Reply to Atlantic accommodation abuse article

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Atlantic accommodation abuse article"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm not a big fan of accommodations.[/quote]

So, my kid with 13th percentile processing speed shouldn't get more time on tests? Why, exactly? 
[/quote]

For the same reason my kid with 13th percentile sprinting speed shouldn't get a 40-meter head start in the 100 meter dash.[/quote]

That's a stupid analogy.

The 100-meter dash is a competition to run the fastest. Speed is the point.

The SAT is an assessment of knowledge. If you know geometry, it doesn't matter if it takes you 30 minutes to answer a series of geometry questions and not 15. There are lots of areas of study (and professions) that don't require speed.[/quote]

Then why is the test timed at all? Everyone deserves the chance to take as much time as they need.[/quote]

It’s for administrative feasibility. The SAT is an unspeeded test, meaning at least 75% of test takers have time to attempt every question. [/quote]

But you could give everyone a choice - without needing to prove reason. Untimed SAT could be a separate test. Timed SAT is a separate test. Not everyone takes the SAT anyways with all the test-blind, test-optional.

Personally, I always thought the open book, take home exams were the worst and would take a timed exam any day.[/quote]

From an equity standpoint, I think we all know there are plenty of students out there who’ve never been diagnosed/evaluated.[/quote]

That is the crux of the problem. Our leaders do not want to spend the money to do diagnostic testing in schools, which is the equitable approach and solution. If each child was tested, our educators would be better positioned to support students K-12 (in theory at least) and standardized testing plans would be aligned with student abilities and performance history. Parents would then be less likely to game the system if their child didn't have a learning need.

I think that the parent gaming fear is wildly overblown on DCUM, but impossible to prove otherwise since we don't have a true diagnostic baseline. How many students have dyslexia or ADHD? No one knows.

Instead, students are inconsistently evaluated and supported, even in expensive private schools. Parents who pay for independent testing are undoubtedly wealthier, as insurance doesn't cover the testing and it is expensive. But that doesn't mean that all parents who pay for a neuropsych are trying to cheat. That is important for everyone here to understand. These conditions are real and verifiable!

Parents scream about evaluative testing in high school on DCUM, but really we should all be demanding better quality in meeting the needs of students in classrooms. Children are not widgets, and it's time we get smarter at offering more personalized education. Our country had the knowledge and tools to educate children better, just not the will to pay for it and implement it. 
[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics