I have had to fight an uphill battle since my daughter was diagnosed with ADD, four years ago. I have become very knowledgeable about the way the school system works and doesn’t. My daughter is in 8th grade, and is doing very well, with accommodations and modications. The Standard testing I have the school give her yearly indicates her disability is in her writing and spelling (5th grade level). She has attended ESY 2 summers in a row and goes to the resource room daily and has for 2 years, for her writing. Her Present Level of Performance in these areas have only improved by 1 grade level in 2 years (including ESY). [b]What is considered adequate progress[/b], and if her needs are not being met in the Resource room in 2 years, this indicates that something is not being done correctly. What more can I do? Her Present Level of Performance has improved greatly in all other areas since the mod/accom.
progress?
You need to have a sit-down with the teacher and ask her to explain what techniques she has been using, how she evaluates how your daughter is progressing, and what she identifies as her needs. Your daughter’s standardized test scores may not reflect her actual writing ability, but may be a function of her ability or inability to attend to the test or take a test.
Some kids bomb on tests but can produce pretty good writing given structure and enough time to edit. Kids with ADD frequently have difficulty not with learning the rules of writing and grammar but in organizing their thoughts and applying the rules of writing and grammar as they write. They tend to be impulsive and scattered in their thinking, so when they write, they need to have structure before they start. One good tool you could suggest to the teacher is a computer program called Inspiration, which helps kids create graphic organizers and outlines, which in turn helps them organize their thoughts.
I teach writing (among other subjects in a school for LD kids) to 8th graders, and we have double periods of English a day three days a week and a spelling class on the days we only have one English class. With this kind of intensive intervention we see one-to-two years’ growth on average each year, and occasionally we see exceptional growth. Writing is a very complex skill, and your daughter may need tutoring to progress more. Try to enlist the teacher as your ally in identifying and addressing your daughter’s needs, not your enemy.
I might suggest for spelling that she try Looking Glass Spelling. You can see a sample on my website at www.gwhizresources.com. I use it with my 8th graders. I’d suggest levle 2 for a 5th grade reading/spelling level.
Good luck.
Fern
Spelling is very difficult to remediate, indeed it is said 15% of the population does not spell well. I frequently do not see this change dramatically, but slowly. It is possible no one is doing anything wrong.
Many ADHD/ADD students have extreme difficulty with writing. Some do almost everything else well but write. I believe it is the nature of the task and the demands that are placed on the executive function to plan, organize and write. It is very difficult. It may not be possible to get faster progress, even using good instructional techniques.