Originally Posted by mom123
Originally Posted by Irena
Originally Posted by blackcat
I can't speak for other states, but here I don't think they care about progress as long as a child is meeting the grade level standards (and even that they don't seem to necessarily care about, as evidenced by the fact that they refused to write DD an IEP even though she's about 2 grade levels below for writing). Their logic is that she's not failing (according to standardized testing and letter grades), therefore nothing needs to be done. If in say, 3 years, there is no progress, at that point she would be in the lower percentiles and would be "failing". They are totally unconcerned with any child who is meeting the standards, esp. a child above the standards. I'm actually surprised that you got your way with the school, considering my own experience.

Well, it is in the case law (that children need to make progress)... So, there's that.

My friends who were too uncomfortable with advocating, who did it they way you suggest? Got nowhere and child was punished with recess being taken away. They also resorted to lying on the reading logs which did not seem to help matters.

Ever since then for us? No problems, whatsoever. That was two years ago.

ETA : Also, you say "here I don't think they care about progress as long as a child is meeting the grade level standards" Thing is, people make the same assumption here, too. And it is a wrong assumption. Schools know it, are banking on it and have no obligation to inform them otherwise. Unless, a parent tries and/or looks into it, one does not know.

I think that the need to demonstrate progress is at the heart of the problem. Miss rebel teacher explained that to me last year. She was willing to allow my daughter to read at a high level, but she wasn't willing to go against district policy and document what level she was at. She said she would not only get in trouble with the administration, but also with her fellow teachers. If a kid comes into a grade with a documented reading level that is very high, then the teacher needs to demonstrate progress ahead of that very high level. By keeping the kids reading levels scored artificially low, it makes it easier to "demonstrate progress".

Hmm... I hear this a lot. However, our school does something that does not mesh with this. Here is the situation: my son scored at the very top of the grade level during the first weeks of said grade level. He couldn't go any higher without moving up in the grade levels. When he scored at the ceiling in the beginning of the school year (September), the teacher then refused (attempted to refuse) to test him more. They want to leave the child at that same level ALL year. They do this to all the kids that score at the ceiling in the beginning of the year (unless the child's parents know to balk like I did). The school wanted my kid to sit at the same level all year because it was the last level for his grade. However, that would show he made NO progress. And I used the fact that he was *ostensibly* making no progress (because he was not moving up in DRA levels) but that the school was still legally obligated to make sure he makes progress (regardless of his level), to get them to test him to his appropriate level. So, this is screwy. If they have to show progress/growth, why are they leaving kids at the same level all year and not testing then because they do not want them to move up? It does not make sense. When I put that concern in writing to teacher, principal and special ed director, the school really stepped up getting the next grade up reading specialist to test him... and when he ceilinged there, the next-grade-up-reading-specialist was pulled in to test him more. They even went above and beyond and gave him some special tests. All of which showed he was well over two grade levels ahead in reading and comprehension.

Anyway, if they have to show progress/growth, then you can effectively use that to get what your child needs. That's what I did. When I started harping that "something" was "wrong" "due to the fact that my son was not progressing in his reading levels," it did not matter that he was at the ceiling, they immediately started acting to prove that he WAS progressing. Then, once it was demonstrated that he was at a certain level they just couldn't argue for forcing him to read material several levels below that.

Last edited by Irena; 09/22/15 05:31 PM.