My recent book You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me! The Educators’ Secret Handbook deals with many scenarios of the public school system. A few scenarios are on the topic of testing for placement in special education classrooms. In my professional opinion I feel that too many children are unnecessarily being tested for learning disabilities. I have to wonder why a parent would want their child labeled for the rest of their life. I understand that if a child has a true learning disability, it needs to be dealt with and instructional methods must be employed. But have parents and teachers gone overboard? I’ve had experience in a school district that when a child got a ‘C’ on the report card, the parent requested testing. Fortunately, not every child who struggles with a test or gets a ‘C’ has a presumed learning disability and needs testing.
A learning disability does not mean that a child is struggling. It is much more. It’s a neurological disorder that affects a person’s brain ability to receive, process, and retain information. There are common reasons why a child may have problems in school – they can simply have insufficient reading practices or no background knowledge on a particular subject. A child may only need some remediation and not tested for a learning problem.
Parents and teachers need to be proactive in their student or child’s education. The sooner a child’s difficulties are addressed, the sooner support can be provided. Many teachers provide information on assignments, in-class work, and tests – and many don’t until the child is already failing.
Before a struggling student is referred for a special education evaluation, there are many alternative methods to address a problem. Be open to new strategies before deciding on testing.
Many schools suggest a team approach consisting of parents, teachers, counselors and sometimes a school psychologist to brainstorm educational practices that can be implemented to help the child and the teacher in the regular classroom. If these procedures prove successful, there is no need for testing.
Several schools that I have been associated with used the Response to Intervention method. As soon as the teacher or parent detected a difficulty with assignments or classwork, interventions and modifications were applied. Many times it lead to success on the behalf of the student. Occasionally, it led to further testing and placement.
It is important to have the teachers and parents on the same page with consulting about a student’s educational needs. If the request for special education testing is made, then by law it should be completed. I highly suggest to both parents and teachers not to jump into testing immediately. Try other methods of instruction. Differentiated methods should be applied before sending a child into a special education class.
Some of the drawbacks of immediate testing and placement are:
• students remain in special ed classes,
• students are serviced with a less rigorous curriculum,
• they have less post-secondary opportunities,
• have less peers that are academically challenged and
• they run the risk of being socially inept
School communities need to be responsible to properly educate all children. The big picture needs to be viewed for the benefit of our children. Their individual learning needs should be met because their education must prepare them for a successful future.
