Disability Resources Testing Guidelines and Procedures

Scheduling Guidelines:

• Students must schedule each exam they wish to take at the Disability Resource Center one week prior to the test date.
  • This time is necessary to contact the course instructor, receive a copy of the exam and administration instructions, and locate sufficient test space for the student.
  • Students are informed of this deadline when they first request testing as a reasonable accommodation and staff is available to assist with test registration.
• Students who do not schedule their exam but who come to the DRC unexpectedly to take their exams are referred back to their instructors.
  • If the student returns to the classroom while the test is still in progress, the instructor may allow the student to begin the exam in the classroom and then take the student to an office or other quiet space to finish the exam.
  • The instructor may choose to allow the student to take the test at the DRC as a “make-up” exam and inform Disability Resources of the time constraints under which the student may test, for example, the student would have until 5:00 the next day to complete the exam.
• Disability Resources administers exams at the same time they are administered in the classroom.
  • If students cannot test at the same time as their class, Disability Resources asks that they discuss testing at an alternative time their instructors and that the instructor provide verification of this permission to Disability Resources.
  • As in the classroom, students are expected to arrive at the DRC on time for their exams. Students who do not arrive on time may be referred back to their instructors.
• Students must schedule each of their finals by the “finals scheduling date”.
  • This date is traditionally 4 weeks prior to the beginning of the University finals period and intended to allow time for Disability Resource staff to coordinate with faculty and arrange space for the number of finals administered at the DRC.
  • The specific date is advertised on the Disability Resources Website and announced at the beginning of each semester.
• Disability Resources is available to administer finals in accordance with the University’s Faculty Senate Policy on Finals, available on the Web at: http://www.registrar.arizona.edu/schedule064/exams/examrules.htm
  • Disability Resources, therefore, does not administer any tests during the last week of classes.
• Disability Resources also does not administer final exams at times other than those offered according to the published finals schedule, unless necessary for students to complete their exams prior to 9PM.
• Disability Resource staff is available to guide faculty and instructors through accommodating students in their own classes or departments if they choose to test their students outside of the confines of this University policy.

Faculty Contact:

• Faculty members and instructors who have students in their classes who use testing accommodations as a reasonable accommodation are contacted by Disability Resources testing staff when their students register to test at the DRC.
  • This contact is typically via e-mail and provides an opportunity for instructors to inform Disability Resources of their preference to administer their own exams with accommodations. Disability Resource staff is available to consult on assuring effective accommodations.
  • Instructors are asked to verify test dates, as well as the test delivery method, test administration guidelines, and the test return method.
• Instructors can verify student eligibility for testing accommodations at the Disability Resource Faculty Link: http://drc.arizona.edu/testing/facultylogin.asp
• Instructors receive an e-mail contact a few days prior to their exams reminding them of their agreement to send a copy of their exam to the DRC to be administered to their students with accommodations.

Test Security and Cheating:

• All tests e-mailed, faxed or hand carried to the DRC testing area are treated confidentially and stored in a secure location.
• Students who test at the DRC are required to identify themselves with their CatCard prior to receiving a copy of their exam and are asked to:
  • Leave all class materials and personal items outside of the testing area
• Leave all cell phones, pagers, PDA’s and other electronic devices outside the testing area.
• Empty their pockets
• Students suspected of having inappropriate materials with them or cheating on their exams in any way are asked to relinquish their exams immediately.
  • Testing staff writes an incident report describing what they witnessed and returns the exam, and suspicious materials, and the report to the instructor immediately.
  • Instructors are encouraged to deal with the students as they would any student suspected of cheating.
• Students caught cheating at the DRC are not able to take subsequent tests in that class at the DRC.
• Disability Resources contacts instructors whose students are suspected of cheating and asks them to arrange for accommodations on subsequent exams in the classroom or their department.
• If providing accommodations outside of the DRC is a hardship on the instructor, Disability Resource staff should be informed and can assist in providing alternatives.
• Students with a history of cheating at the DRC are placed in specially monitored seats for subsequent exams.