By: Chloe Plaisance
Because the College Board and ACT are their own entities, unattached to the public school system, they will not have the information they need to provide you with the accommodations you need unless your school provides that information.
College Board Exams
The College Board has a webpage that explains how schools should submit accommodations requests for students with disabilities. The process involves the school designating a Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) coordinator, who is given access to an online portal where they can upload accommodations requests and supporting documentation for all students who will be testing. The requests must be submitted to the College Board by the “SSD deadline,” which is laid out in a calendar on the College Board website, and this usually requires accommodations requests to be submitted seven weeks before the examination date.
The only requirement of the student is to have a parent complete this consent form authorizing the school to make an accommodations request. Students and their parents also have the option to request accommodations on their own without going through the school. The College Board website has instructions on how to do so.
ACT Exam
ACT has a similar webpage which explains how schools can request testing accommodations. Like the College Board, ACT has an online portal through which the school administrator can upload documentation and accommodation requests. The requests must be submitted by the “Late Registration Deadline,” which can be found in the Test Dates section of the website. The deadline is typically 3 weeks before the examination date. Unlike the College Board, ACT requires all requests to be made by a school official. The student must have their parent complete this consent form authorizing the school to share information with ACT.
Homeschooled students or their parents can request accommodations directly from ACT using the instructions found.
