Arranging Testing Accommodations
Notification of Approval for Testing Accommodations
You will receive an email titled “Faculty Notification of Accommodations” from Disability and Accessibility Services (DAS) if the student has asked DAS to notify you about their approved accommodations. Students are required to initiate this process each semester. The email will list the accommodations the student is approved for, including testing accommodations. DAS encourages students to discuss the logistics for receiving their testing accommodations with you as soon as possible after the email is sent.
Alternative Testing Agreement
If the student receives testing accommodations, please complete the Alternative Testing Agreement included in the email. The link for the agreement is included in the “Faculty Notification of Accommodations” email. Once you fill out the agreement for one student in a section of your course, the information should automatically copy for any other students in the same section who have also notified you about testing accommodations. Contact DAS if you want the agreement copied for other sections of the same course.
If you can provide the accommodations (e.g. extra time, a less-distracting space, etc) for the student on your own, you should check the box that indicates you will proctor your own tests.
If you are unable to provide the approved accommodations on your own, you can direct the student to take their tests in the DAS Testing Center. The information you provide on the Alternative Testing Agreement will allow DAS to proctor your tests for you.
When indicating the amount of time you give the class for different types of assessments (such as, quizzes, tests, midterms, and finals), do not calculate extra time for the student requesting accommodations.
Communicating with Student about Testing Accommodations
DAS directs students to clarify arrangements for receiving test accommodations with their professors before any quiz or test.
It is the student’s responsibility to schedule appointments in the DAS Testing Center one week prior to the quiz or test. While students are expected to initiate that process, it is acceptable for the professor to remind them about the need to make the appointment the week prior.
In the event that you are unable to provide your students a week’s notice of the assessment, please contact DAS so that we can review our Testing Center schedule and determine if we can make an appointment for the student.
Confirmation of Appointment request
When a student submits a request for an appointment in the DAS Testing Center, you will receive an email with the subject line New Exam Requestfrom das@loyola.edu. The student will receive a confirmation email as well.
Submitting Your Test to DAS
If possible, we ask that you submit the assessment to DAS 2 business days prior to the date of the student’s appointment. DAS requires the test be submitted to our office by 3:00 pm the business day prior to the appointment. If extenuating circumstances prevents this, please email us at das@loyola.edu to discuss the situation.
There are different ways to submit your test to DAS for proctoring:
- Upload the test using the link in the New Exam Request email (preferred method). The link is at the bottom of the email.
- Email the exam to testingrooms@loyola.edu. In the email, please indicate the course and section number (for example, PL 101.006), as well as the name of the student who will be completing the exam
- Deliver the test directly to the DAS office, Maryland Hall, 143. The DAS office is open Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Please note that some of our front desk staff are undergraduate student employees. We recommend you submit tests in a sealed envelope address to the “DAS Accommodations Coordinator.
Contact DAS with any questions about submitting your test.
Proctoring in the DAS Testing Center
The Accommodations Coordinator is the DAS staff member who oversees the daily operation of the Testing Center. The Testing Center is open from 9 am to 7 pm on Monday through Thursday and 9 am to 5 pm on Friday.
Students are informed they must take their assessment at the same time as the rest of their class, unless they have back-to-back classes or another extenuating circumstance such as an excused athletic absence. Students are directed to speak with their professor to let them know if they plan to schedule an appointment at a time outside their class period.
The Testing Center is located in Maryland Hall, Room 143. Each testing station consists of a high walled study carol. DAS hires and trains graduate students to serve as proctors. Graduate student proctors are not allowed to proctor exams for the graduate program they are enrolled in, unless a full time DAS staff member has received permission for this arrangement from the professor.
The Testing Center proctor sits directly outside the testing room and proctors via video camera. Our proctoring software allows the proctor to have a view of each testing station. If the student is taking an assessment on Moodle or using Word to type their answers on a DAS computer, the proctor will have a view of the student’s computer screen on a separate monitor. Testing sessions are recorded (without audio) and available for review for a brief period after the test in the event of suspected academic dishonesty.
Ensuring Equal Access in the Testing Center
DAS aims to ensure that students taking tests in the Testing Center have a comparable experience to students in the classroom. Course instructors can help us ensure this by:
- Speaking to students about the format of the assessment, including any materials allowed in the test, with adequate time prior to the test date.
- Filling out the Alternative Testing Agreement with as much detail as possible.
- Emailing the Accommodations Coordinator with any information that may not have been included on the Testing Agreement prior to a test or quiz.
- Emailing or calling DAS to provide any additional or clarifying instructions that you give the class during the test for the student in the Testing Center.
- Providing a cell phone number in the Testing Agreement so that the DAS staff has an additional way to reach you during the test if the student in the Testing Center has a question.