ACT Test to Allow Automatic Accommodations for IEP, 504 Students
ACT test-takers with IEPs and 504 Plans will be automatically eligible to receive allowable accommodations when they register accordingly beginning this year, according to the test college entrance exam developer.
August 13, 2021
Students with IEPs and 504 Plans will be automatically eligible to receive allowable accommodations when taking the ACT test, in a move meant to increase accessibility for students with disabilities beginning this school year.
ACT, the developer of the standardized test, announced last month that it will approve accommodations already included in students’ IEPs or 504 Plans when they register for the exam with accommodations starting with the 2021-22 testing year.
The change simplifies the accommodation eligibility process for ACT testing, as students who receive services under IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act will no longer have to undergo a separate process to request and prove eligibility. The non-profit will also be requiring less information and documentation to support requests submitted by students with IEPs and 504 Plans.
“Students with disabilities already face many barriers in their lives, and we don’t want the accommodations process for taking the ACT to be one of them,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin in a press release. “This policy change simplifies and expedites the process for requesting accommodations, so that students can focus on learning all that they can in school and showing what they know on test day.”
ACT noted that public schools follow a rigorous process to determine which students are eligible for special education services, including test-taking accommodations.
“By aligning to a standard that is already applied in schools where the majority of our students with accommodations are learning, we simplify and expedite the process for students, families, and educators,” said ACT Senior Director of Accessibility Katie Featherston.
For students without an IEP or 504 Plan, ACT will continue to offer accommodations using Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards to determine whether a test-taker exhibits a qualifying impairment.
