Student with dyscalculia denied dispensation for statistics exams

A psychology student requested an exemption from statistics exams because she has dyscalculia. Her request was denied. She appealed this to the highest educational court, which decided against her, according to a ruling from last week.

A student in the master’s program in Psychology submitted a request to the examination board last academic year for dispensation or an alternative for the two statistics courses in the master’s program due to her dyscalculia, a condition that makes it difficult to deal with numbers and calculations. She was willing to take another course or complete an extra internship instead.

The examination board granted her additional exam time and a separate exam room but rejected the request for exemption or an alternative. She was also unsuccessful in her appeal to the Board of Appeal for Examinations (CBE).

Exam not taken

Therefore, she took the matter to the highest educational court, the Council of State. Last week, the Council confirmed the judgment of the examination board and the CBE: providing an alternative or dispensation for the statistics exams is not possible, ‘because such an adjustment to the study program would no longer meet the final requirements of the master’s degree’.

Another factor in the decision was that the student had not taken the statistics exams. The examination board, the CBE, and the Council of State concluded that if she had done so and the extra exam time and separate room had not been sufficient, she could have submitted a new request to accommodate for her dyscalculia.