Reply to MCPS - written response for reading assessment?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]  [/quote]

However, the PP's point that measuring reading via writing skills may not truly reflect the child's reading (including reading comprehension skills) is valid.  In my son's case, he has a disability that affects small motor skills including the ability to hold a pencil and write.  Therefore, his disability impacts is writing skills and what he puts on the paper.  If you have him verbally explain the answer, he can go into depth about what he reads much more so than what he can put on paper in the allotted time.  Therefore, his reading group does not match up to his reading skill level.  We are seeing the same impact in math because of the added demand to write in that subject.[/quote]

That is true but the purpose of testing is to place them in groups.  Basically it doesn't matter how well you can read if you can't write.  But it's still good to be able to read at a higher level.  Then the work in class can focus on writing so that that the student can improve that skill.  [/quote]

You are quite uninformed.

My son has dysgraphia and reads at a level significantly higher than his writing level.  In 1st grade, a child is not "required" to pass the written portion of the MClass to be advanced to the next level of reading.  In 2nd grade, they must pass the written BCR to advance.  I know this because in 1st grade, my child's dysgraphia was obvious, but the school refused to help him because although he was failing the MClass BCRs, he wasn't "officially" failing because no child was yet required to pass any writing objectives.  In 2nd grade, all of the sudden the school acknowledged he was "behind grade level" (far behind grade level), because now he was required to pass these BCRS on the MClass in order to advance to the next level.  What a difference it could have made if the school could have helped him at the beginning of his problem, instead of waiting.

While it is true that reading and writing abilities are not always at exactly the same level, penalizing kids with disabilities, like my son and the PP's son, by placing them in the class/group which matches their lowest level of ability, as you suggest, is discriminatory and a denial of a free and appropriate education.  After going thru the IEP process, the school became obliged to place my son in an appropriate reading group (and math group) and give him appropriate support for his (terrible) writing.  His dysgraphia was clearly preventing him from accessing class, because he could not demonstrate his understanding in a written manner.  Once given a scribe and/or access to a computer, he was able to demonstrate understanding.  Reading is a separate skill from writing.  Math is a separate skill from being able to write about math.  Not being able to answer a math BCR in writing is not the same as not understanding math.  Not being able to write a reading comp BCR in the required format is not the same as not understanding the book.  [/quote]

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