Grounds for Requesting Special Accommodations for the YAELNET Test
You may request special test accommodations on one or more of the following grounds:
In addition, test takers whose physical condition prevents them from sitting in university-style chairs with attached desks, for example pregnant women or large people, are also eligible to submit requests for special accommodations.
Learning Disabilities
Special accommodations for learning disabilities are given in cases of severe primary reading disability or severe primary writing disability. Taking the YAELNET test does not require an ability to do calculations and therefore, special accommodations are not given for disabilities related to mathematics.
Requests must be supported by documentation:
Current assessment
Your request must be accompanied by an assessment conducted by a professional licensed to diagnose learning disabilities in adults.
Make certain that the assessment:
- was conducted after age 18
OR
- was conducted after age 16 and within the past five years
For those with dysgraphia only: You must submit a full assessment of your writing functions that was conducted after age 12 and within the past five years. If the assessment was conducted after age 18, there is no need for an updated assessment. This assessment can be conducted by a didactic assessor or an occupational therapist. It should include quantitative data as detailed in the “assessment of writing in first language” section of the assessor questionnaire (page 5).
The assessment must check your functioning in your first language and include data on your functioning in Hebrew.
Assessor questionnaire
The purpose of the questionnaire is to ensure that we have accurate information about your functioning in your first language, in Hebrew, and in writing. The assessor must complete the sections pertaining to these areas in the assessor questionnaire in addition to the professional diagnosis.
- If the assessment has not yet been conducted, bring the questionnaire to the assessor to make them aware of what information is needed.
- If the assessment has already been conducted, and the information asked for in the questionnaire is included in the diagnostic report in a clear and orderly manner, there is no need to return to the assessor to have them complete the questionnaire.
- If the assessment has already been conducted, and there is information missing from the diagnostic report, you must go back to the assessor, who must complete the assessment and provide the missing information.
- If you are unable to locate the assessor who diagnosed you, you may submit the assessment without the questionnaire. The professional staff will review your request based on the information you have provided. In such cases, you may be asked to provide additional information.
Information about elementary school functioning
It is important that we receive a description of your functioning in elementary school (grades 1-6): diagnostic reports, school report cards, and any other document from your childhood that attests to difficulties your experienced, e.g. letters from teachers, summaries of meetings with parents and therapists, etc. These documents usually contain important information about the nature and source of your difficulties.
Important documents to include:
- If you have been assessed more than once, send full documentation from all previous assessments.
- Summaries of developmental therapies (e.g., occupational therapy, speech therapy)
- Documentation of remedial instruction
- Elementary school report cards
- Middle- and high- school report cards
- Evaluations from teachers and other professionals (using the teacher questionnaire)
What should I do if I do not have documents describing my elementary school functioning?
Without sufficient information about your functioning at the elementary school stage it is often impossible to determine for certain the source of your difficulties and when they manifested. In such cases it is not possible to grant test accommodations.
We recommend that you contact the elementary school you attended and try to obtain documentation pertaining to your learning difficulties. Most schools keep copies of reports, teacher assessments and other documents of this kind.
You may also approach teachers and other professionals who taught you in elementary school and ask them to complete the teacher questionnaire if they remember you. It is advisable to contact more than one teacher. Teachers can be contacted through the elementary school, mutual acquaintances, or via social media.
If you are unable to obtain past documents, you may not receive test accommodations. Therefore, make every effort to locate relevant documents and send them to us.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Difficulties with attention deficit and hyperactivity are common and each and every one of us deals at some point with difficulty organizing ourselves and avoiding distractions.
Test accommodations are only granted in cases where there is clear evidence of a severe and primary learning disability that appeared before the age of 12 and interferes significantly with several aspects of life, such as education, work, social life, employment and interpersonal relationships.
Applications for test accommodations on the grounds of ADHD must be supported by the following documents:
- a current and detailed assessment of ADHD
- previous diagnoses and information about your functioning in elementary school
What constitutes a current and detailed assessment?
A current and detailed assessment is one conducted in the past three years by a professional licensed to diagnose ADHD. If the assessment was conducted after age 25 there is no need for a current one.
The assessment must include in-depth and specific information about ADHD as detailed in the guidelines for professionals and in accordance with the Ministry of Health Guidelines.
Previous diagnoses and information about functioning in elementary school
It is important that we receive a description of your functioning in elementary school (grades 1-6). Without sufficient information about your functioning before age 12, it is often impossible to determine for certain whether your difficulties are indeed the result of ADHD. In such cases it is not possible to grant test accommodations.
Documents of this kind are especially important if the first assessment was conducted in middle school or afterwards.
Important documents to include:
- If you have been assessed more than once, send full documentation from all previous assessments.
- Developmental therapy records (e.g., occupational therapy, speech therapy).
- Documentation of remedial instruction
- Elementary school report cards
- Middle school and high school report cards
- Evaluations from teachers and other professionals (via the teacher questionnaire)
Click here if you do not possess such documentation.
Physical Restrictions
A request for accommodations on the basis of a physical restriction must include:
- a current and detailed medical assessment, prepared by a physician who specializes in the relevant field (e.g. an orthopedic specialist must diagnose an orthopedic problem). Documents from a general practitioner or family doctor will not be accepted.
- background documentation as detailed in the guidelines below.
Current and detailed medical assessment
The assessment must be submitted using the appropriate questionnaire:
- physician questionnaire about medical restriction or general physical restrictions (including illnesses, physical disabilities etc.)
- ophthalmologist questionnaire regarding vision impairment. Examinees with blindness certification can send a copy of the certificate only.
- ear-nose-throat specialist questionnaire regarding hearing impairment
If your physician is not willing to complete the questionnaire, ask them for a written and signed document that addresses all the questions that appear on the questionnaire.
Background documentation
In cases of a physical restriction diagnosed more than a year ago, documentation of the existence of the condition in the past is required in addition to a current assessment. (There is no need to submit complete medical records).
In cases of a newly acquired physical limitation, the doctor’s assessment must describe the cause of the problem (if possible). In such cases, NITE may request objective test results that attest to the existence of the restriction.
Note: The medical assessment provides information that is essential for determining accommodations for the test, but NITE is not obligated to grant any specific accommodations that it mentions. Should the doctor recommend a particular accommodation, they should explain why and support the recommendation with test results and specific findings.
Mental Health Difficulties
Requests for test accommodations on the grounds of mental health difficulties must be accompanied by a current, detailed assessment by a psychiatrist who is familiar with you and your condition.
The request must be supported by the following documents:
- A current, detailed assessment from a psychiatrist using the relevant questionnaire. The assessment must have been conducted within a year of the test date for which you are registered and should include all the information referred to in the questionnaire.
- If the psychiatrist is not willing to complete the questionnaire, ask for a written and signed document that addresses all the questions that appear on the questionnaire. This document should be submitted along with the doctor’s contact details and working hours.
- To give us information about your functioning in educational areas relevant to the test, we recommend submitting the questionnaire for teachers of those requesting accommodations for mental health reasons, filled out by a teacher who knows your functioning. This questionnaire provides information about how your mental health affects your educational functioning and test performance.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Summary of required documents
Examinees requesting accommodations on the grounds of autism spectrum disorders must submit the following documents:
- A formal diagnosis of ASD, from any age, by a professional licensed to diagnose these conditions, in accordance with the Ministry of Health guidelines as they appear on the website.
- We recommend submitting documents that describe your developmental and educational background (diagnoses, report cards, assessments by teachers and therapists who have worked with you).
- Documentation of your current functioning:
People on the autism spectrum differ in terms of how the syndrome affects their general functioning and academic functioning in areas relevant to the test. The diagnosis itself is therefore not enough to determine test accommodations. To decide whether special test accommodations are needed and to do this in the most effective way possible, the professional staff needs a clear picture of your functioning as it is relevant to the test: language, reading, writing, arithmetic, work habits, attention, processing speed, and so forth.Such documentation can be submitted in several ways:
- By means of a current assessment of learning functions, or a current psychodidactic or neuropsychological assessment, that addresses the areas of difficulty. The assessment must be accompanied by the assessor questionnaire, which includes details of the required information.
- By means of current evaluations by teachers, educators, and therapists who are well-acquainted with the examinee’s functioning. These must be submitted using the appropriate questionnaire.
In addition, other difficulties in areas not related to academics but that may affect functioning during the test should be explained in detail, and comprehensive and current information from relevant professionals should be submitted. For example, if the ASD is accompanied by emotional difficulties that may impact performance on the test, a current professional evaluation is required.
Click here for instructions on how to apply for accommodations.