Re: TAKS-M Two Percent Counts

[Guest guest]

My son was also failing either not taking TAKS or taking TAKS Alt and was in a self contained room until 6th grade. He was not allowed a one to one aide for inclusion except for going to specials like music or art. In 6th grade I refused to allow a day full of life skills and a teacher saw the potential in him and we all advocated for inclusion which started slow. This was also the year we began to use choices for academic questions and began the basics of RPM. In 7th grade he took TAKS M using the letterboard and was included in resource math and language arts. Because they did not teach most of the skills needed to pass these standardized tests we did our best to teach at home and he nearly passed both math and reading.

This year he is fully included no more resource classes and his IEP is like that of any other ADD or ADHD kid we expect him to follow the grade level academic curriculum. We use RPM in the classroom and we do mini sessions for homework after school.

The results are in. My son took the TAKS accomidated which is a test that has more white space and no trick questions but has 50 questions total. We also use the letterboard that is our " accomidation " as it is his communication method and it was approved by the TEA.

THIS YEAR MY SON PASSED THE READING, MATH, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND SCIENCE TEST. NOT ONLY DID HE PASS HE WAS COMMENDED ON EVERY TEST.

Remember this child was not included till 6th grade? This blows the doors off the window theory. I think Haven you are grossly underestimating your son. Schools use these tests to justify everything and not just for our kids for every kid. Standarized testing holds everyone accountable if your child is not passing do not let them dumb down the IEP to match what your child can verbally do. Find another way. I say RPM is the way to inlcusion it's practically a railroad if your behavior and sensory system can handle a classroom and if not grade level academics can be taught in a self contained room. You'll have a lot better chance of getting this done if your child can prove his capability. I will tell you RPM changed the course of my childs education and you can choose to beleive it works or not, but I have testing to prove it works and that years of everything else.....failed academically. We have now set the bar for high school. I am nervous that they will step up the bat but I have a pocket full of commended scores to play ball with.

Trina

 

Yes, it's astonishing isn't it?  I never wanted my son to take Taks-ALT or TAKS-M, and I told them this from the start.  I expected them to teach my son so that he could pass in his third grade year.  But they wrote him off from the get-go, and didn't bother to teach him any academics until I learned to advocate beginning in the 06-07 school year.

Then they manipulated us into allowing TAKS-ALT, which in retrospect was illegal.  he in no way has the cognitive impairment to qualify for TAKS-ALT.This year he took TAKS-M and didn't pass it, of course, as his reading and math resource teacher made up most of his progress report grades (which show mastery after only three months after adoption of the objectives.

IF my son had to go back there again next year, I would not allow him to take anything but the regular TAKS writing.  This is the only way they are going to start to listen abut the necessity of really teaching children with autism academic skills.  I'm so furious with what they have done.  My son will struggle now to catch up. He CAN learn if they would get their heads out of their.....and use programs and methodologies that work.

[Guest guest]

Trina,How did you get your school to go along with using RPM and getting trained to do it with your son?In seven years in our district, they have shown proof of only ONE training, and that is the FREE Autism 101 training offerred on-line by the service center.  I did get them to hire a specialsit to make recommendations, and she did, but the school never implemented any of her recomendatins.

Several teachers visisted her school, and the principal had to be called because MY SON " S TEACHER kept making derogatory, snide remarks, and the director had to ask the principal to speak with him and tell him to stop or leave.  This specialist told me privately that if my son were her child she would take him and run from this district.  Of course, I said if we had the money we would, but we don't.

These very same teachers and therapists were required to go to the special education update in the fall, but shortly after it started, there was a fire drill and the building was evacuated.  ALL of the personnel from our district LEFT the update and did not return until after lunch, and they accepted their CEC certificates, taking credit for being at the whole meeting.

I, too, finally won a one on one aide for my son in inclusion.  She told me several times during the year that My son didn't need her.  Yet, she has had no formal training to be competent to decide what a child with autism needs or doesn't need. 

Within three months of developing new IEP goals for my son, our copy came up devoid of limiting criteria for annual goals.  The whole document was grossly, inadequately filled out.  Yet, he was receiving mastery level grades for 33 of 39 objectives.  In going through his work and assigning an IEP objective to each question, I found that seventy-five percent of the objectives were given mastery level grades without ANY work to back up that the objectives were even covered.

Does this sound like the type of school district that would get on board with ANY intervention.  Research-based interventions have been suggested by his parents, outside doctors and therapists since 2002, and they have clung to their OSFA programs and methodologies as if they would drown without them.

So, if I am going to do RPM, it would have to be in the home setting.  Trina, I would like to talk to you about it, but it will have to be off-list.  My questions regarding RPM were not well received on this list, so I will ocntact you directly.

For now, I have successfully gotten the district to pay for private for the summer.  My son has always made progress in this private setting.  Eventually, we will probably home-school so I am interested in learning about anything that could make this a success.

I will e-mail you my questions about RPM off-list.Thanks, Trina.  I always appreciate your passion for RPM.