Making Arrangements for Exam and Quiz Accommodations

Instructors have two options when making arrangements for their students’ accommodated exams and quizzes. Click on the links below to learn more about each option.

    • Option 1: With adequate notice, Disability Resources can proctor students' exams with information from the professor through the Testing Agreement. Learn more about this option

    • Option 2: If you are able to provide appropriate accommodations within the classroom/your department, then you can make your own arrangements for students with exam accommodations. Instructors must comply with all accommodations listed in the students' notification letters. Learn more about this option

    • Take-home Exams: Students should be provided extended time on take-home exams if you are giving the class 24 hours or fewer to complete the exam. If students are allowed more than 24 hours to complete the take-home exam, the student’s extended time accommodation does not apply, as this is not considered a timed exam.  

Option 1: Using Disability Resources’ Proctoring Service 

If you are unable to make your own proctoring arrangements, Disability Resources can proctor on your behalf. We have a trained staff of graduate student proctors.

To request our assistance, complete the below steps. Instructions and a video tutorial are available for additional guidance.

Step 1: Complete a Testing Agreement.

If your student requires exam accommodations, the notification of accommodations letter will include a link to our Testing Agreement. This provides us the information needed to ensure the academic honesty of your exams and quizzes. It takes just a few minutes to complete, and you only need to fill out one per course each semester.

Students can then request accommodations for individual exams and quizzes through the DR Student Portal. We ask them to notify us at least 5 business days before each quiz/exam/midterm date and 10 business days before finals. We’ll email you the student’s confirmed start times and exam locations.

More questions about the Testing Agreement? Read our FAQ.

Step 2: Provide the exam to our office at least 24 hours in advance.

We proctor thousands of exams on behalf of hundreds of instructors each semester, so timely exam delivery keeps our testing processes running smoothly. You can opt to email, upload, or hand deliver the exam, or you can ask the student to pick up the exam from you in a sealed envelope.

Step 3: During the exam, share any in-class announcements/corrections with our proctors, and make sure our proctors can reach you as well.

You can reach our proctors at DisabilityProctor@rochester.edu or 585-276-5075. To ensure an equitable testing environment for students with disabilities, our proctors need to be able to reach you with student questions. On the Testing Agreement, you will have the opportunity to provide a way for us to reach you during the exam.

Whenever possible, visit our exam site—or send a TA—to check on your students. We will send you confirmation emails a few days before each exam so you know where each student is testing—keep in mind we occasionally have multiple exam sites on the same day.

Instructors are required to communicate clarifications to our proctors. Read examples of information that must be conveyed to our proctors.

Step 4: Receive completed exams.

On the Testing Agreement, you can let us know how you prefer to receive the completed exams. We offer two options:

  • Pick up the completed exams at our office in Taylor Hall, Monday-Friday between 9 AM and 4 PM.
  • We can scan and email you PDFs of your students’ completed exams.

Please ensure that exams taken with our office are graded and/or returned to students at the same time as those of the nondisabled students who tested with the class.

Visit the DR Instructor Portal at any time to make changes to your Testing Agreement or to view a list of students in your course(s) who have requested accommodations.

Please note – students may ask to reschedule their exam due to other course conflicts and/or disability related concerns. We are prepared to help; however, we do ask students and instructors to follow this policy:

Rescheduling an exam with the Office of Disability Resources:

Students with accommodations may reschedule an exam with their professor's permission. Students must forward their professor's written approval of the alternate date to the Testing Coordinator (disability@rochester.edu). If there is space and proctor coverage available, the alternate exam date will be approved. Otherwise, the student must make exam arrangements directly with their professor.

The Office of Disability Resources will aid in rescheduling a student's exam two times. If a student misses the exam a total of three times (original date plus the two rescheduled dates), the student must work with their professor for them to administer the exam.

 
Option 2: Making Your Own Arrangements for Accommodated Exams and Quizzes

If you’re proctoring your own exams and quizzes for students who receive accommodations, you may want to reserve a room within your department (ideally near the classroom where you will be administering the exam) and have a TA or department member supervise.

The notification of accommodations letter you receive from students will list their approved accommodations. If you have any questions about these, we’d be happy to help. If students approach you about accommodations and you haven’t received a letter from our office, contact us to confirm whether or not they have been approved to receive accommodations.

Visit the DR Instructor Portal to view a list of students in your course(s) who have requested accommodations. For assistance, view instructions or a video tutorial on using the DR Instructor Portal.

A few things to keep in mind:

  • Protect confidentiality. When communicating with your students about their accommodations, contact students individually or blind copy (bcc) the group email. If you host accommodated exams in a separate room, ask students to meet there rather than having them leave as a group at the start of the exam.

  • Reduce distractions. Select a room that offers privacy and reduced environmental distractions. A white noise machine can help buffer hallway noise.

  • Create an equitable testing environment. Provide your proctor with a reliable way to contact you during the exam. Visit the testing room throughout the exam to check on students.

  • If your course includes regular and/or pop quizzes, please review our Quiz Accommodation FAQ.

Questions?

We’re happy to help! Contact us. 

Additional Resources

Please note that Disability Resources testing rooms are reserved for students eligible for disability accommodations ONLY. Due to confidentiality and privacy considerations, we cannot provide services for make up exams due to illness or other non-disability-related reason or host additional examinees who are not registered with our office.