The all too familiar stomach ache begins...
I roll over and begin fighting the battle in my mind.
Jameson's post IM test results came back. She is actually doing worse, according to her test results. The reason behind her decline is due to the fact that while she is getting older, she is not progressing at the speed other kids are. So on paper, it seems as if she's doing worse because she's being scored at an older age level.
On the visual attentiveness test, as soon as things became visually stimulating or fast, she completely shuts down. Zero. Points. Nothing. She continues to have auditory and visual processing issues. I cannot continue to dump money into therapy. I'm going to have to rely on the school system to get her some help.
I had her take the 3rd grade level Stanford Achievement test, which showed her at a 2.3 grade level. She's supposed to be in 6th grade, but the school has agreed to allow us to put her in 5th grade. I have significant reservations whether she will be successful in 5th grade when she can still barely read.
I know these tests are biased for middle class, white, English speaking kids, but guess what? Unfortunately, so is life. I think it's easy to blame all of it on immigration status, but there are more issues than that. It helps me to see that while Josh's tests show he is behind by about 2 grade levels, he has progressed over the last 2 years.
She was screened for the "English as a Second Language" program at school and was found to be at an intermediate level for English. She qualifies for services. We are going to put her in the ESL school, which happens to be ALL the way across town. It is going to mean at least a 30-45 minute bus ride to and from school. I'm just thankful there is bus service, or we really would be in trouble.
2 comments:
I work with Somalian refugee kids, so of course the situation is both similar and different. Most of them have been in the States for a few years, and still struggle with reading, speaking, etc. However, ESL Schools have been extremely helpful for my students -- and I think there's a good chance that your sweet daughter will thrive there. I think you're making a very good decision, and hope that everything works out well for you and your family as these significant school changes take place this year! Best of luck! I enjoy reading your blog.
GINA...we have to talk. I just got Kalkidan's test results back yesterday and they are really bad too...no visual perceptual memory...auditory processing bla bla...the special school she needs is 13k ...help! Do you know what to do?
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