In the Nick of Time: A Pan-Canadian Examination of Extended Testing Time Accommodation in Post-secondary Schools

Abstract

Extended testing time accommodation (ETTA) is the most common accommodation assigned to post-secondary students with disabilities. We examined data on the processes of providing and monitoring the use of ETTA at 48 Canadian post-secondary institutions who provided accommodations to over 43,000 students with disabilities in every province in Canada. Findings indicated that students with learning disabilities were the most likely to be allocated ETTA. The most common duration of ETTA by far was 150% of the standard testing time provided to other students, and was typically assigned in over 70% of cases--despite there being no valid empirical evidence to support this practice. In almost half of the institutions following this practice, this duration of ETTA was typically awarded upon intake based on guidelines, policies, or the belief that research exists to support this procedure, and in over 40% of these institutions there were no procedures in place for monitoring and modifying ETTA allowances once assigned. There was evidence of some exemplary practices in terms of the decision-making processes that went into determining and monitoring individual student's ETTA durations. However, concerns were raised in some cases by the rationales for providing specific durations of ETTA, and by the lack of monitoring that together comprised 'blanket' accommodations.

Predicting the Extended Time Use of College Students With Disabilities

“…Although the vast majority of students who request accommodations receive somewhere between 50% and 100% extra time to complete tests, data are mixed regarding how much time students with disabilities actually utilize or require to equalize access. Sokal and Wilson (2017) recently investigated the use of the extended time accommodation by students at postsecondary institutions in Canada. They examined data from more than 43,000 students with disabilities at 48 institutions and found that over 70% of the cases were provided 50% extended time; however, this accommodation reportedly was based on convention rather than any empirical evidence.…”

Factors Related to Extended Time Use by College Students With Disabilities

“…credentialing for secondary or post secondary education" ( §36.309(a)) must make accommoda tions on exams, including "changes in the length of time permitted for completion of the examination" ( §36.309(2)). The accompanying regulations note extended test time as a possible manner to make a program accessible.Data from several sources reveal that providing addi tional time to complete exams is the most commonly pro vided academic accommodation by colleges throughout the United States and Canada (Raue & Lewis, 2011;Sokal & Wilson, 2017). The U.S. Department of Education (2014) defined this as "changes to the regular testing environment and auxiliary aids and services that allow individuals with disabilities to demonstrate their true aptitude or achieve ment level" (p. 2).…”

“…Data from several sources reveal that providing addi tional time to complete exams is the most commonly pro vided academic accommodation by colleges throughout the United States and Canada (Raue & Lewis, 2011;Sokal & Wilson, 2017). The U.S. Department of Education (2014) defined this as "changes to the regular testing environment and auxiliary aids and services that allow individuals with disabilities to demonstrate their true aptitude or achieve ment level" (p. 2).…”

“…from 48 postsecondary institutions across Canada, Sokal and Wilson (2017) reported that 94% of participants reported providing extended test time to students, most often 50% extended time (also known as "time and a half"), which was offered by 54% of institutions.…”

“…Although research focusing on the rela tionship of extended test time on performance and fairness is indeed important to explore, each of these studies occurred in simulated settings and did not include how much time students use in actual college testing situations or the variables that predict the time used (Holmes & Silvestri, 2019;Sokal & Vermette, 2017;Spenceley & Wheeler, 2016). Sokal and Wilson (2017) also pointed out that many of the studies on extended time assume that homogeneity exists among students with disabilities, ignor ing the diversity of students with disabilities.…”