I asked them when parents would receive official score reports, and was told that there are no reports because the tests were hand-scored.
If the tests were hand scored, then there are not
computer-generated score reports. However there should still be individual scores for each child, from which the percentiles were calculated.
Some may say your district is mincing words, regarding the interpretation or meaning of
official score reports in order to deny your request for your child's scores.
You might want to request, in writing:
- all of the scoring related to your child taking the CogAT,
- all of the scoring related to your child taking the Iowa tests for math and reading.
Based on the FERPA information online
here, a school needs to "show" the records to a parent, not necessarily provide a copy.
Based on
FERPA information online (last modified 06/26/2015),
education records are defined as those records that:
1) contain information directly related to a student; and
2) are maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution.
The electronic Code of Federal Regulations (
e-CFR), Title 34 Education, Part 99 Family Educational Rights and Privacy, current as of May 1, 2017 provides definitions. See 99.3 - definitions.
NOTE: I experienced a webpage update while researching for this post. It is wise to check sources frequently for any changes.According to the
FERPA FAQ page, for parents and eligible students, inspection and review of education records:
FERPA requires that educational agencies and institutions comply with a request by a parent or eligible student for access to education records within a reasonable period of time, but not more than 45 days after receipt of a request. Some States have laws that may require that parents and eligible students be granted access in a shorter time period. 34 CFR § 99.10(b).
FERPA requires that an educational agency or institution respond to reasonable requests for explanations and interpretations of education records. 34 CFR § 99.10(c).
FERPA may not apply to some schools:
FERPA applies to educational agencies and institutions (e.g., schools) that receive funding under any program administered by the Department. Private and parochial schools at the elementary and secondary levels generally do not receive such funding and are, therefore, not subject to FERPA.
FERPA requires an annual notice to parents; This
Model Notice is provided.
The idea is to use an approach which shows you are both pleasant and well-informed. Advocacy is generally not as effective if one comes across as unpleasant or uninformed (overly dependent on what the school says, with no other source of information to potentially counter with, if needed).