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Accommodations Guidelines

All candidates who are requesting test accommodations because of a disability must provide current documentation of their condition that explains how it is expected to affect their ability to take the test under standard conditions. This would include supporting documentation from the professional who diagnosed the condition.

The following guidelines are provided to assist the applicant in requesting test accommodations based on an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. It is critical to understand that analysis of your functional limitation is made by comparing your abilities to those of most people in the general population. Many people have relative strengths and weaknesses, and in some people these are pronounced. However, in order to be disabled, you must be substantially limited relative to most people, not relative to your own IQ or relative to your classmates or professional peers.

Specific Documentation Guidelines

Test candidates and their evaluator, e.g., doctor, psychologist, should carefully review these Guidelines to be sure that your supporting evidence is sufficient for test accommodations expert evaluators to make an informed decision. The Guidelines provided are not mandatory per se; they are, in fact, “guidance” for you and your evaluator. No accommodations request will be “automatically” approved or denied; all requests are carefully reviewed in their entirety, on an individualized, case-by-case basis.

All candidates who are requesting test accommodations because of a disability must provide appropriate documentation of their disability and show how it is expected to impact their ability to take the test under standard conditions. Documentation should include current details that describe your diagnosis and the functional limitations that justify the requested test accommodations. All documentation should be in English.

IMPORTANT:

It is not sufficient to document a diagnosis of a particular condition; your documentation must articulate:

• How the diagnosis rises to the level of a disability;
• How the condition is expected to impact your ability to take the test under standard conditions; and
• How the requested accommodation is expected to mitigate the effects of your disability.

Supporting evidence should meet these general criteria:

1. Supporting evidence from a qualified evaluator should be provided, and should be printed on your evaluator’s letterhead.
   • The evaluator must be qualified (see Note 1 below).
   • The evaluator’s report must include a specific diagnosis.
   • The supporting evidence should demonstrate not only that you meet diagnostic criteria for a particular condition, but also that your condition is disabling (substantially limiting to you, relative to most people).
   • Supporting documentation should include specific recommendations for testing accommodations with a rationale for
   • Supporting documentation must be dated, and must be signed by the
2. Supporting evidence must provide information about your current functional limitations.

Paradigm will use the guidelines below to establish currency of documentation. These timelines may be adjusted for unique or unusual situations.

3. While not required, the following additional information may be helpful for evaluators to more fully understand your accommodations needs:
   • Supporting documentation must contain relevant information about the history of your condition, its impact on your current functioning, and your prognosis (how long your condition is expected to continue).
   • If formal psychoeducational testing was administered, the supporting documentation should include all scores, subtest scores, and index scores for any objective tests that were administered to
   • It may be helpful for us to see relevant medical or academic records, if these establish a history of a disabling condition and the need for accommodations. Again, while not specifically required, these may be helpful to us in determining your accommodations needs. For example, you may be able to provide us with academic records that show difficulties in elementary, secondary, and post- secondary education. These records could include grade reports, Individual Education Plans, 504 Plans, standardized test scores, and teachers’

Notes

1. A qualified professional must provide the supporting evidence. An individual is deemed to be qualified to conduct a psychological, psychoeducational, or medical evaluation if he or she has had extensive graduate-level training in the area of assessment of This usually includes formal education and training in the history, nature, identification, and treatment of learning, psychological, or medical disorders. In most cases, the examiner should have a doctoral or medical degree. Although unlikely, we reserve the right to request evidence of an evaluator’s professional qualifications.
2. If your native language is NOT English: Please note that speaking English as a second language is a life circumstance, not a disability; only disability-related accommodations are approved.

Submit your Request for Test Accommodations

The most secure method for submitting your confidential accommodations request materials is to upload them directly to our secure Portal. To fill out the online form or upload additional documentation, please follow the following steps:

1. Read the Candidate Instructions, and be sure your evaluator has read them. Prepare your supporting evidence that conforms to the Guidelines.
2. First time visitors must first Create an Account and login to our secure HTTPS/SFTP portal.
3. Complete the online Accommodations Request Form.
4. Upload your completed Accommodations Request Form and supporting documentation.