Student Documentation

The University of Scranton’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) recognizes as its mission the assurance of efficient access to appropriate accommodations for students with special needs. We also recognize that clear criteria for the required documentation of appropriate accommodations makes the process more transparent for students and parents. In order to fulfill this mission, The University of Scranton has adopted the Educational Testing Service’s (ETS) standards for documentation of appropriate accommodations. These standards are national standards from a well-respected national organization, and many of our students will deal with ETS when they take Praxis exams or graduate school exams.

This adoption of standards means the University of Scranton will require that ETS standards for Students with Special Needs documentation be met by students seeking academic accommodations. In addition, The University of Scranton will exercise the same discretion as ETS when reviewing documentation. We adopt these standards in order to make the process of planning and preparing for college study easier for students who require academic accommodations.

Please feel free to contact our office whenever you have any questions about documentation issues.

ETS Documentation Criteria For more detailed information, including ETS’s policy statements and guidelines about LD, ADHD, and psychiatric disabilities, please visit the links below.

Documentation for the applicant must:

• clearly state the diagnosed disability or disabilities;
• describe the functional limitations resulting from the disabilities;
• be current – i.e., completed within the last five years for LD, last six months for psychiatric disabilities, or last three years for ADHD and all other disabilities (please note that this requirement does not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature);
• include complete educational, developmental and medical history relevant to the disability for which testing accommodations are being requested;
• include a list of all test instruments used in the evaluation report and relevant subtest scores used to document the stated disability (this requirement does not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature);
• describe the specific accommodations requested;
• adequately support each of the requested testing accommodation(s);
• be typed or printed on official letterhead and signed by an evaluator qualified to make the diagnosis (include information about license or certification and area of specialization).

ETS links
Documenting Learning Disabilities
Documenting Physical Disabilities
Documenting Psychiatric Disabilities
Documenting ADHD