A lot of what we accommodate kids for prevents them from learning basic skills. I'm talking about read aloud and scribe. I'm not saying they can't have things read or written for them, but at some point, they should learn to write.
A lot of what we accommodate kids for prevents them from learning basic skills. I'm talking about read aloud and scribe. I'm not saying they can't have things read or written for them, but at some point, they should learn to write. So many kids struggle through elementary school and eventually get an IEP or 504. That IEP or 504 is filled with accommodations that puts in place a legal framework that does not help the student learn. I have a student who has a 504. She really struggles with writing because she has dysgraphia. Dysgraphia isn't in her diagnosis and therefore we pretend it doesn't exist. However, what is in her 504 is a scribe accommodation. She never writes and we are legally prevented from requiring her to write. I've come to realize she will never learn to write. It's so frustrating to see that our solution to serious problem is to just remove the students problem. If a student struggles with reading, put them in a remedial class and prevent them from reading. Read aloud appears to solve the problem, but every once in a while, an article comes out where a student graduated without knowing how to read. Schools definitely aren't perfect. There are kids that get passed along, but so often, we just make the problem go away as fast as possible. If a kid struggles with weight and gets bullied in PE, move them out. To some extent, I get it. Schools are under the gun about any kid that fails or drops out. They are clearly incentivized to 'improve' scores as much as possible. At what point did grades, passing kids, and preventing lawsuits become more important than actually learning? Edit: I guess you can't criticize the golden calf of special education. You can point out an infinite amount of times where an IEP or 504 might help, but I can point out how most students don't use their accommodations or how the accommodations don't really help. You all know how inflated grades are. Accommodations are just another way to increase the average GPA while looking like you are helping. Kids need less help, not more. Sometimes, letting them figure it out is more help than sitting next to them and holding their hand. Or maybe not, hold their hand until they turn 18 and cannot function in the world. submitted by /u/ProudComment1211 [link] [comments]