Becca Archambault ’16 Claudia Teti ’16: With the start of another school year at the Episcopal Academy comes the inevitable stress of tests, quizzes, and exams. But, for some students, extended time is able to lessen this stress just a bit. In an environment as competitive and challenging as Episcopal’s, extended time on tests and exams is becoming increasingly common. But what really is the purpose of extra time? Alyson Kurz, EA’s new learning specialist clarifies that “it levels the playing field so that students have the same chance to demonstrate their knowledge as others.”
The process of obtaining extra time has also been somewhat of an enigma to many EA students. When asked about this process, a boy in the senior class explained, “I went to a learning specialist and took a lot of tests. Some of them involved writing in cursive, judging my handwriting and flipping my pencil. I had to write the alphabet about a hundred times.”
The tests resulted in him being diagnosed with dysgraphia, a handwriting disorder. This condition qualifies him to use his computer to type his essays for class tests. He also went through a series of reading tests. In his case, reading was always a strong point so despite his diagnosis with ADD, he was declined the ability to receive extended time. This senior also revealed that one needs to have a note from both a pediatrician and learning specialist in order for Episcopal to even consider granting extended time. These test results and notes then have to pass through Ms. Kurz.
When asked about her role in the process, Ms. Kurz said, “I look at the test given by a psychologist or medical doctor and read the recommendations. If there is a valid recommendation for extended time and data to support the recommendation, then I take it to the Upper School CARES team’s meeting for the Form Deans, the Head of Upper School, the student support department, Reverend Squire, and Nurse Raverby to consider. I am also [the person] who students should come to if they feel they need academic and learning support.”
EA incorporates College Board in the decision making process, as they want to follow the rules set for the SAT and ACT extra time policies. Kurz clarified that College Board requires that a student be diagnosed with a specific learning disability or disorder in order to receive extra time.
A girl in the class of 2014 explained that her case was different. She did not go through the long, intricate tests, but was also only given extended time for one year. “I could probably get extended time for this year also, but since I’m a senior I don’t have the patience to go through all the testing,” she explained. “It could take up to three months.”
The question central to the discussion on extra time, of course, is whether it really makes a difference. Both of these seniors were adamant that it does. One disclosed, “On exams I knew I had plenty of time so I purposely did things slower, whereas normally I would rush through it and just try to get out of there. I could actually focus and understand what I was looking at.”
Although Ms. Kurz also thinks extended time is necessary for some students, she did share some of her concerns. “I worry that students are going to be accustomed to having extended time and may not receive the same accommodations in college.” Part of Kurz’s job is to teach students, both those requiring extra time and those not, test taking strategies to make the college transition easier. This concern seems to be of consideration for the students with extra time as well.
The aforementioned senior said he has already been qualified for extended time throughout college and is looking specifically at colleges willing to accommodate him. However, he commented, “I won’t have extended time out in the real world, so I guess I’m going to have to do something about that.”