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    Dear Falcon Parents and/or Guardian:

     

    Keller ISD offers national testing throughout each school year. Starting in the fall, students in grades 9-11 may participate in the PSAT NMSQT School day in October. In March, 11th graders will participate in the SAT school day. Students enrolled in AP courses are encouraged to participate in the corresponding AP Exam(s) in May. In addition, Keller High School and Fossil Ridge High School are both Saturday testing sites for SAT/ ACT. The purpose of this letter is to provide general information about the time-sensitive process regarding national testing accommodations for students with disabilities and testing supports for English learners. Accommodations for national testing are very different from accommodations provided on state assessments. Families must initiate the request process through the College Board, ACT, or CTE certification tests.

     

    College Board Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who have testing accommodations documented in a §504 Plan or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) may be eligible for testing accommodations on College Board tests; however, the College Board must approve a formal request for each student. If the student already has the College Board accommodations they need and they have been approved within the last 5 years from a previous PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, SAT, or AP test, then no further action is needed. Information about eligibility for testing accommodations for these assessments is available on the College Board website, https://accommodations.collegeboard.org/eligibility.

     

    College Board Testing Supports for English Learners: English learners (ELs), as defined by state and federal policy, are eligible for testing supports. EL supports are temporary and can only be used on the test date for which they have been requested. The College Board website provides additional explanations of how EL supports are implemented: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/educators/k-12/english-learner-supports . EL supports are available for the PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, and SAT School Day assessments. EL supports are not currently available for the PSAT/NMSQT, AP, CLEP, ACCUPLACER, or the weekend administrations of the SAT. Click here to read more.

    ACT Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

    Students who receive accommodations at their school under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and §504 of the Rehabilitation Act will be eligible to receive the allowable testing accommodations when registering for the ACT. They must indicate a need for accommodations on the registration itself which will initiate the process after which, ACT will email the student with the necessary next steps.

     

    ACT Temporary Testing Accommodations

    Designated supports also known as temporary arrangements for the ACT may be available to any examinee for whom a need has been identified due to a temporary condition such as a recently occurring accident or illness. Designated supports on ACT National testing dates must be authorized by ACT prior to use. Generally, these supports are authorized for one test date only. Most require advance planning to deliver.

     

    ACT Testing Supports for English Learners

    English learners (ELs), as defined by state and federal policy, are eligible for testing supports. EL supports expire and must be reauthorized after the expiration date noted on the decision notification.

     

    TSIA (Texas Success Initiative Assessment) Testing Accommodations)

    Students with disabilities who would like to request accommodations for testing must contact the disabilities services office at the college or university to identify themselves and provide necessary documentation as requested by the institution. Submitted documentation will be reviewed to determine the appropriate accommodation(s), according to institutional policies and federal and state laws. Advanced planning is necessary for this process.

     

     

    For College Board and/or ACT, the request process begins with families completing the required form and submitting it to the appropriate campus contact: Helene Kilianski, Timber Creek High School.

    This initial request should be made no later than early August of the year the student will be participating in the national exam. Once the campus contact has been made aware of the request by the family, Ms.Kilianski will submit the request and the required documentation on the families behalf.

     

    Resources for starting this process may be found at the sites below:

    1. College Board consent to release information form must be submitted to the campus designee as the first step in this process: https://tinyurl.com/2p84daza
    2. College Board Accommodations Website: https://accommodations.collegeboard.org/
    3. ACT consent to release information form must be submitted to campus designee as the first step in this process.: https://tinyurl.com/nhazbzmm
    4. ACT Accommodations website: https://tinyurl.com/h6aj7cvs
    5. TSIA Accommodations: Tarrant County College TSIA Testing Accommodations - https://bit.ly/3zBgQxn

     

    For CTE certification testing, one should utilize the following resource which will allow parents/guardians to look up what accommodations are available on each individual certification test. Each individual test has a specific list of available accommodations and it is important for the parent/guardian to work with the certifying agency as far in advance as possible to ensure your student’s needs are met.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Helene Kilianski, M.A, M.Ed. Timber Creek High School Assistant Principal-Assessment

    P: 817-744-2316 | F: 817-744-2338