“The involvement of Academic Testing Services has been incredibly helpful for us and our students!”
“Thank you so much for your help over this past term.
The proctors we had were so great and really made the testing process smooth and easy for our students.”
Spring 2025 Term
For Spring Term 2025 we will be scheduling exams Tuesday - Friday. Exam proctoring support requests for exams other than finals must be submitted at least 7 business days before the desired exam appointment date due to the communication and coordination necessary among students, faculty, proctors, the DRC, and so forth. The further in advance these are submitted to us the better.
Final Exams: The cutoff for Final Exam support requests for Spring 2025 is Tuesday, May 28 at 11:59 PM. We have extended availability by two days given that Monday, 5/26 is Memorial Day. Please do not request an exception to this as it is what allows us to serve everyone who needs our services.
If you have any questions, please send an email to: testingservices@pdx.edu
How to Submit Exam Information to Academic Testing Services
STEP 1: If you would like Academic Testing Services to proctor exams on your behalf, please review the Instructor Accommodated Testing Agreement. This agreement outlines our processes and needs to be reviewed once each term.
STEP 2: Complete the Exam Guidance from Instructor form. This needs to be filled out in full and submitted for each exam in each class. Do not include guidance for multiple exams (i.e. midterm and final) in the same form submission. Please note that we cannot schedule students without exam guidance.
STEP 3: Encourage students to submit a Student Accommodated Exam Request for each exam, if they have not already done so. We will schedule students based on their availability and the exam administration date and exam deadline that you provide. For makeup exams, we will email you for permission to test past the exam deadline.
We strongly encourage faculty and students to connect at the start of each term and to submit all exam support requests to Academic Testing Services (ATS) for the entire term by the end of Week 1, or as soon after that as possible.
Make-Up Exams for Non-DRC Registered Students
In an effort to expand our support for faculty, PSU Academic Testing Services (ATS) offers limited support for make-up exams for non-DRC-registered students. This was discontinued during the heart of the pandemic and we have been keen to resume it as soon as operationally possible. This is now offered on a capacity basis as we must continue to prioritize support for DRC-registered students and their instructors.
When students request to take a makeup exam with Academic Testing Services, we will email the faculty to confirm that the student can test past the deadline that was provided for the exam, even if you have already submitted guidance for the exam for other students. This is to ensure that faculty are aware of students testing with our department and to collect adjusted or additional exam documents if needed.
For make-up exams, you'll provide guidance using the same form linked from Step 2 above.
IMPORTANT: Given that we operate out of multiple locations around campus, in-person visits to our administrative office, including to drop off and pick up exams, are by appointment only. Please email testingservices@pdx.edu to schedule an appointment if needed.
Making Exams as Accessible and Inclusive as Possible: What Faculty Can Do
At Portland State University, we are committed to providing an inclusive and equitable learning environment for all our students. This commitment extends to the ways in which we assess learning and administer exams. By leveraging the Canvas learning management system, we can significantly enhance exam accessibility, meet a broad range of academic testing accommodations, and reduce the need for traditional test proctoring.
Accessible and inclusive assessment design can also have a substantial positive impact on student achievement, regardless of disability. Assessments built in accordance with the Universal Design for Learning framework tend to be the most inclusive for everyone. If you should choose to include timed assessments in your course, please review our detailed guidance for enhancing exam accessibility and inclusivity.
An Important Note Regarding the Distraction-Reduced Space Accommodation
Please note that the “Private Room” accommodation is different from the “Distraction-Reduced Space” accommodation. A “Distraction-Reduced Space” does not require a private room. For example, a standard classroom with a capacity of 30+ students may still qualify as distraction-reduced if no more than 12 students are present.
The goal is to minimize noise, movement, and other potential distractions as much as possible. As a general guideline, aim for a room that is no more than one-third full. In some cases, a room at up to half capacity may be acceptable, provided it remains quiet and low in activity.
Additional Information for Faculty
Here are some quick tips for supporting the testing needs of DRC students:
- The student has the right to decide if and when each testing accommodation in the email will be used in the course. Faculty should assume students will use all accommodations listed unless the student indicates otherwise, and should not recommend that the student try testing without accommodations.
- Unless a student has a testing accommodation allowing for them to test in the Testing Center (and this will be indicated in the student’s DRC Faculty Notification Email), the instructor will need to consider their options for proctoring the accommodated exams. Please visit the DRC website for detailed information and guidance on those options: DRC Testing Accommodations for In-Person and Remote/Online Classes
Please note that Academic Testing Services (ATS) is not part of the Disability Resource Center, and we are no longer part of SHAC (as of 2020).
ATS is part of Student Academic Support Services (SASS) — a Student Success department within Academic Affairs.
Community Testing & Other Non-Accommodated Exams
PSU Academic Testing Services does not provide community testing or services for the exams listed below. More information may be available via the provided links.
Questions?
- For questions about specific student accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center (503-725-4150; drc@pdx.edu).
- For questions about testing procedures, please contact Academic Testing Services (503-725-4459; TestingServices@pdx.edu).
PSU Academic Testing Services (ATS)
Division of Student Success | Academic Affairs
Office Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
Email: testingservices@pdx.edu (this is the best, most efficient way to communicate with us)
Telephone: (503) 725-4459