Accommodations

The Consortium seeks to support, and advocate for, eligible individuals seeking certification, including in testing accommodations. The Consortium complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is committed to providing necessary testing accommodations for examinees with documented disabilities, consistent with the requirements of the law. Accommodations may also be approved for examinees with documented qualifying medical conditions that may be temporary or are not otherwise covered by the ADA including conditions that require the use of medical devices or medication during the exam. The Consortium may also provide testing accommodations for candidates testing in other jurisdictions, to the extent required by applicable laws in those jurisdictions.

The decision as to whether a medical condition that is not covered by the ADA is a “qualifying medical condition” for purposes of the core and specialty student affairs educator certification exam accommodation is at the sole discretion of the Consortium.

Accommodations are provided on an individual basis at no additional cost to the candidate, and depend on the nature of the disability or medical condition and documentation provided. The Consortium will make reasonable efforts to provide the requested accommodations to examinees provided the functional impairment has been demonstrated through adequate documentation, and the accommodations do not fundamentally alter the measurement of the skills or knowledge the examination is intended to test, do not jeopardize examination integrity and security, are compatible with the nature and purpose of the examination or assessment program, and do not result in an undue burden to the Consortium. Accommodations cannot be made to the actual content of the examination. A range of available accommodations are considered to assist examinees with disabilities or qualifying medical conditions.

Accommodation Form

To apply for accommodation(s) on core and specialty student affairs educator certification exams, the candidate must: 

  • Submit documentation provided by an appropriately-licensed professional, on the Documentation of Disability-Related Needs by Qualified Provider Form, which includes a diagnosis of the disability and specific recommendations for accommodations. This document must be submitted within the Prolydian application at least 30 calendar days prior to the testing date.    

Requesting Accommodation

All requests for examination accommodations are strictly confidential, and documentation submitted in support of the request is used solely for the purpose of evaluating the request. Failure to provide the Consortium with adequate supporting documentation in a timely manner will cause a delay in the review process and the applicant’s ability to schedule and take the examination.

An applicant may request more than one accommodation; however, documentation is required for each requested accommodation. 

Examinees cannot schedule their core and/or specialty student affairs educator certification examination, nor can the examination be administered, until the process described above has been completed.

The Consortium will base the accommodations on the requests and required documentation received. Common accommodations include extended time for testing (1.5 time or double time), frequent or additional breaks, access to auxiliary items (food, medication, or medical devices), or provision of a reader and/or scribe. Candidates will not be charged any additional fees for approved accommodations. 

Adequate supporting documentation from a qualified professional certifying to the applicant’s disability or qualifying condition, with specific identification of the requested accommodation and the basis for the request, must be submitted to the Consortium, either directly from the qualified professional or by the applicant. The Consortium will verify the authenticity of any submissions sent by the applicant. A qualified professional is someone with the credentials, training, and expertise to diagnose the reported disability or qualifying condition. The primary relationship of the attesting professional to the individual must be that of a treating qualified professional to a patient or client; there must be no familial, intimate, supervisory or other close relationship between the qualified professional and the individual requesting the accommodation(s).

The Documentation must: 

  • Be on the Disability-Related Needs by Qualified Provider Form, typed in English, dated and signed and include the name, title, and professional credentials of the qualified professional.
  • Contain contact information including address, telephone number, and/or e-mail address of each professional providing documentation.
  • Include the name of the specific disability or medical condition.

The Consortium reserves the right to request further verification, if necessary, of the evaluating professional’s credentials and expertise relevant to the diagnosis, to verify the authenticity of the supporting documentation, and to seek clarification of the information provided by the evaluating professional.

The Consortium will consider requests for examination accommodations following receipt of an examination application and all required documentation in support of the request. Requests for accommodations will be reviewed by the Consortium who will communicate approved accommodations to the Consortium’s exam administrator. As needed, the Consortium may retain consultation to evaluate accommodation requests. The applicant will be sent a notification of the Consortium’s decision regarding the requested accommodation(s).

If accommodations have been approved, the notification will be in the form of a Testing Accommodations Agreement indicating the accommodation(s) that has/have been approved. The applicant must sign the Agreement and return it to the Consortium by the date indicated within the Agreement. The application for an applicant requesting examination accommodations will not be complete until the signed agreement is received by the Consortium.

If the accommodation requires the presence of one or more persons to support the candidate because of disability, they may not assist the candidate in any way in understanding exam content in such a way as to give the candidate an unfair advantage over candidates without disabilities. Supporting personnel must agree to the Consortium’s confidentiality, non-disclosure, and conflict of interest terms, and agree to not sit for the exam for two years after the date they assist a candidate. 

Assistive technologies for approved accommodations are not supplied by the Consortium. It is the responsibility of the individual exam candidate to provide approved assistive technologies.

If accommodations have been denied, or if the applicant disagrees with the Testing Accommodations Agreement, they may appeal the decision of the Consortium.​​​