Accommodations and English Learner Supports for Educators

ACT has recently streamlined accommodatons eligibility requirements for students with IEPs and 504 plans! See our press release for more information.

Requesting Accommodations and English Learner (EL) Supports

All requests should be submitted by the school official, through the Test Accessibility and Accommodations System (TAA) by the published late registration deadline for your examinee's preferred test date.

Examinees may be placed into either a National test center or into Special testing, depending on the accommodation approved and test option. If Special testing is required, ACT considers submission of the request as certification that the school will test the student as part of ACT Special Testing during the published special testing window.

If the school is not able to test the examinee, the request within TAA should reflect this as a comment. The school should notify the examinee that Special testing cannot be administered and the examinee will need to work with ACT for an alternate location.

Review Process

Stage 1

Receive a notification email from examinee that accommodations and/or supports need to be requested.

Confirm that a signed Consent to Release Information (PDF) is on file at your school.

Stage 2:

Submit Documentation

New accounts must be validated prior to accessing TAA, this may take up to 5 business days for this process to occur.
TAA User Guide (PDF)

Submit the request formally through TAA. You will be asked to provide:

examinee details
test date information
reason for the request
plan details
requested accommodations and/or supports
required documentation for the: accommodations and/or supports

Note: All requests with documentation that are submitted by the late registration deadline will be reviewed for the indicated test date. All requests must be associated with a future test date.

Stage 3

ACT Analyst Review

ACT will review the request. Requests are normally processed in 10-14 business days.

You'll receive an email when the Decision Notification is available to view in TAA.

Review the decision notification.
Print a copy of the decision notification and provide it to the examinee.

Stage 4

If the request has been approved:

For National testing: The examinee must submit photo identification. Testing location will be provided on the examinee’s admission ticket.
For Special testing: The examinee must submit photo identification. The first approval will assume the school is willing to test Special Testing, unless noted by the school. Any subsequent requests will require the school to recertify their ability to administer Special testing during the published window.

Once certified, Materials for special testing will be sent to the school prior to the test date.

If the request has not been approved:

You may use TAA to edit the existing request and provide additional documentation for reconsideration.

Note: If a reconsideration request is submitted after the applicable late deadline, decisions will not be available for the preferred test date.

Information Privacy

ACT will treat all information provided to support accommodations and EL supports requests as confidential and will use it solely to determine eligibility. Details about accommodations or EL supports will be shared only with the testing staff and will not be released to anyone else, including score report recipients. The only exceptions are for those instances in which an examinee’s accommodation/support-related documents and information are the subject of a subpoena or other court order, or an enforceable request from a government entity.

Resources for Educators

Policies and User Guides

File Name and Link	Description
ACT-Translated Test Booklet Directions for English Learners (PDF)	Copy of the test directions (the directions found in the test booklet that the examinee reads when taking the test), translated into languages other than English
ACT-Approved Bilingual Word-to-Word Dictionaries (PDF)	Guidelines and a detailed list of approved word-to-word dictionaries for use by examinees approved for English learner supports.
ACT USB Usage Guidelines (PDF)	For examinees using the practice USB materials to prepare for Special testing
Quick Start Guide for Requesting Accoms/Supports (PDF)	Information for Test Coordinators about requesting accommodations for examinees with disabilities and supports for English learners.
Test Accessibility and Accommodations User Guide (PDF)	Instructions for how to access and navigate the TAA system.
Requesting Accommodations using a Voucher for the ACT (PDF)	Information on how to apply new test dates in TAA for students retesting with accommodations.
Test Coordinator Policies for ACT Special Testing (PDF)	Brief outline of policies and requirements for a qualified member of the school staff to serve as the test coordinator for Special testing.
ELL Toolkit	Use these resources as you help make a difference for underrepresented students.
Test Accommodations Coordinator Training in TAA (Video)	Brief video explaining how to request accommodations for students after they have registered for the ACT. Includes MyACT and TAA communications, how to find student's TAA request file, and why it is important to have only one TAA PIN.
Success for You and Your Students (PDF)	How to prevent some of the common “pitfalls” of testing with accommodations and/or English learner supports that can result in score delays and cancellations.
Accessibility Supports Guide for the ACT - National and Special Testing (PDF)	Resource for examinees and educational teams requesting accommodations or EL supports for the ACT test.
Pre-recorded Audio FAQ's	Frequently Asked Questions for Pre-recorded Audio - Special Testing.

Forms

File Name and Link	Description
Exceptions Statement Form and Checklist (PDF)	Examinees who do not currently have an official accommodations plan, EL support plan, IEP, or 504 plan can submit the Exceptions Statement Form to support their request.
Order Form for Alternate Format Practice Tests (PDF)	Is used to place an order for free alternate formats of the ACT practice test. These materials may be checked out by students or used to simulate a practice session in school.
Sign Language Interpreter Certification Form and Request for Payment Form (PDF)	The test coordinator and sign language interpreter must complete and submit these forms when applicable.
Teacher Survey Form (PDF)	A teacher at the examinee’s school may complete this form as supporting documentation to be uploaded in TAA. It asks for specific ways in which the examinee used accommodations in their class.
Reader Agreement (PDF)	Complete this agreement only if ACT has approved the reading of the test questions. Each examinee approved for a reader must test individually in a separate room. The test coordinator normally serves as the reader.
Sign Language Interpreter Agreement (PDF)	The test coordinator and sign language interpreter must complete and submit this form when applicable.
Sign Language Interpreter Request for Payment (coming soon)	The test coordinator and sign language interpreter must complete and submit this form when applicable.
Scriber Agreement (PDF)	Complete this agreement only if ACT has approved an examinee to use a transcriber, computer, brailler, or speech-to-text software for the writing test, or if the examinee will dictate his or her multiple-choice responses and/or essay to a scribe.

Resources for Students and Parents

Are you a student or parent looking for information about accommodations or English learner supports?