Post #7 Assessments

Assessments are a critical part of “accessing the curriculum”, the cornerstone of services and specialists who may influence outcomes for your child. Take them seriously; this is your most important role as chief advocate. Read the fine print, know your rights as a parent – never abdicate those rights. Guard your reputation as it is cemented early in the process. Word spreads quickly when a parent is negatively perceived. Earn the right to be respected with tact and diplomacy.

Assessments are a critical part of “accessing the curriculum”. This is your most important role as chief advocate.

The path forward is not necessarily linear; early mistakes can have lasting consequences. Bring specialists as advocates, particularly when new to the process – either internal to the school system or external, credentialed professionals. Lean on advocates to navigate the process while coming up to speed on each discipline as it relates to your child’s special needs and care.

Bring specialists as advocates, particularly when new to the process.

In Luke’s case, this meant learning about receptive and expressive language, fine and gross motor skills, word storage and retrieval, memory-building exercises, understanding abstract language. This is in addition to dealing with the emotional traumas of night terrors, regular falls from poor balance, an impulsive bully, and a heightened fear for personal safety. Not to mention the doctors and diagnoses.

I found myself at my lowest – terrified of failing Luke, of limiting his potential.

This blog is difficult to retrace emotionally; reading it aloud taps into the empathy I have for my son, the empathy I have for my other children who were “next” in priority, my personal obligation as a mother to learn entirely foreign concepts and vernacular in multiple disciplines, and every day execute the plan. I brought all that I am to the table and frankly, I was nearly not enough. I found myself at my lowest – terrified of failing Luke, of limiting his potential. I was completely overwhelmed and breaking down from the stress. Panic attacks and nightmares were the new normal.  

Stay in the moment and breathe. Most of all, be kind to yourself.

The learning curve is steep but not insurmountable. Stay in the moment and breathe. Most of all, be kind to yourself – you are human and doing the best that you can. The guilt I had for not acting sooner, not seeing sooner was suffocating. I had to let that go to focus fully on the task at hand. I promised to never look the other way; I would not fall into denial again. My sister likened my experience to a spiral staircase, with a more refined perspective as I ascended. In retrospect, perhaps, but it felt more like slugging it out down in the mud. I settled on a two-day look ahead. It was all I could manage. Today and tomorrow.

Assessments mean interviews and tests. Do not skip any of these sessions!

Assessments mean interviews and tests by school psychologists, audiologists, doctors, resource specialists, administrators, general education teachers, occupational therapists, speech pathologists and special education teachers. It means understanding industry specific testing, and where your child aligned. There are milestones: the initial review, the 30-day review, the annual review, the triennial review, and the transition review. Do not skip any of these sessions! A written invitation will precede each instance; you must accept and indicate which advocates/specialists will be in attendance.

There are no surprises; as chief advocate, you have been in constant communication via notes from home.

Command respect in scheduled review sessions. Ensure the person taking notes is making entries relevant to the discussion, as you believe to be accurate – the district may leverage these entries to justify the removal of services downstream. Be the expert on your child. Come prepared with class assignments, feedback from your child, specific examples and in context of exactly where challenges ly. There are no surprises; as chief advocate, you have been in constant communication via notes from home, on assignments, with copies of assignments and problematic areas. Be organized to move through notes.

Propose wording for goal definition setting that makes the outcomes specific and measurable.

Connect the homework, quiz, test, and assessment results directly back to goals that have been defined or are being defined in that working session. Ask “How” questions to ensure that goals/activities can realistically achieve outcomes. When achievements are reported, ensure you agree that the approach used to draw those conclusions is sound. Propose wording for goal definition setting that makes the outcomes specific and measurable, versus subjective.

You must question the process and the outcomes.

Most specialists have professional integrity. Some do not. On one of Luke’s assessments, the district’s speech pathologist submitted a raving review of Luke’s performance. I asked for the tape recording, mandated for the test. I asked for the notes converting the recording. It never occurred. Was this a nefarious act or an overworked public servant? Doesn’t matter. One person and one act could have changed the options and trajectory for Luke. You must question the process and the outcomes.

Helping to unlock your child’s potential is job #1.

The various assessments such as WISC-IV, state tests, TOLD-P, Word-R, EVT, TOLD-3, have detailed reported results. There are many more assessments based on the type of services that are anticipated. You have a right to slow down working sessions to fully understand how results reflect/correlate to your child’s curriculum work. Do not be rushed. Additional sessions can be scheduled. Do not sign off on the review unless, and until you are in full agreement. There is no legal requirement to do so. Do not drop the ball and take the easy path – helping to unlock your child’s potential is job #1.  

A gem in the process are accommodations. Don’t discount accommodations!

A gem in the process are accommodations. Don’t discount accommodations! These are the low, no-cost support that greatly enhance your child’s experience and ability to perform. It may be proximity to the teacher or the board, cues that are taped to their desk (for handwriting, for example), a quiet space and/or additional time for quizzes and tests, adult support in the classroom, access to a laptop, visual and verbal cues/reminders, repeated instructions, college-rule paper, verification of understanding, and a home-school communication system. The list has preconfigured options and the ability to customize based on need. Luke’s accommodations followed him through high school with the option to continue in college.

Our job is to maximize potential with the time, resources provided.

As bad as it gets, you can come out on the other side. I tell you this to give you hope. My son is a complete home run story. That’s not the case for everyone. Our job is to maximize potential with the time, resources provided. Luke can achieve like anyone else. Whether he will or not is now up to him – go Luke!