This will be unpopular and long. If this doesn’t apply to your child, scroll on. Only you know your own personal situation and since I likely don’t know your family, I am not talking about you or your personal situation. There are certainly valid reasons for extended time. I sit across the table at IEP meetings several times a week. We write in extended time and encourage with or without parents asking when it is needed. If your child has a true need for accommodations, the practice of other parents “searching” for the same for their typical kids should bother you too. I am personally connected to the IEP/ learning support disability process at work and on a personal level my God daughter, two nephews, niece (different family) all have a valid LD.
There is over-testing for disabilities in our suburban public schools and it is a very recent issue. These students are concentrated in the top two quartiles of learners. We just thought the parents were anxious but turns out extended testing time is the reason the middle school is swamped with parent requests for 504s for students who are exhibiting typical age behaviors and typical learning. When provided all of the data from class observations, class performance, standardized testing, and informal assessments from multiple years that the child does not demonstrate “need”, the parent puts it in writing to override and continue to push for testing.
The school does preliminary testing and there is no indication of a learning issue that is impacting performance and learning (not that there might not be some issue but that there is not an impact on learning growth). The parents go and pay someone to do private testing that find one or two area that are elevated. It is EASY to get and indication with parent input checklists tilting the data. The levels are typically in the high average (or low average range depending on the measure) and certainly not indicative of a disability in need of accommodations. If the first practice does not find any indication of disability, then they shop around and find another Dr. to repeat the testing. The waiting list is long to get through to process and many families go through multiple times at different locations. Parents come back to school and demand a 504 “on file” but without LS services or need other than testing accommodations. When it is suggested to write in social skills groups, weekly check ins with the LS teacher or other accommodations that might support the “area of need” the parents refuse. They don’t want others to know anything about it, nothing else documented because their child doesn’t “need” those things. They just “need” the extended testing.
We are seeing a flood of poor executive functioning, slower processing speed, and testing anxiety as a recommendations to write a 504 with testing accommodations. These are not our autistic students, physically impaired students, sensory impaired students. These are not students who are struggling to perform or displaying any atypical behaviors. These are students who are often in the top of their classes. Other times they are perfectly average in most areas with a few towering strengths and a few areas of weakness - typical preteens. I see them, work with them, and have read their extensive testing reports for almost 3 decades. Now, MS seems late to get this diagnosis track started to register for top track classes, especially with the waiting lists to get testing completed. The past 2 years we have seen the requests starting in 4th-5th grades. They are finding it easier to push for the 504 before there are years of standardized testing that show they are typical learners. The parents can not accept that their child is typical and need for them to be exceptional.
These parents are looking for a way to make their child the victim of some disorder to explain anything less than perfect or to explain any struggle. They are working every angle to smooth out the bumps and elevate their child. The extended time in state testing and district level assessments ensure that they score high enough to secure a spot in the top track classes in high school. There are not unlimited seats in all of the top classes and the cut off has to be somewhere. They are creating an excuse why Jon/Jan does not excel in every area - just most areas.In the 80s it was fine to be average and great to be above average. In the 90’s it was the teachers who didn’t know what they were doing. Now it is still that, of course, added in with the disability “reason” why my child is just above average in this one area or possible “below average” or even “low” in one or more areas. As soon as a parent writes that their preteen/teen is struggling in school or bored in school so their grades are bad - everyone on FB and chat groups chimes in “have you had them tested for…” and “sounds just like my child who has been diagnosed with …” This is not healthy or good for our children. It tells them they are flawed and not good enough but don’t worry we can fix it. It takes resources from those truly in need. It puts those who do not fraud the system at a distinct disadvantage by missing out on seats in top track classes, getting lower GPAs and lower ranks.
I wrote it back yesterday but I think there should be 2 versions of the tests: timed AND unlimited time. ALL students should be able to choose the tests they want to take and submit the tests they want to submit but it would be reported which test they took. There will be plenty of typical students who would opt to take the extended timed test to keep the confidentiality of hidden disabilities. Universities can then decide if their program values/requires speed and quick recall/application or analysis, deep thought, and flexible thinking. Are the tests too long as someone mentioned up thread? Did people ask that in the 70s and 80s and 90s? DId they get longer? I really don’t know. As it stands now enough parents have learned the hack of extended time and are exploiting it all through school that if your child is NOT doing it you need to realize they are competing against those that are and they are protected. The schools will never know. That is a broken system.