DID YOU KNOW?
PSU Academic Testing Services (ATS) has never had to turn away a single on-time student or instructor exam support request due to lack of capacity.
“The involvement of Testing Services has been incredibly helpful for us and our students!”
“Thank you so much for your help over this past term. The proctors we had were so great and really made the testing process smooth and easy for our students.”
Spring 2024 Term
We strongly encourage faculty and students to connect at the start of each term and to submit all exam support requests to Academic Testing Services (ATS) for the entire term by the end of Week 1, or as soon after that as possible.
Spring 2024 Deadlines
Final Exams: All requests for Final Exams must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM on Wednesday, May, 29th, 2024. Please be sure your students submit their exam request(s) no later than this if they'll need our support for one or more final exams. The further in advance these are submitted to us the better.
All Other Exams: Support requests for all other exams (other than Finals) must be submitted at least 7 business days before the desired exam appointment date due to the communication and coordination necessary among students, faculty, proctors, the DRC, and so forth. The further in advance these are submitted to us the better.
Please do not request an exception to this as it is what allows us to serve everyone who needs our services.
If you have any questions, please send an email to: TestingServices@pdx.edu
Please note that Academic Testing Services (ATS) is not part of the Disability Resource Center, and we are no longer part of SHAC (as of 2020). ATS is part of Academic Affairs, under the purview of Student Success.
Submit an Exam Proctoring Support Request to Academic Testing Services
STEP 1: Review the Instructor Accommodated Testing Agreement. Note that this is updated and needs to be reviewed once each term.
STEP 2: Complete the Exam Guidance from Instructor form. It is important to note that this should be filled out in full and submitted for each exam in each class. Please do not include guidance for multiple exams (i.e. midterm and final) in the same form submission.
STEP 3: Let your student(s) know you have submitted Exam Guidance to Testing Services and encourage them to submit a Student Accommodated Exam Request for each exam, if they have not already done so.
Make-Up Exams for Non-DRC Registered Students
Starting Spring 2024, in an effort to expand our support for faculty, PSU Academic Testing Services has resumed offering limited support for make-up exams for non-DRC-registered students. This was discontinued during the heart of the pandemic and we have been keen to resume it as soon as operationally possible. This is now offered on a capacity basis as we must continue to prioritize support for DRC-registered students and their instructors.
For make-up exams, you'll provide guidance using the same form linked from Step 2 above, and your student should submit a request via our Make-Up Exam Support Request form.
Making Exams as Accessible and Inclusive as Possible: What Faculty Can Do
At Portland State University, we are committed to providing an inclusive and equitable learning environment for all our students. This commitment extends to the ways in which we assess learning and administer exams. By leveraging the Canvas learning management system, we can significantly enhance exam accessibility, meet a broad range of academic testing accommodations, and reduce the need for traditional test proctoring.
Accessible and inclusive assessment design can also have a substantial positive impact on student achievement, regardless of disability. Assessments built in accordance with the Universal Design for Learning framework tend to be the most inclusive for everyone. If you should choose to include timed assessments in your course, please review our detailed guidance for enhancing exam accessibility and inclusivity.
An Important Note Regarding the Distraction-Reduced Space Accommodation
Note that there is a specific accommodation for “Private Room,” and relatively few students have this. The “Distraction Reduced Space” accommodation does not mean a private room; up to 12 students in a full size classroom (30+ capacity) can still be considered a distraction reduced space, though every effort should be made to provide an environment with as few distractions as possible in terms of noise, activity and so forth. A good rule of thumb is that a room at a third capacity or less is ideal, and up to half capacity can work if the the room is otherwise quiet with minimal activity and distractions.
Additional Information for Faculty
Here are some quick tips for supporting the testing needs of DRC students:
- The student has the right to decide if and when each testing accommodation in the email will be used in the course. Faculty should assume students will use all accommodations listed unless the student indicates otherwise, and should not recommend that the student try testing without accommodations.
- Unless a student has a testing accommodation allowing for them to test in the Testing Center (and this will be indicated in the student’s DRC Faculty Notification Email), the instructor will need to consider their options for proctoring the accommodated exams. Please visit the DRC website for detailed information and guidance on those options:
DRC Testing Accommodations for In-Person and Remote/Online Classes
https://www.pdx.edu/disability-resource-center/testing-accommodations-person-and-remoteonline-classes
- Faculty may recommend that accommodated students test at the same time as the class. If this is the recommendation, it must be clearly stated in the syllabus and students should make their best effort to schedule accordingly. However, if it is not possible for the student to test at the same time as the class, the student may have to test prior to or following the desired test date and/or time. Academic Testing Services is open and provides proctoring services between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday, except on days when the university is closed.
Remote, Online, and Attend Anywhere Testing
For all remote, online, or Attend Anywhere courses, all exams and quizzes should be given in an electronic environment (e.g., Canvas). Please review our page on Accommodated Testing for Online/Remote Courses.
If you would benefit from more information on how to test students in Canvas, please see the following resources from the Office of Academic Innovation (OAI):
● Canvas Tutorials page, including information on Quizzes and New Quizzes
● For questions related to teaching with technology, contact OAI.
Testing with PSU Academic Testing Services (for In-Person Classes)
For in-person classes, some students receive testing accommodations that are likely best provided by Academic Testing Services in our Adaptive Testing Suite. This will be indicated in the student’s DRC Faculty Notification Email, and include the following:
- Adaptive Software: Screen Reading Technology**
- Adaptive Software: Text to Speech Technology**
- Adaptive Software: Speech Recognition Technology
- Human Reader for Tests & Quizzes
- Human Scribe for Tests and Quizzes
- White Noise Device During Exams
If the student is allowed to use their own device for these accommodations, they can likely test with their instructor or a designee rather than with Academic Testing Services (ATS).
Refer to the links in your DRC Faculty Notification Email for more detailed information on how to provide specific testing accommodations.
If you would benefit from more information on how to test students through Canvas, please see the following resources from the Office of Academic Innovation (OAI):
● Canvas Tutorials page, including information on Quizzes and New Quizzes
● For teaching-with-technology questions, contact OAI.
If none these options will work for you, ATS may be able to proctor your student’s exam on your behalf.
Community Testing & Other Non-Accommodated Exams
PSU Academic Testing Services does not provide community testing or services for the exams listed below. More information may be available via the provided links.
Questions?
- For questions about specific student accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center (503-725-4150; drc@pdx.edu).
- For questions about testing procedures, please contact Academic Testing Services (503-725-4459; TestingServices@pdx.edu).
PSU Academic Testing Services
Division of Student Success | Academic Affairs
Hours of operation: Monday - Friday from 9am to 5pm.
Email: TestingServices@pdx.edu (this is the best, most efficient way to communicate with us)
Website: https://www.pdx.edu/learning-center/testing-services
Telephone: (503) 725-4459
IMPORTANT: Given that we operate out of multiple locations, in-person visits — including to pick up completed exams — are by appointment only.