If this is your first visit, check out the community guide. You will have to Join us or Sign in before you can post.
Receiving too many notifications? Adjust your notification settings.
SATS and tests

My son is nearly 9 and in year 4. He has moderate to severe dystonic CP and is fully dependent on an adult to help him with everyday tasks. He is very bright and is doing really well academically at a mainstream school. He uses a computer laptop at school for all his work.
The issue we have at the moment is that when he is teacher assessed or he is given the necessary time to complete a test, he scores very highly. However, when he is under time pressure and is only given 10-20 minutes extra, he finds it hard to complete the tasks because he fatigues easily. His muscle tone and involuntary movements get worse when he is under pressure, making it very difficult for him to use his computer mouse and the keyboard.
I am concerned that if he is tested like other children and only given the required extra time that a, let's say, dyslexic child will get he will not be able to demonstrate his academic potential for when he does his SATS and goes into secondary school.
Does anyone know, or have any experience of how a child with severe CP can be tested? Are there any guidelines?
Thanks for you advice.
The issue we have at the moment is that when he is teacher assessed or he is given the necessary time to complete a test, he scores very highly. However, when he is under time pressure and is only given 10-20 minutes extra, he finds it hard to complete the tasks because he fatigues easily. His muscle tone and involuntary movements get worse when he is under pressure, making it very difficult for him to use his computer mouse and the keyboard.
I am concerned that if he is tested like other children and only given the required extra time that a, let's say, dyslexic child will get he will not be able to demonstrate his academic potential for when he does his SATS and goes into secondary school.
Does anyone know, or have any experience of how a child with severe CP can be tested? Are there any guidelines?
Thanks for you advice.
Replies
Thanks for your reply. It sounds like you are doing well at school. Keep it up :-)
Its all very well to say that kids can have x amount of extra time (which of course they need)...but outrageous to then severely DISADVANTAGE them by making them do it all on one day (no non-disabled kids have to do 8 hours solid on one exam, with just a lunch break)
This is an issue I wish Scope would take up...I have spoken to a number of poeple in campaigns dept about it and they were sympathetic, but it does not seem to be on the current campaign radar....but in a way in makes a mockery of inclusion in mainstream if kids with significant disabilities can do all the course work but not actually the exam (or at least not achieve to their best potential)...