Fab4Runner wrote: My brother had modified tests while in school. I don't think it was unfair to the other kids. He wasn't able to read the question and comprehend it and then write an answer in the alloted time. He was either given more time or had and aide to read him the question and/or record his answer. He had a learning disability and whether or not anyone thinks it was legit...it was. He knew the material, it was just a matter of being able to give an answer.

And kids are and should be allowed to fail if/when they are given the opportunity to succeed and do not take it.

Fab4Runner wrote: My brother had modified tests while in school. I don't think it was unfair to the other kids. He wasn't able to read the question and comprehend it and then write an answer in the alloted time. He was either given more time or had and aide to read him the question and/or record his answer. He had a learning disability and whether or not anyone thinks it was legit...it was. He knew the material, it was just a matter of being able to give an answer.

And kids are and should be allowed to fail if/when they are given the opportunity to succeed and do not take it.

fan_from_texas wrote:

Fab4Runner wrote: My brother had modified tests while in school. I don't think it was unfair to the other kids. He wasn't able to read the question and comprehend it and then write an answer in the alloted time. He was either given more time or had and aide to read him the question and/or record his answer. He had a learning disability and whether or not anyone thinks it was legit...it was. He knew the material, it was just a matter of being able to give an answer.

And kids are and should be allowed to fail if/when they are given the opportunity to succeed and do not take it.

Interesting post. My brother was also IEP, and things were modified in such a way that he once made the honor roll. Now, I love(d) him dearly, but it seems to me to be a little misleading for a school to give Bs to someone who is, well, not very smart. It makes grades less meaningful if we attempt to handicap it so that anyone who puts in the effort can get a decent grade, now matter how disabled they are. I tend to think that grades should measure results, not effort, even if that means addressing the harsh reality that certain people aren't cut out for "success" (however we want to define that) in life. At the same time, there are many skills that correlate with "success" that don't show up in a GPA, and I agree that many wildly successful people didn't necessarily knock the ball out of the park in middle school. But what is GPA if not a measure of their ability to perform certain standardized tasks in standardized ways under standardized conditions?

ernest_t_bass wrote: Educational law states that IEP children can (and sometimes should... mandated) have modifications to assignments and tests. Why? I mean, I understand what they are trying to do, but how does it help? How does it help that IEP student to receive the same relative grade as the "smartest" kid in the class? Now, I know that a lot of that falls on the teacher, and perhaps the modifications are making it too easy, but still. Kids aren't allowed to fail anymore.

Does your boss pat you on the back when you do something stupid and let you do it over until you get it right? NO! So why do we let this happen in schools?

/Rant

Sonofanump wrote: Unless it is reading or writing, said student is only being tested on that subject matter and not being penalized for student's learning disability. The student still needs to learn the matter. (acc)

Some on IEPs have IQs above 100, some near 130. It could be a specific disability that causes them unable to learn the subject matter in the conventional way.

Now for some, the basic goal of the special needs instructor is to get them prepared for basic life as best they can and hopefully they can be a contributing member of society. (mod)