Disability Resource Center

Faculty Testing Resources

Test accommodations provide the student with a disability the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of course material on an equal basis with their non-disabled peers. The accommodations intend to ensure that the examination process accurately measures the student’s knowledge and abilities in a specific subject matter rather than reflecting limitations due to disability. DRC students should discuss test accommodations with instructors to make arrangements for accommodations during test. Students may choose to use all or some of their test accommodations for individual test so it is important to confirm accommodations for each test.

The DRC works in partnership with the instructor to ensure that a student’s accommodative needs are met. Instructors are expected to provide all test accommodations as prescribed by the DRC. However, if the instructor is unable to accommodate the student, the student should submit a test request and DRC will administer the test on the instructor’s behalf.

*Test accommodations apply to quizzes, pop quizzes, exams, tests and final exams.

myDRC Instructor Portal

Instructors are highly encouraged to use the myDRC Instructor Portal. While DRC will continue to send email reminders and notifications, the instructor portal provides similar information in a centralized location. The portal allows instructors to:  

  • View all DRC students in instructor’s class(es) and their requested accommodations  
  • View all approved student exam requests  
  • Upload one copy of a test to be administered to multiple DRC students 
  • Provide instructions for DRC to administer tests on behalf of the instructor 

Instructors may review this myDRC Instructor Portal Testing Accommodations Tutorial for further information or contact DRC for assistance.

Providing Test Accommodations

Instructors are expected to provide all test accommodations for in-person and remote test. Below are some of the common test accommodations and ways instructors can provide accommodations. This list does not include all accommodations and is not the only way to facilitate the accommodations. Instructors can contact drctesting@cpp.edu for assistance with how to provide accommodations.

Calculating Extended Time

Extended time should be provided where the student does not have to change locations during the test. For proctored virtual tests, instructors should plan to proctor for the entire extended time. For in-person tests, a location should be arranged for the entire length of the exam.

Formula:  Class time in minutes x Accommodation amount = Extended time (round up to nearest one-minute increment)

Example #1: Test is 30 minutes. Student approved for 1.5x

30 x 1.5 = 45 [Student will receive 45 minutes]

Example #2: Test is 1 hour, 15 minutes. Approved for 1.5x

75 x 1.5 = 112.5 [Student will receive 113 minutes or 1 hour and 53 minutes]

How to Extend Time in Canvas

Instructors are expected to extend time in Canvas and other testing platforms for all quizzes and tests upon receipt of the Faculty Notification Letter. Remember, you can always refer to the myDRC Instructor Portal to see each student's amount of extended time. 

Availability and Due dates supersede extended time for Quizzes in Canvas. If the Until and Due date pass while students are taking the quiz with extended time, the quiz auto-submits even if the student's time extension has not expired. Availability and Due date periods should be equal to or greater than the students extended time.

  • Extra time on every attempt (found in Moderate this Quiz) is what grants the extended time for the quiz attempt once the student begins the quiz.
  • Availability from, until, and due dates set the range of when a quiz can be started and submitted. The availability/until dates do not extend the time a student has once they begin a quiz attempt. If the availability time and due date is less than the entire testing time that the student has, then the system will automatically time the student out at the due/until date/time even if the extended time was added in the moderate quiz settings.
    • For example, the class gets 60 minutes to take a test and the test is available from 1:00pm until 2:00pm on a single day, and has a due date of 2:00pm. A DRC student with 1.5x (50%) extended time should get 90 minutes to take the test. The DRC student would need to have the extra time added for each attempt in moderate quiz (30 minutes extra per attempt) and the availability and due dates adjusted to be available from at least 1:00pm to 2:30pm. If this is not adjusted the DRC student will not receive their extended time.

For detailed instructions on setting dates and extra time on quizzes check out the DRC Instructions for Extended Time on Canvas.

For alternate scenarios of extending time or more detailed instructions refer to the Canvas Instructor Guide.

Reduced Distraction

Location should be a quiet room with minimal visual or auditory distractions. 

Distraction Free

Location should be a private room away from other students with no significant visual or auditory distractions.

Breaks (10 minutes or 20 minutes per full hour)

Students are allowed stop-clock break time during the test. Break time does not take away from their test time and should be added to the overall test time. If student is also eligible for extended time, extended time is calculated first, then break time is added to get total test time. Instructors should inform students of how to request break time during exam.

Alternate Format: Kurzweil or Text-to-speech

Exam should be provided on a computer with a text-to-speech software available to read test material. Such software includes Kurzweil, Kurzweil Read the Web Chrome Extension, or Immersive Reader (in Canvas and MS Word). 

Math Formula Sheet or Memory Aid

A Formula Sheet or Memory Aid is intended to assist with memory recall and not intended to directly answer test/exam/quiz questions. Student and instructor collaborate before test to create or approve a Formula Sheet and/or Memory Aid.