argument against extended time on exams as an accommodation pertains to a perceived "watering down" of course requirements and undermining the integrity of the exam. Unless "timing" is the critical aspect being tested, ADA considers extended time on exams as merely a leveling of the playing field, not a decay in class integrity.

Comments? Questions? mailto:trish-blair@redwoods.edu

Solitude is the furnace of transformation.
Nouwen, Henri

There is no clear-cut answer to this question; other than to say if a student’s disability is of such a nature that it impedes the student’s ability to complete a task, then extended time for exams is considered. There are some conditions in which there is little question as to the need for extended time. Such conditions would include:

• A physical disability involving the student’s ability to write with speed and accuracy. This would include any hand or arm paralysis, carpal tunnel syndrome, paresis, or loss of upper limb,
• Visual-motor problems related to writing would warrant extended time.
• Visual-perceptual problems involving figure ground, spatial relations etc. This would be particularly true for Scantron scoring as well as for graphs, charts, or other graphics within an exam.
• Attention issues hinder a student from being able to utilize the time available for an exam. Therefore, extended time is often necessary to minimize the effects of the attentional disorder.
• Students with memory problems typically fall apart during timed exams. The information often becomes inaccessible to them on demand. When the time restraint is removed, they perform considerably better.
• Anyone with test anxiety does poorly with timed exams. Again, allowing additional time permits the student to take time to relax and compose.