Graphic by Yujin Kim/The Choate News
In fifth grade, my math class studied fractions. I knew a test awaited me at the end of the unit, so I proceeded to do what I’d always done as a student: pay attention in class, take careful notes, ask questions, and do the homework. However, when I got to the test, my brain froze. Suddenly, all the lessons and practice problems left my head. I couldn’t even recall how to simplify a fraction. I turned in the test half blank, ashamed that I couldn’t remember a concept that had never been even remotely difficult for me. And so, my journey with test anxiety began.
Throughout the ensuing five years, I had on-and-off bouts of severe anxiety. Sometimes, I would begin crying, and other times I experienced nausea and cold sweats. But, it wasn’t until this year that the anxiety began heavily and repeatedly interfering with my ability to perform on tests.
After taking a general anxiety test administered by a psychiatrist, I discovered that the symptoms I’d suffered since fifth grade were, indeed, those of anxiety. More often than not, adults shrugged off my concerns, saying that I just needed to breathe deeply or that my bad test results were because I hadn’t studied enough. With a diagnosis to define my experiences, I felt validated. However, the process of receiving accommodations from Choate, which follows the College Board’s official “Documentation Guidelines,” has proved to be bothtime-consuming and expensive.
After receiving my diagnosis, I realized that receiving extra time on tests could help me perform in a way that aligns with my knowledge and my preparation. I felt like I wasn’t asking for too much: a bit of extra time so that I could perform a few techniques to mitigate my anxiety and review my answers, rather than simply concentrating on the ticking time.
I soon discovered that the process of getting an accommodation was demanding. For one, I needed to undergo hours of testing administered by private institutions beyond Choate. The testing was designed to confirm that my diagnosis impedes my ability to learn, and it would cost my family thousands of dollars. Ultimately, I needed to submit a six-page report detailing my anxiety and its effects on my academic performance. All of this needed to happen before Choate’s Committee on Special Accommodations would consider my request for extra time on assessments.
As it stands, I still haven’t completed all of the testing required by the College Board, since I’m still in the process of finding a therapist to administer it. Choate does not have specific funds set aside to help support students who need help in covering these expenses, and the Health Center is not designed to perform educational testing. Even so, the Teaching & Learning Center has allowed me to have up to 50% extra time on assessments through what is known as temporary accommodations.
Choate, of course, has an obligation to manage its students’ requests for accommodations responsibly. According to Forbes, students at colleges and other prep schools have forged test results to gain time on standardized tests. Choate chooses to follow the College Board’s guidelines because many of its students who receive accommodations seek similar accommodations on the Board’s standardized tests. The School feels it sensible to avoid dueling sets of criteria.
Still, how can I not wish that this process weren’t so onerous or costly? However unwittingly, the College Board’s guidelines hurt students who don’t have the resources, or time, to complete what can be burdensome testing, especially when it comes on top of medication and therapy.
I know that Choate’s Committee on Special Accommodations is committed to ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to learn, and that the Health Center will always support students facing mental challenges, and yet it feels time to streamline the educational accommodation policy. Choate should consider how it can make the process of documenting and approving the need for academic accommodations faster and more affordable.
