Exam Proctoring for Students with Testing Accommodations

Student Disability Services (SDS) provides proctoring services for students who are registered with our office and have approved testing accommodations. This includes students with extended-time on tests and quizzes, a separate testing environment, a private testing room, stop-the-clock breaks on exams, a scribe, use of a laptop and/or other assistive technology, and the ability to reschedule an exam.  

As of Spring 2025, exam accommodation management will be moved into Accommodate. Below you will find information about how to use Accommodate for accommodated exam bookings, how to request proctoring assistance from SDS, and general best practices. Faculty access Accommodate in Faculty Services, in the left-hand navigation menu. 

Faculty who administer their accommodated exams

Faculty members and departments who wish to facilitate their own accommodated exam schedules are not required to utilize Accommodate; however, the section below titled, Additional Information Related to Accommodated Exams, may be beneficial for those unfamiliar or new to accommodated exams.

Exam Coordination & Proctoring (available from 8:30 am-6 pm, Monday through Friday)

While accommodated exam logistics are typically coordinated between the student and faculty member, SDS has the ability to assist with exam proctoring, when necessary. SDS only provides this assistance for students with approved disability accommodations.

Assistance with reserving space, preparing exam materials, and proctoring  will require two weeks notice. Please note, SDS offers this assistance between the hours of 8:30 am and 6 pm, Monday through Friday (with the exception of final exams). If your exam is outside of these hours, you may still follow the process below; however, faculty will be responsible for dropping off the exam copies to the accommodated testing location, 5-10 minutes ahead of the start time. 

At least two weeks prior to each exam, the faculty member completes the Exam Information Form one time, per exam, through the following steps:

1. Logs into Faculty Services
2. Selects Accommodate
3. Navigates to Courses
4. Selects the course
5. Navigates to Exam tab
6. Selects “Add New Exam”
7. Completes the Exam Information Form one time per exam

Next, at least one week prior to the exam, students:

1. Log into Accommodate
2. Make a request to use their accommodations for that exam via “Exam Booking Request”

Then, SDS:

1. Logs into Accommodate and reviews the list of students
2. Reserves and assigns testing locations
3. Schedules proctors
4. Sends confirmation emails to the students
5. Reminds faculty, via email, to send a copy of the exam
6. Prepares exam materials
7. Ensures completed exams are returned to faculty in a timely manner

Important notes

• Providing your exam in advance: For exams that start between the hours of 8:30 am and 6 pm, exam copies can be uploaded directly to Accommodate, emailed to SDS mail, or dropped off to Christine Jackson in Parrish W 119. Exams must be received at least 24 hours before the start time.
• Evening exam drop-off: Exams that start between the hours of 6 pm and 10 pm must be delivered by you (the faculty member) directly to the accommodated exam location within 5-10 minutes of the start time. 
• Planning ahead: If you know all your exam dates at the start of the semester, SDS strongly encourages you to login and complete the Exam Information Form as early as possible.
• Exam start times/reschedules: Students are automatically scheduled to test at the class start time on the day of the in-class administration. Should a student request to test at an alternative time due to academic conflict, SDS will confirm directly with you (the faculty member).
• Seeing an exam roster: You can review the list of students who have requested to use their exam accommodations in your Accommodate portal by navigating to “Courses” > “Alternative Test Room Bookings” > “Approved.”

Final Exam Proctoring

Spring 2025 Final Exams

• Faculty must enter their final exam information into Accommodate by Monday, April 14, 2025.

• Students must make their final exam request in Accommodate by Monday, April 21, 2025.

Providing the exam information prior to the deadline allows SDS appropriate time to finalize our staffing needs, room reservations, and assistive technology assignments. We cannot review requests that are submitted after this date due to the time needed to coordinate logistics.

To help meet the increased need for Exam Proctoring during the final exam period, SDS will extend their hours from 8:30 am until 10 pm. 

Additional Information Related to Accommodated Exams

Extended-time

The time given in the standard classroom administration is the baseline for determining extended time. Students with a disability accommodation for extended time on quizzes and exams must be provided with the stated extension (50%, 100%, or other amount) based on the amount of time provided to students without the disability accommodation, even when the standard time is considered to be an ample amount.

Extended exam time should never run into another class or academic commitment. Allowing students to begin a test earlier or at a different time of day may be required in order for them to attend all of their classes. SDS can provide proctoring assistance if faculty and students have incompatible schedules.

Separate testing environment with reduced distractions

When scheduling multiple students in one classroom, SDS aims to keep the number of students at, or lower than, one third of the room’s actual capacity.

Stop-the-clock breaks on exams (up to 25% of the total test time)

Stop-the-clock breaks on exams allow the student to pause the exam time while they take a break. The total test time does not increase, rather students do not lose exam time when they take a break. The total amount of time allowed to spend on a break is 25% of the total test time. For example, a student with a 50 minute exam may take one 12 minute break, two 6 minute breaks, etc.

Use of a laptop for written (short-answer) exams and quizzes

Students approved for laptops may check out an SDS device for their exam. SDS ensures that the laptop does not have internet access. Two weeks notice is required, as devices are limited.

Scribe

Students approved for a scribe may request one through SDS. If an exam requires a content-literate scribe, SDS may request assistance from faculty to identify an appropriate candidate. Two weeks notice is required, as SDS may need to identify and hire a new student worker. 

Rescheduling an exam

Students with an approved accommodation to reschedule an exam may not have a compatible schedule with their instructor. If the student and faculty cannot find a mutually agreeable time, SDS may be available to proctor the exam. Please reach out to @studentdisabilityservices@swarthmore.edu directly to coordinate.

Privacy Note for Faculty and Staff

Swarthmore College respects the privacy of its students.  The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs all student record information.  All information concerning student disabilities and accommodations is kept separately from student academic files.  This information is confidential and will not be released to third parties without the written permission of the student, except in circumstances involving matters of health, safety, and law.  Information regarding student disabilities and requests for accommodation is available to College faculty and staff on a need-to-know basis.

Please avoid discussing accommodations for students in public.  We encourage you and the student to meet individually to discuss your course and any accommodations arrangements.

Please contact Student Disability Services if you have any questions or concerns.