[blindkid] Aubrie and state/CRCT testing

[Tene Gibson]

 GaDOE will say that as long as the test is in braille - it is accommodating to standard. Na'im had no maps for social studies either during regular instruction - not sure how he did on today's Social studies test. Math did not match the book last year, so the graphs were unrecognizable and prompting is not allowed.  This year's reading passage for 4th grade was so long his fingers became swollen and hurt,  the para had to dip them in ice water.  Na'im has been on the cusp edge of the math scoring either failing by a few or passing by a few for the past couple of years.  I asked how his scores are measured considering that parts of the test were either irrelevant to him, based on lack of instruction, consistent transcribing, or just plain untranslatable. Nothing I have been told seems sensible- maybe I have a deficit - go figure. I have been waffling between not caring about the standardized tests and trying to make sure that Na'im is not buried
 under bureaucratic BS (utterly left behind).

Tene




________________________________
From: Bonnie Lucas <lucas.bonnie at gmail.com>
To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2009 9:37:53 AM
Subject: [blindkid] Aubrie and state/CRCT testing

Hello everyone,
I hope that your state testing for your children is going well. Last week, aubrie came home and said a couple of things that are concerning me about both testing and what her TVI has been teaching her. 
First, she complained that when she was doing the math test, that on the graph problems, there were no numbers at all on the graphs. The coordinates for the problems were given, but she had to count every square because there were no numbers given. The TVI administering the test said that her print copy was numbered. I called the DOE person in charge of testing and left a message. That was nearly a week ago. and no response as of yet.

After taking the social studies test, she was upset because she said that no one had taught her to read a Braille map very well and she was supposed to find some rivers and select the correct name. She said that her atlas book from APH does not have rivers listed. Quite frankly, I have looked at the book just a couple of times, sometime ago and I don't remember whether there were rivers included in the maps or not.  It seems as if I saw something a while back about tactile maps that someone was selling. I wonder if getting these would help with topographical items such as rivers.

Part of my concern has to do with gifted testing which Aubrie is in the process of doing. I believe they are planning on using her scores from these tests as a part of this determination. I know that she does well in social studies because last year, 60 percent of the students in Georgia failed the SS test and consequently, it was thrown out. Aubrie, was among the 40 percent of students who actually passed the test and she didn't just barely pass it. She would really like to be in the gifted SS class because neither her teacher this year nor the way the class was taught was very enlightening. 

I plan on writing the special ed director along with the twoTVI's who work with her. I will also call back the DOE person. Actually, I'll email her this time. I'd like to make them aware of what has happened before tests are completely graded and her scores are written down. Does anyone have any other suggestions?Has anyone had experiences such as these. 

thanks in advance.
Bonnie
Bonnie Lucas
770-992-0484
Cell: 678-480-0864
lucas.bonnie at gmail.com
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