About Testing Accommodations
The purpose of testing accommodations is to allow students with disabilities and limited English proficiency to participate in assessments on an equal basis with their peers. Testing accommodations provide the opportunity for eligible students to demonstrate mastery of skills and knowledge without being limited or unfairly restricted due to the effects of a disability or language proficiency.
Accommodations for LaGuardia High School auditions and/or the SHSAT are provided based on a student's existing testing accommodations. If applicable, these are documented on students’ IEP or 504 Plans and/or based on their ELL status.
The following students are eligible to receive testing and/or audition accommodations on LaGuardia High School auditions and the SHSAT:
- Students with disabilities (SWDs) who have IEPs or 504 Plans that include testing accommodations
- Current English Language Learners (ELLs)
- Former ELLs who achieved proficiency on the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) in the past two years.
Please note:
- Accommodations requested only for LaGuardia High School Auditions and/or the SHSAT are not allowed. Students must demonstrate a documented history of needing and using testing accommodations.
- Students with 504 Plans must have their accommodations approved every year. Schools and families must review (and approve, if appropriate) the student's 504 Plan no later than the last day of school in June of the prior school year. Learn more about 504 Plans on the 504 accommodations page.
- Some testing accommodations are not needed for LaGuardia auditions and the SHSAT. There are some accommodations that students may use on other tests that may not be needed for the SHSAT. For example, students who use speech-to-text or dictation software for tests with essays will not need to use this accommodation on the SHSAT because there are no essays on the test.
- Some accommodations are not permitted for LaGuardia auditions and/or the SHSAT. Students with existing accommodations will receive them unless a particular accommodation interferes with the content or skill being measured by the audition or test. In such cases, no students will receive this accommodation. For example: oral interpretation and written translation of the SHSAT questions and answers are not permitted because this changes the standardization of the test. (ELLs who need translations are permitted to use bilingual glossaries.)
Tip: Work with your school counselor to ask about testing accommodations or specific situations that may not be addressed on this site. Any approved accommodations will appear on your audition or test ticket.
Accommodations for English Language Learners (ELLs)
ELLs and eligible former ELLs taking the SHSAT are granted extended testing time totaling 360 minutes (2x standard testing time) as well as two 15-minute breaks after the first 180 minutes of testing. The extended time is calculated from the start time of the SHSAT, not the arrival to the testing site.
Translated directions, translations of footnotes in the ELA passages, and bilingual glossaries will also be provided on the day of the SHSAT at each test administration site. Students are not permitted to bring their own bilingual glossaries.
Tip: You can find more information about the translated directions and bilingual glossaries on the SHSAT website.
Accommodations for Students with IEPS or 504 Plans
Students with disabilities (SWD) will be provided with the accommodations listed in their IEPs or 504 Plans unless a specific accommodation is not needed or permitted when taking the SHSAT, as detailed above.
- If a student’s IEP or 504 Plan includes the use of assistive technology, such as a Frequency Modulation (FM) Unit, or other aids, such as masks, markers, highlighters, pencil grips, slant boards, or a magnifying glass, the student must bring these with them on the day of the SHSAT and/or audition, if needed. The test or audition sites will not provide these aids.
- If a student has a scribe on their IEP or 504 Plan, it is important to discuss with the school counselor and work with their IEP or 504 team to determine if they need a scribe on the SHSAT and to make sure the accommodation is listed on their test ticket. The SHSAT contains no extended response questions and no answer document bubbling. While there is no writing or bubbling on the test, a student might still require a scribe for notes or for working out math problems. Students who require a scribe on testing day will have the test administered individually.
- Testing on paper is not a stand-alone accommodation available on the SHSAT. Students with IEPs or 504 plans will test on computer, and their testing accommodations will be provided in or alongside the digital test platform. While the expectation is that all students will test on computer, there may be some instances where a student needs to test on paper for the delivery of other testing accommodations in their IEP or 504 plan.
SHSAT Administration for Students with Extended Time
All students taking the SHSAT must stay in testing rooms for the entire standard test administration time (180 minutes), with the exception of using the bathroom.
Once the standard test administration time (180 minutes) is over, students with an accommodation of extended time may leave if they have finished working on the exam. Students that decide to leave after the first 180 minutes of the standard test administration time must sign out to indicate they understood they gave up their remaining available time on the SHSAT. Students with this accommodation will have a break at the conclusion of the 180 minutes, and then again after another 90 minutes have passed. If a parent or guardian does not want their child to leave before the full amount of extended time has ended, the parent/guardian is responsible for communicating this to their child before the test begins. Retests will not be provided to students who choose to leave before the end of their extended time.
How to Confirm or Request Testing Accommodations
During the SHSAT and audition registration period, your current DOE, charter, or non-public (private or parochial) school is responsible for entering and/or confirming the appropriate testing accommodations in MySchools(Open external link)(Open external link).
- If students have a 504 Plan or attend a charter or non-public (private or parochial) school and have a similar school-based accommodation plan, all documentation must be submitted to the DOE for review at least three weeks before the registration deadline.
- Documentation received after this deadline may not be reviewed in time for the student's scheduled test date.
- Contact the school’s current counselor with questions about accommodations on the SHSAT.
- Non-public school students (who attend private or parochial schools) requesting accommodations during their LaGuardia auditions must work with their school counselor to enter and/or confirm accommodations. Please note that neither parents/guardians nor school staff should send accommodations directly to LaGuardia High School.
- Accommodations must be reviewed and approved before audition tickets are available.
- Approved accommodations for LaGuardia High School auditions must appear on students' audition tickets.
- Non-public school students (i.e., those who attend private or parochial schools) with disabilities who do not have an IEP or 504 Plan indicating their need for testing accommodations must work with their school counselors to complete a Request for Accommodations form and submit the form and supporting documentation to the DOE for review and approval by the deadline provided.
- Parents/guardians can get this form from your current school.
- School counselors are responsible for submitting the form by the required date. The DOE may need additional information about how a student’s accommodations were determined and will verify the documented history and need for the requested accommodations.
How to Opt Out of Accommodations
If a student is an ELL and/or has an IEP or 504 Plan but their parents/guardians wish to opt out of accommodations for the SHSAT or LaGuardia auditions, please contact the school’s counselor. School counselors will work with parents/guardians to complete the Accommodations Opt-Out Form for SHSAT and LaGuardia Auditions. Neither school counselors nor students may opt out of testing/audition accommodations without parent/guardian consent; written consent by a parent/guardian is required.
- If it is not possible to provide written consent to opt out of testing accommodations before the registration deadline, parents/guardians must provide their written consent on the test or audition day to opt out of the testing accommodations listed on their child’s ticket.
- On testing or audition day, students cannot modify or opt out of the testing accommodations listed on their ticket unless parent/guardian consent has been provided in writing on the test or audition ticket.
How to Request Emergency Accommodations
Students who demonstrate disabilities or temporary impairments within 30 days of the SHSAT may request certain emergency testing accommodations, if approved by the principal of the student's current school. Emergency testing accommodations are intended for use by students whose disabilities or injuries occur after the registration deadline but before their scheduled testing/audition day and without enough time to develop an IEP or 504 Plan.
If you need emergency accommodations for the SHSAT and/or LaGuardia auditions, your family should work with a school counselor to complete the Emergency Testing Request form and ask the counselor to alert the DOE as soon as possible that emergency accommodations may be needed—this must be communicated prior to the testing day or audition day. If a family requests an accommodation without giving the DOE sufficient time to review the request before the standard SHSAT administration date or before the child’s audition date, the student’s test or audition may be rescheduled to ensure that their request for accommodations can be properly reviewed.
Tip: Review the New York City Department of
Education’s resources on testing accommodations for additional information
on the
testing accommodations page.