COACHING
A
Newsletter from Kathleen K. Edwards EdD
Special Education Advocate - 15 July 2001
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IN THIS ISSUE: IS YOUR CHILD'S DIPLOMA AT RISK? COMPUTERIZED TESTS RESULT IN HIGHER SCORES |
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IS YOUR CHILD'S DIPLOMA AT RISK?
What
do you mean my child might not receive a high school diploma? As outrageous
as it sounds, unless a special education child can pass and exit exam,
a certificate of completion instead of a diploma will be awarded. This
automatically denies admission to most four-year colleges or universities.
As the annual IEP rolls around in 27 states that have enacted this exit
exam, there should be discussion of the impact of the high school exit
exam on your child's education.
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In
each of these 27 affected states, most view the high school exit
exam as a mixed blessing for special education students. The same
feelings surround the proficiency exams being used in schools
to allow promotion from elementary to middle school and middle
school to high school. I will speak here, as the parent of a special needs child with attention deficit, learning disabilities, and a smattering of mood disorder. My son is a terrible test taker. He is one of those classic cases of a child who can give you the information verbally, but is totally thrown off by the scantron sheets and timed element of test taking. He would probably not pass a promotion test for middle school next year. I
would also like to speak as a special education advocate who has
reviewed too many records of special needs kids in special day
classes (SDC) who are suffering greatly from an impoverished and
shoddy curriculum. The good news about the proficiency exam is its ability to draw attention to the use of core curriculum for each grade as a basis for writing goals and objectives for the year. Parents can obtain a copy of the proposed exit exam from their State Dept. of Education. |
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COMPUTERIZED TESTS RESULT IN HIGHER SCORES
I am
a teacher by trade; so if you are a fellow teacher, don't shoot me.
It's time we offered our special education students the option to take
their classroom tests on the computer.
There
is some new and intriguing research that is emerging about students'
ability to score higher on a test when it is presented in a computerized
format, rather than using paper and pencil.
This
improved score seems to affect both the multiple choice and fill in
the blank type tests too. Many of us with children who have written
language difficulties have marveled at the improvement in composition
ability when a computer or Alpha Smart is used. Removing the confusion
of the motor task of writing allows the brain to get the information
out.
How
would you go about getting this type of testing accomplished? There
are two possible places this sort of accommodation could be added to
your child's IEP. First of all, you could include it on what is usually
called the Special Factors section related to accommodations. If you
are midyear between IEP's, ask for an addendum to the IEP that states
that tests can be taken after being scanned into the computer. Your
special education case manager can figure out the details. Written tests
can be scanned onto a disc, or ask your case manager to order the test
discs which most textbook companies now offer.
Yes, this will be a hassle at first. Wait till you see the difference it can make on your child's test scores. Additionally, you will have done a huge favor for other parents whose children need this type of accommodation to show what they have learned.
EDUCATION
INCENTIVES IN NEW TAX ACT MAY BENEFIT YOU
Recent
changes in the Tax Act expand the reach of education incentives to the
American Public. The changes may allow you to pay some of those out
of pocket educational expenses you incur each year on a tax-free basis.
The new allowances include:
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Elementary and secondary education expenses paid to public, private, and religious schools (I read this to include tutoring)
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Transportation costs
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Costs of computer equipment, Internet access and certain types of software.
BULLYING IS JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE… OR LEGAL
Our
family lives in San Diego, which suffers still from the latest bout
of school violence. Through each of these school violence incidents
is a need to lay blame and find the victim.
As many of you are unfortunately aware, the incidence of bullying in our schools is very high. And while most of the victims of this bullying do not resort to externalizing their violence, the victims feel every bit of the pain inflicted by violence.
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The Office of Civil Rights has recently held several hearings on what is referred to as "disability based harassment." In the past year I have advocated for several autistic children who have been the victims of this disability-based harassment. Due to their inability to read social language, autistic children sometimes encounter hostile situations that their typical peers would flee. These children, through no fault of their own, do not see the warning signs early enough or at all. They can end up being battered, verbally abused, or literally thrown into a trashcan as a class joke. If the school's administration becomes involved in trying to investigate such incidents, the autistic child's account of the incident is sketchy or totally inaccurate due to his verbal challenges. If
your child reports bullying, you must take action: Start with
a meeting with the principal. Follow this with a letter reiterating
your concern for your child's health and safety. All other communications
need to be in writing. If you must file a compliance complaint
with the State Department of Education, you will need a good paper
trail. Listen
to your children. Ask them if they had fun at recess or if they
saw any problems. Go visit them at lunchtime and during other
recesses and during physical education. Know how many staff is
available to supervise the children. Offer to research how other
schools in your area handle the recess challenge. Although the bullying which occurs each day at your child's school may not make national headlines, it is as important as those catastrophes. Your child needs to know that your are interested in his day, that you will listen to his concerns, and that things can and will get better. We owe it to our own children and to other bullied children to assure that our schools are not only places to learn, but also that they are places to learn kindness. |
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