Extra Examination Time for Students With Learning Disabilities: An Examination of the Maximum Potential Thesis

Extra examination time is a common accommodation for college students with learning disabilities. However, the validity of test scores obtained under this condition is open to question because nonlearning disabled students might also benefit from extra examination time. Nevertheless, according to the Maximum Potential Thesis (MPT), only students with learning disabilities benefit from extra examination time. Nonlearning disabled students, in contrast, already perform at their maximum potential under timed conditions, and their performance will not significantly improve with extra time. An analysis of 5 studies that directly test MPT shows only weak support for it. Methodological problems in several of the studies further weaken its evidentiary basis.