COURTESY ACCOMMODATIONS (for limitations that require only minor adjustments to the standardized testing environment)

If you have a limitation (e.g., a fractured arm, an advanced pregnancy, etc.) that does not rise to the level of a functional disability but requires a minor alteration of the standardized testing conditions, NABNE will work with you and the testing facility to provide physical arrangements to meet your needs. These types of limitations do not require extensive evaluation by a specialist because they require only minor modification of a physical component of the testing environment (e.g., sitting in the front row to minimize distractions, a special pillow to sit on, etc.). You still might be required to submit a note from your physician or other professional. To receive the Courtesy Accommodations Request Form, contact NABNE at testingaccommodations@nabne.org. You must submit a Courtesy Accommodations Request Form to NABNE by May 31, 2023.

Examinees are no longer allowed to bring their own noise-canceling or noise-reducing headsets into the testing rooms. You can still submit a Courtesy Accommodations Request Form to request either foam ear plugs or noise-reducing headsets, which NABNE will provide.

OFF-THE-TESTING-CLOCK BREAKS OR EXTENDED TESTING TIME

These requests are not courtesy accommodations. If you are requesting extended testing time or off-the-testing-clock breaks, you must request and complete the Testing Accommodations Application packet, and you must be evaluated by a qualified professional (e.g., a neuropsychologist) who can provide objective evidence (results of psycho-educational testing) or a functional limitation that requires you receive off-the-testing-clock breaks or extended testing time.

TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS THAT ADDRESS FUNCTIONAL DISABILITIES (for disabilities or limitations that require accommodations that alter the standardized testing environment)

In general, a disability is defined as a physical, cognitive, or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of an individual’s major life activities. Not all disabilities, however, impact an examinee’s ability to access (take) a multiple-choice examination. To be granted testing accommodations by NABNE for the administration of the NPLEX, you must submit objective evidence (e.g., results of a psycho-educational assessment) of a disability that causes functional limitations relevant to taking a a non-speeded, multiple-choice examination. The NPLEX is a non-speeded, multiple-choice examination that requires you to be able to read and comprehend text. The examinations do not require math calculation, oral fluency, or compositional writing.

Providing accommodations to an examinee who does not have a disability is likely to provide an advantage which other examinees have not received, therefore compromising the reliability and validity of the exam. Regulatory authorities rely on NABNE to provide reliable and valid exam results.

DEADLINES TO APPLY FOR TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS AND SUBMIT DOCUMENTATION

To apply for testing accommodations, you must request the current NABNE Applicant Testing Accommodations Request forms by emailing testingaccommodations@nabne.org. The forms will be available approximately 10 weeks before May 31, 2023.

To have your application for testing accommodations be considered for the August 2023 exam administration, you must register to take the upcoming NPLEX examination(s), and NABNE must receive, no later than May 31, 2023, all required documentation, establishing that:

• You are an individual who has current functional impairments that arise because of a disability.
• These impairments cause functional limitations that impact your ability to access a non-speeded, multiple-choice examination.

AND

• The requested testing accommodations are reasonable and address the specific functional limitations relevant to taking a non-speeded, multiple-choice examination.¹

If NABNE has not received your testing accommodations application or current forms with complete documentation by May 31, 2023, your request will not be evaluated in time for the upcoming exam administration.

If the documentation submitted to NABNE by the deadline is not sufficient to establish that you have a disability that impacts your ability to access a non-speeded, multiple-choice examination, it is not NABNE’s responsibility to follow up and obtain the required information.

If any required documentation is received after the deadline, you will have the option of 1) either taking the examination(s) without the requested accommodations, or 2) cancelling your application and being refunded a portion of your fees according to the current refund policy.

Application to request accommodations and all required documentation for the upcoming exam administration should be emailed in PDF format to testingaccommodations@nabne.org or faxed to 503-452-3943. To ensure that your request will be evaluated in time for the August 2023 exam administration, all documentation must be received by NABNE no later than May 31, 2023.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE APPLICANT WHEN REQUESTING TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS

To request testing accommodations and to ensure that your request will be considered in time for the upcoming NPLEX administration, it is your responsibility to:

• Register to take an NPLEX examination. NABNE will not consider requests for accommodations from individuals who are not registered to take an NPLEX exam.
• Complete and submit all parts of the current NABNE Applicant Testing Accommodations Request packet by the deadline.
• Prepare and submit a personal statement that specifically describes how your functional limitations impact your ability to take a multiple-choice examination. This statement is optional; it is intended to give you an opportunity to provide relevant information that might not be provided by your evaluator.
• Retain an evaluator who is a doctoral-level practitioner and is qualified² to assess your particular disability and complete the NABNE Evaluator’s Report Form (NERF). NABNE must receive the form directly from the evaluator by the deadline.
  • The objective evidence (e.g., psychoeducational testing results, imaging studies, etc.) received from the evaluator must be current. If the evaluation is more than five (5) years old, you will be required to have a new evaluation. If the evaluation is fewer than five (5) years old, contact NABNE to find out if a current evaluation is required, as current depends on the nature of the impairment.
  • Most people who taken an entire battery of neruopsychological or psychoeducational tests will demonstrate relative strengths and weaknesses and/or limitations in one or more areas. A few low scores are insufficient, in and of themselves, to establish the existence of a disability.

ABOUT THE NABNE EVALUATOR’S REPORT FORM (NERF)

The NERF is designed to elicit data from your evaluator to ensure that NABNE has sufficient information to evaluate your request for accommodations. If the NERF is not fully completed or is illegible, NABNE might not be able to evaluate your request. Please refer to the NERF to understand what information NABNE is requesting from the evaluators.

The NERF does not require that the evaluator provide a diagnosis (e.g., DSM-5 or ICD code). Information about an applicant’s diagnosis can be helpful in evaluating the accommodation request, but diagnosis and history may be withheld at the applicant’s discretion. If the information is not provided, it may affect NABNE’s ability to reasonably assess the accommodations request.

A request for testing accommodations may be denied if NABNE determines that the objective evidence provided in the NERF is 1) not adequate to substantiate the claimed disability/functional limitation(s), 2) not consistent with, or is not adequate to substantiate a claim that the disability/functional limitation is significant in the context of taking a multiple-choice examination, and/or 3) not reasonable or not appropriate to the functional limitation(s) related to your disability.

NABNE’S REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT OF ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS

Your documentation may be reviewed by one or more of NABNE’s expert documentation review specialists (DRS), each of whom provides an impartial interpretation of the information provided. Every NABNE documentation review specialist has a doctoral degree (PhD, EdD, or PsyD) with specialty training in the assessment of individuals who have cognitive/developmental/psychological disabilities. All documentation review specialists have published research regarding aspects of the disability assessment process and have many years of experience reviewing evaluations such as the ones submitted by applicants for accommodations requests. Their expertise includes knowledge of current applicable legal requirements regarding the provision of accommodations. After a DRS reviews the documentation, NABNE will determine whether the request for accommodations will be granted.

For a more detailed explanation of NABNE’s assessment of accommodations request, please refer to the document titled NABNE Review of Testing Accommodations Requests.

The accommodations granted by your approved naturopathic medical program (ANMP) might not be the same as those granted by NABNE.

NOTICE OF DETERMINATION

Approximately four (4) weeks prior to the scheduled exam date, you will be contacted via letter and/or email with the decision regarding your request. If your request is granted, you will be sent a memo documenting the accommodations you will be provided. You will need to sign this memo and return this document to NABNE. If your request is denied, the decision will be detailed in a letter emailed to you.  Your options will be 1) either taking the examination(s) without the requested accommodations, or 2) cancelling your examination(s) and being refunded a portion of your fees according to the current refund policy.

SUBSEQUENT TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS REQUESTS

An applicant who has been granted testing accommodations in the past will not automatically be granted the same accommodations for a subsequent exam administration. To request testing accommodations for subsequent exam administrations, you must submit a new NABNE Applicant Testing Accommodations Request Form every time you apply to take the NPLEX. Although new documentation from an evaluator might not be required, you are responsible for ensuring that the documentation NABNE has on file meets the requirements described above.

If your previous request for accommodations was denied, you may submit a new accommodations request for a future exam administration, but only if the new request includes additional information. However, further documentation will not change the outcome if the information provided in the new report is inconsistent with the claimed disability or relevant functional limitations.

APPEALS REGARDING TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS DECISIONS

If you wish to appeal a decision regarding your testing accommodations application, you must submit your appeal to NABNE in writing, addressed to the Testing Accommodations Committee of the NABNE Board.  Send your letter to  testingaccommodations@nabne.org.  Because of the short time frame between accommodations decisions and the exam administration, the Board will not be able to respond before the upcoming exam administration, but NABNE will make every effort to provide a response to your appeal within six (6) weeks of its receipt.

¹ A reasonable accommodation is an adjustment to or modification of standard testing conditions that addresses the functional limitation(s) that is (are) related to an examinee’s impairment, without giving undue advantage to the examinee who receives the accommodation; without compromising the validity or security of the examination; without fundamentally altering the measurement of knowledge, ability, or skill that the test is intended to measure; and without imposing an undue hardship on NABNE.

² All evaluators must be doctoral-level practitioners. For a cognitive/developmental/psychological assessment, your evaluator must have been trained to administer and interpret psycho-educational assessments (e.g., has a PhD or PsyD in neuropsychology). For a physical/sensory assessment, your choice of evaluator depends on the type of impairment [e.g., visual impairment will be appropriately evaluated by an ophthalmologist, structural impairment will be appropriately evaluated by an orthopedic doctor or a chiropractic doctor, physical impairment (e.g., ulcerative colitis, fibromyalgia) will be appropriately evaluated by an ND, DO, or MD, etc.].