How Accurate Are School Assessments Of Your Child?

Children with special needs are assessed by professionals . These assessments are used to determine if children qualify for special services. They are also used for many things such as goals, modifications, and accommodations in a child's IEP. The question becomes how reliable are these assessments and how much do they truly represent the many facets of your child's abilities.

Your child knows more than testing can reveal

An assessment tells us about your child in just one point in time. It is not the “end all - be all” and gives you a very small snapshot of what your child knows and doesn’t know.  The test scores are standardized and largely based on comparing your child to what a “typical child” would do. As a parent of a child with special needs, how many of us would say our children fit into any mold or typical category?  In addition, your child will be working with a relative stranger, in a new location over a few hours of their lifetime.  The tester must follow the “rules” and present the test material in the same way to every child.  What if your child could show what he knows in a different way, but that is not part of the test?

 When talking to parents, I often use the example of taking a driver’s test. Most people eventually pass the driver’s test, but do you feel the test is a good indication of the quality of drivers you see every day on the road? Be careful how much you read into any assessment of your child. A test may not tell all!

Functional ability must be considered

Equally important to any test administered to your child, is their functional ability. The law makes functional ability as important as standardized assessments. Fortunately, the law recognizes not all children test well.

As a parent your opinion is vital. You live with your child 24/7.  Every day you see where your child is excelling and struggling.  At home, when you work with your child on homework, community activities, and social interactions with others; document what you see in video, photos, and journals. Save the work your child does similar to an artist that builds a portfolio of their capabilities. This is your functional assessment. As you build this portfolio of knowledge, share it with the others who work with your child. Bring what you have found to the IEP meeting as evidence of your child’s abilities, in a similar way that the school district brings their testing assessments. Be sure to make your functional assessments part of your child’s goals, accommodations, and modifications.

 As the parent your role is vital

Recently, a parent shared with me that her child wanted to take piano lessons. The parent was very apprehensive. The child had multiple disabilities and she felt reading music, playing the keys, counting tempos, and everything else would be overwhelming. The parent was absolutely right. Within a few lessons, the way the piano teacher taught, she and her son became terribly overwhelmed and wanted to quit. 

Finally, the parent started to take what she knew about her child and broke everything down into small but distinct steps. Her son had a photographic memory so she made note cards so he could memorize the musical notes. She then put letters on the keys so the child could match the note letter with the letter on the keys. To make a long story short, the parent taught the piano teacher how to instruct her son and it is now working like a charm! 

Never sell yourself or your child short. You know much more about your child than anybody else. This is why the law recognizes parents as equal contributors to the IEP process. Watch your child closely. Look for strengths, tear everything down into smaller steps, and be resilient! You are one of the best people who can assess functional ability outside of school and bring it to the district’s attention. Never forget, your child is much more than a standardized assessment. Keep that in the forefront of every IEP!