WHAT IF MY CHILD GETS DENIED EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT?

WHAT IF MY CHILD GETS DENIED EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT?

OK THIS CAN GET EXTREMELY COMPLICATED.  HOWEVER, HERE ARE MY BASIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS:

1) IF YOUR CHILD GETS DENIED EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT I WOULD READ CAREFULLY THE LETTER THEY SENT YOU IN WHICH THEY SOMEWHAT EXPLAIN WHY THEY DENIED YOU EXTRA TIME.  THE ABSOLUTE BEST THING TO DO IS CALL THE ACT AT 1-319-337-1270 AND GET A HOLD OF THE ACTUAL PERSON IN CHARGE OF YOUR FILE.  THE PERSON WHO WROTE THE DENIAL.  THIS MIGHT BE DIFFICULT, BUT PLEASE PURSUE.  ONCE YOU GET A HOLD OF THAT PERSON, FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT MEASURES NEED TO BE TAKEN TO OBTAIN EXTENDED TIME.  THEN FOLLOW WHAT IS SAID.  THE ACT IS NOTORIOUS FOR BEING DIFFICULT ABOUT GRANTING EXTENDED TIME.  YOU CAN GET YOUR DENIAL REVOKED, BUT IT WILL TAKE SOME EFFORT FROM THE PARENTS.  I HAVE ACTUALLY HAD A CLIENT WHO GOT DENIED 5 TIMES THEN ON THE SIXTH TRY THEY GOT THE EXTENDED TIME.  THE AFOREMENTIONED IS EXTREMELY RARE, USUALLY IT TAKES 2 OR EVEN 3 ATTEMPTS.  IT IS WELL WORTH THE EXTRA TIME IT TAKES!  YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED THAT EXTRA TIME ON THE ACT IF YOU HAVE LEARNING DIFFERENCES.

2)  BASICALLY THE SAME THING GOES FOR THE SAT.  HOWEVER, THE SAT IS MUCH MORE EASY TO GET EXTENDED TIME FROM THAN IS THE ACT.  YOU CAN CONTACT THE SAT AT 866-756-7346.

HOW DO I GET EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT?

HOW DO I GET EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT?

OK, THIS CAN BE COMPLICATED.  THE SAT IS MUCH EASIER TO GET EXTENDED TIME ON VS. THE ACT.  YOU MUST HAVE A RECENT, VALID DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHICH CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES A LEARNING DIFFERENCE AND THE TEST MUST BE UPDATED WITHIN THE PAST 2 YEARS (CHECK ON THIS BECAUSE THIS COULD HAVE CHANGED).  YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL TESTER TO GET AN UPDATE FOR A FEE.

YOU ALSO SHOULD BE USING EXTENDED TIME AT YOUR SCHOOL AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!  YOU CAN BE DENIED FOR EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT (MAYBE SAT) IF YOU ARE NOT USING EXTRA TIME AT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL.

YOU MUST APPLY FOR EXTENDED TIME OR OTHER ACCOMODATIONS (SUCH AS A READER, ETC. - THERE ARE MANY THINGS AVAILABLE - YOU CAN EVEN TAKE THE TEST OVER SEVERAL DAYS) THROUGH YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR.  YOU MUST DO THAT.  YOU MUST USE YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR TO APPLY FOR EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT.

EVEN IF YOU GET DENIED EXTENDED TIME THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO.  SEE THE NEXT POST.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET MY CHILD TESTED FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES?

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET MY CHILD TESTED FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES?

IF YOU HAVE THE FINANCIAL MEANS TO GET YOUR CHILD TEST TESTED FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES THAT IS GREAT. YOU DO NEED TO KNOW THAT IT CAN BE EXPENSIVE. I HAVE SEEN PRICES ANYWHERE FROM $1000 TO $5000 US DOLLARS FOR THE INITIAL TESTING. PRETTY MUCH IT JUST DEPENDS UPON THE PERSON DOING THE TESTING.  CHECK WITH YOUR SCHOOL REGARDING REFERRALS FOR TESTERS.

WHY WOULD I NEED TO GET MY CHILD TESTED FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES?

WHY WOULD I NEED TO GET MY CHILD TESTED FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES?

THE REASON YOU WOULD WANT TO GET YOUR CHILD TESTED IS BECAUSE IF YOUR CHILD HAS LEARNING DIFFERENCES ACCORDING TO THE TESTER, THEN YOU CAN GET SOME SERIOUS BENEFITS IN SCHOOL AND ON THE SAT OR ACT TESTS.  THE MAIN BENEFIT WOULD BE EXTRA TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT AND IN SCHOOL ON TESTS AND QUIZZES. 

IF YOUR CHILD HAS TROUBLE COMPLETING TESTS, QUIZZES, AND FINAL EXAMS ON TIME THAT MIGHT BE A VERY GOOD REASON TO GET THEM TESTED, OR IF YOUR CHILD DOES NOT PERFORM AS WELL AS YOU THINK THEY COULD BE PERFORMING WERE THEY TO HAVE MORE TIME TO FINISH TESTS AND QUIZZES.  GETTING MORE TIME ON TESTS AND QUIZZES CAN CERTAINLY HELP ANY STUDENT!

WHAT EXACTLY IS A LEARNING DIFFERENCE?

WHAT EXACTLY IS A LEARNING DIFFERENCE?

I GET ASKED THIS QUESTION VERY OFTEN.  SIMPLY PUT, I WOULD SAY THAT A LEARNING DIFFERENCE CAN BEST BE DEFINED AS THE FOLLOWING:

A LEARNING DIFFERENCE IS WHEN A STUDENT CANNOT PERFORM TO THE SAME LEVEL AS THEIR PIERS WITHIN THE SAME TIME FRAME. 

THESE LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED BY VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS ALL ACROSS THE NATION.  HAVING A LEARNING DIFFERENCE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.  IF YOU SUSPECT THAT YOUR CHILD HAS A LEARNING DIFFERENCE YOU SHOULD GET THEM TESTED BY A REPUTABLE DIAGNOSTICIAN OR PSYCHOLOGIST.  YOUR SCHOOL SHOULD HAVE SOME NAMES ON FILE FOR YOU TO REFER TO.

SOME STUDENTS JUST FLATLY LEARN DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER STUDENTS DO.  HAVING SOMEONE TESTED CAN HELP YOU GAIN VERY VALUABLE INSIGHT INTO HOW THE STUDENT OPERATES ACADEMICALLY, AND IT CAN HELP YOU GET THE STUDENT THE APPROPRIATE HELP THEY NEED IN ORDER TO DO BETTER.