Testing accommodations can be provided for a student with a disability by the Office of Disability Services (ODS) or by a faculty member, instructor of a course, or his/her designee. If a faculty member chooses to administer an exam he/she is responsible for providing the student with the requested accommodations. To coordinate testing arrangements with the ODS, a faculty member and student will need to arrange the following:

1) Exam Notification - Faculty members are encouraged to provide students with sufficient notice of exam dates (at least 72 hours in advance).

2) Student Responsibility for Scheduling - The ODS requires that a student submit a separate on-line request for every exam they wish to take at the ODS. The request must be completed and submitted through the “ODS Testing Accommodation System For Students” at least 48 hours (two business days) before the time the test is scheduled to begin. Students will be required to submit all testing requests for final exams one week before the last class day. This advanced notice enables the ODS to ensure the availability of a proctor and room for testing.

3) Request to Faculty - After the student completes the on-line request it will be automatically forwarded to the faculty member assigned to the course for review. If a faculty member has a Teaching Assistant or Graduate Student who will be administering the exam, the faculty member can forward the on-line request to the selected individual for their review. The ODS cannot modify who the on-line request is sent to as all information is pulled by instructor of record from the university system.

4) Faculty Review Process - The faculty member will have an opportunity to review the request submitted by the student (e.g., student’s name, course number, date exam is to be taken, accommodations requested or length of time for exam in class).

If the information submitted by the student in the on-line request is acceptable, the faculty member will be asked to provide the ODS with exam administration instructions (e.g., blue book or scantron (provided by the ODS), allowances such as a calculator, note cards or open book). The faculty member will also be able to select if they want to pick up the completed exam from ODS. Once the faculty member completes their instructions, they will need to Approve and forward the request to ODS for processing.

Although no changes can be made to the information submitted by the student, a faculty member can deny or grant conditional approval if they are not in agreement with the selected testing day, testing time (please refer to #6 regarding testing times), test materials the student has requested to use, or length of time for an exam in class. If the student has not provided the correct length of time for a regular or final exam in class, please conditionally approve the request and note the correct time in the comment box so that ODS can schedule accordingly.

A comment box is available for faculty to make comments as to why the request was denied or conditionally approved. The ODS will contact the student and inform them that their request was not approved and what changes are required in order for them to take their exam at the ODS. The ODS will keep the faculty member informed of any communications with the student related to the request. If no action is taken by a faculty member on the testing request ODS will schedule the test pending your approval.

5) Verification of Accommodations by ODS -The ODS will verify that the accommodations selected on the request match those approved by the ODS. The ODS will not administer any exam with accommodations other than those which have been determined appropriate based on a student’s disability documentation.

If a faculty member chooses to allow additional accommodations or the modification of an accommodation (additional time for an exam beyond what has already been approved by the ODS), the exam will need to be administered by the faculty member outside the ODS office.

6) Testing Times -The testing times from which the student may select when requesting to take an exam in the ODS office are based on ODS room and proctor availability. Due to the large volume of testing requests, the ODS can only administer exams at designated times set at the beginning of each semester. The goal of ODS is to schedule each student’s exam as close to the class day and time as possible in order to maintain the academic integrity of the exam.

7) Monitoring Testing Requests - Faculty can view the testing requests submitted by ODS students in their classes by logging into the Testing Accommodation System for Faculty and selecting “Testing” and “View my Students”. Faculty also have the ability to print and save a hard copy of a testing request from this page by clicking on the yellow folder next to the student’s name.

8) Providing Exams to ODS - Exams should be sent to the ODS at least 24 hours (one business day) prior to the time the test is scheduled to begin. The ODS will not be responsible for mistakes (i.e. answers on test, wrong questions, etc.) for exams submitted less than 2 hours in advance of the scheduled exam time. This allows time for ODS staff to review the exam and ensure that all pages are included and answer keys have not been inadvertently attached. Faculty may deliver an exam to ODS with the following information,
1) course, 2) professor’s name, 3) student’s name, 4) date of exam by:
a. Hand delivery
b. Email to the ODS at odstesting@txstate.edu
c. Fax to the ODS office (512-245-3452)

If a faculty member does not have a final exam ready to be administered by the date the student has scheduled the exam with the ODS, the student will need to coordinate testing arrangements with their professor or take the exam at the ODS at 7:30 a.m. on the last day of final exams.

In order to maintain test security and to ensure the test arrives in a timely manner, faculty members are never to use campus mail to deliver exams. Campus mail does not provide test security and the exam will not be delivered on time. The ODS will send an email reminder for any exam that has not been received by the ODS at least 24 hours (one business day) prior to the time a test is scheduled to begin.

9) Student Responsibility for Testing - Students should arrive at ODS at least 10 minutes before their scheduled exam time. If a student arrives 5 minutes after the exam start time, they will be unable to take the test at that time.
a. The student will need to reschedule the exam with ODS and have the faculty member verify the rescheduled date and time, or
b. The student may take the exam with the rest of their class.
If a student arrives more than 5 minutes late for a final exam they will be required to coordinate testing arrangements with their professor or take the exam at the ODS at 7:30 a.m. on the last day of final exams.

10) Exam Security – Students who take their exams at ODS are not allowed to bring any materials into the testing room, except what has been previously approved by the faculty member and ODS office. This includes cell phones, pagers, heavy jackets or hats. Each testing room is equipped with a camera which is watched at all times by an assigned proctor. The proctor overseeing the testing environment ensures the accommodations approved on the on-line request are followed.

a. If a proctor also serves as a scribe, he/she will only write down what is dictated by the student.
b. If a proctor also serves as a reader, he/she will only read what is written on the exam.
c. If a student arrives late for an exam and cannot be accommodated, or if the student does not show for the scheduled test time, the ODS will return the exam to the faculty member or his/her designee’s academic department and the student may be required to submit another on-line request.

Maintaining exam security is very important to the ODS office. All students approved for testing accommodations are provided with the Texas State Honor Code guidelines related to cheating. If a student is suspected of academic dishonesty while taking an exam at the ODS, the ODS will immediately stop the exam and attempt to contact the faculty member of the course. The ODS will take whatever action the faculty member deems appropriate. The ODS will make a written report of the incident on the ODS Documentation of Alleged Academic Dishonesty form. The student involved in the incident will have an opportunity to include a statement on this form, which will be returned with the exam to the faculty member. The faculty member will determine if the Texas State Honor Code was violated and whether any academic penalty will be assessed.

11) Return of Completed Exam – After a student has completed an exam any materials (e.g. formula sheet, scratch paper, etc) used during testing is included with the test and returned to the faculty member. When the exam is returned an “Administration of Academic Exam” notice is included in a sealed envelope to the appropriate departmental office the same day the test is taken, or no later than the following business day. The department accepting the returned test will be asked to acknowledge receipt by signing the “Testing Accommodation System Form”.

12) NEW!! Testing Suggestion Box – The ODS has created a new “Testing Suggestion Box” for faculty and staff who wish to provide feedback about the testing process. The “Testing Suggestion Box” is conveniently located in two place 1) The “Testing Suggestion Box” is accessible after logging into the Testing Accommodation System for Faculty or 2) Logging in from the drop down menu under “Faculty Resources” from the ODS webpage. The ODS welcomes any suggestions that you may provide.