But the Center also helps students ease anxieties. Raley said the Center encourages students to call for an appointment to see how the Center can assist them in their courses. Any student who experiences academic difficulty inconsistent with the effort being put forth by the student may go to the Center for an assessment of the problems and recommendations for alleviation or a solution. The initial assessment addresses such factors as the student's history, aptitude and academic skills. The entire diagnostic battery takes about six hours.
Students find testing can yield many positive results in the future.
Like similar programs at other institutions throughout the country, the Center helps students overcome disadvantages and gives them accommodations to allow them to compete fairly with other students. The law stipulates that certain accommodations, whether getting readings for the blind or extra exam time, are reasonable for students with disabilities because they level the playing field. These accommodations enable them to compete fairly with students without disabilities. She said those accommodations are not considered reasonable if they violate the integrity of the class. If the main objective of class is to learn certain formulas, it would not be permissible for a student to use a sheet of important formulas and main ideas during a test, she added.