The Weingarten Center works closely with faculty and campus partners to provide services for students who self-identify with a disability in order to ensure equal access to all University programs, activities, and services. We encourage all course instructors to review Roles and Responsibilities, Academic Accommodations FAQs, Most Common Academic Accommodations, and Using the MyWeingartenCenter Faculty Portal. Please contact Disability Services with any questions.
Roles and Responsibilities
Students
- Request accommodations through Disability Services
- Provide documentation from a professional to support the request
- Send a Semester Request to notify faculty each semester through MyWeingartenCenter
- Meet with professors during office hours to discuss how accommodations will be handled in each class
- Schedule accommodated tests at least 8 days prior to the scheduled exam date when testing through the Weingarten Center
Disability Services
- Publish clear procedures for requesting and using accommodations
- Review all requests for accommodations in a timely manner
- Meet with students to discuss approved accommodations and how to use them
- Respond to calls and emails in a timely manner
- Recruit and hire note takers when applicable
- Provide an accommodated test-taking experience equivalent to the classroom testing experience
Course Instructors
- Include a statement in the syllabus about how to access Disability Services
- Read and sign accommodation letters in MyWeingartenCenter
- Meet with students to discuss how accommodations will be handled in your class
- Contact Disability Services with any questions or concerns about approved accommodations
- Review all test booking appointments to ensure accuracy of information
- Provide instructions on test administration and upload exam copy in a timely manner
Note: Faculty may receive accommodation letters at any point during the semester, as students could have new diagnoses or changes in symptoms at any time
Test Accommodations: Student Responsibilities
To ensure a clear understanding of the implementation of test accommodations, please read and acknowledge your role in the process. This information pertains to quizzes, tests, and exams administered during the semester. Final exam information is posted on the Weingarten Center website.
Students in the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Dental Medicine, Penn Carey Law School, the Wharton MBA program, Penn Engineering Online, and Penn LPS Online should follow the guidance outlined in the accommodation letter they receive after submitting a semester request. In the letter, those students are directed to contact an administrator in their respective school/program who coordinates arrangements for test accommodations.
For all other students, please follow these guidelines for handling accommodated test arrangements through the Center for Accommodated Testing (“test center”):
At the start of a semester, submit your semester request through the MyWeingartenCenter portal.
- If you add a course or switch to a new section after submitting the semester request, you must submit another semester request for the courses added to your schedule.
- Your professors will then receive your accommodation letters. Confer with them to determine how test accommodations will be handled for their courses. If the professor prefers that you make arrangements to take exams under the supervision of the test center, then you are strongly encouraged to submit all test reservations at the start of the semester.
To guarantee a test space, reservations must be submitted at least 8 days prior to the exam date.
- The Center for Accommodated Testing hours are 8:30 am -7:00 pm (Monday-Thursday) and 8:30 am – 5:00 pm (Friday). Summer hours are 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (Monday-Thursday and Friday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm).
- When scheduling your exam, select the class time as your start time. Ensure that you are not missing another class because of the extended time. You may need to start the exam before the class time or take it at another time during the day. It is your responsibility to discuss any alternative exam dates or times with your professors and email your instructor’s written approval to sds-test@vpul.upenn.edu. Approving alternative exam dates and times is not the test center’s responsibility.
- The test center must be fair to all students and cannot guarantee a specific seat or a specific location to take your exam. The test center is committed to providing students with an optimal testing environment.
If you miss the 8-day deadline, you must visit the Weingarten Center in Stouffer Commons between 9 am – 5 pm (Monday-Friday) to seek assistance from a staff member.
- Reservations cannot be handled by phone or email.
- There is no guarantee that a late request can be honored if space is not available in the test center.
- Professors are under no obligation to handle test arrangements if you fail to handle the test reservation in accordance with their expectations.
- Late requests for scheduling accommodated tests may result in you taking the exam in class without accommodations.
The MyWeingartenCenter portal is your message center for test reservations.
- After you submit a test reservation, you will receive an email and see your reservation under “Pending Requests” in the MyWeingartenCenter.
- If you do not receive an email or see the pending reservation, you have not submitted a test reservation.
- Pending indicates that you have done your part in securing a test space.
- Within 2-3 days of the exam date, you should see the final details of your reservation, such as the test site location.
When you arrive at the test site, you should present your Penn ID and follow the directions provided by the test center staff.
- All electronic devices (e.g., phones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops) must be secured by the test center staff.
- If you arrive more than 15 minutes after the scheduled exam time, the test center might not be able to honor your test reservation.
- If you are discovered to violate the test center protocols, your instructors and the Center for Community Standards and Accountability will be notified of the incident.
Academic Accommodations FAQs
Please contact Disability Services if you have questions about a student’s accommodations or if you have difficulty addressing a student’s accommodations.
Please contact Disability Services. We understand that you may have questions about how to implement the accommodations and we are here to assist you. If you are concerned that an approved accommodation will compromise a essential component of your course, it is important to have a discussion with the Disability Services staff about what to do.
Yes. Course instructors are encouraged to administer their own exams for students with accommodations. Course instructors who choose to administer their own exams must ensure that they can provide all approved accommodations. There are many advantages to administering your own exam. If you are unable to administer your own exam, the Weingarten Center has a testing center where your students can take your exam.
Extended time is the most common exam accommodation. Students with 50% extended time should receive 1.5 times the standard exam time. Students with 100% extended time should receive 2 times the standard exam time. A distraction-reduced environment refers to a testing location in a small group away from the classroom with minimal noise and visual distraction. A private exam room is an isolated location for a single student alone. To address the stop-the-clock break accommodation, 30 additional minutes should be added to the student’s end time. For example, the test length is 90 minutes; the student receives 50% additional time, or 135 minutes. With the stop-the-clock break accommodation, the total time for the test is 165 minutes.
Canvas allows course instructors to change the exam length for an individual student. Detailed instructions are available on the Canvas help site.
Canvas does not allow “stop-the-clock breaks.” Instead, Disability Services suggests that you add 30 minutes of additional test time for any students approved for stop-the-clock breaks. For example, the test length is 75 minutes; the student receives 50% additional time, or 135 minutes. With the stop-the-clock break accommodation, the total time for the test is 165 minutes.
Students who wish to take their accommodated tests through Disability Services must schedule each quiz, test, or exam at least eight days in advance through the MyWeingartenCenter student portal. All tests proctored through Disability Services will take place in the the Center for Accommodated Testing, located one floor down from the main entrance on the blue level in the Holman BioTech Commons (3610 Hamilton Walk).
If you wish for Disability Services to handle your exams, have your students schedule each quiz, test, or exam at least eight days in advance through the MyWeingartenCenter student portal. To assist in reminding students to schedule their exams through the Weingarten Center, course instructors should include information for students with disabilities in their syllabus and when making announcements about exams in class and on their Canvas site.
You will receive an automated email as soon as your student’s exam reservation is approved by the Disability Services staff. You will receive an automated email six days prior to the exam date if your student has scheduled an exam with the Weingarten Center. Course instructors should use MyWeingartenCenter to review their student’s exam reservations on the Room Bookings tab. Please communicate any discrepancies to the Disability Services staff. Another automated email is sent three days prior to the exam as a reminder to upload your exam and instructions. These email notifications are sent to all course instructors who are affiliated with a course in the Student Record System (SRS).
In MyWeingartenCenter, use the Exam tab to provide detailed instructions for administering the exam, and upload a copy of the exam at least two days in advance. Weingarten Center staff will print all exams one day prior to administration. Please include the course code and section number on the exam itself, as well as the course instructor’s name, as this helps Disability Services staff to accurately prepare exam materials.
Course instructors are strongly encouraged to indicate whether an exam is given online or on paper. This allows Disability Services staff to assign the student to the appropriate testing space. If the exam is online, please indicate whether it must be administered in a proctored setting.
Course instructors should select their preferred method of exam return when uploading to MyWeingartenCenter. Instructors have several options to choose from.
- Pick up the completed exam from the Center for Accommodated Testing in the Holman BioTech Commons.
- Pick up the completed exam from the Weingarten Center office in Stouffer Commons, Suite 300.
- Have Disability Services deliver the physical exam to the instructor’s campus office.
- Receive the completed exam electronically via the MyWeingartenCenter Faculty Portal.
Electronic return and hand-deliveries will be made one business day after the exam is given. Exams for pickup will be available beginning at 9:00 A.M. in the morning following the exam.
Most Common Academic Accommodations
Testing
Extended time: Additional time beyond the standard exam administration time. Usually calculated as 50% extended time (time-and-a-half) or 100% extended time (double time).
Distraction-reduced location: A quiet setting in a small group away from the classroom.
Private room: An individual test setting for one student alone.
Use of a computer: Student may use a computer without internet to type responses to short answer and essay questions.
Note-Taking
Copy of class notes: Disability Services will recruit a student in the class to share a copy of their notes with the student who has this accommodation. The process protects the confidentiality of both parties. Course instructors can view the notes in the MyWeingartenCenter portal.
Use of electronic device in class: Student may use an electronic device to take notes in class or to access electronic course materials during class meetings.
Audio recording lectures: Student will make an audio recording of the lecture to use solely for personal study. Recordings will not be shared or posted. Students must review and sign the Recording Class Lectures Agreement Form and submit it to their Disability Specialist.
Other Classroom Accommodations
Modification of attendance policy: Student has a condition that may impact class attendance. Student is responsible for notifying course instructor of disability-related absences and making up missed work. If absences become excessive or threaten the student’s ability to complete fulfill course requirements, course instructor should notify Disability Services and the academic advising unit.
Extensions of assignment deadlines: Student may need occasional brief extensions of assignment deadlines due to flare ups of an unpredictable chronic condition. Student is responsible for notifying course instructors of the need for a disability-related extension. Course instructors may contact Disability Services to resolve questions about a reasonable amount of time for an extension.
Accessible Course Materials
Textbooks in alternate format: Disability Services will procure or produce an accessible electronic version of course textbooks.
Accessible course materials: Disability Services will assist course instructors in locating or producing accessible electronic versions of other course materials.
Live transcription (CART) services: Disability Services will contract an external services provider for live transcription of class meetings.
Captioned multimedia: Course instructors must ensure that multimedia used for the course is captioned. Instructional IT and ISC have resources to assist in captioning multimedia if necessary.
Please contact Disability Services if you have questions about a student’s accommodations or if you have difficulty addressing a student’s accommodations.
Using the MyWeingartenCenter Faculty Portal
Please contact Disability Services if you have questions about a student’s accommodations or if you have difficulty addressing a student’s accommodations.
Review a Student's Exam Reservation
Provide Instructions and Upload Exam
When you navigate to the MyWeingartenCenter Portal, select “Faculty” and sign in with your PennKey and password.
To view your students’ accommodation letters, select Accommodation Letters from the left-side menu. The Weingarten Center is no longer requesting faculty signatures on students’ academic accommodation letters. We encourage course instructors to review each accommodation letter, discuss accommodations with students as needed, and contact Disability Services at sds-accommodations@vpul.upenn.edu with any questions or concerns. Letters that have been reviewed and saved by faculty will still be labeled “Review,” but no additional action is needed.
Select the Courses option from the left side menu to view a list of the courses you are teaching. Click on the title of a course and select Enrolled Students from the top menu to view a list of enrolled students. To filter this list for students with approved accommodations, select More Filters. Under Approved Accommodations for this Course select Yes and Apply Search. This will return a list of students enrolled in this course along with their approved academic accommodations.
If you want Disability Services to administer your exams for students with approved accommodations, you will use the MyWeingartenCenter Portal to review a student’s exam booking, provide your exam instructions and a upload a copy of your exam, and pick up the completed exam copy.
Review a Student’s Exam Booking
Disability Services requires students to schedule their exams at least one week in advance. Students use the MyWeingartenCenter Portal to submit a request including the date, time, and length of time for each exam. After a student’s exam booking is approved by Disability Services staff, you will receive an email notification.
- Log into the MyWeingartenCenter Portal to review the exam details that the student entered and notify Disability Services of any necessary revisions.
- To find the exam booking, use the Courses option on the left side menu and select the appropriate course.
- Select Room Bookings from the top menu to view the list of all exam bookings associated with that course.
- Contact Disability Services testing staff at sds-test@vpul.upenn.edu if any corrections are needed to the date, start time, or standard length of time for the exam.
Provide Exam Instructions and Upload Exam
Disability Services staff rely on course instructors to provide detailed information on how to administer their exams.
- From the Courses menu, select the appropriate course.
- Select Exam from the top menu and click Add New Exam.
- Complete the form fields to provide Disability Services with your instructions for how to administer your exam, how to contact you with any questions that arise during the exam, and how to return the completed exam.
- Upload a copy of the exam file directly on this form.
- Disability Services requests this information at least two days prior to the exam. Disability Services staff print all exams and exam instructions one day prior to administration.
- Please call or email sds-test@vpul.upenn.edu with any last-minute changes.
Course instructors can view the files that note-takers upload for students with note taking accommodations. On the Courses menu, select the appropriate course and select Course Notes from the top menu. A list of all the files uploaded for the course will be visible for your review.