extra time refused for dyslexic DD's A levels

Needing extra time has to be her "normal way of working". This means that she should get and use extra time in class tests and timed essays. The school needs to provide evidence, such as changing pen colour at the end of regular time.

I test for EAA. It is my decision who gets ET. I do not necessarily accept external reports. Advice from teachers is essential. The problem is that it is very late now if she is taking exams this May. If someone comes out of the woodwork now and teachers have not noticed anything then I have to say 'no' because
I would have no 'evidence of need' to show the inspectors. JCQ send out inspectors and if they don't approve of a decision then they will pull that eaa for the candidate and possibly all candidates. They can shut the centre down. Therefore SENCOs have to be very careful.

As to tests she needs to be tested on single word reading, a reading speed test, a comprehension test, DASH handwriting assessment plus a test of processing speed. I would do this as a norm. The trouble is that schools might not have the tests in house (they are costly) or someone with a qualification to test. I would want to know why she wasn't retested during the ?christmas term or early January.

I am dyslexic myself so I just hope it wasn't some of my twisted syntax

I really hope it works out for your DD.

moomin You describe the scientific basis of an Ed Psych diagnosis. That with evidence of need used to be enough to get extra time. In 2012 the D of E decided that too many pupils were being given extra time and Gove wanted to have a nice soundbite for the Daily Mail so the regulations were tightened up with a complete disregard for the scientific basis for a diagnosis that you describe. Now you only qualify for extra time if certain scores are below the level of the bottom 14 % of the population, whatever your level of ability. So now you are discriminated against if your scores are well below what you would predict of someone with that level of ability but still above the level of the bottom 14% at level, and given an advantage if your scores are what you would predict for someone whose ability is in the bottom 14%, so that struggling to show what you are capable of in timed exam conditions because of your working memory, processing, speed of writing etc. is not necessarily the issue.

yolo progress I suppose but the task explained in more detail / broken down Well she isn't going to get that in exam conditions. Do those teachers understand dyslexia? Is this more to do with wanting to, as the Dof E have, appear to be tougher? Do they understand the previous testing / evidence of need that resulted in her getting extra time at GCSE? I still think that if there were test scores and evidence of need last year what has changed needs to be explained. Some individual scores may vary year to year but the underlying differences in the way in which your brain works don't go away, you can get better at coping but it is counterintuitive that that would happen at a time when the challenge of A level over GCSE is going up a level. Normally that is when greater difficulties start to manifest themselves. It certainly should not be something that changes because of school policy or some other factor than your DDs needs.

More worried that someone downthread said the deadline for getting approval for special arrangements was last Friday? Have they already mucked up her chances?

I would really be on the warpath, it is no joke to for a pupil who faces these challenges to be faced with losing the extra time she has been used to working with, and it will affect her grade.

My DS got 25% extra time (and the offer of 50% which we didn't pursue because A levels were getting very long). All done on ed psych report every three years, SENCO rubbish at assessing anything. The same reports were used for DSA at uni. His was a straightforward case because the discrepancy between his actual IQ and his performance IQ (at least this is how it was explained to me) was more than 30 points and 10% is normally considered severe enough to allow extra time.

I think the criteria has been tightened up. And I agree. Of course I can't comment on your DD. But the extra time thing should only be used in very exceptional circumstances.

just marking place to come back later. (sorry)

Yes I think so . He still got good grades even without it but whether one or two of the As have been A*s with more time we'll never know!

The assessments have to be completed no earlier than year 9 and will be current in the sixth form. The authorisation from the exam boards would have to be renewed as they last for 26 months, but assessments post year 9 are still valid.www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance/access-arrangements-and-reasonable-adjustments-2014-2015
NB Assessments for DSA (disabled student allowance) must be post 16 years.
Lizs I wonder whether your DS was affected by the changes in regulations and the fact it was pre- year 9.
The deadline for this summer's exams and exam concessions was today.

They may have done processing assessments in-house since if SENCO is suitably qualified. I'm surprised an assessment in y9 would be admissible for y13 though. Ds' in y8 was not accepted for GCSE.

wfrances don't worry - school must have the necessary evidence if he has been awarded extra time.

i was told by senco that once assessment had been made by ed psych that was it, as your cognitive abilities dont change.
my ds was last assessed in junor school, this report has been used in secondary school.
im worried now as ds has the extra time and sits by himself at gcse but hopes to do a levels does that mean he might not get them anymore?

Ive no idea if it's causing her problems in exams. It all seems like a load of hassle, think I won't bother. If she gets a B rather than an A it's not the end of the world. Thanks.

again from PATOSS

'A key change has been made in that all evidence for these arrangements must now be drawn from assessments conducted no earlier than year 9, rather than from any time within secondary education'

It was the senco I spoke to in year 7. She seemed like a total muppet to be honest.

Viva If you look at the regs you need two things in place to get extra time, firstly the relevant scores below a certain level (85 or below the 14th percentile, ie the bottom 14%) in a recent Ed Psych assessment (or the relevant tests administered by a suitably qualified SENCO) as set out in the JCQ regs above, and secondly that the school has established evidence of need.

The second was actually always required but the quality and level of that process varied between schools. My older daughter actually met the first criteria but because she managed to achieve very good grades via her own compensating strategies her school did not regard her as having sufficient evidence of need and she has only started to have extra time granted at university when those strategies were not as effective in coping with the requirements of her exams.

I think the first question should be whether you or she feels she needs extra time because her working memory problems are manifesting themselves in difficulties under exam conditions eg misreading / misunderstanding questions, struggling to finish consistently. Otherwise it is putting yourself through a lot of hassle! If that is the case you should ask schools will then have to implement a process to a. test and b. establish need / the usual way of working in consultation with all her teachers and eg incremental granting of extra time with a change of pen colour so that they can see what use she has made of different time etc.

But does that also assume an Ed Psych report less than 3 years old?

From Patoss website:

'When candidates begin an A level course, they do not need to be formally re-assessed, but the Centre must establish that there is a continuing need for these arrangements, and paint the picture of need. This might be achieved through gathering commentary from teaching staff, mock examinations etc and preparing a brief summary note to attach to
Form 8.'