Exam Accommodations

Disability Support Services (DSS) authorizes reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities to ensure that they are afforded the opportunity to fully express their knowledge of course material. In some instances, this requires modification of in-class exams and quizzes. DSS only authorizes this form of accommodation when a student has provided sufficient documentation detailing the appropriateness of this modification. It is the University's obligation to recognize and comply with students' authorized accommodations, which are protected by Federal and State access laws (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the ADA Amendments of 2008 and the New Jersey Law against Discrimination).

In the case of exam accommodations (i.e. extended time or providing a reduced-distraction testing environment), DSS encourages faculty members or teaching assistants to proctor students' exams. This practice allows students to address any problems or questions that they may have to someone with knowledge of course content and departmental procedures.

If faculty are unable to provide these accommodations and would prefer DSS to proctor exams, the student must initiate the exam proctoring request by completing the Exam Proctoring Request Form.  Once a student has completed his or her portion of the form, the faculty member will receive an e-mail indicating that the request is in process and requesting that the faculty member complete the faculty portion of the form.  Upon submission, DSS will receive the completed form and will process the request. 

Faculty should discuss potential scheduling conflicts with students when arranging for exams that include an extended time accommodation. Extended time accommodations may not interfere with a student's regularly scheduled classes. If a professor plans to lecture after a quiz, be aware that students receiving extended time should not be required to miss portions of the lecture as a result of utilizing the time accommodation to which they are legally entitled.

Additionally, DSS is only able to offer its test proctoring services during the hours of 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. If your course falls outside the scope of these hours, please call DSS to discuss if an alternative arrangement is possible.