Sharing a praise!

[LynnH]

I feel like the people on this board are like family since many of us have walked this journey for several years together so I wanted to share a praise. I submitted a request for ACT accommodations for my son. As many of you know he has hand tremors and dysgraphia due to mild CP. I have always heard that getting ACT accommodations is very difficult for homeschoolers so I was pretty nervous about it all. We were asking for extended time and for him to be able to write on the test booklet since coloring in bubbles is impossible for him to do without having stray marks. Today I received an e-mail saying he has been approved for accommodations!! They didn't detail the accommodations, that will come in a letter, but looking at his admission ticket I think he got what we requested. He isn't taking the test until June of 2017 but I had always heard to submit way early so that is what I did.

[Lynn3ggb]

That is great news! I can sense your relief. The ACT is daunting enough without extra pressure of any kind. I'm glad it was a smooth process for you.

[Gwenny]

That's great to hear!! Thanks for sharing.

[John'smom]

So happy for you!!!!

[lmercon]

That's wonderful! May I ask a couple of questions as I will need to look into this for my son as well.

1. Did you need to get an IEP for him from the school district in order to qualify?
2. Did you need an official diagnosis?
3. Where did you send the request?

Thanks so much! If you wish to pm the details, that would be fine too. I hope I'm too nosy.

Laura

[LynnH]

Laura, I will try to answer your questions. Getting accommodations requires quite a bit of paperwork.
1. You don't have to have an IEP from the school district. If you do is easier to get the accommodations, but my understanding is you then have to abide by ps guidelines for different things. I didn't want to do that. I didn't want him to have to take tons of yearly tests on subject matter he hadn't studied just to get an IEP. His last IEP was from 4th grade. I did send that in just so they could see he had always had this disability.
2. Yes you need an official diagnosis from a medical professional that is deemed the correct one to give that diagnosis. So for my son he needed his pediatrician to write a letter confirming his diagnosis. You also need a full neuropsychological evaluation that is done within 3 years of them taking the tests. That was done by a neuropsychologist and he had to write a letter with recommendations for accommodations. The other thing you need is a list of all the accommodations you have made during his schooling. I have kept track of everything I have done such as untimed standardized test, to typing, to me scribing for him etc.
3. The ACT just recently changed their procedure. They have now gone to an online system that someone from the school has to log into and request the accommodations. This won't work for homeschoolers, so I called them and they e-mailed me a paper copy of the request. They are very friendly on the phone and I talked to them a couple of times to make sure I was doing everything right. The website outlines things pretty well, but it can be a little difficult to find what you are looking for.

It isn't an easy thing to navigate, and my understanding is many people do not receive accommodations even after submitting all the paperwork correctly. I am very thankful God paved the way for my son to get what he needs.

[Tiffini]

That is wonderful, Lynn! God has always continually guided and provided what you need for your son. It's been a blessing to be a witness of that!

[my3sons]

Oh, I'm so glad and am praising the Lord with you today! What good news! Thank you for sharing, and I've felt so blessed getting to know you and your son these many years. You are an encouragement to so many!

In Christ,
Julie