My sister is currently being tested for possible learning disabilities. The Special Ed. coordinator wanted to use test that our advocate felt would not accurately assess or diagnose her learning disabilities. We asked her to use the Woodcock Johnson Psycho-Ed Revised. We also asked for a speech and language eval and IQ evaluation. The school is a charter school, so they were not happy that they had to hire out for the tests.
Yesterday when I picked my sister up at school she said that the Special Ed coordinator came and got her and told her that since she did not believe she even needed the testing she hired someone to do it for her. Then my sister said the testing person asked her a bunch of questions, about how she takes notes if she hands in her homework. My sister said that she does all her homework and that when the teacher lectures she has trouble understanding what her notes say when she goes back. The testing woman than said too her she didn’t think that there was anything wrong with her only that she needed to be staying after school more.
I am furious that someone who had only spent maybe 5 minutes with my sister could make such a diagnoses. She also said that the women seemed to prompt her, telling her to take her time and really think. Even when she said she didn’t now it, the women said are you sure. She said she seemed very frustrated that she didn’t now.
Do I we have any rights or must I simply allow this woman to continue?? Her last comment was that my sister was staying after Thursday until at least 5pm because the woman had alot of testing to complete. I expected this right from the beginning but now I don’t know what to do??
Thanks
Dawn
[email protected]
Re: Help!! Testing Issue!!
The problem is that they are doing the testing but that the woman who was hired to test told my sister five minutes after meeting her that she didn’t think she needed the tests, she just needed to stay after for extra help. I am wondering if I can stop this test from continuing further??
She has only done about 20 minutes worth of the Woodcock Johnson. So I am hoping I can do something.
DawnSue J wrote:
>
> It’s a charter school but it’s in the public school system,
> right?
>
> Make a formal written request to the system’s special
> education department — and include the “trail” of your
> requests and what was done about them (leave out how totally
> frustrating and annoying that is). Just say “on this date,
> testing was requested, then that happened; we requested this
> testing; we were told that,” (and the trick is to say what
> you were told without the blood pressure going up ;)) and
> say that gee, you still feel that testing is in order, since
> many learnign disabilities are too subtle to be discovered in
> the kind of interview that was done; you would of course just
> *love* to find out there is no learning disability but you
> also don’t want to wait any longer to be more sure, so,
> again, you request that the W-J Psycho-Ed battery be
> administered and gee, it may prove the first evaluation
> correct but you’d just like to know.
Re: Help!! Testing Issue!!
You may withdraw your consent for the testing before the testing starts OR during the testing. Write a staement that you are withdrawing your written consent for testing and ask that it stop immediately. Send a copy to the school principal, Special Ed Director.etc.
Re: Help!! Testing Issue!!
Or, you could allow the testing to continue, documenting carefully the manner in which it is being conducted. THEN, if you disagree with their findings you can request an independent educational eval. at district expense (IEE). To get them to pay for it, you have to let them screw it up first. Also, as far as I know (others will chime in here, I’m sure) you cannot request a specific test— you can ask them to test for “X” but they can use whatever instrument they choose. As Sue said, write everything down in non-emotional terms and start a paper trail ASAP.
Re: Help!! Testing Issue!!
The only reason I specified a test is because the Special Ed coordinator sent the consent form home with a test called the Woodcock Johnson tests of Reading Achievment. Both my advocates and an advocate at the Federation for Children with Special Needs said that this test would not really tell us anything.
My sister also said she finished up with the speech and language pathologist today and she said they she feels that my sister has trouble with long term retrieval and has trouble when directions are lenglthy. She was going to make some recommendation on how to help her in class, with testing, notes, etc. Any thoughts on what this could mean. My brother has the same problems plus much more, we noticed that she has alot of the same problems. However she is 17 years old, she has learned how to compensate for the things she can’t do, like read well!! Shouldn’t the Woodcock Johnson have similar results in that area??
Also, requested and got a letter today from the spec. ed coor. that said the women she contract to test my sister with the Woodcock Johnson is an experience test administrator, she is a special ed teacher at a local middle school. How do I determine if she is qualified to give this assessment??
I am going to ask for an independent eval anyway, but also don’t want someone who doesn’t know what they are doing working with her!!
thanks
Dawn
Re: Help!! Testing Issue!!
Dawn,
There’s tons you can do. You should request, in writing, that the district provide you with the examiner’s qualifications.
Also, I am hoping your advocate has provided some direction as to which tests he/she thinks would be more appropriate for your sister.
In your letter requesting the assessment, you need to word it in such a way that it is all inclusive of assessing your sister in all suspected areas of disabilities.
You need to keep all emotions out of this, and stay clinical with them. Do some research on the web sites like www.wrightslaw.com, www.edlaw.com and many others that get posted about on this bb. (Socks, is your site up and running yet???)
If the district refuses to do the assessments, then you need to request they respond, in writing, to you explaining why they have made this determination.
A person who has not taught your sister, who has not counseled her for a reasonable amount of time, who has not administered prior assessments of her… more than likely is not qualified to make such a blanket statement regarding her not requiring assessement in such a short, 5 minute interview. This is just my opinion, and I am just as much entitled to it as they are to theirs.
Yes, you can dispute their proposal. Yes you can go get independent evaluations as well. You need to stay well documented and unemotional about all this.
I strongly suggest, above all else, listen to your gut instinct. You sound on the ball and very observant, so trust your inner voice(s) about these matters.
Don’t sign and agree to things you don’t feel right about. Ask to take the paper home and review it for a day or so and then get back to them. Sleep on it and see if you feel the same way in the moring.
Your sister is very lucky to have you looking out for her.
Best of luck.
Andy
Re: Help!! Testing Issue!!
Okay question, did you or your sisters gaurdian sign a consent for the school to do testing? If not,they are NOT allowed to do this without your consent.
If you did sign a consent,I would let me know you are now refusing consent for them to evaluate.
I would write a registered letter,stating that you feel that there is definite bias on behalf of the school and you are requested an unbiased totally uninvolved evaluator from the district to do this evaluation. I would send it to the director of psychological services,and the director of sped.
Now,a Charter school recieves federal funds,this means ALL IDEA part B rights. Child find is part of this. Child find is the schools obligation to evaluate. They must identify all students whether in a public or private school. The comments made to your sister is neither unbiased or professional. I would include these comments in my letter.
Yes,ANDY! my website is up and running. DK check it out,it has links to articles and information to help you with this. http://expage.com/socksandfriends
It’s a charter school but it’s in the public school system, right?
Make a formal written request to the system’s special education department — and include the “trail” of your requests and what was done about them (leave out how totally frustrating and annoying that is). Just say “on this date, testing was requested, then that happened; we requested this testing; we were told that,” (and the trick is to say what you were told without the blood pressure going up ;)) and say that gee, you still feel that testing is in order, since many learnign disabilities are too subtle to be discovered in the kind of interview that was done; you would of course just *love* to find out there is no learning disability but you also don’t want to wait any longer to be more sure, so, again, you request that the W-J Psycho-Ed battery be administered and gee, it may prove the first evaluation correct but you’d just like to know.