Rochelle’s Special Education Tips
What Do You Do When the Standardized Test Scores Do Not Reflect What You See In The Classroom?
Not infrequently, you will receive private assessment results that do not match the student in your classroom. While you must “consider” the private assessment results, your decision-making need not be ruled by them. Standardized testing is only one tool that you use in determining a student’s Present Levels. It may be that the student did not feel well when the testing was administered. Or, and one does not want to be accused of being jaded, but . . . perhaps the private assessor has an inkling of the parents’/advocate’s/attorney’s desired outcome of the testing. Then again, maybe the student was not in the mood for being tested and unlike the public schools, where the assessor can return, the private testing could only be done on the scheduled day. In any case, remember you should always be willing to say that the test results do not accurately reflect the student’s classroom performance if such is the case.
