NOBODY GETS A FREE PASS. Massachusetts state law says everybody has to take the dreaded MCAS. Every individuals score factors into the number that the statistical gurus use to rank the school.
There are 3 different ways to take the test: 1) regular pencil and paper test, 2). regular pencil and paper test with standard accommodations (there is a list out there that defines what "standard" is and most people fall in these two categories), and a MCAS-Alt for nonstandard accommodations.
It is important if your child needs accommodations that they be WRITTEN INTO THE IEP so they can be given at test time. In order to insure the vaunted statistical accuracy of these test, standardization must be maintained. No surprises.
Like them or not, this is the world we live in so until the winds of change blow through the ears of our educational leaders: Forewarned is forearmed.
You can also have 'non-standard' accommodations for option 2). And the MCAS-Alt is a portfolio of the students work.
ReplyDeleteYes you can have accommodations such as a Math Reference Sheet which helps students have a "reminder of certain formulas and notes that will jog their memory" but you can't have examples or anything like that on the sheet. I will say from experience that it helps, but the problem that I have is that students (like mine) get the same exact test as everyone else and their scores count just as much as everyone else. Yes they get to take the test in a smaller room with frequent breaks and can take all the time they need but what I think should happen is that it should be noted somewhere that this student is on an IEP. That way their test could be somewhat scaled AND not go against the school or city's scores when the child gets a needs improvement or failed score. I truly think that their circumstances should be noted and even put into a separate category. I think the bar can be set too high for students with special needs, one they can't quite measure up to. Does anyone else share my opinion?
ReplyDeleteAs far as I knew the children on IEPs are placed into a sub-group. It should also be noted that children who take a portfolio MCAS do not graduate with a high school diploma.
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