A SURVEY OF HANDICAPPED STUDENTS TAKING SPECIAL TEST ADMINISTRATIONS OF THE SAT AND GRE

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study examined the responses of disabled people to questionnaires on special testing accommodations both for college testing and for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). The questionnaires were developed to help evaluate testing accommodations for disabled people and to obtain additional information on the severity or kinds of disabilities within categories of handicap.After discussing the limitations of the study due to a poor response rate and small subgroups of respondents, the study reported on the high level of overall satisfaction with special testing accommodations and covered extensively the complaints of a small minority. These complaints involved the test itself and the conditions of testing, including time and space considerations.A second major section of the report dealt with a comparison of accommodations made for the SAT or GRE with accommodations provided for college testing. The standardized tests were offered in special versions and with extra time more frequently than were college tests.A tentative look within the four disability groups of hearing impaired, learning disabled, physically handicapped, and visually impaired test takers found subgroups worthy of more extensive study.