Please review the guidance below as you make arrangements for providing exam accommodations on final exams for your students with approved exam accommodation. For questions about JMU policies around providing reasonable accommodations, please reference Policy 1331 and the ODS Testing Center Faculty Policies & Procedures.
For more detailed guidance on Accommodate, please review the Faculty Guide to Submiting Exam Information in Accommodate. If you need additional assistance navigating Accommodate, feel free to reach out to us at odsexam@jmu.edu to set up a phone or Zoom consultation.
If you need a reminder of your students’ approved exam accommodations, review the Accommodation Letters that have been sent to you from Disability Services for this semester in the Accommodate Faculty Portal.
1. Determine Whether Your Students Will Test With ODS
Faculty should determine whether accommodations can reasonably be provided within the academic department. If accommodations will be provided through the ODS Testing Center, faculty should communicate this expectation to the student and discuss the appropriate testing date and testing block.
1.A. ODS Testing Center Final Exam Reservation Blocks
Morning Testing Block: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST
Afternoon Testing Block: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST
To maintain a reduced-distraction testing environment, exams may only begin at 8:00 a.m. EST or 1:00 p.m. EST
Please communicate with your students who are taking your final exam in ODS regarding the appropriate testing date and time block (8:00 a.m. EST or 1:00 p.m. EST) to reserve to take your exam.
Reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Students should be encouraged to submit requests as early as possible rather than waiting until the deadline.
If a desired testing date or time is unavailable, the student and faculty member should discuss an alternative available reservation time. If ODS does not have availability during the testing block that works for the faculty member and the student, the faculty member remains responsible for ensuring the student receives their approved accommodations through the department or another appropriate arrangement.
2. Review and Respond to Reservation Requests
Faculty must approve or deny each reservation request to the Accommodate Faculty Portal as soon as possible. ODS will not administer an exam without explicit instructor approval through Accommodate.
It is the faculty member's responsibility to review the date and time requested by the student and confirm that the reservation meets the requirements for that exam.
For instructions on how to approve or deny a reservation request, please see the Faculty Guide to Submiting Exam Information in Accommodate.
2.A. Approve or Deny Each Request in Accommodate
If a reservation request meets your criteria, please approve it in Accommodate as soon as possible.
If a reservation request does not meet your criteria, the request should be denied in Accommodate as soon as possible, so that the student receives an automated notification explaining why the request was not approved and can make alternative arrangements.
Because seating is limited, timely action on reservation requests helps ODS effectively manage testing space and allow students to make alternative arrangements if necessary. Leaving a request pending may prevent other students from reserving available testing seats during that exam block.
2.B. What Happens After a Student Submits a Request?
Students secure their seat at the time they submit a reservation request in Accommodate.
The approval process requires action from both faculty and ODS staff and may take several days during Finals Week. However, approval processing will not affect the student's reserved seat unless a reservation request is declined by the instructor.
3. Submit Exam Information & Materials
Every approved testing reservation requires an Exam Information Form to be completed in Accommodate, regardless of whether the exam is online or on paper.
For guidance on submitting exams and/or exam information, please see the Faculty Guide to Submiting Exam Information in Accommodate.
ODS must receive all required exam information and materials in order to administer the exam.
3.A. Submission Deadline
To reduce operational strain, ODS strongly requests that Exam Information Forms and exam materials be submitted at least 48 hours before the student's testing reservation, whenever possible.
At minimum, all required exam information and materials must be received by 5:00 p.m. EST on the business day before the student's testing reservation. For example, exams scheduled for Monday, 12/14 must be submitted by Friday, 12/11 at 5:00 p.m. EST
If ODS does not receive all required materials and information by 5:00 p.m. EST on the business day before the scheduled reservation, ODS may require the student to reschedule for another available date and time approved by the faculty member.
If rescheduling with ODS is not possible, the faculty member remains responsible for providing the approved accommodations.
3.B. Required Information
Faculty are responsible for providing everything ODS needs to administer the exam exactly as intended, including:
- Exam instructions
- Exam length
- Access codes or passwords (if applicable)
- Permitted materials
- Formula sheets, charts, or reference materials
- Current contact information
- Any special testing instructions
ODS cannot administer an exam without this information.
3.C. Changes After Submission
If exam materials, instructions, access codes, or testing information change after submission, faculty must update the information in Accommodate and notify ODS at odsexam@jmu.edu as soon as possible.
Accommodate does not notify ODS when faculty revise a submitted form or upload updated materials.
4. Plan Ahead for Specific Testing Situations
4.A. Accessible-Format Exams
If ODS must convert an exam into large print, Braille, screen-reader-accessible format, or another accessible format, faculty should submit the exam and conversion request by 5:00 p.m. EST at least five business days before the testing reservation.
Late materials or subsequent exam changes may require the reservation to be rescheduled to allow sufficient time for production.
If you are unsure whether an exam requires conversion, please contact ODS at odsexam@jmu.edu.
4.B. Online Exams and Additional Testing Locations
To accommodate the volume of Finals Week reservations, ODS utilizes additional testing locations beyond our regular testing center spaces.
Students may be assigned to an ODS Testing Center room or another approved testing location. Room assignments will be communicated to the student before the exam. ODS cannot guarantee placement in a particular room or building.
Because many satellite locations do not have computers, students taking online exams are expected to bring their own laptops.
4.B.i. IP Restrictions
IP filters cannot be used for finals week exams due to the need to utilize additional testing locations.
If access control is needed, please provide an access code through Accommodate. ODS staff will securely maintain the code and provide it when the student is ready to begin testing. Please notify ODS of any changes to access codes as soon as possible to avoid delayed exam start times.
4.B.ii. Audio Components
If your exam includes a listening component, please remind students to bring headphones compatible with their own device.
Many newer laptops do not include standard headphone ports, and ODS headphones may not be compatible with all devices.
4.B.iii. Required Materials
Students are responsible for bringing all materials required to complete their exam.
5. Remain Available During Testing
Faculty should remain reasonably available during the student's scheduled testing reservation and provide current contact information in the Exam Information Form.
If a question or issue arises, ODS will use the contact information provided.
If faculty cannot be reached or a testing issue cannot be resolved in sufficient time for the student to receive their full approved accommodations, the student may need to reschedule with ODS. Due to limited ODS testing seats, rescheduling is not always possible; in those cases, the faculty member will be responsible for providing the student's approved exam accommodations.
6. Retrieve Completed Exams
If you select Pick Up as your preferred exam return method, completed exams must be picked up from the ODS Main Office (SSC 1202).
Due to the high volume of exams being processed, completed exams are not guaranteed to be available until the business day following the reservation.
Thank You for Your Partnership
Faculty members' adherence to the procedures outlined above is essential to ODS's ability to prepare and administer exams accurately and on time. These processes help ODS effectively assist faculty in meeting their accommodation responsibilities and support students with accommodations.
We sincerely appreciate your partnership and cooperation, which make it possible for us to provide this service in support of both faculty and students.
If you have questions or encounter issues with Accommodate or finals week testing, please contact us at (540) 568-6705 or email odsexam@jmu.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fall 2026 Finals Week reservations will open on Thursday, November 12th at 12:00 p.m. EST and will close on Friday, December 4th at 5:00PM EST. ODS typically reaches capacity for some time blocks prior to reservations closing, so it is important that students sign up as early as possible.
No. Accommodate is unable to receive reservation requests from faculty. Students must submit the request through their Accommodate portal.
No. ODS is not able to provide evening proctoring hours during finals week.
ODS proctors a high volume of final exams each finals week. Each exam comes with different directions, and each student has different accommodations. Our team requires adequate time to prepare and organize exams to ensure accuracy. When we receive an exam less than 48 business hours in advance, it places additional strain on our team. ODS strives to provide a smooth testing process for students, while providing support for faculty who are unable to meet students’ exam accommodations on their own.
No. If you are able to meet the student’s approved exam accommodations listed on their Accommodation Letter, they do not need to take your exam with ODS.
Students are told the following: “The last day to submit a request in Accommodate to take your final exams with ODS is Friday, December 4th at 5:00PM EST. This deadline is in place to allow ODS necessary preparation time for proctoring the high volume of exams. Once the deadline has passed, ODS reservations are no longer available for Fall 2026 final exams, and we encourage you to work with your faculty member to receive your approved exam accommodations. If there are extenuating circumstances that have caused the request to be submitted late, please email odsexam@jmu.edu with a detailed statement regarding these circumstances.”
If you become aware that a student has missed the ODS deadline and you do not have any options for providing their approved exam accommodations, please contact ODS
Students schedule their own exams in Accommodate, and ODS does not control the date or time they select. ODS encourages faculty to clearly communicate with students regarding appropriate dates and times for final exam reservations. Faculty may decline an exam request by following the approval steps and selecting “no” rather than “yes,” then providing a brief explanation. The student will receive your response by email. If the student submitted their reservation request by the deadline, ODS may be able to work with them to reschedule for another available date or time.
A detailed Faculty Guide to Submitting Exam Information in Accommodate is available on our website. Additionally, you are always welcome to call our ODS Exam staff (540-568-6705) or stop by our office in SSC 1202 for additional assistance.
No. All exam approvals and uploads must be completed through Accommodate. Replying to a reminder email does not record approval in Accommodate, and emailing an exam does not upload it to Accommodate. Both approval and exam submission must be completed directly through the faculty member’s Accommodate portal to facilitate accurate exam administration.
The automatic reminder emails are linked to a two-step process within Accommodate. The reminder emails will stop when the exam has been approved, and the exam information and/or exam itself has been uploaded to the Exam Information Form. If you are delivering an exam by hand, the reminder emails will stop when ODS receives the physical exam.
The two start times during finals week are 8:00 a.m. EST and 1:00 p.m. EST
We use two 4-hour blocks per day, starting at these times, to accommodate extended time and maintain a reduced distraction environment in ODS exam spaces. We recommend that students choose the exam block that overlaps with the standard class exam time whenever possible.
Yes! For online exams, faculty must still approve the date and time, as well as click on the “new exam” button to fill out the Exam Information Form. This is ESSENTIAL because the ODS Exam staff still need that critical information in order to proctor an online exam (e.g. access codes, exam length, materials allowed, etc.).
Bluebooks can be used only if the faculty member is physically picking up the exam.
ODS has a limited number of computers in its standard testing spaces and cannot provide one for every student who needs it. During finals week, ODS also uses additional satellite testing locations, which do not have computers. Students are therefore expected to bring their own laptops for exams requiring computer or internet access. If a student forgets their laptop, ODS may need to reschedule the exam or refer the student to their faculty member to receive their approved accommodations.
Yes, but only if this is clearly indicated in the exam materials in Accommodate. If a Scantron or Gradescope is not listed by the faculty member, proctors will not know to provide one, and it is the student’s responsibility to request it.
Possibly. Because ODS has a limited number of computers in its standard testing spaces and utilizes additional satellite testing locations during Finals Week, students taking online exams are expected to bring their own laptops containing any required software.
If your exam uses LockDown Browser, Respondus Monitor, or other specialized testing software, please inform students in advance so they can verify that the software is installed, updated, and functioning properly before arriving for their reservation.
Additionally, if your exam requires a webcam, microphone, or other device-specific features, students should confirm that their personal device meets those requirements prior to testing.
If you are unsure whether a particular LockDown Browser or Respondus Monitor setting may create issues in an ODS testing environment, please contact odsexam@jmu.edu before Finals Week.
Not during Finals Week. Because we use satellite classrooms and require students to bring their own devices, an IP filter will not work for students taking exams with ODS during finals week. An alternative would be to provide ODS with an access code. Some professors copy a Canvas exam and have an IP filter for students who are not testing with ODS and an access code for students who are testing with ODS.
No. To maintain a reduced distraction environment, ODS strives to minimize the number of people entering the testing room. Exams will be returned to ODS after each testing block and will be ready for pick up the morning of the following business day. Faculty are welcome to call or email odsexam@jmu.edu and see if their exams are ready earlier.
ODS takes exam security very seriously. Exams are kept in a locked filing cabinet until the day of the exam. They are then transported by trained ODS proctors to the exam location. Once completed, exams are transported back to ODS by the proctors, uploaded or prepared for pick-up, and filed in a locked filing cabinet once again.
Each room will have at least two test proctors. Students are not allowed to bring anything to their seats unless it is explicitly listed in the exam materials in Accommodate or part of their approved accommodations. All student belongings are kept at the front of the room next to the proctors. Proctors circulate the room periodically during testing. We utilize restroom sign-out sheets and do not allow students to take unpermitted items with them if they need to use the restroom. Faculty members are informed of any unusual circumstances.
The best way to ensure a seamless testing experience is to provide ODS with your approval, exam, and exam information in Accommodate as early as possible. You may also consider the following suggestions:
- For online exams:
- Double-check that you have added the correct extended time for each student testing at ODS.
- Make sure that the “due date” in Canvas is set past when the student with accommodations will finish testing so that it doesn’t end the exam prematurely.
- If providing an access code for online exams, please double-check that you have provided the correct access code in your directions in Accommodate. Incorrect access codes are the most frequent issue that ODS Exam staff contact professors about during testing. If you need to change the access code after you have uploaded your information to Accommodate, please email us at odsexam@jmu.edu. We may have already printed the exam information and Accommodate does NOT alert us to changes in instructions that are made by faculty.
- Please clearly list all required exam materials in the directions in Accommodate, including items such as Gradescopes, Bluebooks, cheat sheets or note cards, rulers, calculators, and similar materials. Our staff rely on the information entered in Accommodate, as we do not have the capacity to review the content of each exam for these details.
- Remind your students what materials they will need to take your exam.
- Please include a phone number where you can be reached during the exam. If an issue arises, ODS may need to contact you to resolve it. If we are unable to reach you, the student may be delayed from starting their exam or may not be able to test at all, which could require rescheduling. Due to limited ODS testing seats, rescheduling is not always possible; in those cases, the faculty member will be responsible for providing the student’s approved exam accommodations.
