Classroom Accommodations:

HCA students who have been assessed by The Bridge and qualify for accommodations will receive a written 504 plan which will specify necessary classroom accommodations.

Students who require special accommodations on state and College Board exams and who seek classroom accommodations beyond the high school setting will need to apply to the College Board. Both College Board and ACT require an application process for a student who wishes to receive specialty accommodations on exams from these agencies. Accommodations typically granted are: extended test time, small group testing, a scribe provided to write answers as dictated by the student, having content read aloud, etc.

Things that must be in place for a student to qualify for accommodations from ACT or College Board:

• Have a current (within the last 3 years) psychological evaluation done by a licensed PhD. Psychologist documents a specific disability and documents the need for classroom, school and testing accommodations, including accommodations on timed and standardized assessments.
• For a minimum period of 4 months, the school should provide documentation that the student has been receiving/using such accommodations. At HCA, in most cases this means that the student has been evaluated through The Bridge Learning Center (BLC) and is actively receiving support from the BLC and appropriate accommodations have been put into place for HCA’s regular classroom environment.
• A current physical examination (within a year) must be on file with the school. A sports physical would be acceptable.
• The longer the documented history of the specific disability and the supports, the better. The school will need a copy of all earlier psychological evaluations and related testing.
• Parent should sit down with the school’s SSD Coordinator (SSD = Services for Students with Disabilities – this is College Board terminology) to complete the application. (The current SSD Coordinator for HCA is Mary Bane). For College Board accommodations, the application needs to be completed at least 2 months prior to the anticipated test date. ACT applications are not completed until the student registers for a specific ACT test.
• Tenth grade is a typical time for most students to apply for College Board accommodations. Students may submit applications for College Board tests any time from mid-eighth grade or later.

From year to year, College Board requirements can change. Parents are welcomed and encouraged to access the links below to investigate the current requirements. Individual disabilities may require more extensive or different documentation. 

ACT – link to SSD information: http://www.actstudent.org/regist/disab/

College Board – link to SSD information: http://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/documentation-guidelines