U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) wants to know what the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is doing to ensure that students with disabilities receive testing accommodations when taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
Reasonable accommodations, such as extra time to take an exam or the use of assistive technologies, are required under federal law for students with disabilities.
However, “among the major postsecondary and graduate-level entrance exams, the MCAT exam is perhaps the most difficult for students to get an accommodation for their disability,” wrote Sen. Cassidy, a licensed medical doctor, in a Dec. 19, 2019 letter sent to Dr. David Skorton, president and CEO of the AAMC.
“For students with disabilities, testing accommodations provide an opportunity to level the playing field with their peers who do not have a diagnosed disability,” Sen. Cassidy wrote. “Students with disabilities deserve an equal opportunity to succeed in postsecondary and graduate-level education.”
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act estimates that roughly 14 percent of K-12 students have a disability, yet only 0.3 percent of all test takers receive an accommodation when taking the MCAT, according to the senator’s letter.
Sen. Cassidy posed several questions to Skorton about the disparity and asked whether all students entitled to accommodations are actually receiving them; to what degree exam takers are aware of the availability of accommodations prior to taking the MCAT; and what accommodations are most commonly provided.
“Under no circumstances should accommodations be abused or fraudulently used to gain access to medical school,” Sen. Cassidy wrote. “However, for students with disabilities, it is vital that they have equal access to reasonable accommodations when taking the MCAT.”