Teacher not following accommodations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The cheating aspect is more prevalent than many people think. Whether people want to hear this or not, it is common knowledge at my school that some students who are allowed to have more time, not directly after class, cheat More than one student has told me that some of my accommodated students have asked them questions or looked up answers when they are allowed to finish the test after a break of time between class and finishing the test, whether at lunch, the next day, or after school. They are so resentful when I tell them that there is basically nothing I can do about it other than tell the counselor.

It is just so frustrating to have to deal with as many as 1/4 of my kids having various modifications and accommodations, trying to keep it all straight and still do the rest of this very time consuming and demanding job. I personally know many teachers who have left because they couldn't do it any more - the stress and frustration, not to mention the risks of getting sued for not being able to do the impossible, were just too great. One teacher, a biology teacher, one of the best teachers I've ever known, was teaching in a lab room with fixed lab tables as desks. She was given 10 kids with the requirement that they sit in the front row. There was only room for 6 at the immovable tables, and no room for desks on the side (old building, fire codes.) She physically could not give the legally required accommodatons that she could be sued for not giving. She quit...such a loss.

This is NUTS.

How is this fair to the average student without accommodations who succeeds by working hard?

How is this fair to the student WITH accommodations who expects the world will accommodate every need in the future?

One of the biggest problems with recruits to the military is a lack of resiliency.

I am all for helping kids who need extra help--but, to get the same grade as others who do not have the extra time is just not equitable.

Are they going to get accommodations all their lives?

You obviously don’t get it and don’t have kids with special needs. Be thankful!

[Anonymous]

I had extended test time in school and didn’t cheat. I saw it as a privilege that could be lost if I cheated or would screw it up for other kids if I cheated. I also didn’t need to cheat to do well but my parents were fine with C’s and B’s as long as I was trying my hardest. Maybe it was the lack of pressure to be an A student.

I remember one test in college where I took the test in my Profs office and thought that it was open book. A classmate told me that it wasn’t open book so I told the Prof I had taken it open book and offered to take a different test or accept an F.

My point, some kids cheat with or without accommodations. Most kids are honest. The students who are frustrated with a kid with accommodations who is cheating are probably aware that there are kids without accommodations who are cheating as well. There is nothing that a teacher can do if a student is cheating and not caught.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had extended test time in school and didn’t cheat. I saw it as a privilege that could be lost if I cheated or would screw it up for other kids if I cheated. I also didn’t need to cheat to do well but my parents were fine with C’s and B’s as long as I was trying my hardest. Maybe it was the lack of pressure to be an A student.

I remember one test in college where I took the test in my Profs office and thought that it was open book. A classmate told me that it wasn’t open book so I told the Prof I had taken it open book and offered to take a different test or accept an F.

My point, some kids cheat with or without accommodations. Most kids are honest. The students who are frustrated with a kid with accommodations who is cheating are probably aware that there are kids without accommodations who are cheating as well. There is nothing that a teacher can do if a student is cheating and not caught.

Bur, there are parents on here who are bent out of shape because a teacher allowed everyone a lot of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had extended test time in school and didn’t cheat. I saw it as a privilege that could be lost if I cheated or would screw it up for other kids if I cheated. I also didn’t need to cheat to do well but my parents were fine with C’s and B’s as long as I was trying my hardest. Maybe it was the lack of pressure to be an A student.

I remember one test in college where I took the test in my Profs office and thought that it was open book. A classmate told me that it wasn’t open book so I told the Prof I had taken it open book and offered to take a different test or accept an F.

My point, some kids cheat with or without accommodations. Most kids are honest. The students who are frustrated with a kid with accommodations who is cheating are probably aware that there are kids without accommodations who are cheating as well. There is nothing that a teacher can do if a student is cheating and not caught.

I'm glad you were honest and did not cheat. That is not the viewpoint of many students, though, and based on my many years in the classroom, more and more are trying to cheat. If the kids are in my class right in front of me while they are taking the test, I can control most cheating. I know I can't catch it all, but the opportunity to cheat is much less available when they are taking the test in class under my supervision. But when there is time out of class between the student taking the first and second part of the test, there is nothing I can do. And it doesn't matter if "most" kids are honest - when there is opportunity to cheat, many will do so. The time out of class between parts of the test is one of those opportunities.

[Anonymous]

If a kid needs to spread the test over multiple periods they teacher should dole out the pages to it as the kid gets to that section so that they do not study for the parts they don’t know in between.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a kid needs to spread the test over multiple periods they teacher should dole out the pages to it as the kid gets to that section so that they do not study for the parts they don’t know in between.

This is possible (but you'll get people saying it's not fair anyway) for some tests, but not for things like essays.

[Anonymous]

Sue them for free private school and get the teacher fired

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a kid needs to spread the test over multiple periods they teacher should dole out the pages to it as the kid gets to that section so that they do not study for the parts they don’t know in between.

Yes, but the OTHER kids know what's on it because they had the entire test, so the cheating kid can still ask them what was on it.

[Anonymous]

I'm glad you were honest and did not cheat. That is not the viewpoint of many students, though, and based on my many years in the classroom, more and more are trying to cheat. If the kids are in my class right in front of me while they are taking the test, I can control most cheating. I know I can't catch it all, but the opportunity to cheat is much less available when they are taking the test in class under my supervision. But when there is time out of class between the student taking the first and second part of the test, there is nothing I can do. And it doesn't matter if "most" kids are honest - when there is opportunity to cheat, many will do so. The time out of class between parts of the test is one of those opportunities.

Some years ago, I took a state test (not Virginia) that was required to teach. (I was moving from another state and was an experienced teacher.) The test was given in two sessions. Having been a teacher for years, I never dreamed they would give the same test in both sessions. There was a question that people were discussing between the sessions that had puzzled some of the teacheres. (It was not a teaching question, but a science question that might be taught in a fifth grade class. It was about the planets.)

Surprise, surprise, I had the same question. I might have gotten it wrong had I not heard the discussion between classes. Or, I might have gotten it right, as I'm sure I could have narrowed it to one of two choices.)

I never dreamed the test would be the same in both sessions. As a teacher, I would never have expected a standardized test to be given that way. That's why they don't give the same SAT twice in the same day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm glad you were honest and did not cheat. That is not the viewpoint of many students, though, and based on my many years in the classroom, more and more are trying to cheat. If the kids are in my class right in front of me while they are taking the test, I can control most cheating. I know I can't catch it all, but the opportunity to cheat is much less available when they are taking the test in class under my supervision. But when there is time out of class between the student taking the first and second part of the test, there is nothing I can do. And it doesn't matter if "most" kids are honest - when there is opportunity to cheat, many will do so. The time out of class between parts of the test is one of those opportunities.

Some years ago, I took a state test (not Virginia) that was required to teach. (I was moving from another state and was an experienced teacher.) The test was given in two sessions. Having been a teacher for years, I never dreamed they would give the same test in both sessions. There was a question that people were discussing between the sessions that had puzzled some of the teacheres. (It was not a teaching question, but a science question that might be taught in a fifth grade class. It was about the planets.)

Surprise, surprise, I had the same question. I might have gotten it wrong had I not heard the discussion between classes. Or, I might have gotten it right, as I'm sure I could have narrowed it to one of two choices.)

I never dreamed the test would be the same in both sessions. As a teacher, I would never have expected a standardized test to be given that way. That's why they don't give the same SAT twice in the same day.

cont.......my point is that sometimes people cheat without realizing it. This is unreasonable. I've no complaint about accommodations to a point, but this seems to be asking for trouble.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, kids get accommodations and IEPs because they are needed ( and I know now 5 people will say they know someone who made up adhd and gets extra time). It’s really a systemic school system issue which again goes back to funding and proper staffing and even lack of appropriate instruction at early ages for a lot of kids. It’s so pointless to say kids shouldn’t get this or that. There is a tremendously difficult process needed to get an IEP, please don’t blame these kids for their needs. Yes the entire system is messed up, why don’t we work on it as a whole instead of segregating kids even more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, kids get accommodations and IEPs because they are needed ( and I know now 5 people will say they know someone who made up adhd and gets extra time). It’s really a systemic school system issue which again goes back to funding and proper staffing and even lack of appropriate instruction at early ages for a lot of kids. It’s so pointless to say kids shouldn’t get this or that. There is a tremendously difficult process needed to get an IEP, please don’t blame these kids for their needs. Yes the entire system is messed up, why don’t we work on it as a whole instead of segregating kids even more.

They should get support to learn info but it’s extremely unfair that it is then compared as apples to apples with the kids not getting those supports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, kids get accommodations and IEPs because they are needed ( and I know now 5 people will say they know someone who made up adhd and gets extra time). It’s really a systemic school system issue which again goes back to funding and proper staffing and even lack of appropriate instruction at early ages for a lot of kids. It’s so pointless to say kids shouldn’t get this or that. There is a tremendously difficult process needed to get an IEP, please don’t blame these kids for their needs. Yes the entire system is messed up, why don’t we work on it as a whole instead of segregating kids even more.

They should get support to learn info but it’s extremely unfair that it is then compared as apples to apples with the kids not getting those supports.

Is the root issue here, if you have two kids, one gets 50 percent more time, and both are taking an advanced government class, is your concern they look the same to colleges? Is this really a college admissions issue for most parents?
Now is it any different in your mind if a dyslexic kid with an IEP gets audio delivery of material? Is that unfair too? Or someone with a math disability using a calculator?I’m trying understand the concern, truly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, kids get accommodations and IEPs because they are needed ( and I know now 5 people will say they know someone who made up adhd and gets extra time). It’s really a systemic school system issue which again goes back to funding and proper staffing and even lack of appropriate instruction at early ages for a lot of kids. It’s so pointless to say kids shouldn’t get this or that. There is a tremendously difficult process needed to get an IEP, please don’t blame these kids for their needs. Yes the entire system is messed up, why don’t we work on it as a whole instead of segregating kids even more.

They should get support to learn info but it’s extremely unfair that it is then compared as apples to apples with the kids not getting those supports.

Is the root issue here, if you have two kids, one gets 50 percent more time, and both are taking an advanced government class, is your concern they look the same to colleges? Is this really a college admissions issue for most parents?
Now is it any different in your mind if a dyslexic kid with an IEP gets audio delivery of material? Is that unfair too? Or someone with a math disability using a calculator?I’m trying understand the concern, truly.

I think it depends on how far the accommodations go.


The purpose of the accommodations on a test should be to ensure that the information is mastered. If your child is given the time he needs--why are you concerned if the teacher gives everyone extra time?

Now, if the time is limited to be sure that the student can perform certain tasks within a limited amount of time, that might be a different story. But, I don't think there are many cases like that.

[Anonymous]

I think extended time should only be given to students with processing deficits. Not everyone with ADHD has that issue but they are entitled to extra time.