Extended Time Means Equity, Not Equality

Some may assume that students with extended time on exams have an unfair advantage over their peers. However, these are simply misconceptions that stem from ignorance. Students don’t get extra time for normal emotions, such as feeling nervous for a test. They get the added time to compensate for genuine conditions that may hamper their ability to think clearly in testing environments—just as I’ve experienced.

When I was diagnosed with anxiety a few years ago, I didn’t identify with it at all. My middle school was not a high-pressure environment, and I managed my stress well. There was nothing actively fueling my anxiety, and on a daily basis, I was undisturbed by it, leading me to believe that my anxiety was not a huge mountain to climb. Besides, everyone gets anxious—it's normal to be stressed, as stress is a part of life. 

I maintained this mentality until I entered Stuyvesant. Suddenly, anxiety became more of a state, rather than a feeling. It engulfed my sense of self and became present in every moment, completely unprovoked. My anxiety made me feel like nothing was ever enough, and that if I stopped overpreparing for exams, I would automatically fail. Whether it was an activity or a test, I was busy; my life was like a run-on sentence with no pause and no air. I got good grades and attended Taekwondo and clubs out of necessity rather than passion or joy. I took on more than I could ever handle, believing that if I took a second to breathe and step away from the things I once loved, everything would fall apart. I knew this wasn’t the normal “Stuyvesant adjustment” everyone had told me about; even though my friends were stressed out, I was the one studying over 10 hours for a test and barely having the time to process what I was going through. I was in my own bubble of anxiety, and I felt isolated.

For seven months, I experienced continued daily stress, which started to impact my physical well-being. I would feel nausea in my stomach, restlessness throughout my body, and shortness of breath in my chest. I would wake up with pulled muscles from stress in my sleep. These intense symptoms of anxiety felt like a storm swirling through my veins with no light in sight. I also couldn’t eat, causing immense weight loss. My doctor confirmed that my only issue was my anxiety.

During tests, my anxiety grew more intense. I would check my answers over and over again. If you asked me to add one plus one, I would have questioned if the answer was really two. Because of this compulsive checking, it became clear that I needed extra time. For me, the accommodation isn’t just time to waste. Rather, it gives me enough time to complete the test despite my complicated headspace and thought process. The value I put on one test, one question, and just one second in a whole day is much greater than the amount others put. My anxiety carries me through a cycle of stress, leading to failure: getting one question wrong could lead to a bad score on the test, then a bad grade in the class, and then an overall disdain for myself. Extended time evens the playing field for those who overthink uncontrollably and have persevering thoughts like mine. 

 I understand why it can seem unfair that some get more time on exams. If you don’t know about extended time, it may appear to be plain cheating. However, the reality is that for many, extended time is necessary to keep them afloat. It is an example of equity, not equality. Equity is giving someone the resources they need to have the same outcome as someone else, whereas equality is giving everyone the same resources. My anxiety was exacerbated by Stuyvesant’s high-pressure environment, and it became clear that I needed additional support to manage my condition.

Anxiety is unpredictable and unclear, which is what extended time addresses; it is a cushion to fall back on in case all goes wrong and the anxiety wins. People with extended time aren’t choosing to have accommodations. Rather, they need them. Even if extended time may seem like a benefit, living with a condition that requires it “balances out” the relief the accommodation provides. I was once on the other side of all of this. I knew some people had intense anxiety, but I always considered myself out of that category until I reached Stuyvesant. My experience is just one example out of many that illustrates why some need extra time and how it is fair. Everyone has different issues, and everyone should have access to the accommodations they need in order to succeed.