Delbows and Cathy,
Good points! Kids are expected to do the same thing, regardless of ability. My DD has been in a full inclusion class this year, and it has really stifled her growth. She reads 3 years above grade level, but there's very little in-class reading instruction (other than intervention for the struggling readers), and she gets very little guidance in picking out AR books on her level (her teacher doesn't have many high level ones). The teacher does send DD to the math coach for enrichment, which is her favorite part of school right now. Thank goodness she only has 10 school days left!
Our school system is very quick to point out the percentages of kids who are "above the benchmark" on DIBLES or "above grade level" on AR. The so-called "benchmark" for DIBLES is only the 40th percentile, so what's the big deal? So many parents are uninformed, and they take these meaningless stats as an indication that the school is doing great things. It's sad.
