Extended Time as a Testing Accommodation: Its Effects and Perceived Consequences

This investigation examined the effect of an extended time testing accommodation on the performance of students with disabilities, students educationally at risk in math, and students without disabilities. Ninety-seven eighth-grade students completed two equivalent forms of a standardized mathematics test, each under different testing conditions (standard time 20 mins.; extended time 40 mins.). It was predicted that both disability status and mathematical skill level would interact with the effectiveness of the extended time accommodation, such that students with disabilities and students with low math skills would benefit significantly from the extended time accommodation, but students without disabilities would not. Outcomes indicated that there were no significant differences by disability status; however, there was evidence to support differences between the three student groups in the amount of change in their performance in the two time conditions. Follow-up surveys indicated that the vast majority of students reacted more positively to the accommodated or extra time condition than to the nonaccommodated condition. These results are discussed within a validity framework and future research is outlined on extended time as an accommodation.