Department of Justice Issues Guidance on Testing Accommodations for Students With Disabilities in High-Stakes Tests Under the ADA

The Department of Justice issued a technical assistant document (http://www.ada.gov/regs2014/testing_accommodations.pdf) related to individuals with disabilities who are needing accommodations for standardized exams, such as the ACT.  Testing accommodations must be provided in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for exams administered by any private, state or local government relating to applications, licensing, certification, or credentialing for secondary, post-secondary, professional or trade.  This document provides information on the obligations of testing entities, so the test scores reported accurately reflect individual's aptitude, achievement or skill the exam purports to measure instead of measuring the individual's disability. 

This document is a result of the tenacity of ISHA member, Peg Modglin, who advocated for her students with a language disability to receive accommodations without undue evaluations or documentation in relation to other disability categories that were readily accepted.  ISHA sincerely thanks Peg for her advocacy for and dedication to her students, which has had a national impact and positively affect students we serve across the country. For more information visit ASHA Headlines. (http://www.magnetmail.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?recipient_id=1041889450&message_id=11137943&user_id=ASHA_1&group_id=907339&jobid=30032740)