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Taking the GED Tests: Accommodating Accommodations
Neil Sturomski, President, Sturomski & Associates, GEDTS
Consultant
Ed. Note: Adults who have not
graduated from high school can get a GED, an equivalent high school
diploma. Adults with documented learning disabilities or ADHD can
request accommodations when taking the GED. This is done using Form
L-15. Neil Sturomski, educational consultant to the General
Educational Development Testing Service (GEDTS), tells how to use
this form.
In
recent years, the General Educational Development Testing Service (GEDTS)
has worked diligently to develop ways to provide support for
individuals with learning disabilities (LD) and/or Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). GEDTS has been proactive in making
sure that individuals, who have not graduated from high school and
want to take the GED Tests, as well as those providers who support
them, understand how to apply for accommodations. In support of these
efforts, GEDTS has designed an easy process for requesting
accommodations by any individual who has been diagnosed with LD
and/or ADHD.
The
L-15 is the GEDTS form used by individuals with documented LD and/or
ADHD to apply for accommodations on the GED Tests. Form L-15 has been
designed to be user-friendly and to request all information necessary
for rapid processing of an accommodation request. Form L-15 requests
information about the GED chief examiner and the testing center at
which testing will take place, along with information about the GED
candidate. The form requires a candidate, or the candidate’s parent
or guardian if the candidate is under 18 years of age, to sign a
statement authorizing release of information. This signature allows
GEDTS to obtain psychological or medical information on an individual
only if this additional information is necessary to support the
accommodation request.
Next, in Part II, the L-15 provides information on GEDTS policy about
the necessary qualifications needed to diagnose LD and/or ADHD to the
documenting professional. Documenting psychologists are expected to
be licensed by the state or certified within a public school or
correctional system to administer tests that diagnose LD and/or ADHD.
This section of the L-15 then discusses the role of a certifying
advocate, one who may only be attesting to the documentation from
psychological reports and educational assessments, which have been
transferred to Form L-15 for review.
The
next section on the L-15 (Part III) requests information about the
disability for which an accommodation is being requested and the
specific assessment documentation that supports the diagnosis. In
asking for psychological and educational test scores, the L-15
requires that these scores be presented as standard scores for easy
comparison and rapid processing of accommodation requests. Clear and
specific evidence and identification of a LD or ADHD must be
presented. Assessment documentation must include an individually
administered comprehensive intelligence test; individually
administered achievement tests in such areas as reading (decoding and
comprehension); written language (spelling, grammar, and written
expression), and mathematics (applied math and calculations); and
appropriate cognitive processing evaluations in areas such as
language, memory, executive functioning, visual-spatial areas, and
auditory processing.
Documentation for ADHD must be provided by a professional licensed to
make that diagnosis. The professional making the diagnosis must
provide a letter clearly stating that the candidate meets the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) criteria for ADHD
diagnosis. The letter should also define how the requested
accommodations meet the needs of the candidate. On the L-15, measures
used to diagnose ADHD should also be identified and the results
should be provided. The information provided on the L-15, identifying
an individual with LD and/or ADHD, should lead directly to requesting
the appropriate, specific accommodations needed by a candidate. The
next and final section of the L-15 requests such information.
Part IV of the L-15 requests information on effective accommodations
that have been previously provided. Part IV also requests information
on how the requested accommodations relate to the identified
disability. This helps to support the candidate in using the
appropriate accommodations specific to his or her needs. Unnecessary
accommodations could in fact hinder a candidate’s ability to perform
on the GED Tests. It is therefore imperative to make sure that a
candidate is familiar with the requested accommodations, that he or
she has learned how to use them, and that he or she has practiced in
similar types of situations, such as on the GED Practice Tests. This
helps to ensure an individual’s ability to use the accommodations on
the GED Tests and also in future situations of employment and daily
life. Accommodations are designed to put an individual on an equal
playing field with those who do not need accommodations, not to
perform the task for the individual with a documented disability.
Therefore, accommodations provide an opportunity for the candidate to
demonstrate his/her knowledge, skills and ability on an equal basis
to other test-takers.
Accommodations that can be requested include: extended time; the use
of an audiocassette, a scribe, a calculator; a private room; and
supervised breaks. Other reasonable accommodations may be requested
if the documentation provided supports the request. Some strategies
or techniques can be used by all GED Test candidates without any
required documentation. For example, all candidates are entitled to
request a large-print version of the test. All candidates may also
use other techniques learned in GED or adult education classes, such
as colored overlays, a non-ruled straight edge, magnifying strips,
graph paper, and other types of techniques and strategies that do not
compromise the reliability or validity of the GED Tests.
Because the L-15 asks GED candidates for information critical to
approve accommodation requests, the L-15 must be filled out
completely in order for the process to move quickly and seamlessly.
Accommodations cannot be granted without the completion of Form L-15.
An initial letter is included with the L-15. This letter provides the
candidate with an introduction to the form and provides some sample
cases where various individuals, diagnosed with a learning disability
or with ADHD, have requested accommodations. These forms may be
obtained from any GEDTS chief examiner at any GED Testing center.
Finally, the GEDTS accommodations approval process involves the
review of completed L-15's by GED State Administrators. In most
cases, the State Administrator--who has been trained by GEDTS to
screen the L-15 for all necessary information--will be able to
approve the request quickly allowing the candidate to take the tests
with the approved accommodations. If the State Administrator is
unable to approve an accommodation request, the L-15 may either be
returned to the candidate to obtain further information or sent to
GEDTS in Washington D.C. for a Level Two expert review. The level-two
expert may approve the accommodations; request additional
information, or may not approve the request. The GED candidate may
appeal a decision in which an accommodation was not approved after
which a panel of experts in Washington makes a final decision.
To
support GEDTS efforts on behalf of individuals with LD and/or ADHD, a
GED National Disabilities Advisory Group of professionals in various
disability-related fields was formed in 1999. This GED advisory group
offers guidance in disability policy and helps to ensure the
continuing appropriateness in light of the latest research on LD and
ADHD. This advisory group meets regularly to discuss pertinent
issues, such as those regarding training, the Form L-15, and the
latest disability policies. The GEDTS goal is to support individuals
with disabilities and provide them with the accommodations necessary
to ensure access. For additional information, please call GEDTS at
(202) 939-9490 or check the
GED website.
For
more information about the GED Accommodations Process, please
visit this page.
Neil Sturomski has worked for over 20
years in the learning disabilities field. He has taught both children
and adults with learning disabilities, first as a teacher in grades
K-12 and then as the Director of the Night School program of the Lab
School of Washington. Most recently, Mr. Sturomski has served as the
Director of the National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities
Center, in Washington, DC. Mr. Sturomski is currently President and
CEO of Sturomski and Associates and is deeply involved in training
teachers to help individuals with learning disabilities learn how to
use learning strategies.
Accommodating Accommodations
Effective Instructional Practices
Learning Disabilities and the Correction System
Q&As on Teaching Techniques
Q&As for Adults with Learning Disabilities: 7-2003 | 8-2003 | 10-2003
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