LAP Testing Center

 

1.  Please schedule your testing appointment at least 2 days in advance (not including weekends).

2. There are several ways to schedule your testing appointment:

• Go to LAP Online (Student Sign On) . 
• Or from the Learning Assistance Program website, click LAP Online (Student Sign On).
• Or in the MyHancock Portal under Every Day Tools, click LAP Online. 
• Or by drop by the LAP office or call the LAP.

To schedule your appointment using LAP Online:

• After logging in, click the Alternative Testing link, which is listed under My Accommodations. 
• In the Alternative Testing window, select your class form the drop down and then complete the online form. Please be sure to note any important details that the LAP testing staff needs to know.
• Click Add Exam Request.
• Your exam has now been scheduled.

1. Students can schedule testing appointments in the following ways:  

• LAP Online 
• Call the LAP  
• In person at the LAP front desk 

2. Students must make an appointment at the LAP Testing Center at least two (2) school days, not including weekends or holidays, before each test date. Students are encouraged to make testing appointments a week in advance; however, 2 school days prior, not including weekends or holidays, is the minimum allowed. We recommend that students make a testing appointment for final exams at least (5) school days in advance, not including weekends or holidays.  

 3. Students are required to schedule exams on the same day, time and the same Allan Hancock College campus (Santa Maria or Lompoc Valley Center) as the class is taking the test unless the instructor has communicated by e-mail, note or call to LAP the approval of an alternative day, time, or location.  

 4. Students need to contact the LAP office as soon as possible if a test is cancelled or rescheduled or if they decide to take the test in class.  

5. Students need to advise their instructors to notify LAP if an exam date is cancelled or rescheduled.  

6. Tests that are over four hours need to be scheduled to begin no later than 11:15 a.m. on Monday through Thursday, or no later than 9:45 a.m. on Fridays.  

7. Students are responsible for confirming arrangements with their instructors a minimum of two (2) days before each test date.  

 8. If instructor approved testing conditions other than those indicated on the Alternative Testing Agreement are required, the student must discuss these changes with the instructor before the test can be administered. Information about such changes must be communicated to LAP Testing Center by a note, email, written on the exam, or call from the instructor before the test can be administered.   

9. If accommodations other than those originally indicated on the Academic Accommodation Plan (AAP) are necessary, the student must contact his/her/their LAP specialist or counselor to discuss these changes before the test can be administered. 

 

1. It is not necessary to schedule a testing appointment at the LAP Testing Center to take a quiz, exam, or final that is administered online – most often on Canvas. Students should confirm with their instructors that no test proctor is required for the online test 

2. Students need to use LAP Online to send accommodation letters to their instructors to inform them of their eligibility for testing accommodations.  The instructor will be provided with information on how to provide the testing accommodation of extended time using Canvas. 

3. Students may choose to schedule a testing appointment at the LAP Testing Center for an online exam if they would like a quiet, reduced distraction testing environment and reliable internet.  

 1. Students are not permitted to study during testing appointments. 

 2. No tutoring or coaching will be provided.  

3.  If a reader or scribe is authorized, the accommodation will be provided by a test proctor.  Non-staff assistance is not permitted during testing unless approved by the LAP administrator.   

4. Students should advise the test proctor of any personal or medical needs that may arise during testing prior to the beginning of an exam and notify the proctor immediately if they encounter any difficulties during a test.  

5. If a student is unable to attend a testing appointment due to a disability related absence, they should notify their instructor and LAP counselor or specialist by email as soon as they are able to. 

 6. Students are expected to arrive on time and ready to begin their test. 

If a student is more than 15 minutes late to their test appointment, the amount of allowed test time will be reduced by the amount of time the student was late. Students who are more than 15 minutes late to their test appointment may be asked to sign a waiver of their full test time accommodation and may be subject to any late/tardy policies of their instructor.  

7. If a student arrives late to an afternoon testing appointment and wants to begin the test, they will need to waive full extended test time if the test end time goes past the closing time of LAP Testing Center.  

8. An exam must be completed during a student’s scheduled testing appointment. If a student needs to leave before completing their test, another testing appointment cannot be scheduled to complete it unless it is approved by the instructor.   

9. All scratch paper that a student uses when taking a test must be collected by the test proctor, thrown away, or submitted with the test.  

1. Students may not leave the building once the test has begun. However, students can leave individually for breaks within the hallway and will return within 10 minutes. The test proctor will document breaks longer than 10 minutes unless the student is approved for “stop the clock breaks” as a testing accommodation.  

2. Students who have Stop the Clock Breaks testing accommodation may take up to three 10-minute breaks.  

1. Consuming food during a test is an authorized accommodation and must be indicated on a student’s testing agreement. Students with the accommodation may eat food in the hallway.  

2. Water is allowed in the testing center. Students may bring water bottles. Please do not bring any other drinks.  

1. Use of technology, including cell phones, smart watches, personal laptops, and any device that can send or receive wireless signals, is not permitted unless indicated as testing accommodation or instructor approved testing condition. Requests to use personal laptops that have e-books or notes on them must be approved by the instructor and communicated to the LAP Testing Center by email or added to the student’s alternative testing agreement.  

2. Listening to music with earbuds or noise cancelling white noise is an approved accommodation. Using earbuds or personal headphones must be listed as an approved accommodation.  

Styles of a memory aid may vary.  Generally, a memory aid is one side of an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper or one side of a large file card, written or typed in a standard font size (i.e. 12-point font), or could be another tool such as a handout provided or created by the instructor.   

Please note: a student who has low vision or blind may need a memory aid with the same number of characters in a larger font size, or access to magnification technology or a memory aid in Braille format.   

It may include information such as acronyms, short phrases, key terms, names, diagrams, tables, category headings, formulas, order of operation.  It is not intended to record all the facts, concepts or procedures a student is expected to know.   

A memory aid should in no way reduce academic requirements or alter the standards by which the student’s performance is evaluated.   A memory aid is not an answer sheet, full course notes, or open textbook.  If remembering the information on the memory aid is deemed to be an essential learning objective or outcome of the course, please contact the LAP right away to discuss this accommodation. 

Typically, the student who is responsible for learning the material, including discerning material that may require a memory cue or trigger, develops a memory aid.  The student is responsible for securing the instructor’s approval of the memory aid prior to it being used on the exam.  If an item on the memory aid provides a complete answer, rather than a cue or trigger, this item may be removed.  

 

Suggested Process 

 

Student Responsibilities  

Step 1.  Once a student has been approved for a memory aid on their Academic Accommodation Plan (AAP), the accommodation will be included on the student’s LAP Accommodation Letter.  The student submits the Accommodation Letter to the instructor at the beginning of the term or at least two business days prior to the first quiz or exam date. 

Step 2.   For each exam/quiz, the student prepares a memory aid. Styles of a memory aid may vary.  Generally, a memory aid is one side of an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper or one side of a large file card, written or typed in a standard font size (i.e. 12-point font), or could be another tool such as a handout provided or created by the instructor.   

Step 3.   The student contacts the instructor to review the memory aid at least two business days prior to each quiz/exam date. 

• REVIEW AND DISCUSS MEMORY AID CONTENT WITH INSTRUCTOR: Student and instructor review the content the student has listed on the memory aid. 

• FINALIZE MEMORY AID CONTENT: During this meeting/discussion, the instructor: 1) Approves the content as is; 2) Approves some of the content and removes some; OR 3) Disapproves ALL of the content. 

• INSTRUCTOR TO SUBMIT MEMORY AID TO LAP TESTING CENTER WITH QUIZ/EXAM: After the instructor approves ll or some of the content on the memory aid, it is the instructor’s responsibility to submit the approved memory aid to the LAP Testing Center along with the exam. 

• STUDENT CONTACTS LAP WITH ANY CONCERNS: If the instructor communicates that they can’t approve ANY or SOME of the content on the memory aid or that they do not approve use of any form of memory aid, contact the LAP to make an appointment or to participate in a drop in right away for guidance and support. 

 

Instructor Responsibilities 

• Ask the student for a copy of the LAP Authorized Accommodation Letter for your course and visit LAP Online for Instructors to acknowledge receipt of the Accommodation Letter.  Look to see that “instructor approved memory aid” is an accommodation listed on the letter.  If it is not, explain this to the student and direct them to meet with an LAP Counselor or Learning Disabilities Specialist to discuss this accommodation request. If you have concerns with the memory aide accommodation, contact the LAP right away and request to speak with the LAP Counselor or Learning Disabilities Specialist who meets with this student. Their name is also listed on the student’s accommodation letter. 

• In a confidential in-person setting with the student or over the phone or via Zoom or e-mail, discuss the accommodation and required steps (see student responsibility section above) with the student. 

• Prior to the test/exam, the instructor reviews the student’s memory aid with the student and chooses one of the following options: 

• Option 1 – Approve as is:  Approve the memory aid “as is” 

• Option 2 – Approve partial content: Remove (if handwritten: delete, scratch out, or black out with a marker; if in a Word document: delete) information that the instructor has deemed to interfere with the essential learning criteria they are seeking.  (Retain a copy of the original memory aid so that the student can identify the changes made. The student will contact the LAP should they have any concerns with any removed content). 

• Option 3 – Disapprove ALL content: If you feel you can’t approve a memory aid because the memory triggers on the memory aid are deemed to be essential criteria or learning objectives for the course or another reason, please contact the LAP right away to discuss these concerns.  It is essential that you contact the LAP prior to the start of the exam/quiz with enough time to allow for discussion. 

• Once the memory aid content is approved by the instructor, the instructor signs the memory aid and submits it along with the student’s test/quiz directly to the LAP Testing Center via in person or scans it and e-mails it to laptesting@hancockcollege.edu. 

Important Information  

• Only the finalized memory aid submitted by the instructor to the LAP Testing Center will be allowed with the test/exam at LAP Testing Center. 

• If the student arrives at the LAP Testing Center to test with a memory aid, the memory aid will not be allowed. LAP Testing Center staff will not contact the instructor on behalf of the student to request approval for a memory aid. This is the responsibility of the student. 

• Once the student completes the exam/quiz at LAP Testing Center, the test and memory aid will be returned to the instructor per the instructor’s requested method of return. 

  

Use of a private testing room must be indicated as a necessary accommodation on the student’s Academic Accommodation Plan (AAP) and is subject to availability.    

 LAP Testing Center applies the following procedures when assigning a private testing room:  

Priority Group 1

• Students who use assistive technology as a testing accommodation  
• Students who require a scribe as a testing accommodation  
• Students who need to vocalize during testing  

Priority Group 2

• Students who use American Sign Language Interpreting during testing  

Priority Group 3

• All other students who are approved for a private room on their Academic Accommodation Plan  . 

 If a student with Priority Group 1 or 2 schedules a testing appointment, LAP Testing Center will contact the student in Priority Group 3 by sending an email to the student’s AHC email address to inform the student that the private room is no longer available.   

LAP Testing Center will advise the student of other times the private room is available and if the instructor approves an alternative time (this is required), the student may reschedule the private room to the alternative time.  The instructor must communicate approval of the alternative time with the LAP Testing Center.  

 If a student in any of the priority groups is more than 15 minutes late to their testing appointment, they are subject to the private testing room being no longer available.