The proposal to change score reporting arises from the concern that disabled individuals are hurt in the application process when admissions officers notice the conditions under which their exams were taken-a concern supported by the court in the original case against ETS.

In that case, the plaintiff, Mark Breimhorst, blamed his rejection from business schools on the flagged scores and charged ETS with violating anti-discrimination laws. Disability advocacy groups including The International Dyslexia Association and the Californians for Disability Rights subsequently joined the case.

Similar arguments have been made about the SAT, although no court ruling has affected score reports.

The consequences of a panel decision in favor of unflagged SAT score reporting may mean that within two years, Harvard University's Office of Admissions may put less trust in the validity of score reports.

"There will be no way to know under what conditions the exams were administered," said Dean of Admissions William R. Fitzsimmons '67. "Anything that makes the test less valid is of real concern."

Fitzsimmons said removing flagged scores might endanger the validity of the tests since students without disability could use the change in their favor.

"There are rumors of a cottage industry where students who do not have disabilities and never have received assistance before can receive extended time [after being classified as disabled]," Fitzsimmons said.