Accommodations Handbook

Human Reader

Students approved to have a human reader assist them during testing are responsible for identifying and providing this individual on test day for any computer-based or paper-based SSAT administration. Eligibility requirements are in the last item of this section below.
Students assisted by a reader MUST be tested individually to ensure the interactions between the student and reader do not disrupt the test taking of other students.
For all paper-based SSAT administrations, readers will be provided their own test book on test day and are permitted to read ALL text which the student would be responsible for reading.
All computer-based testing options will require the student and their reader to read from the same computer screen throughout testing.
All text read aloud by the reader is at the complete discretion of the student; therefore, if desired, students may choose to read any section or subsection of the SSAT without assistance from their reader.
If/when requested, the reader is permitted to read the test taker’s partial or completed writing sample aloud to them. The reader may only read this written work verbatim as it appears and may not provide any feedback related to the content of the written work.
Readers MUST read all test material verbatim to maintain standardization and test validity and are NOT permitted to clarify, elaborate, or provide alternate descriptions, interpretations, or suggestions.

All test related questions, including but not limited to requests for clarification, having directions repeated, etc., are to be posed directly to the proctor, not the reader. Please note that any student request to have a portion of the test re-read aloud by their reader does not require approval from the proctor and may be asked of the reader at any time during testing.

Readers are NOT permitted to physically assist any student during testing, including, but not limited to: marking a student’s answers on the answer booklet, pointing in the student’s test book, etc. If a reader is unsure of how to respond to a request from the student, they should ask the proctor for clarification.

If the test proctor determines the reader is providing a student with inappropriate assistance during testing, they reserve the right to provide a first verbal warning to the reader; however, if the proctor cites repeated instances of inappropriate assistance, testing may be discontinued and reported as a testing irregularity and the student’s test will NOT be scored.