4 ms·

The real scandal that I can't believe hasn't gotten more attention is that wealthy families are hiring psychologists to claim their child has a learning disabil

The real scandal that I can't believe hasn't gotten more attention is that wealthy families are hiring psychologists to claim their child has a learning disability. They can then get more time to take the test and due to a policy change a few years ago, this information is hidden from the schools when students report their scores.

Spivak 7y ago
Look, faking a disability is deplorable but this stance is bonkers. I wish my parents had the money when I was growing up to get me checked and diagnose my ADHD. And of course you wouldn't want to report to the college if a person has a disability, are you trying to scarlet letter everyone who needs a little more time to read from dyslexia?
- hoka-one-one 7y ago
  As someone who has used similar accommodations (though not specifically on the SAT), yes. Dyslexia will hold you back in college. SAT is intended to measure odds of success in college.
  - Spivak 7y ago
    You're not wrong but I think that's due to how much of university is based around timed tests. The artificial difficulty is maddening. I was fortunate that my school's disability office had fangs and that the maths program wasn't super competitive and wanted students to learn more than get marks. My favorite professor was teaching number theory and always scheduled his classes for the end day and gave unlimited time for exams. Every time I would sit there for at least 5 hours (which wasn't super uncommon) and it was the nicest thing to not be freaking out and trying to force myself to focus.
    - hoka-one-one 7y ago
      I disagree that it's artificial. There's only so much time in a day. A programmer who can do a task in one hour will in the long run outsprint one who needs two. Yes, you can (like many, many others) spend an extra couple hours at work every day, but it'll all come back to center eventually. Sometimes, or even much of the time, you won't even have that option. These are times when people seriously depend on you to perform. It's not personal. I get that it can be stressful and I've been there but I don't kid myself that I'm as good as the people who can work quickly and under pressure.
- aliston 7y ago
  Admissions committees at top universities are some of the most bleeding heart do-Goode types on the planet. There is no way disclosing a learning disability would get you Scarlett lettered. If anything, it would probably help your application.
- lonelappde 7y ago
  Which illnesses count? Why does dyslexia count but not lower IQ? Why is there a time limit at all? The point is that not everyone gets diagnosed and has equal access to performance enhancing drugs and extra time when taking a competitive test.
  - Spivak 7y ago
    > What illnesses count? The ACT has a huge list: http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration/accommodations/policy-for-accommodations-documentation.html#types http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-... > but not lower IQ It's always great when people compare learning disabilities to being dumb. > performance enhancing drugs I realize that it's easy to look at how stimulants affect people without ADHD and conclude that they're getting the same advantage but this really isn't true. A non-ADHD med example is caffeine. Most people who down a few coffees or energy drinks will be wide awake and jittery. But for me I'll be hyper and bouncing off the walls and spacing out until I have an energy drink which lets me focus a little bit and makes me sleepy.
bazzert 7y ago
Yes, in some circles you are almost considered foolish not to get this accommodation. https://patch.com/massachusetts/newton/30-percent-newton-north-claimed-learning-disabilities-sats https://patch.com/massachusetts/newton/30-percent-newton-nor...

Spivak 7y ago

Look, faking a disability is deplorable but this stance is bonkers. I wish my parents had the money when I was growing up to get me checked and diagnose my ADHD. And of course you wouldn't want to report to the college if a person has a disability, are you trying to scarlet letter everyone who needs a little more time to read from dyslexia?

hoka-one-one 7y ago
As someone who has used similar accommodations (though not specifically on the SAT), yes. Dyslexia will hold you back in college. SAT is intended to measure odds of success in college.
- Spivak 7y ago
  You're not wrong but I think that's due to how much of university is based around timed tests. The artificial difficulty is maddening. I was fortunate that my school's disability office had fangs and that the maths program wasn't super competitive and wanted students to learn more than get marks. My favorite professor was teaching number theory and always scheduled his classes for the end day and gave unlimited time for exams. Every time I would sit there for at least 5 hours (which wasn't super uncommon) and it was the nicest thing to not be freaking out and trying to force myself to focus.
  - hoka-one-one 7y ago
    I disagree that it's artificial. There's only so much time in a day. A programmer who can do a task in one hour will in the long run outsprint one who needs two. Yes, you can (like many, many others) spend an extra couple hours at work every day, but it'll all come back to center eventually. Sometimes, or even much of the time, you won't even have that option. These are times when people seriously depend on you to perform. It's not personal. I get that it can be stressful and I've been there but I don't kid myself that I'm as good as the people who can work quickly and under pressure.
aliston 7y ago
Admissions committees at top universities are some of the most bleeding heart do-Goode types on the planet. There is no way disclosing a learning disability would get you Scarlett lettered. If anything, it would probably help your application.
lonelappde 7y ago
Which illnesses count? Why does dyslexia count but not lower IQ? Why is there a time limit at all? The point is that not everyone gets diagnosed and has equal access to performance enhancing drugs and extra time when taking a competitive test.
- Spivak 7y ago
  > What illnesses count? The ACT has a huge list: http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration/accommodations/policy-for-accommodations-documentation.html#types http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-... > but not lower IQ It's always great when people compare learning disabilities to being dumb. > performance enhancing drugs I realize that it's easy to look at how stimulants affect people without ADHD and conclude that they're getting the same advantage but this really isn't true. A non-ADHD med example is caffeine. Most people who down a few coffees or energy drinks will be wide awake and jittery. But for me I'll be hyper and bouncing off the walls and spacing out until I have an energy drink which lets me focus a little bit and makes me sleepy.

bazzert 7y ago

Yes, in some circles you are almost considered foolish not to get this accommodation. https://patch.com/massachusetts/newton/30-percent-newton-north-claimed-learning-disabilities-sats https://patch.com/massachusetts/newton/30-percent-newton-nor...