Should I give permission to the school for cognitive testing

I cant imagine that information would hinder her in secondary school in the public school system in the US. I dont know where you are from

Ditto for the job market

Its confidential information-they cannot release it without your permission

Personally, I like that kind of info. The subtests can show your daughters strengths and weaknesses and make it easier for them to know how to reach her

I would think you could refuse testing.

Although, like Marycas, I like testing. I figure the more I know about my child, the better I can help him. I think every bit of information is useful. But in addition to school testing, I like getting professional outside testing. Sometimes it’s more accurate.

I’m surprised that your child was placed in Special Education without cognitive testing in the first place unless the child is African-American.
If the child is African-American then cognitive tests would not be used because of cultural bias.

You could ask which specific subtests they want to administer and why?

I ran into difficulty with inappropriate testing being done on my child without my permission and contrary to my request — the psychologist actually used white-out over my writing on the persmission form! So I understand your fears. However that was fifteen years ago in a different country, and in the US you have a lot of legal protections. Really, if your child is in special ed and needs help, you do want the info in order to get her the help. I would say yes to the tests unless the school has already given you good reason to mistrust them as mine did.

I ran into difficulty with inappropriate testing being done on my child without my permission and contrary to my request — the psychologist actually used white-out over my writing on the persmission form! So I understand your fears. However that was fifteen years ago in a different country, and in the US you have a lot of legal protections. Really, if your child is in special ed and needs help, you do want the info in order to get her the help. I would say yes to the tests unless the school has already given you good reason to mistrust them as mine did.

I ran into difficulty with inappropriate testing being done on my child without my permission and contrary to my request — the psychologist actually used white-out over my writing on the persmission form! So I understand your fears. However that was fifteen years ago in a different country, and in the US you have a lot of legal protections. Really, if your child is in special ed and needs help, you do want the info in order to get her the help. I would say yes to the tests unless the school has already given you good reason to mistrust them as mine did.

I ran into difficulty with inappropriate testing being done on my child without my permission and contrary to my request — the psychologist actually used white-out over my writing on the persmission form! So I understand your fears. However that was fifteen years ago in a different country, and in the US you have a lot of legal protections. Really, if your child is in special ed and needs help, you do want the info in order to get her the help. I would say yes to the tests unless the school has already given you good reason to mistrust them as mine did.

This is a continuation of the post : Should I allow cognitive testing

Thank you for your replies. You were correct we moved here from another country and that’s how we got into the special ed system without cognitive testing…

My concern is the privacy of these tests. Let’s say after high school my daughter wants to go to College, and they request a copy of her school records. How will I ever get her into a College if they ask for her school records and see that she has been in special education all her life?
Of course special ed doesn’t mean she can’t learn, but if she has a cognitive test result that says her IQ is below average, won’t they just deny entrance. Can I withhold the IQ results from the college? Can they refuse her admission based on IQ tests done during her primary and secondary schooling?

The same questions concern me with regards to employment.
Don’t employers require that you allow them access to your school records, and if you do, won’t they see she has been in special education, and once again a poor IQ test result might keep them from hiring her.

My problem with cognitive tests is that too much weight is placed on their results. Many draw very long lines into the future to state;”well based on this IQ the child will be able to do this or that, and will never do XYZ, and can never learn ABC etc.., or will end up in jail.”

Can’t teachers get enough information about strengths and weaknesses from all the academic tests that they do, and also just the day to day interaction with the child?

I just can only see reason’s not to have the school test my child, none to help her. I just want her to get through High School, and get a pleasant job later in life. I don’t want her test results to keep her from this. So tell me how does it work in the US?
Don’t post secondary schools, and employers request access to school records? If so don’t they see your child is a special ed case, and the test results? Doesn’t this information follow them the rest of their life?
Lastly aren’t “Cognitive tests” considered unchangeable with time, something as unique as a fingerprint, and therefore given so much weight?
Don’t some people draw conclusions about what a child can and cannot learn based on cognitive tests. Don’t some people lower their standards and expectations of a child based on cognitive test results?
So why have the school do the cognitive testing, and how private will these results be?

Thanks for any input MARY

I was at a state assessment testing meeting and there was a college admission director that was there also. He said that they base their determination of admission of students to the 4 year college not just by SAT, WASL tests but by what the students actual work was, so testing was not the main criteria. For a school to release your child’s testing information you do have to sign, for release outside the school system. As for employers, there are so many laws out there, that they have to be careful what they ask and what they say nowadays.

You do have to be careful, but in the US you have the legal right to see what is in the records and to challenge anything you believe to be false.

In general employers and colleges only want to see high school records, and most often only Grade 11 and 12 records; if they got all twelve years they would be swamped under paperwork. So there is not so much wory about elementary records.

If your child is already in special ed classes, that is already on the record anyway. IQ results won’t change that.

Sometimes people move and deliberately start fresh transferring only the academic records by hand. If your child improves and can go to a regular high school class, this can be a way to start with a clean slate.

I have two students with LD’s who were both identified in 2nd grade and received pull-out services in a resource classroom. The older one is 19 and in his 2nd year of college while my younger son is in 11th grade. Both have/had a resource period in high school which is a class entitled Study Skills. MY older son has not identified himself as a student with a disability while my younger son will need to as his handwriting is not readable. My younger son’s IQ is in the low end of the gifted range.

The school releases transcripts to colleges not educational records. On a transript what would make a difference is if a class was modified and marked on a transript as modified or if a child took a non-college prep classes.

If a student needs accommodations on college entrance testing (SAT or ACT) they need to have a track record of needing the same accommodations in high school. If a student is not identified with either a 504 or a IEP the student is out of luck. The SAT and ACT are now not flaged if the student has accommodations. My 11th grader is going to need to do the essay now required for the SAT on a computer due to unreadable handwriting. The college board has approved him for this accommodation. The only way he can have this accommodation is for the school to administer the test on site. He can not take the test on a saturaday like other students. If it wasn’t for the essay he would be able to take the test with his peers. The test will not be flaged to the colleges so they will not know he had an accommodation.

If a student requires disability services in college they need documentation. Schools I’ve looked at require recent IQ testing.

The important questions I would be asking is your child making progress and catching up with his/her peers If they are not then this is the time to determine why not. Some LD’s depress the IQ. My younger son’s Performance IQ is not considered valid because his visual-motor skills depress the score.