(Via Overlawyered) Back when I was in high school, the thought did occur
to me that if only there were some way I could get the time pressure eased
off when sitting for my SATs, I’d be safe from the few stupid mistakes that
would cost me a perfect score.
According to this Boston Globe article, I’m not
the only person who’s had such thoughts:
A Wayland High School guidance counselor has questioned the
unusually high number of suburban students who receive extra time on the SAT
college entrance exam because they have a learning disability, warning that
some may not be truly disabled.“Like everything else in life, the rich have access to things that others
don’t, and kids with subtle learning issues can afford to pay a psychologist
to call it a disability” and gain an edge on the test, said Norma Greenberg,
guidance director at Wayland High School. “There are a hell of a lot more
doing this now.”Statewide, about 5 percent of students are granted accommodations
(usually extra time) on the test, more than twice the national average of
about 2 percent.In Wayland, 12 percent of students get accommodations, said Greenberg,
who injected herself into a national debate over the issue when she was
quoted on network TV earlier this spring.