Frequently Asked Questions

I have a disability, am I afforded testing accommodations? The American Council on Education’s General Educational Development Testing Service (GEDTS) has provided revised forms for requesting special disability accommodations. According to GEDTS officials, the forms have been reviewed and edited by several groups, including GED Test Administrators, GEDTS staff, and disability experts. Further, throughout this entire developmental process, the GEDTS staff worked with officials from the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Civil Rights, and the legal counsel from the American Council on Education.

These forms have been designed so that the correct form can be easily identified based on the candidate’s specific disability. Further, extra care has been taken to ensure consistency of basic information and consistency of definitions for the documentation sought across all forms.

The forms are:

• Request for Completing the Accommodations Form
• Request for Testing Accommodations-Learning and Other Cognitive Disabilities
• Request for Testing Accommodations-Emotional/Mental Health Disability
• Request for Testing Accommodations-Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder
• Request for Testing Accommodations-Physical/Chronic Health Disability
• Request for Testing Accommodations Appeal

On all forms are:

• Section 1 is for the candidate’s information. It is critical that the candidate signs the application. If under eighteen (18) years of age, the signature of a parent or legal guardian must be provided.
• Section 2 is for test center information. The GED Chief Examiner or GED Examiner must complete this section and review the entire application for completeness before signing the form and sending it to the GED Administrator for a decision. Forms not reviewed and signed by the GED Chief Examiner will be returned. We ask that the forms are reviewed and signed so that you are aware of all the potential accommodations being requested. Candidates should not send their accommodation forms directly to the state office or GEDTS, this process will allow you to provide immediate feedback to the candidates if you notice specific items missing on the application.
• Section 3 is for the professional diagnostician or advocate. If the advocate has the diagnostician’s documentation, it may be transferred onto the forms. Anyone who has documentation of a candidates disability can serve as an advocate. An advocate simply transfers data from the original documentation onto the forms. The advocate’s signature and a copy of the documentation must be forwarded with the application.
• Section 4 is completed by the GED Administrator. Incomplete forms or forms that provide insufficient information will be returned. Some requests may be sent to the GEDTS in Washington, DC for review and final disposition.

In addition, a new Appeal Form has also been designed for your use. The GED Chief Examiner or GED Examiner should use it to notify the GED Administrator that the candidate wishes to appeal the decision made on the original accommodations request. The original request for accommodations must be attached.

A checklist for completing the Request for Testing Accommodations forms can be used by the candidate and the GED Chief Examiner to help ensure forms are properly completed. It is not necessary for this form to be submitted with the request.

It is essential that prior to completing the forms the candidate, diagnostician, or advocate read and understand the information being requested. The GEDTS forms specify the need for current diagnostic information:

• Assessments/documentation used to establish Measurement of Academic Achievement must have been completed within five (5) years from the date of application.
• Assessments/documentation used to establish Measurement of Potential or Intelligence must have been completed within five (5) years from the date of application.
• Assessments used to establish Emotional or Mental Health Disabilities must have been completed within six (6) months of the date of application.
• Assessments used to establish Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder must have been completed within three (3) years from the date of application.

To be considered for accommodations based on Emotional/Mental Health Disability or Physical/Chronic Health Disability, documentation must include a letter on official letterhead, signed by a qualified professional, stating the diagnosed disability and providing supporting documentation of the disability.

To be considered for accommodations based on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, documentation must include a letter on official letterhead, signed by a psychiatrist, medical doctor, or psychologist who specializes in the diagnosis of ADHD, stating the diagnosis of ADHD and providing supporting diagnostic evidence of the disability.

GED Examiners should mail original requests and one photocopy to the following address:

Department of Postsecondary Education
GED Administrator
401 Adams Avenue,
Suite 170
Montgomery, Alabama 36104