Teacher Issues: TEACHERS REQUEST TESTING, SCHOOL REFUSES – CHILD FIND REQUIREMENTS

Funny you should mention that, this is part of the subject of a law suit in California (look for Morgan Hill Concerned Parents vs. California Department of Education). I imagine that the answer depends on state laws. My understanding is that, locally, teachers cannot force the District to assess. Parents can, however, so a off the record referral to a parent’s support group sometimes happens. If you are writing to the District, then keeping a copy might be wise. As a special ed parent, I have learned to do everything in writing and keep copies. In the lawsuit I referred to above, the concerned parents seek access to student records (CASEMIS and others) to find out what fraction of the students have records indicating that an assessment might be in warranted to compare the fraction of students who were actually were assessed. So, if you can add something to a student’s record, that might be a way to do it. However, my teacher friends remark that doing stuff like that makes you unpopular with management since you are documenting that they are failing “child find”.