Hello...new to this site.....so far, very impressed. Question, has anyone had any experience asking the College Board for testing accommodations for their high school type 1? It was suggested that we do this...however, no other LD or med issues except Type 1. Our child was denied extended time, but was granted breaks and food. Is this pretty normal/expected? I worry about pump issues or lows, relating to test performance (particularly that testing done before a child detects a true low....) during the 3 1/2 hour period for PSAT's, SAT's.....
I BELIEVE that it simply means that they stop the clock if you need to treat. Each time my girls need to take an exam they are in their own room with a proctor who lets them drink, test or whatever they need. There are scheduled breaks in the exams as well so usually that break is enough time to test and treat whatever needs to be addressed. The bad news is that the tests are always in the mornings and its usually a rushed breakfast out the door combined with nerves so the blood sugars are often on the high end.GOOD LUCK!
As a teacher and diabetic type 1- You should look into a document called a 504 accomodation plan. It is a more powerful plan than an I.E.P, and with the team, doctor and parent input, you can outline the exact accomodations needed and wanted.
Ditto previous post- a 504 is more commonly used at the college level than an IEP for something like T1 (it is created for medical issues) and I feel like it would hold more weight than just asking for the accomodations. I have no experience with college, however, as I work with K-12 public schools. Good luck!
Our son asked for a "stop the clock" accomodation for the ACT so he could test his BG and have a snack. His doctor wrote a letter and even though he took the test twice we only had to get the ok the first time and it carried forward to the second test. He took his test in a room by himself so as not to disturb any of the test takers.
I just got permission to bring a glucose monitor and pack of glucose tabs into the SAT and ACT tests when I took them. Don't think the 30 seconds I needed here and there to test required the clock to be stopped.
Typically when taking a big test I try to go in with a blood sugar around 150. Gives a little buffer since my blood sugar usually drops a bit from all the brain power I'm using. =)
The power of the 504 plan is that it can help dictate accommodations not just for the tests that are needed to get in to college, but can be used IN college as well to ensure that meters/snacks/etc can be brought in during exams. It is worth looking into while your child is still in high school if you believe it might benefit them in college.
While most professors are likely to allow this with a simple explanation at the start of the semester, if your child is attending a larger school, the professor might not even be the one proctoring the exam, or might have no clue that they had that conversation at the beginning of the semester. Many times electronics are prohibited during exams, and it would suck it have to deal with honor code/cheating accusations just because you pulled your meter out to check. A 504 plan would be a legal document that would protect your child's rights to certain accommodations. Keep in mind though, I too am saying this from a special educator perspective, as I wasn't given my d-day til well after college.