April 2, 2013

Brick Wall Awareness Month

Today at Support for Special Needs:
Despite accommodations, our kids don't generally do well at all on these tests, and they find themselves deeply demoralized by the results. It's an area in which they cannot help but feel a direct comparison between their own abilities and those of their neurotypical classmates. In subjecting our kids to these tests, we add to the already daunting obstacles they climb every day, obstacles we can barely even comprehend. We don't generally learn much of anything about students with disabilities who take these tests. We learn plenty about the system, but nothing helpful. Nothing we didn't already know. 

2 comments:

jwg said...

Does your state allow you to opt her out?

Robert Hudson said...

Unfortunately no. To be honest, I'm not sure how I would feel if they did. It feels like a crap choice either way, either have her take the test and deal with all the baggage that it brings, or opt out and have her feel excluded.