Remember, you cannot spell “assessment” without a-s-s
A new form came home from school today, “Evaluation Consent Form.” Ok, I can deal. What kind of “assessment” do they want to do for Pearlsky? The young lady with NO communication skills, the young lady who does not appear to purposely look anywhere, whose verbalizations are the same for physical irritation as well as apparent enjoyment? They want to do a …
“Psychological Assessment – describes the student’s learning capacity and learning style in relationship to social/emotional development and skills.”
They admit she has never “learned” anything as far as we know, she does not even get graded, against all odds I got her out of NCLB testing because you cannot measure any learning capacity in her and yet they want a psychological assessment on … wait for it … her learning capacity! And, an assessment that describes her “learning style”? Let me describe it for you, “NONE, NADA, ZIPPO, ZILCH.” Put that in your psychological pipe and smoke it. And who will do it? A social worker? A psychologist? The teacher? Feh. Forget it. (Actually, I think it is very funny and an attempted big waste of time and energy.)
Oh, what about the new wheelchair that was delivered several days ago? Remembering what mom always told me about having something good to say … Let’s see, about the new wheelchair:
Oh, and yes, she is still using the old one. I was temporarily blinded by the lack of scratches and the fact that the chair actually rolled straight.
Educational law is flawed in attempting to treat all ‘equally’ (when they are not equal in ability) under the veneer of ‘individual’ (the I in IDEA and IEP) ‘plans’ decided on by a ‘team’ who each have an individual agenda mostly related to meeting the letter of the law. Common sense is sadly lacking (as well as money wasted).
The wheelchair situation is breaking my heart. Hoping you will reach out to someone – outside that company and beyond us (useless but well-intentioned) blog friends for help.
Speaking of good intentions, lots of that in IDEA. Good road pavement.
Re. the wheelchair saga- have you threatened to go to the media? I’ve never been quite where you are with this, but that strategy works wonders with our local board of ed.
I think I’ve left these words before on your blog, but my only response is: Good Lord. When does it stop?
I feel compelled to share that I like the psycho-educational assessments done every three years on my son by the school district. It is the one time, every three years, where what I know to be true of my son’s abilities plays out to be true, in writing, for all to see. When the teacher wants to push some ridiculous activity, I have the report to remind her that though my son looks healthy and vibrant in his wheelchair, he functions in the 4 to 6 month old range in most areas and some areas at 3 months. Sure, it’s sad, but it’s also a strong reminder that I know my son better than anyone else ever could, and I am the best judge of what goals should be set for my son so he is not overwhelmed nor underwhelmed.
As for the wheelchair, it’s good that you are working to get your daughter a “right fit.” It’s her mobility. It’s an extension of her body, so to speak. It should be right.
Just want to emphasize Kelly’s last few sentences.
Would it be possible for you to design a wheelchair yourself?