High Stake Testing: Separate but Equal

On top of having Muscular Dystrophy and being confined to a power wheel chair, I am legally blind. Throughout high school, this was a problem I had to overcome, especially when it came to taking tests. Not only did I have the typical anxiety from worrying that I did not study enough, I also had the anxiety caused by others who did not follow through with their responsibilities. It began my freshman year with the PLAN test. The PLAN is the pre-ACT test. The counselor in charge of ordering the tests, did not tell the college board that a large print copy was needed. So this time, I did not take the test as I was not able to read it and it was not a requirement for graduation.
The second time there were complications with a test was at the beginning of my sophomore year when I was taking the WASL. The math and writing portions came in large print, but ironically the reading portion was in regular font. This meant that the reading portion had to be re-ordered and I had to take it on my own time after school.
The next time a test was messed up was at the end of my sophomore year. It was my first time taking an AP test. Unfortunately, both tests ordered for me were the make up version which was a different test than any other person's test in my class. On the cover of the AP US History test, I realized that the date was incorrect and the test was for the state of Alaska not Washington. The directions on the front of this test specifically said that if the date was wrong and the booklet has already been opened, the student's score would be thrown out. I did not appreciate receiving a different copy of the test, so I searched out the principal to voice my concerns. On the day of the AP Chemistry test, I realized that the date was wrong as well. However, Squalicum's principal wrote a letter to the college board explaining what had happened. As it was the College Board's fault for sending the incorrect tests, they did not throw out my scores. Unfortunately, I did not have the same opportunity to earn my score as every other person taking their test that day. On my copy of the AP Chemistry test, there happened to be a problem that we had not recently reviewed in class. Now this would have been fine if every other person had to complete this same problem, but this was not the case as all other students received a question that had been recently reviewed in class. During these two tests, I felt discriminated against. Just because I need extra time and a large print test, does not mean I should have to take a different test with a different set of problems.
This was not the end to separate but equal testing experiences for me. Even though the college board got the rest of my AP tests right, I did not feel well taken care of when it came to taking my SAT. The first time I took the SAT, I was not allowed to take it at WWU with everyone else who took it the same day I did.  I was told that WWU did not have the separate rooms available to accommodate me. Because of my accommodations, I had to test in a separate location; instead of testing at WWU, I had to test at Squalicum. My proctor ended up being the same counselor who messed up my PLAN test. She was bitter about proctoring my test because she had plans that weekend. However, she was the counselor who signed up to be an SAT proctor at the beginning of the year, knowing the SAT dates. I was also not able to give her a long heads up as when I signed up for the SAT, I was not told that I would not be testing at WWU. When I took my SAT, the counselor did not follow through with my 504 plan; this put my physical health in jeopardy.
The second time I took the SAT, everyone one took the test at Squalicum. All the students were informed to get to the school early to stand in line to check in for the test.  So, like everyone else, I stood in line for about fifteen minutes.  When I reached the table, my name was not on the list. So, for the handful of seconds before I finally found someone that knew what was going on, I was afraid that I had signed up and paid for the SAT but was not going to be able to take it.  I was informed by a woman that my name would not be on the list because I was to have separate but equal accommodations; I was going to test by myself again in the main office detention room.
In contrast, when I took my AP Spanish, Calculous and Physics tests, I was aloud to test with the rest of my class mates. I enjoyed testing in the group. One, the atmosphere of testing with others is completely different than in a secluded room. And, when we practiced for the test, we did so in a classroom setting not in separate rooms.
Now, if only one of these incidents would have happened, it would not have been a big deal. However, when multiple mistakes are made, this is not only frustrating to me but also probably means that the same sort of events are happening to others. Tests are challenging enough for most people and if a person needs accommodations, the test should not end up being extra challenging for that person because someone did not follow through in their job. The anxiety from high stake tests is already difficult enough to deal with without having the added stress of another's incompetence.