does study disability like dyslexia affect my chances at top schools?

AnonyMom
Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:56:59 +0000

If you don’t already have accommodations granted for the SAT’s, they may be difficult to obtain at this point. You will need to send the ETS your diagnosis and the plan for accommodations you have had in high school. If you haven’t applied for accommodations with the ETS/College Board, please get right on it. They can process these applications very, very slowly. If you are attending an American school, the administrators should know how to apply on your behalf. If you are attending a local school, it might be wise to get in touch with the person who coordinates the SAT’s for students who need accommodations at an American schooly nearby (if there is one) and talk to her about what you need to do.

You might also want to consider the ACT exam. This exam substitutes for the SAT I’s with almost all American universities. Some universities do not require SAT II’s for students who submit the ACT, but others do. Some families of dyslexic students have had a much easier time dealing with the ACT and receiving appropriate accommodations than dealing with the ETS/College Board. On the ACT website, there are clear instructions about the documentation you will need to submit, which will probably include data from the testing that confirmed the diagnosis of dyslexia. Since you are an international student taking an SAT II in Hebrew, I’m thinking that you might be in Israel, and the ACT is administered there. Again, you might want to talk with a local person who coordinates special ACT administrations for students who receive accommodations. You could find that person by talking with an administrator at the closest high school that serves as a test center.

With both the SAT and ACT, it is difficult to receive accommodations (such as extended time) if you are not already using such an accommodation in high school. Be sure that your school provides detailed information about the accommodations you receive.