Testing accommodations,
step by step.

• Under IDEA, students with disabilities take part in state and districtwide tests, with the accommodations their IEP lists. The IEP team decides which ones, based on what the student needs and uses in instruction.
• For a small group of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, the IEP team can decide the student takes an alternate assessment instead. Federal law (the Every Student Succeeds Act) limits how many students in a state take it, so it is a careful, documented decision.
• Students with 504 plans use the testing accommodations in their plans the same way.
• Each state publishes its own accommodations policy that lists what is allowed on each test. Some supports are available to every student, some can be given when an educator decides, and some only through an IEP or 504 plan. Names and rules vary by state.
• An accommodation in the plan may not be allowed on one part of a test, for example having reading passages read aloud on a test of reading. Ask what happens instead, and whether it changes how the score is reported.
• English learners may have separate language supports on state tests, decided by the school.

Ask before testing season

• Which accommodations from the plan will be used on each state test this year?
• Are any of them not allowed, and what will be used instead?
• Will my child practice with the testing tools and accommodations before test day?
• Who checks on test day that the accommodations were set up?
• If an accommodation was missed, what can be done?

If you think the plan is missing an accommodation your child needs, ask for an IEP or 504 meeting. The accommodations finder lists common classroom and testing accommodations by area of need.

• Who approves: College Board's Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office reviews and approves requests. An IEP or 504 plan does not carry over on its own.
• One approval, several tests: once approved, accommodations generally apply to the SAT, the PSAT-related tests and AP exams, and usually stay in place through high school unless the student's needs change.
• Who submits: most requests go through the school's SSD coordinator, often a counselor, online. Families can also make a request on their own, which homeschooling families may need to do.
• Documentation: when a student has a current IEP or 504 plan and uses the accommodation at school, the school can often confirm that, and many such requests are decided without sending the full evaluation. Otherwise, College Board may ask for documentation that shows the disability, how it affects the student now, and why the specific accommodation is needed. A diagnosis alone is usually not enough.
• Timing: reviews take weeks, and longer if more documentation is requested. College Board has said to allow about seven weeks. Start two to three months before the first test date. AP coordinators set their own earlier deadlines.
• Digital testing: approved accommodations attach to the student and are set up in the digital testing app. Check before test day that they appear.

What to gather

• The current IEP or 504 plan, with the testing accommodations page.
• How long the student has used each accommodation, and how often.
• The most recent evaluation report, especially if there is no plan or the request is for something the plan does not list.
• For a request like extra breaks for a medical condition: a recent letter from the treating professional explaining the need.

College Board's official site has the current rules, forms and deadlines: look for Services for Students with Disabilities.

The free Extra time on the SAT, ACT and AP tool builds a timeline from your test date.

• Start by registering for a test date and indicating that the student needs accommodations.
• A school official submits the request and documentation in ACT's online accommodations system. Ask the school who handles this; it is often the counselor or testing coordinator.
• Documentation: ACT generally looks at the current IEP or 504 plan, how the accommodation is used at school and, where needed, a recent evaluation that explains the need.
• Timing: submit well before the registration deadline for the test date; reviews take weeks. ACT sets out current deadlines and rules on its official pages.
• Where and how the student tests can depend on the accommodation: some are given at a regular test center, others at the student's school on a schedule set with ACT.
• English learners may be eligible for separate supports.

Official information

Rules, forms and deadlines change. ACT's official site has the current accommodations policies: look for accommodations or test accessibility.

For federal special education and Section 504 information, see the U.S. Department of Education.

Want it handled? The Test Accommodations Partner ($249) gathers the documentation, coordinates with your school and tracks every deadline.