Testing Accommodations

Accommodated Testing Process

Depending on their individual situation, students with testing accommodations may test in the Assessment & Testing Center, or in Student Accessibility Services's (SAS) semi-private or private room. Below are the steps that students and Faculty take with regard to accommodated testing:

  1. Students are responsible for scheduling their on-campus tests through via their Student AIM Portal. A new request must be made for each on-campus proctored exam. Students must schedule at least three business days before the test date. Business days are defined as Monday-Friday, excluding weekends, holidays, or anytime time that the College is officially closed. End of business day for exam requests is 4:30pm. Students may check out these instructions for how to request accommodations in AIM (Word).
  2. The instructor(s) will get notified that their student is taking a test and when.
  3. Faculty upload their exam and instructions to their Instructor AIM Portal as soon as possible, and no later than two business days before the scheduled test date. With this form, Faculty will upload their exam and include any special notes, allowances, and contact information (cell phone numbers are preferred).
  4. Any permission to test on alternate days or times must be provided in writing via by the instructor. The student should include testcenter@shoreline.edu and sas@shoreline.edu on communications with the instructor showing permission for alternate test date or time. Evening classes are an exception; students will have to test outside the class session in order to be proctored during our open hours.

Please note: Accommodated test proctoring on campus is available Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30.

What Counts as a Test?

For the purpose of applying disability accommodations, a “test” is any class activity that has restricted access to materials, operates within a limited time frame of the class’s dedicated participation hours, and is monitored.

Examples of where testing accommodations should apply include timed online tests, pop quizzes, in-class essays, and lab practicals.

Responsibilities

  • Request your basic accommodations each quarter through the Student AIM Portal. If you do not have accommodations in place, you will not be able to request accommodated testing.
  • Submit a unique request for each exam for which you would like to be accommodated.
  • Arrive on time for tests. If you arrive later than the time you scheduled, you will lose time on your exam.
  • You must bring Photo ID. If you do not have Photo ID you will not be able to test in a testing center and will have to test with your class, where the instructor is not obligated to provide accommodations.
  • It is strongly suggested that you remind your instructors about accommodated tests (both online and on-campus) a few days before, to ensure that your accommodations are met.

  • Meet with the student to discuss a plan for how exams may be accommodated throughout the quarter.  Students can choose to use accommodations or not, but their intentions must be stated in advance of each test.  Many students choose to take every test with accommodations.  
  • Submit all exams and proctoring instructions using the Instructor AIM Portal at least two business days prior to the day of the test so that we have sufficient time to prepare the testing information for the student and proctor.
  • Completed tests can be downloaded by Faculty from their Instructor AIM Portal or picked up in the Assessment & Testing Center, Room 5100.

Online Exams

Students will still receive accommodations for online exams, though they do not need to schedule in advance. The exceptions include, but are not limited to, synchronous online testing, online testing with an interpreter, and online exams with a Reader.

Faculty may reach out to eLearning for assistance with extending online exam times for individual students.

General Information About Testing Accommodations

Assessment & Testing Center: A reduced-distraction environment and may have a few other students taking other tests in the same room.

SAS Testing Room: A semi-private (sometimes private) testing space on the second floor of FOSS with no more than 10 testers.

Private Room: The student takes a test in a room by themselves.

Scribe: The student provides verbal answers to the scribe. The scribe is a staff person from our office. The student writes only what the student dictates, and does not influence the outcome of the answers.  Extended test time with a scribe is necessary to allow the student to dictate their answers, then wait for them to be written.

Reader: A staff person from our office reads aloud the questions verbatim only and does not provide any other information to the student.

Earmuffs/Earplugs: All testing spaces have disposable earplugs and earmuffs available for student use during exams.