Wrightslaw

1. Tests & Measurements: Slide Show   

We urge parents and school staff to evaluate a child's educational progress with objective test data. To make informed, rational decisions about the educational services a child needs, the IEP team should use objective data.

After last week's newsletter, several thousand people downloaded the "Understanding Tests and Measurements" article from Wrightslaw.

Today, we added a PowerPoint slide show about how to use test data. This slide show teaches you how to chart progress. Graphs of the child's test scores can be used as dramatic visual aids to show educational progress or lack of progress (regression).

Parents and advocates can use "progress graphs" at IEP meetings to support their request for a different special education program. Attorneys can use "progress graphs" at due process hearings to show lack of progress (regression) in the current program.

Here is how the slide show is organized. This child was evaluated four times (in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995). We made a graph of the child's standard scores. We converted the standard scores to percentile ranks (information about how to do this is in the "Tests and Measurements" article, link follows). We made graphs of the child's educational achievement scores as percentile ranks.

To make graphs of an educational skill area, we made a master graph of the test scores as percentile ranks. We made duplicates of this graph, then deleted all data except for the educational skill area we wanted to highlight. On the slide that highlights the child's reading skills, we left the reading scores as percentile ranks and deleted the other data. On the next slide, we left the writing scores as percentile ranks and deleted the rest of the data.

As you'll see, after five years of special education, this child made little progress in academic skills. These graphs were used as evidence in one of our cases.

SLIDE SHOW LINKS

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/slideindex.htm

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/slideindex_files/frame.htm

TESTS & MEASUREMENTS LINK 

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/tests_measurements.html

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2. Learn Effective Advocacy Skills

Do you want to be a more effective advocate for children with disabilities? To learn about IEPs, tests and evaluations, negotiating skills, letter writing strategies, and more, visit the Advocacy Library

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3. Editor's Choice From Bookstore

* LEARNING OUTSIDE THE LINES *

This inspiring, practical book by 2 college students will give hope to parents and adolescents who are demoralized by their school experiences. Includes practical strategies for students: notebook organization, note taking, test taking, cramming, reading, and more. A great Christmas gift! 

https://www.wrightslaw.com/bkstore/bks_parents.htm

* TEACHING THE TIGER *

"The best practical reference book for educators who work with students with Tourette Syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder, and/or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" "The authors do an excellent job of explaining how these disorders affect emotions, thought processes, and overt  behavior . . . and provide  practical, useful educational techniques."

https://www.wrightslaw.com/bkstore/bks_educate.htm

* BESTSELLER LIST *

Looking for good books? Check the Wrightslaw "Bestseller List"