A Lost Opportunity...

A few weeks ago, my son came home and indicated that he had to do some tests. I wasn't able to get much information from him other than he was scared at first. His name was called over the loudspeaker requesting that he go to a certain room. My son got lost along the way. Fortunately, a teacher was able to help him out. Once he arrived at the room, he was met by a resource teacher who indicated that she needed to do an evaluation to assess his needs and strengths.

I was so disheartened because my husband and I were excluded from the process. We didn't have the opportunity to be partners in our son's assessment.  I had so many questions and couldn't get any answers until the assessment was completed and scored. Later, I found out that a Level B assessment was administered without our knowledge or consent. Apparently, it is not required in some school districts to ask for parent consent. Why does this happen? Are there other options being practiced in schools to ensure that parents are equal partners in the assessment process? Do other school districts invite parent consent when Level B assessments, such as the Kaufmann, are administered to our children during school hours?

Why am I posting this information? Well, as a mom and resource teacher, I now know exactly what it  feels like when we forget that parents are our partners. They have a right be involved in their child's learning, especially when our children are being described as struggling or advanced learners.

Soon, end of year report cards and learning support letters will be issued at my school. My goal is to make sure parents have an opportunity to talk with me. It isn't too late to engage in a dialogue about how parents can help their children learn over the summer. Handing out assessment information the last hour of the day without involving parents in the process creates missed opportunities to engage parents in their child's learning.

I will be thinking about these questions as we complete our year-end IEP reviews and begin to generate goals with students for the new school year. I will also think about my assessment practices as a resource teacher and ensure that I invite parent consent, input and feedback when I administer a Level B assessment tool.