Reply to Standardized Testing time counts towards IEP hours????

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Reply to "Standardized Testing time counts towards IEP hours????"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here. I guess my concerns fall into two parts:

1. I have been told that simply sitting for the PARCC in either the special ed classroom (no scribe, no assistive technology in place) or in the regular classroom would count towards his IEP hours. I find this hard to understand. If his IEP does not address PARCC testing how can they say that they've provided services simply by sitting him down to take the PARCC?

2. We have also been told that during PARCC testing the child will not been seen by the special education department. The test will be administered to the school over the course of A MONTH. The school is understaffed and it's all hands on deck. Had the school mentioned this 2 weeks ago when the IEP was signed I might have been a little less annoyed. Instead I was assured the services would start two weeks ago.  It seems highly unlikely that the legally required 17 hours per month will be met if the student can't meet with the special ed teacher until mid May. I think they are trying to say that his hours will be met because the classroom teacher can implement the IEP.

I'm not trying to nit pick. I understand schools have constraints. My background is also in education. However, this school has been giving us the run around for 3 years and this just feels like another slap in the face. It's been a multiyear battle to get the child identified and an IEP in place. Nothing has been easy. We finally got the IEP, were assured services would start two weeks ago, little has happened and apparently little will happen for another month.

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I am a special educator, and the parent of a child with special needs, and I'm having trouble imagining how it would be possible for a school to provide specialized instruction on the regular schedule during PARCC.  Logistically, I just can't imagine it.

First of all, the special educators need to be involved in PARCC.  For one thing, it's all hands on deck.  Meeting the requirements for small groups, extended time, breaks, scribing etc . . . means you need every adult involved.  Plus, there are kids who simply need the familiarity of their own teacher doing the testing.  It's really stressful for some kids and having someone there who has a relationship with them makes a lot of difference.

Secondly, the afternoons during PARCC tend to be so different, that filling in special education hours on the regular schedule doesn't make sense.  If a class is having an extended recess, the kid with an IEP who worked harder than anyone else shouldn't be pulled from that.  If a class is doing some kind of special project, it may not make sense to pull either.

So, basically, that leaves a special educator with 2 choices.

1) Worry about the letter of the law, and not about what actually benefits kids.  So, pull kids in oversized groups, to make up hours.  Or pull kids at times that are disruptive, or nonsensical, or punitive.

2) Problem solve to meet the needs of the kids as best as you can.  That might mean shorter sessions.  It might mean not pulling kids at all if they're class is doing something fun.  It might mean prioritizing the kids who, because of regulatory needs or the intensity of their disability simply can't be without.

PARCC testing, or any state testing sucks, and I think there's a strong case for advocating for it to be different.  But advocating for something that's impossible, is just going to end up with the school doing something that meets the letter of the law, and isn't in anyone's best interest.[/quote]

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