“Extra Time” in School Is Just Another Way the Wealthy Game the System

Families with money are using doctors and psychologists to get their kids a leg up, at the expense of those playing by the rules.

The most polarizing issue in my high school’s community didn’t relate to religion or politics. It was the issue of extra time. Extra time, which is often given for in-class assignments and standardized tests, typically offers students who qualify 1.5 to double the amount of time to complete an assessment as peers who don’t qualify. While extra time may be given for a host of reasons, it is usually given when a student is diagnosed with a processing difference such as ADHD, dysgraphia, and dyslexia. The problem, however, is when families take advantage of this accommodation for students who don’t actually need it.

Some critics of extra time object to its existence entirely. They argue that it is unnecessary, unjustified, and doesn’t prepare students for the real world. They argue that extra time is not only unfair to other students, but it is unfair to the recipients themselves. After all, there is no extra time in the real, working world, the argument goes. Furthermore, ADHD, one of the leading causes of extra time prescriptions, only lingers until adulthood in 1/2 of children that previously exhibited symptoms. So, in the end, it may not go on to affect the lives of many adults in the so-called real world.

I don’t go that far. The problem is not with extra time in and of itself. It can be a useful way to “level the playing field” and let students display their knowledge, even if they process information in a manner different from their peers. The problem is how extra time is disproportionately allocated to families with money, who use doctors and psychologists to give their kids a leg up at the expense of those who play by the rules.