Tests and Measurements for the Parent

[misty]

Tests and Measurements for the Parent, Teacher,
Advocate & Attorney
by Peter W. D. Wright, Esq.
and Pamela Darr Wright, M.A., M.S.W.


Most parents of special needs children know that they must understand the law and their rights. Few parents know that they must also understand the facts. The "facts" of their child's case are contained in the various tests and evaluations that have been administered to the child. Changes in test scores over time provide the means to assess educational benefit or regression.

To successfully advocate for your child, you must also learn about tests and measurements --- statistics. Statistics are ways to measure progress or lack of progress, using numbers. After you analyze the scores your child obtains when tested and you know what these numbers mean, you will be able to develop an appropriate educational program for your child --- a program that is tailored to the child's unique needs and from which the child benefits.

As you read this article, you will learn what tests and evaluations measure, how this information is reported, and how to use information from tests to measure and monitor academic progress. You will also learn how to use graphs to visually demonstrate your child's progress or lack of educational progress in a powerful and compelling manner.

www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/tests_measurements.html

[lcdc1]

a lot of what I did to help my kid last year was based on research from that article and the wrightslaw website, it was a good tool for me at that time. I have to get back to doing some research again as I need to figure out the whole transition to high school thing for Ran.

[misty]

I'll be doing that soon, too LC.

[lcdc1]

oh, our kids are in the same grade? We can do it together then! I dread it in a way, but would not avoid it by any means - it is taxing to get ready for dealing with all that again and not knowing how they will handle it in high school. I hope I am pleasently surprised by the transition and not freaked out by the whole thing.