Test Modifications

Federal and State civil rights laws and University policy require that reasonable modifications must be provided to otherwise qualified students with disabilities.  Reasonable modifications assure equal access to University courses and do not interfere with academic standards or freedoms.  

For the convenience of instructors, Disability Services offers test modification services.  Instructors may choose to provide modifications independently or through Disability Services.  

Instructors may ask students for verification of the right to reasonable modifications.  Disability Services provides a letter of verification to students for this purpose. Exactly which modifications will be provided are a matter of negotiation between instructors and students with disabilities, and Disability Services acts as a resource for both parties.  

How Students with Disabilities Schedule Exams with Disability Services at the Mountain Campus

Students are responsible for scheduling their exams with Disability Services by submitting the completed Test Modification Form to Disability Services at least one week in advance, for all tests. Up to five exams, for the same student in the same class, can be scheduled on each modification form. Students can obtain the Test Modification Form from the Disability Services office or download the form. 

Disability Services is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday to administer exams with modifications on behalf of instructors.  If exams are scheduled outside of this time frame, the student with disabilities will contact the instructor to discuss alternative arrangements. 

How Faculty Deliver Exams to Disability Services

The instructors can submit their exams to Disability Services by the following options:

• Drop off in Disability Services office, located in Lommasson Center 154, during its business hours
• Email: dss@umontana.edu
• Fax: 406-243-5330
• Have the student to deliver to Disability Services on the exam day

How Students with Disabilities Schedule Exams at the Missoula College campuses

Testing at the Missoula College campuses is coordinated through the Academic Support Center.  Students should contact the Academic Support Center, located at the Missoula College East Campus, at 406-243-7826.  

To schedule exams at the Missoula College West campus, students should contact Debbie Breneman, Administrative Assistant, at 406-243-7640 or Debbie.breneman@umontana.edu.

The Test Modification Form for the Academic Support Center (Word)

Test Administration

Students should arrive a few minutes early at the Disability Services office or Academic Support Center (for Missoula College East Campus) and be prepared to start their exam at the identified time. Additional study time is not allowed, nor is additional time added for students arriving late, or for students who do not finish within the allotted time-frame.

Food, drinks, cell phones, MP3 players and other electronic devices not needed for the exam are not allowed in the testing rooms. 

Late Policy

If a student is up to 15 minutes late for a scheduled exam, Disability Services will subtract the time missed from the total time allowed for the exam.  If a student is more than 15 minutes late, Disability Services will determine that the student is a “No Show” and the test will be returned to the instructor.  The student will need to work with the instructor to complete a new test modification form to reschedule the test. 

Test Security For Modified Exams

Disability Services works with faculty staff and students to provide an accessible testing environment for students with disabilities. Disability Services understands the academic rigors and safety measures that University instructors undertake in preparing and administering their exams. Every individual who takes part in the testing process at Disability Services has been informed of the need for test security and has been instructed to uphold a secure testing environment ensuring academic integrity.

Our test management staff consists of a testing coordinator whose primary function is to oversee the management, scheduling and administering of exams. Student employees function as proctors. Each proctor is individually trained by the testing coordinator as to their roles and responsibilities in providing a secure testing environment. Proctors are briefed on how to handle exams securely and ethically preserving academic integrity at all times. Proctors tasks are assigned at the discretion of the testing coordinator and vary on a daily basis. Generally, proctors monitor testing security and the amount of time students have for their exams. In the cases where readers and scribes are needed every effort is made to ensure that the content of that exam remains confidential in that the proctor has typically completed the majority of general education requirements and is not currently enrolled in that class or is pursuing that course of study.

When an exam is sent to Disability Services, whether it be by fax, e-mail, or delivery, the exam is retrieved by the testing coordinator and matched with the name of the student taking that exam.  The exam is placed in a locked filing cabinet used for storing exams. In the absence of the testing coordinator, proctors will handle incoming exams. Again, our proctors have been carefully instructed to handle the exams in a timely and secure fashion.

The physical layout of testing facilities includes one group and two private testing rooms which are monitored by closed circuit television as well as proctors. During heavy volume testing days, typically midterms and finals, Disability Services will also make use of available space within the Lommason Center. These rooms will either have a proctor physically stationed in the room or be within close proximity to a proctor, and have visual checks at irregular times. Many students use assistive technologies available on computers as an accommodation during testing. These computers are secure, and do not have access to the Internet, unless otherwise requested for the exam.

Utilizing the testing services provided by Disability Services is optional; instructors are not required to use our testing services when administering exams to students with disabilities. Instructors may always choose to assure civil rights by accommodating students with disabilities through their own resources.

Contacts

The Mountain Campus: Tina Brown, Disability Services Testing Coordinator, at 406-243-4216 or by email: dss@umontana.edu

The Missoula College: Academic Support Center on the East Campus.  Contact Betsy Cincoski at 406-243-7826. 

The Missoula College West Campus: Debbie Breneman, Administrative Assistant, at 406-243-7640 or Debbie.breneman@umontana.edu