Wednesday, December 16, 2009

article4 & 5

Immigrant students that move around often due to parents relocating for work could compound a LD or may even help create one. The student has to make new friends, adjust to new schedule, new teachers and possibly new curriculum. I can say that when I transferred from private to public school; many of my new classes retaught curriculum that I already had been taught. A waste of time in my opinion. I understand that we all learn at different speeds and while we excel in one area may fail in another. The article discusses the discrepancies of the tests that determine whether or not a child has a LD, from state to state.
I have an idea....just like at your doctors office who keeps your medical records. When you switch doctors or see a specialist they request your medical records. They record more than just your temp and blood pressure. They have all the little details, each cold, broken bone, vaccinations and any ongoing medical condition. Why not have a similar type of record in education? Why not have the same tests nationwide to determine if a child has a LD? I know that students bring their transcripts when they change schools; but those transcripts list the student's final grades and attendance. They should be more detailed. They should record class size, reading group, language, and where the student is at in spcific subjects.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with the tests being the same. It does not make any sense that in one place they test one way and in another they test a different. I do understand the need to adapting tests to fit a students needs, but it is silly that they are not generalized over all. If a student moves, as you pointed out, they are adjusting to so much, in turn they may miss out on things or get lost in the mix. That is not fair to the student.

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  2. I do not think it is possible to have a universal test. Cultures are too different. Common knowledge varies too much. We need a way to ask questions that is unique to the culture of the child. I agree we need more detail in the transcripts...what does a grade tell you anyways...nothing about the class or teacher that assigned the grade.

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