Edie: Are parents able to take notes while reviewing test protocols or test booklets. The district is researching and speaking to legal counsel. They said I might not be able.
Tests and Assessments: CAN PARENTS TAKE NOTES WHILE REVIEWING TEST PROTOCOLS?
What if the parent has a documented deficit and asks for reasonable accomodations due to challenges with working memory, attention issues, or learning disabiities?
I guess I’m a little confused here because parents are supposed to be equal members of the IEP team according to IDEA. How can parents meaningfully pariticpate if they don’t have opportunities and access to the same information the rest of the school team has access to. Expecting any parent to remember a huge booklet of testing protocols or information without taking notes doesn’t seem equitable. Plus, ultimately, the parents are the highest stake holders in their childs education, right?
Most parents aren’t looking to copy questions from the protocols. They are trying to understand the type of assessment and scores that the schools provide to them in progress reports.
Technically, when it comes to state testing in my state (NY), no, I am not allowed to take notes. However, I did jot a couple of things down inconspicuously. For example, I was working out a math problem for myself, to try to understand where my son had veered off track on a problem. The chaperone did not make a big deal about it. I used my notes to clear up a misunderstanding my son had about how to combine like terms in algebra.
Even if you jot something down inconspicuously, I doubt you would be able to cite anything in, for example, an IEP meeting. That’s probably okay, though — you can use the score.
Feel free to write back if I missed the boat on this question