Reg Ed. for classes...but pull out for testing?

yes, it is reasonable if your child does not require accomodations for those regular ed. classes. This should be addressed in the IEP. In our district there is a page of the IEP specifically adressing testing- if the child will participate in standardized tests, which ones, and with what accomodations.

If you have testing accommodations listed on the IEP as Rover mentioned, then regular tests are to be given with those same modifications. For example, if you want your child to have extended time or read aloud on the end of year state test, then by law they are required to use those same accommodations thoruhgout the year on other testing.

Janis

:?: So you are both saying….
If she has accomidations in a subject in Reg. Ed (IE: very little assistance, just a cue here and there) then she can take District and State Tests in the Reg Ed class with the same accomidations and does not need to be “Pulled out”?

It depends on the accomodations— they cannot interfere with the standardized administration of the test. If she needs any assistance during the test, she would have to take in another room. For example, if she needs more frequent breaks, needs certain directions explained, or cueing to stay on task, they would pull her out since these would interfere with the conditions under which the test is designed to be given to reg. ed. students. Are you concerned that they are “helping” her too much? Rather than request testing in the regular ed. setting, why don’t you first ask why they think she needs an alternate setting, and go from there. My middle schooler was taking unit tests for science and social studies with an LD aide— they were pulling all LD kids just in case they needed help— I put an end to that immediately when she told me the aide was giving them the answers. I pointed out that her IEP said nothing about accomodations needed for such tests. At the same time, they were not providing the accomodations that were on the IEP, such as copies of notes!

If there are any testing accommodations listed on the IEP, that generally means the child will not take the test in the regular classoom. Most parents ask for extended time, and that pretty much automatically puts the child in another location for testing.

Janis

WOW Rover!!!!
My point with this is…when I point out that our child is showing trouble with something in this subject…I am told our child is doing fine in class. If I ask for assistance with a particular thing that is giving our child difficulties at home when we do homework, basically they don’t think our child is in need of “extra help” and is doing wonderful.
But then for testing they want to pull out. (State and District testing)
This just doesn’t seem “right”.
Our IEP does address this w/ different options.
As far as Accomodations, from what I witnessed in the classroom our child recieves no more help then anyone else does. But keeping in mind that half the class is challenged, learning wise.
Basically„,this procedure with our child is telling me that the School isn’t even confident enough to back up there constant statements of how well our child is doing and that our child is not having any difficulties in class. No?

Binky, you are there when the testing modifications are written in the IEP, are you not? What happens as far as daily help in the classroom goes has nothing to do with the testing modifications (except that those modifications are to be used for tests). You are talking about two different issues. If you feel your child can be tested with no accommodations and you want her tested in the regular class, then you can call an IEP team meeting and ask for it to be changed. Those accommodations do certainly benefit many children, though, so I wouldn’t be too quick to end them. If you feel she is struggling in general and needs more time in special education, then you need to ask for a meeting to discuss that as well. The need for testing modifications is not necessarily related to how much help a child needs in the classroom.

Janis

There are lots of students who really can do “fine” - as in really, because of even just a few even informal “accommodations” in the regular classroom. A fair number of these studetns would really benefit from that separate testing. Standardized tests are rather unforgiving — we’ve known forever that they really don’t measure what LD kids know.
So *IF* there is nothing else that is fishy, that alone isn’t a bad thing. However, given the other “lots” of students who are *not* doing fine, but teachers and admins claim thus so they don’t have to provifde appropriate education, I would want to make darned sure that progress *was* being measured. I know one school where I taught that the students in special testing got significant help — as in, cheating. They’ve not been caught (possibly because they’re still the last county in the state for test scores, but it means these kids can graduate, uneducated as they are) though a nearby county did get busted for it.

We did just that, ie wrote a letter to the director of special ed. that we refused to allow ANY accomdations on standarized testing for our son, who at that time had an IEP. The IEP should have a place that states what , if any, accomodations are allowed for state testing. In our state the high stakes testing is untimed so extended time isn’t an accomodation, it is available to all who need it.

Sar,
The Director of Special Ed for your district?
TY for the info!!!!!
Binky

Yes, to the director…on the day of state testing though we got a call from the principal asking us if we had “changed our minds” and I hand delivered a letter to her that said no accomodations!

Of course, you’ll want to keep in mind whether you will want accommodations on testing like the SAT or ACT tests. If your IEP says “NONE” then the kiddo’s on his own then, too.

My son was in 5th grade at the time we refused accomodations on state testing so accomodations on the SAT(10th-11th grade) will require new testing(probably 8-9th grade) and I doubt he’ll meet the criteria for accomodations on the SAT.

I am a special ed teacher and a parent of 2 LD daughters. I have one daughter in high school, the other still in elementary. My high school daughter is pulled of her regular ed classes to have tests read orally and directions restated if necessary. She is pulled out for math tests, basically just because the setting is less stressful and is small group administered. In order for her to be pulled for end of course tests, SAT, ACT, PSAT or any other state test, she must receive these accomodation throught out the school year.

On the teacher side, I do not nor do any of our teachers give answers to the test. How totally unethical.

You as a parent have the right to have any modifications removed from your child’s IEP. You too can have them added as long as what you are asking is indeed due to a deficit area.

[quote=”BINKY”]WOW Rover!!!!
My point with this is…when I point out that our child is showing trouble with something in this subject…I am told our child is doing fine in class. If I ask for assistance with a particular thing that is giving our child difficulties at home when we do homework, basically they don’t think our child is in need of “extra help” and is doing wonderful.
But then for testing they want to pull out. (State and District testing)
This just doesn’t seem “right”.

You’re right - it’s not ‘right’. But schools these days are very sensitive about state and district testing and they want their students to do well on those tests. So they pull your child out to give them the opportunity of extra time and extra quiet when he’s taking state and district tests.

But neither the state nor the district cares about your child’s grades or his struggles with homework. Your child’s school is only judged by the state and district testing scores - not by your son’s grades or his struggles with homework.

If you’d want to use this as a ‘wedge’ to get more out of the school for your child, you could logically ask that your child be given extra time and a separate quiet room on all tests.