9/24/15
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The SAT will replace the ACT in Michigan in
March of 2016.
Today’s 11th graders will be the first cohort to take
the SAT this spring.
 They will still take the WorkKeys assessment and the
M-STEP as part of the MME.
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The Preliminary SAT (PSAT) will be made
available for grades 8-11.
Each test is grade-level specific and functionally
replaces the PLAN/Explore tests provided by ACT.
 The 8-10th grade PSATs are used for practice and
feedback.
 The 11th grade PSAT is also the National Merit
Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), so a
good score can result in a scholarship.
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The SAT and 11th grade PSAT/NMSQT are highstakes tests that affect scholarship money and
college admissions.
It is likely that evaluations will be requested for
the purpose of obtaining SAT and PSAT
accommodations.
The SAT offers the same range of accommodations
as the ACT but the two agencies have different
ways of determining who gets accommodations.
We should better understand the process so we are
able to inform students and parents.
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To submit a request, someone from the school
should make an account with SSD Online
(https://www.collegeboard.org/studentswith-disabilities/ssd-online/get-access).
SSD Online allows staff to directly scan the
student’s files to College Board (SAT
Publisher), who will then make a decision on
accommodations.
Throughout the process, the SSD Online
Coordinator can track the progress of the
request and submit additional information.
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March 2016 SAT accommodation request
deadlines is February 16, 2016.
All documentation must be received before
then.
You can began accommodation requests right
now as long as your school has an AI code (a
school identifier code within their database).
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The request process can take up to seven
weeks, and that is only after all necessary
documentation has been received.
If they find during their review process that not
all documentation has been submitted, then the
seven-week timeline resets after the necessary
documentation has been received.
Accommodation request deadlines require you
to be very proactive.
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For the student to receive accommodations,
documentation should meet the following
seven criteria:
Criterion #1 and #2 have important
implications.
Source: screenshot from College Board’s website at
https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/documentation-guidelines/disability-documentation
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For physical disabilities, hearing impairments,
and vision impairments, the student must be
diagnosed by a licensed professional.
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E.g., ophthalmologist, medical doctor,
otorhinolaryngologist, optometrist
For mental disabilities (e.g., ASD, learning
disorders, ADHD, psychiatric disorders), a
DSM diagnosis must be made.
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Thus, a school-based evaluation may be considered
by the reviewer when making a decision about
accommodations, but without a formal diagnosis,
the student is automatically excluded from
accommodations.
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Evaluator must be qualified to DIAGNOSE.
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SSWs and Ed.S. level school psychologists cannot
diagnose – they can only make eligibility
recommendations.
SLPs and Ph.D. level psychologists can make
diagnoses, though.
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Contracting with outside evaluators for some
of these evaluations may be necessary.
We have no authority over outside evaluators,
meaning that there is no guarantee that their
reports meet the minimum levels of specificity
outlined by College Board.
Communicating these requirements is
essential.
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To assist outside evaluators in writing satisfactory
reports, a detailed description of the documentation
needed for each individual disability category can be
found here: https://www.collegeboard.org/studentswith-disabilities/documentation-guidelines/disabilitydocumentation
This resource is important, because very specific content
must be included in the reports, some of which outside
evaluators do not always include:
Relevant educational, developmental, and medical history as it
relates to the diagnosis.
 A narrative summary of the evaluation results.
 Connection between disability and requested accommodations,
specifically addressing reasons why the requested
accommodations are needed on the College Board’s
Standardized Exams.
 Standard scores on subtests.
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Across disabilities, the most recent evaluation
should be no more than five years old.
IQ data is generally not considered valid until
the student is eight years old.
Source: screenshot from College Board’s website at
https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/documentation-guidelines/learning-disorders
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If extended time
is desired, the
most recent
evaluation needs
to include both
timed and
untimed
academic
achievement
subtest(s):
Source: screenshot from College Board’s website at
https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/documentation-guidelines/extended-time
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These are very specific report requirements
that outside evaluators should know when
writing their reports.
Source: screenshot from College Board’s website at
https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/documentation-guidelines/adhd
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Michigan Special Education evaluation criteria
is less stringent than what College Board
requires.
In MARSE, IQ testing is not a required
component of determining SLD eligibility or
OHI eligibility.
College Board requires IQ scores (preferably
collected in grade 3 or later) for all students
with Specific Learning Disabilities and students
with ADHD.
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When I called customer service, they said that
the decision to offer accommodations is up to
the reviewer. One reviewer might say no while
another might say yes.
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If an accommodation is approved by College
Board, it applies to all College Board tests (i.e., if
you qualify for PSAT accommodations you also
qualify for SAT accommodations and vice versa).
Approval lasts for all of high school and one year
after that.
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e.g., if a student is approved for accommodations for the
8th grade PSAT, that student can continue receiving them
throughout high school and for a full year after that.
WorkKeys is NOT produced by College Board – it
is produced by ACT.
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Receiving WorkKeys accommodations requires you to go
through the accommodation request process with ACT.
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Step 1: Begin the process well ahead of time!
To see what documentation is needed for a specific
student, find that student’s disability here:
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https://www.collegeboard.org/students-withdisabilities/documentation-guidelines/disabilitydocumentation
Review that student’s file to see if available records
sufficiently meet College Board’s criteria.
If unsure, submit anyway via SSD Online and see what
else they want from you.
If more data is needed, seek an evaluation.
Share College Board requirements with any outside
evaluator to ensure that the evaluation is satisfactory.
Submit via SSD Online and track the status of the
request.
If an accommodation request is rejected, you can
always re-apply after obtaining more data.
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Issue: The SAT is a high stakes test; arguably the
most important test that many individuals will
ever take. Performance on this test can greatly
affect the individual’s life trajectory.
Question: Because this test is so important, are we
obligated under FAPE to pay for a comprehensive
medical evaluation for a student having or
suspected of having a disability if that student’s
available information is insufficient for the College
Board reviewer to make a determination regarding
provision of accommodations?
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Answer from attorneys: The school/district is not
obligated under FAPE to provide, or help the
parents get, a medical evaluation for the purpose
of obtaining SAT accommodations.
Informing parents of the process is critical though.
If the student’s IEP states the need for accommodations,
we have to provide them.
 However, College Board will not accept the test as valid if
we provide the accommodations without their approval.
 Thus, an IEP amendment may need to be made to state
that no accommodations for the SAT will be provided.
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