Additional test time accommodations

CLEAR Exam Review (Winter 1994)
Norman R. Hertz

Question: If a candidate receives special accommodation such as extended time, should the score report include an annotation that the examination was administered with accommodation?

Answer: No. Information regarding disability or accommodation should be held confidential by the licensing agency, and should be used only for the purpose of providing reasonable accommodation. The licensing agency may not release information to any third party about a candidate's disability or request for an examination accommodation. An increase in the amount of time permitted for a candidate to take the licensing examination should not affect the measurement of knowledge and skills for most licensing examinations because most examinations do not usually assess the capabilities affected by the disability, such as reading speed, visual acuity, dexterity, or mobility. If the disability is observable, the candidate is not required to provide documentation but is required only to request an accommodation. Even without the reasons stated above, it becomes problematic for a licensing agency to report candidates' scores indicating that accommodations were provided only if they required documentation.

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