Concession and accommodation assessments are generally required by schools, education departments and the IEB when applying for learners to be granted the following concessions during examinations:
- Extra time
- A prompter
- A scribe (someone to write down their answers)
- A reader (someone to read the exam paper for them)
- Spelling concessions
- Handwriting concessions (for learners who suffer from Dysgraphia)
- Enlarged print
- Use of a computer
- Separate venue
In order to qualify for a concession or accommodation learners need to have been assessed and to show at least average intellectual ability and a significant long-term learning difficulty which will compromise examination performance.
Concessions and accommodations can NOT be granted in the following cases:
- Where the learner has low cognitive functioning (low IQ)
- Difficulty with language medium where the learner experiences difficulties due to the fact that the language of assessment is not the home language of the learner.
The following documents need to be submitted in application of concessions and accommodations:
- A recent, full-psycho educational assessment report
- Relevant medical reports
- Supporting historical evidence (such as previous assessment reports, progress reports as well as Occupational Therapy reports, Speech Therapy reports, Physiotherapy reports, etc)
- Teacher comments (detailed observations by the teacher about how the learner is coping in class as well as whether the teacher is in favour of the concession or accommodation for the learner).
- School reports as well as samples of work done at school
Keep in mind though that the final decision about whether the concessions and accommodations are granted or not lies with the Education Department / IEB and its review panel and not with the assessing psychologist.