Alternative Testing Accommodations

Before students can use the DSS Testing Center for accommodated exams, students must request their accommodation letters to be sent to their faculty. Once the letters are sent, faculty are given 5 business days to implement the accommodations per URP: 01.242 Academic Accommodations for Students. Students will use myDSS (TWU Disability Services Platform) to reserve their exams with accommodations. Testing Accommodations that were recently approved (within 5 business days) are not guaranteed to be applied to upcoming exams or existing exam reservations.

Prior to using approved testing accommodations, students must complete a series of E-Form Agreements in myDSS (TWU Disability Services Platform), including the DSS Testing Center Policy Agreement. This document outlines the procedures followed by the testing center staff, including scheduling mandates, arrival and late-arrival policies, prohibited personal belongings, and academic integrity protocols. It is the student’s sole responsibility to thoroughly review this agreement to ensure full compliance and avoid administrative or testing penalties throughout the academic term.

Exam reservations will be approved after your instructor has submitted Proctoring Instructions (PI) into the myDSS system. Proctoring Instructions establish the standard procedures for all exams administered in the DSS Testing Center for each course.

DSS staff are responsible for administering the exam based on guidelines outlined in the Proctoring Instructions to maintain an equitable experience for all students.

Proctoring Instructions can include:

• Late Policy
• Permitted Items and Materials (Notecard, Calculator, etc.)
• Technical Requirements (Personal Laptop, Headphones)
• Exam Return Methods

Exams cannot be processed or proctored by DSS Testing Center Staff without the completion of the Proctoring Instructions.

Exams must be reserved in myDSS at least 3 business days in advance of the exam date by 5:00 PM. Business days do not include Saturdays and Sundays.

Exams must be taken during the regular class time unless an alternate time is approved by the instructor. Alternate start times approvals are required to be in writing from faculty and provided to the DSS office via email at testdss@twu.edu.

How to submit an exam reservation in myDSS:

Visual guide for steps below

1.) Log in to your myDSS student portal.

2.) On the left side menu of myDSS, under "Accommodations”, select "Alternative Testing".

3.) Under “Schedule An Exam”, click on the dropdown box to “Select Course” for which class you would like to reserve an exam in the Testing Center.
• Only classes for which you have requested accommodations will populate in this list. If a class is missing, first check that you have an active accommodation letter for the course.

4.) Click on “Schedule an Exam”.
If your instructor has added their exam dates and times to the Proctoring Instructions, you can select the desired exam from “Available Exam Dates” and click “Add Exam Request”. Otherwise, follow the steps below:

5.) “Exam Type”: select the type of test you will be taking in the DSS Testing Center. There are many exam types. Choose the best option for your course.

6.) Select the campus where the class is held.

7.) “Enter date & time”: This date and time must be the same as the scheduled testing date and time for your course. If you need to test on a different date and/or time, the DSS Testing Center must have written approval from your faculty.
• If you submit a reservation outside of your course’s scheduled testing day and DSS has not received communication from your instructor, you will be asked to reschedule your exam or obtain written approval from your instructor for the alternative testing date and/or time. DSS will not process the reservation until approval is received or the reservation is updated to the corrected testing day.

8.) “Standard length of Exam (In Minutes)”: Enter the amount of time that the class is scheduled to test.
• If you are unsure of the standard test time, please add an additional note in your reservation, and DSS staff will confirm with your instructor directly.

9.) “Services Requested”: Choose the accommodations you want to use for the exam. Ideally, only request accommodations that you do anticipate using.

10.) “Additional Note:” Add additional information that DSS may need to know about this exam. It can be left blank.

11.) Click ”Add Exam Request”.

12.) At the top of the screen, you will see: “System Update Successful” and receive a confirmation email of your reservation.

Please note: If you have back-to-back classes or an overlap in exams start or end times, please consult with DSS and your instructor to find an alternate time to take your exam so that you do not miss any of your other classes or exams. Written instructor approval is required for any alternative testing times and must be submitted via email to testdss@twu.edu.

Students will receive an automated confirmation email from the myDSS platform regarding their exam reservation, along with the reservation details. If students do not receive a confirmation email, their reservation was not successfully submitted and was not received by the DSS office for processing. Students can view the most recent updates to testing reservations submitted.

To View Upcoming Exam Reservations:

1. Log in to your myDSS profile.
2. On the left-hand side under the “Accommodations” module, select “Alternative Testing.”
3. You will be directed to your Alternative Testing Homepage.
4. Scroll down to view your Upcoming Scheduled Exams, and you can view the reservations along with details and statuses DSS has placed on the reservations specifically.

To View All Exam Requests (Past and Current Term):

1. Log in to your myDSS profile.
2. On the left-hand side under the “Accommodations” module, select “Alternative Testing.”
3. On the Alternative Testing Homepage, select “All Exam Requests” at the top right of the screen.
4. You will then be directed to a list of all exam requests, including their statuses, exam durations, and options to make edits to upcoming reservations.

Visual guide for the steps below

1. On the left-hand side menu, select “Alternative Testing.”
2. Scroll down to view your Upcoming Scheduled Exam and select “View” for the reservation you wish to modify.
3. You will be redirected to a new page that will list out the reservation details for editing.
4. Make your changes on the exam detail form. 
5. Click “Update Exam Request” at the bottom of your screen.

Please note: Modifications are not automatically approved.  A pending change request will be sent to the DSS office, where all changes must be manually reviewed and approved by DSS staff. Changes to exam dates or times require additional processing time, as DSS requires direct confirmation from your instructor before updates can be made.

Visual guide for the steps below

1. On the left-hand side menu, select “Alternative Testing.”
2. On the Alternative Testing Homepage, scroll down to view your Upcoming Scheduled Exam and select “View” for the reservation you wish to cancel.
3. You will be redirected to a new page that will list out the reservation details for editing.
4. On the right-hand side, click the “Cancel Exam Request” drop-down box.
5. Select a Cancellation Reason from the drop-down menu and click “Cancel Exam Request,” and confirm the cancellation.

Please note: Cancellations are not automatically approved. A pending change request will be sent to the DSS office, where all changes must be manually reviewed and approved by DSS staff. Cancellations require additional processing time.

Students requesting to start more than 5 minutes earlier or 15 minutes later than the approved start time require faculty approval to the DSS Testing email at testdss@twu.edu.

If a student is permitted to begin their exam up to 5 minutes early, their end time will be adjusted accordingly so that they receive their exact allotted testing duration without exceeding it.

DSS allows a 15-minute grace period for exam arrival. Arriving more than 15 minutes late will result in a No-Show status for your reservation. Eligibility to proceed with the examination following this 15-minute grace period is managed strictly by the instructor's course proctoring instructions policy.

All permitted materials are listed in the Proctoring Instructions completed by your instructor. If a student brings materials that are not listed, DSS will contact the instructor for approval. Until confirmation is received, the materials will not be permitted in the testing room. Students may provide documentation of approved materials (e.g., a Canvas announcement or an email sent to the class by the instructor) as an alternative means to verify that the additional material is allowed.

DSS must be notified by your faculty of the rescheduled exam date and time. If a reservation was submitted prior to the reschedule, DSS cannot update the reservation until we receive confirmation of the new date and time from your instructor, either by email or verbally.

Students are welcome to submit a modification request in myDSS; however, DSS will not approve or deny the request until notice of the rescheduled exam is received from your course faculty.

Students using their flex plan must follow the guidelines outlined in the Flex Plan agreement. Before any rescheduling occurs with DSS, students are responsible for notifying their faculty of Flex Plan usage via email and should cc the DSS Testing email at testdss@twu.edu and their assigned coordinator.

Students should refer to their Flex Plan agreement for exam rescheduling, available in their myDSS profile under the Flex Plan tab. After the faculty has approved Flex Plan usage, students may submit a new exam reservation request for the rescheduled date in myDSS or contact DSS to adjust their original reservation.