Is “Extra Time” a Helpful Accommodation?
Time Timer visual timer in the classroom.
Extra time on tests or exams is a common accommodation given to students with learning disabilities.
When I meet with parents for consultations on IEPs, SLPs, and 504s, I let them know that this is not an accommodation I recommend adding to a dyscalculic child's education plan.
Why not?
Receiving additional time to work on math problems causes more anxiety for dyscalculic students. When students do not understand the work or are overwhelmed, having more time does not help them. No matter how long they sit there, the problems are not going to make more sense the longer they think about the math problems.
This accommodation is problematic in a practical sense because the extra time is often taken from another activity that the student would prefer, such as missing out on recess, free time, after school down time, or even from another subject they may enjoy. This “support” feels more like a punishment for being learning-disabled.
The other ironic thing about giving a dyscalculic student “more time” is that they have no concept of time. They struggle to understand the amount of time gone by, or how to manage amounts of time. The experience for them is that they are being required to spend more time than their peers doing something they hate.
A more appropriate accommodation is to reduce the number of problems on exams to a more realistic amount for a student with dyscalculia.
For example, if a test should take about 30 minutes for an average student to complete, a dyscalculic student should be given the same length of testing as the others but with an amount of problems doable for them in that time. Teachers should have a good idea about how much longer it takes this student to solve math problems, and can reduce the number of problems to a realistic amount to solve in 30 minutes. This is a much more supportive accommodation for testing and exams.
If you would like help sorting through your child’s IEP, SLP, or 504 accommodations, please reach out to me about 1:1 consulting services.
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