Phoebe Nissanoff- Week 3: Is Extra Time More of a Disadvantage than an Advantage?

     There is a lot of discussion and controversy based around extra time for tests. In order to be eligible for extra time, you must go through an expensive, tedious process. All of the necessary assessments and other parts of the process to receive extra time can cost thousands of dollars. Students are given extra time because of anxiety, ADHD, Dyslexia, and many other reasons that put students at a disadvantage which will affect the outcome of their tests in the given, allotted time. However, the majority of the students in all my classes have extra time on tests and it puts students like me, who don't have the accommodations, at a big disadvantage. It's beginning to seem like extra time is something you can simply buy if your parents are willing to pay for it even to those who don't need it at all. How easily can these assessments even differentiate students who get anxious from students who have anxiety that could really affect them on a test? After speaking to many of my friends who I know have extra time, the majority of them received it because of anxiety. However, I know many people who also get anxious during tests and could benefit from extra time but aren't willing to spend the time and money to receive it. In reality, everybody in the class would benefit from extra time, and while I do think it is necessary for some students I think it should be much more difficult to receive. 

    From the standpoint of someone who doesn't have extra time, it may be beneficial for those who have it, although it puts other students at a disadvantage. When given a difficult, long test, students who don't have extra time are forced to rush through it and are prone to make more foolish mistakes and have little time to review. However, students who do have extra time are reassured that they can spend more time carefully analyzing than answering each question. A problem with extra time that I have noticed is with long tests, students who have the accommodations can split up the test into two periods and during the free period in between, spend time remembering the question and trying to figure out the answer. In high level classes, especially AP, these students have the advantage of getting a higher grade which would affect the AP curve. While there are many students who rightfully need extra time, I believe that it has become less of an advantage for those who have but more of a disadvantage for those who don't. What are your opinions on extra time?