At Churchill, students have the option to take the PSAT during their junior year. In order to obtain extended time at the PSAT, you need to submit a recent evaluation of your child to Churchill's College Office, which will submit an application to the College Board on your child's behalf. The College Board needs at least seven weeks to process the application. Once approved, accommodations are valid for all College Board administered tests (PSAT, SAT, SAT II and AP).
A complete evaluation is free if you use the NYC Board of Ed and typically costs between $4,000 - 5,200 if done privately. If you have a recent evaluation, you can ask the person who performed the evaluation to do the additional tests required by the College Board. This could cost around $1,500. Most testers don't accept health insurance and many health insurance providers don't cover educational testing. If your child has medical conditions such as epilepsy, the health insurance might cover a neuropsychological evaluation, but not the psycho-educational evaluation. Check with your health insurance company.
I know my son's learning issues and don't want to pay $5,200 for the purpose of obtaining accommodations. Instead I called a few schools whose doctoral students perform these tests at more reasonable rates. Adelphi University 516-877-4844 supposedly charges $500 for testing, but did not answer the phone. Teachers' College 212-678-3262 doesn't have openings until September 2012 and same goes for Fordham University, 212-636-6483. Apparently, the low cost testing sites in the City fill up quickly.
I had better luck with Hofstra University in Hempstead 516-463-5660, which charges $650 and had an opening during Presidents' Week. When my son is tested I will make sure that the report includes that he was first evaluated at age 7 and based on that evaluation admitted to a special ed school for learning disabled children where he has been a student ever since. I will also make sure that the report's recommended accommodations, such as extended time, are consistent with his IEP.
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