WSJ : Colleges Bend the Rules for More Students, Give Them Extra Help

Parents Forum
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/colleges-bend-the-rules-for-more-students-give-them-extra-help-1527154200

"As many as one in four students at some elite U.S. colleges are now classified as disabled, largely because of mental-health issues such as depression or anxiety, entitling them to a widening array of special accommodations like longer time to take exams.

Under federal law, students can be considered disabled if they have a note from a doctor. That label requires schools to offer accommodations depending on the student’s needs. A blind student, for example, would have access to specialized software or a reader for an exam."

“At Pomona, 22% of students were considered disabled this year, up from 5% in 2014. Other elite schools have also seen a startling jump in disabilities, according to data from the federal government and from the schools. At Hampshire, Amherst and Smith colleges in Massachusetts and Yeshiva University in New York, one in five students are classified as disabled. At Oberlin College in Ohio, it is one in four. At Marlboro College in Vermont, it is one in three.”

"Public schools have also seen a significant uptick in test accommodations. From 2011 to 2016, the number of students with special accommodations increased by an average of 71% among 22 flagship state schools, according to data obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

The most common accommodations come during testing. Students who receive extended time may get twice as long as their classmates to take an exam.

Some professors question how this affects the fairness of exams."

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Yikes! It’s difficult to believe that many students need special accommodations.

The comment section of the article covers a lot of the issues raised by the implementation of these accommodations. Thanks for sharing the article. I had no idea this was ‘a thing’.

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It’s behind a paywall so I can’t read it all.

Providing accommodations isn’t “bending the rules.” The rules say you have to provide accommodations. Providing them is FOLLOWING the rules.

Anyone who thinks getting accommodations is as easy as getting a doctor’s note has never actually tried to get accommodations.

I was the first phd student in my department ever to get accommodations. It’s not because I was the first disabled student, it’s just that I was the first disabled student to be out with my disabilities and get support. Students before me in my position generally just dropped out instead of getting accommodations.

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I agree that providing accommodations isn’t bending the rules. However the number of accommodations is startling. In my opinion it suggests people are using the system for a personal advantage. This is sad, yet not surprising. It sound like the ESA (emotional support animal) issue.

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The line that struck me was “Wealthier students are more likely to receive accommodations than poor students”.

Now unless wealthier students are more likely to have disabilities, this is just more gamesmanship, to get an advantage.

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@TatinG “Now unless wealthier students are more likely to have disabilities, this is just more gamesmanship, to get an advantage.”

That is possible, but I also suspect that wealthier families are more likely to have identified relatively minor issues.

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In our area, disabilities are most often diagnosed in the far ends of the socioeconomic spectrum. IMO has little to do with which children actually have disabilities and much more to do with how the funding for diagnostic testing works. Foster children have reasonable access to diagnostic testing through social services as do students at certain schools that have extra staff to address a socioeconomically depressed student population. Wealthier families can pay out of pocket for diagnostic testing. Middle income families often don’t have the thousand dollars + to do testing and are told by the schools that as long as their child is performing adequately (C average or above), the school will not arrange for testing or intervention.

All of which perpetuates the old stereotypes - foster kids are troubled and have all sorts of “issues”, rich kids are “special snowflakes” and the vast majority of students in the middle class are just muddling through as best they can.

Some of this could be addressed through better availability of diagnostic testing and accomodation but more of this could be addressed if we stopped trying to force every kid into an education system that’s designed more for the convenience of the adults administering it. Many of the accomodations are for things that would benefit most students and we might be better off making those the norms.

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These colleges admit a good percentage of students who aren’t at academic level their peers have or teachers demand so when these admits struggle to keep up with rigor, social life and fast pace, they have to allow extra tutoring and other loop holes to minimize drop out rate and increase on time graduation rate. Also if a full pay student is graduating in & years, it has no financial consequence but a full ride student costs more to colleges. I doubt schools like UC Berkeley or Caltech would ever rank high on this list.

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@cupcakemuffins you and others paint with a broad brush. Just a few points i’d like to make:

  1. The article does not differentiate from those who are disabled physically, those who have learning disabilites, and those who have other mental disabilities. These are three distinctly different areas. I know that between 6-10% of the population is suspected to be learning disabled. I do not know the percentages of those with non-learning physical disabilites (hearing; sight; ambulatory; health disorders (seizure, illness etc); nor the percentage with mental disabilites as discussed in the article (anxiety, etc.). Perhaps considering them separately helps understand how we arrive at percentage rates between 8% and 22% in the article.
  2. While Federal Law may only require 'a note from a doctor', I can tell you from experience that the ACT and the College Board require much more than a simple note to allow accommodations. My son was denied by the College Board despite years of documented issues, neuropsych evaluations (2), teacher letters and counselor verification of use of accommodations at school. My understanding is that colleges require thorough testing of the students.
  3. @TatinG - "Now unless wealthier students are more likely to have disabilities, this is just more gamesmanship, to get an advantage."
    Or, perhaps it is because private testing with a neuropsychologist requires many hoops to jump through. One it requires that a family or teacher has identified that issues exist. Is it possible that more educated families are likely to identify such issues because they realize their student is underperforming, whereas less educated parents may not make this connection? Perhaps families with students in private schools (smaller classes) are more likely to have a teacher recognize a learning issue? Additionally, the process is complicated, and expensive. Who is more apt to pursue the many steps and expense of having a child tested? Of course, the wealthier famillies.

4.@cupcakemuffins, your comment regarding Berkeley and Caltech is unclear. What list are you referring to? You are making a gross generalization that the students at the botton end of a college’s admit stats are disabled students. This reveals your innate bias. You must have missed the final sentence in the article, "The rise hasn’t impacted the academic rigor of the school, says Jodi Foley, Amherst director of accessibility services. “The academic profile of Amherst’s student population continues to increase as it continues to diversify.”

Had to add my two cents.

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@i012575 was your intent to generate discussion on this article? What is your input?

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Something I found odd was the quote from the Pomona dean. “At Pomona, we have extremely talented bright students with very high expectations who are coming in with a good level of anxiety and are highly stressed,” says Jan Collins-Eaglin, the Claremont, Calif., college’s associate dean of students for personal success and wellness. “Our job here is to help them really thrive.” Note she doesn’t say we have extremely talented bright students with ADHD, dyslexia, physical disabilities, or any other examples of what I typically think of as disabilities that get you accommodations in high school. She talks about anxiety and stress.That makes me wonder: Is it possible that in some cases it’s easier and cheaper for the school to grant extra time or other relatively inexpensive accommodations than to provide appropriate mental health services? Note that the number of students getting accommodations jumped from 5% in 2014 to 22% now. Maybe it’s because more students are getting properly diagnosed with disabilities but it’s a big jump in a short time which makes me think that there are other factors at work as well.

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I have two comments. First, how will these students thrive in the workplace? I’m sure employers give accommodations for employees in wheelchairs, visually impaired, etc. I have yet to meet an employer who gives accommodations for ADHD or anxiety. Extra week to get the report in? Fewer assignments to avoid anxiety? How does that work in the workplace? If you have a lot of work to do and get flustered and anxious, I can’t imagine a boss being sympathetic. I once asked that of a friend whose kids get accommodations at highly selective colleges. She said that it’s different in an employment situation because the employee can control the work. I don’t think that’s true, especially at the beginning of a career, but I wasn’t going to press her on that.

Second, I think that ALL students should get as much time as they want on the SAT and ACT. That way, accommodations are not necessary for people who need extra time, and colleges will know that all test-takers had the same conditions.

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@brantly the workplace is not anything like the standardized test setting. Nobody is required to perform a task in one sitting in a set amount of time. Yes there are deadlines, but that is not the same. And there are options to extend deadlines if necessary. There are many very successful people who have ADHD or anxiety who have not had accommodations in the workplace. These kids know their futures are riding on these test scores. No wonder they are stressed–I certainly would be!!

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@WineLover While I agree that most workplaces are not specifically like standardized testing, there are definitely work settings in which people are required to perform tasks in a set (short) amount of time. For example, physicians have precious little time to listen, examine, and assess a patient’s issues. And medical school is a goal for many high achieving students.

Of course there are many successful people who have ADHD. I expect they have chosen careers that mesh with their individual needs and strengths. I do worry about students with diagnosed anxiety issues who have received major accommodations for high school and college and who aspire to high stress careers. I am concerned they have a false sense of their capabilities with regard to stress, and will not find out what they are up against until deep into the preparation for their careers.

And as far as the stress of futures “riding on test scores”, I’ll return to my physician example: the future of every physician (and patient) rides on the patient care decisions he/she makes every time, not just on a single test That is stressful–EVERY DAY of their lives. Some get used to it, and others don’t.

@brantly Giving all students unlimited time for SAT/ACT testing is an interesting idea. Colleges would then expect that the scores show the students’ best work. I would expect LOR from teachers would then become even more important.

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@appalachymom I don’t think you need to “worry” about these kids. Their parents and they will worry about what career track they choose to pursue. And I am sure they will choose one of the numerous tracks that will mesh with their particular strengths.

Let me return to your “physician example.” My husband has ADHD. He practiced medicine for many years and is now a very successful health care consultant. Many practicing physicians would love to be in his position. He actually thrived in the emergency medicine setting and was the director of two different emergency departments in highly reputable academic hospitals. He made quick decisions every day and saved many lives.

I don’t understand the need to try to deny people accommodations because of the fear they will fail in the real world. This whole notion makes no sense to me.

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@WineLover I don’t recall saying anything about ADHD and being a physician in a high stress work environment. I suggested that successful people with ADHD had chosen careers that mesh with their individual needs and strengths. It’s great that your husband has been so successful.

I mentioned being diagnosed with anxiety and desiring a high stress occupation. Those are the students I have concerns about. And I did not suggest denying accommodations.

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I just want to support @appalachymom in her comment that (all) students should try to chose “careers that mesh with their individual needs and strengths.”

Years ago I taught a legally blind student who was an English major and needed massive accommodation to do all the very complex reading and writing connected with the major. Even with accommodations, he struggled mightily; there was a lot of “rule bending” for him. I am sure he benefited from the support, I suspect he liked reading and writing, but I am not sure why he felt it was the best major for him. I have no reason to believe all the support or his accomplishments (such as they were) set him up for a job or a career.

I have a child with learning differences and accommodations. We will discuss careers in terms of both her interests and her strengths. I do not want to set her up to fail.

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Personally I think it is stressful for regular students to have to compete with students with accommodations–no way to level the playing field. Yes, students with special needs benefit from lots of extra time, more private testing situations, access to keyboards, etc. But so would the average student. I know my child’s score would be raised if she had time to finish and check each section. Trying to finish in time causes anxiety.

So yeah, give the SAT/ACT untimed if you want to accommodate all students and their needs. It seems a little more fair and would allow all students to do their best, not just the ones diagnosed with special needs.

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@2mrmagoo Very well said. I’m glad someone set the record straight. You just saved me half an hour of time.

LISTEN UP PEEPS!

Yes, the system is unfair, and yes, affluent kids benefit. This is not because they are “gaming the system,” it’s because they have access to testing, coaching, medication, and other resources. Obtaining accommodation such as extra time on testing requires extensive documentation, a simple “doctor’s note” would never suffice.

Accommodations are about leveling the playing field; they are not about cheating the system. My DD’s doctor explained it like this, “You’re daughter has a Porsche brain that can’t get over 20mph without intervention.” My DD is one of the fortunate ones who was diagnosed early and received the help she needs.

As a student at a private school with exactly 8 girls and 8 boys in each classroom, the teachers noticed by 2nd Grade that DD struggled with executive function. A doctor was recommended and we were put on a 6-month waiting list to have 4 days of testing for 4 hours per day at a flat fee of $10,000. After diagnosis, DD went weekly for executive function coaching at $250 per session. Every few years, DD has been re-evaluated at a cost of $2,000–$3,000 each time. In addition to testing and coaching, DD takes medication; sometimes it’s covered by insurance and sometimes it isn’t (depending on the formulary in a given year). I mention all of this, including the costs, not to be crass, but to illustrate how involved, expensive, and time-consuming the process can be. This is exactly why lower income students are often not diagnosed or treated. The issue isn’t that the rich are cheating, it’s that the poor and middle class have barriers to accessing diagnosis and treatment.

While I consider myself politically center, sometimes veering to the left or right depending on the issue, in this case, I firmly believe we need education reform. I don’t have any proposed solutions but we need to increase access to diagnosis and testing for all students. Undiagnosed learning disabilities can lead to frustration, shame, depression, anger, and more. If more students were correctly diagnosed, our society would benefit as a whole.

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I agree that everything gets lumped together. Stress and anxiety or very different from a kid who didn’t learn to read or write until almost middle school or who is blind or deaf. I suspect that stress and anxiety had risen exponentially and the other dissbilities are stable. However kids with learning disabilities and physical disabilities didn’t get to go to colleges decades ago because accommodations weren’t in place. The hurdles will always be there but those kids have an amazing ability to understand their disabilities and tend to gravitate toward study and jobs that minimalist their disabilities and play to their strengths. As a mom of a high IQ dyslexic can medicate and therapy yourself with stress and anxiety. You can never medicate yourself out of dyslexia or blindness.