Is private testing worth it?

[Anonymous]

I’m the poster who previously asked about the self-contained math class for my son. My son has been tested twice by the school—once initially and again in 5th grade for re-evaluation. Based on those assessments, he has an IEP for math due to an unspecified learning disability. We asked the elementary school about a specific test for dyscalcuial (they screen for ADHD< dyslexia and other stuff which he doesn’t have) and they said it doesn’t matter – the methods for teaching are all the same (more time, manipulatives, chunking material).

The supports he received in elementary school were helpful: in-class push-in support and a weekly small-group pull-out session (2–4 students). While he’s still at two grade levels behind according to MAP testing, he made strong progress, and his classwork showed he was capable of doing grade level work with support.

Now in 6th grade (middle school), things have taken a turn for the worse. He’s struggling significantly with material, especially with concepts like ratios and units. The pace is fast, there are frequent timed quizzes, and he tends to shut down under pressure. He’s in a general education math class (22 kids) with a learning specialist and also attends a math support class twice a week with about 15 students (a mix of IEPs, 504s, and others who need extra help). Unfortunately, this setup isn’t working.

He can perform operations when prompted, but he has a hard time figuring out where to start—especially with word problems and multi-step tasks. He struggles to identify what the question is asking and which operation to use. He also gets frustrated melts down when tired so after school homework practice is a disaster. We have a tutor for an hour once a week, so we feel there is already a lot math happening but the returns are diminishing.

The learning specialist has suggested a self-contained math class, but I’m concerned this could limit his academic opportunities in the future, especially since he’s on or above grade level in ELA and other subjects.

A friend recommended private testing to get a more specific diagnosis, which she said could help us advocate for more targeted support. Her child has a diagnosed learning disability and attends a public school in Massachusetts, but the state has better resources and schools than DC.
We’re at a public charter school in DC, and I’m unsure what additional resources are available. It feels like the school is trying to help, but suggesting a self-contained class without first exploring more tailored support seems like they are not really trying.

I know this is a long post, but this board has been a great source of support, so I wanted to ask: Is there a benefit to pursuing private testing? One consideration for us is cost but we are willing to do it if it means getting the services our child needs.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Did the school based testing pinpoint specific weaknesses, like memory or processing speed or spatial reasoning?
If you already have that information, then private testing wouldn't add too much information.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think you will get much more info from private testing that will help the school help him. It sounds like they have the class he’s in and the self-contained option. It’s possible that a different teacher might help, so maybe he can switch sections of his current math class, if there’s another class meeting that same period? If the school doesn’t have other placement options, that’s all they have.

[Anonymous]

If you are in mcps I’d do private testing.

[Anonymous]

Seems like your school did a lot, vs you having to fight for it. Schools often ignore or fight against private evaluations so it doesn’t seem worth your time and money (or puttiC through it)

[Anonymous]

I think you have to ask yourself what you want the testing for

For us, we had one done at 7th grade which looked very different than the one we had at 3rd grade-through that, we learned new info, several diagnosis' which allow us to understand and further support our child at home and in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

My son is younger than yours - he’s seven. He’s had three evals by our school district and we’re doing a third now. We’re considering moving his school and want to completely understand whether any learning disabilities are at play.

Our district evaluations don’t diagnose anything and they don’t really provide an explanation of what classroom setting he needs to meet his needs. They’re helpful in saying he’s two standard deviations away from the mean in say, working memory and his teachers say he does A, B and C in the classroom but they fall short in terms of providing an objective assessment of his learning profile and classroom needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is younger than yours - he’s seven. He’s had three evals by our school district and we’re doing a third now. We’re considering moving his school and want to completely understand whether any learning disabilities are at play.

Our district evaluations don’t diagnose anything and they don’t really provide an explanation of what classroom setting he needs to meet his needs. They’re helpful in saying he’s two standard deviations away from the mean in say, working memory and his teachers say he does A, B and C in the classroom but they fall short in terms of providing an objective assessment of his learning profile and classroom needs.

Meant to say we’re doing a private neuropsych now*

[Anonymous]

I suggest doing a private test.

[Anonymous]

Subject-specific self-contained classes in middle school aren't that different from pull-out instruction in elementary school. Being in a self-contained learning support math class would allow the targeted instruction that private testing might indicate, and would not interfere with advanced classes in other subjects.

[Anonymous]

My advice is that if you can afford it easily, always do private testing. It gives you a full picture of what’s going on in order to ask for specific accommodations that will help.

Schools only really deal with the information they have in front of them. They are not in the business of diagnosing.

[Anonymous]

It was the best money we spent.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Private testing is completely worth it.