Okay, I am not as political and sometimes not quite as cerebral as Kath, but my brain does seem to churn out a lot of thoughts. Here's one of the latest:
On standardized assessments, such as our friend the MEAP, some students qualify for a calculator correct? Well, one of our teachers was presenting on Algeblocks last week, and I had a thought: what if Algeblocks or AlgebraTiles were a standard accommodation?
Students would have to know how to use them independently and they have no labels, so there would be no outside assistance or influence. AlgebraTiles or something like them could even be printed as one extra page. Students who operate in the abstract wouldn't need them and wouldn't use them. Those who are not operating at that level may have an actual scaffold and be able to show their comprehension on an assessment.
I am completely aware that this is not a likely reality, but I continue to wander in the world of what if.... on this one!
In a universally designed world, these tools would be available as a matter of fact, not something that you have to ask for, or something that you need to write into an IEP. Amy, this is so completely on the mark! Does having manipulatives in front of you to model a problem change the rigor of a test? After all, we teach our students to use strategies: draw a picture, use simpler numbers, make a chart or graph, work backwards from one of the answer choices, use estimation, etc. So, for kids who are absolutely no good as "draw-ers", doesn't it make sense for them to have objects that can be used as stand-ins for pictures?
ReplyDeleteIt's ironic that Amy mentions accommodations on the MEAP! I wrote a piece for the Outlook this month on all of the things that parents need to keep in mind when they are identifying which test to take: MEAP, MFL (the "modified" MEAP, in development now and due to be introduced in October 2009), or the MI-Access. The three things I think parents need to keep in mind are:
1. What the testing conditions should be;
2. Which of the several levels of tests their child should take; and
3. What the costs of taking a test will be to their child, both now and in the future.
Testing conditions are listed in accommodations and modifications--they are what levels the playing field for a child with learning disabilities. The test choices range from the MEAP on down to the MI-Access, and could be different levels of tests for math and language arts (based on a child's expected academic growth over the next year). The hardest choice is weighing the consequences of taking a less challenging test, over taking the more challenging test. There are immediate emotional consequences to taking a test that is too hard, and that's why many parents exempted their kids from taking the MEAP, back when that was permitted. Since there's a fair amount of federal funding riding on the participation of all students in the testing program, exemption is not really an option. The test is really not a judgment of individual children but of how attentive a school system is to all children's educational needs. But, there are also longer term consequences faced by children in Michigan. The new high school curriculum is linked to passing classes at a certain level in order to get a diploma. So, parents need to know how high to aim when they choose a test, and to advocate for instruction that meets their child's needs.
For a list of standard (approved) accommodations, go to: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Exhibit_B_Accommodations_Table_127886_7.pdf
Whoops! The link for the accommodations document doesn't show completely, so I'm going to try two ways to put it up for readers to see.
ReplyDelete1. This is divided into pieces, so you'll have to cut and paste: http://www.michigan.gov/ documents/Exhibit_B_
Accommodations_Table_
127886_7.pdf
2. I hope this is the HTML code needed: Accommodations Table
I hope this worked!