Parent of dying boy has to prove her son can’t take standardized test

[jsr]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/04/parent-of-dying-boy-has-to-prove-her-son-cant-take-standardized-test/

Parent of dying boy has to prove her son can’t take standardized test
By Valerie Strauss | February 4 at 3:53 pm

Andrea Rediske’s 11-year-old son Ethan, is dying. Last year, Ethan, who was born with brain damage, has cerebral palsy and is blind, was forced to take a version of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test over the space of two weeks last year because the state of Florida required that every student take one. Now his mom has to prove that Ethan, now in a morphine coma, is in no condition to take another test this year.

Ethan wasn’t the only brain-damaged child in Florida to be forced to take a standardized test; I have written in the past about Michael, another Florida boy who was born with only a brain stem — not a brain — and can’t tell the difference between an apple and an orange, but was also forced to take a version of the FCAT last year. (See here, here and here.) There are many others in Florida and across the country as well.

Why does Florida — and other states, as well as the U.S. Department of Education — force kids with impaired cognitive ability to take standardized tests? Because, they say, nearly every child can learn something and be assessed in some fashion. Even, apparently, a boy born without a brain.

Publicity last year in Florida about some of these cases sparked interest among some state lawmakers to pass legislation to make it easier for severely disabled students to get waivers from taking these tests. The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter warning lawmakers to keep assessing all children, and one Florida Education Department spokesman told me that “waivers do not apply to students with a chronic situation.” Legislation did get passed but it wasn’t what some had hoped. It allows parents to request a waiver (Michael’s parents abandoned him shortly after he was born, and he lives in an Orlando care facility for children called the Russell House), and the state has set out a long series of actions that have to be taken — including approval by the education commission — to get a waiver.

[LiberalEsto]

1. The poor child's doctor should write him a medical excuse

and that should be the end of it.

These standardized testing freaks act more like computers or robots than like human beings.

[Jefferson23]

2. Dumb, insensitive and quite frankly, bizarre. But I am curious to their motives, what

in the hell good does this do?? Do they receive federal money for the attempts due
to the teacher documenting her efforts?

[csziggy]

21. Look at who is selling the tests to the states

Of course Jeb Bush made sure that every single child would be required to "take" the test, even if they are totally unable to actually take it - the school systems have to pay for every test "taken".

Bush's Family Profits From `No Child' Act
THE NATION
October 22, 2006|Walter F. Roche Jr. | Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — A company headed by President Bush's brother and partly owned by his parents is benefiting from Republican connections and federal dollars targeted for economically disadvantaged students under the No Child Left Behind Act.

With investments from his parents, George H.W. and Barbara Bush, and other backers, Neil Bush's company, Ignite! Learning, has placed its products in 40 U.S. school districts and now plans to market internationally.

At least 13 U.S. school districts have used federal funds available through the president's signature education reform, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, to buy Ignite's portable learning centers at $3,800 apiece.
More: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=post&forum=1002&pid=4448954

No Bush Left Behind: When You’re Barred From Banking, Why Not Bank on Education?
Friday, March 12, 2004
<SNIP>
We’ll begin by looking at the Bush family. Everyone knows the president’s brother Jeb is the governor of Florida. But, less well known is his second youngest brother, Neil Bush. Years ago, he hit the front pages for his role in the Savings and Loan scandal. He was director of the Silverado Savings and Loan when it collapsed in 1988, costing taxpayers more than $1 billion. As a result, he was banned from banking activities. So when Neil Bush was banned from banking, he banked on education.

In October 2001, shortly after the United States began bombing Afghanistan, Neil attended an international technology conference in Dubai. He was fishing for investors for his latest business venture — Ignite Incorporated, an interactive education software company that he founded in March 1999. Ignite says its goal is to help students improve their standardized test scores. And that’s where No Child Left Behind comes into play.

Neil Bush’s company sells software to prepare students to take comprehensive tests required under "No Child Left Behind." Schools that fail the tests will face termination of federal assistance. The contracts for these test programs are very lucrative. Ignite is currently running a pilot program at a Middle School in Orlando, Florida—where Neil’s brother Jeb is governor. The company hopes to sell the software throughout Florida at $30 per pupil per year.

In mid-February, Houston school board members unanimously agreed to accept $115,000 in charitable donations that would be funneled to Ignite. The Houston Independent School District trustees had initially delayed a vote on the matter in December, saying they were concerned that Bush’s Austin-based company might be benefiting from his family name. But in February, the nine board members approved the funding without discussion.
More, including interview and transcript: http://www.democracynow.org/2004/3/12/no_bush_left_behind_when_youre

[Jefferson23]

23. Crooks and liars...thanks for the posts. n/t

[surrealAmerican]

3. How?

Just how do they intend to administer a test to a child who's in a coma? I'd be inclined to let them try.

[1000words]

4. I agree. Let them give it a go ...

Sometimes, you just need to let fools be fools.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

20. let them... amen... n/t

[kcr]

5. Is he even registered for class at this point? How does this happen?

It's ridiculous that she's being harassed, because that's what this is.

[Drew Richards]

6. I'd send the test back blank with a nice little note that said "he's in a fucking coma dumbass"

[liberal_at_heart]

7. Arne Duncan is an asshole, and Obama is responsible for hiring him.

Obama has put a psychopath in charge of our children. I hope the parents sue the school district and possibly the Department of Education.

[Orrex]

8. The intent, across the board, seems to be to skew test results downward

How better to justify funding for charter schools, which can hand-pick students and eject those who don't perform in a way that maximizes cashflow to those private entities.

[SomethingFishy]

9. I have a son with MD. Sometimes he's in pain and can't get through a school day..

So we used to keep him home. One day the school bored(yes that was on purpose) decided that he was a truant and actually sent a cop to his class to bust him for truancy. He was in the 5th grade when the cops came and took him from class. It was just a bit traumatic for him. We ended up home schooling him because the school bored didn't really care if he was sick or not he had to be in school.

I have another son with Autism. He is fully functional, he just needs a little extra time to do things. We tried to get him into an option school, they refused him saying they didn't have the facilities to "deal with him".

2 weeks later he took the ACT standardized test for Colorado. He scored in the top 1% in the state. The charter school actually had the balls to call back and say they made a mistake and they wanted him in their school.
I asked me son what he wanted to do, and he looked right at me, 12 years old and said "tell them to go fuck themselves". I had never heard him use that word before, and I'm sorry I laughed when he did because now it's part of his vocabulary.. He's a senior now, and about to graduate..

[liberal_at_heart]

10. There's no options for us anymore. We are getting screwed at both ends.

I have a son with autism as well. I feel like I have nowhere to go. Teachers care, but school districts, state government and federal government don't seem to care about the students. Charters sure as hell don't care about the students. They have failed us. I simply don't know what to do except to never ever, ever vote for any politician republican or democrat who supports this crap again. Never again. I'm done. I've been burned, and I'm done.

[VMA131Marine]

12. Most Catholic schools won't take kids with special needs either

Oh, they want parents to keep the baby when the results of the amnio come back indicating Down Syndrome or some other possible problem. But, most of them won't educate the child and they will cite a lack of resources as the reason. I think it is more than a little bit hypocritical for them to do this. And I say this as the father of a 5-year old daughter with DS who just wants the best for her and would happily accept another DS child if that's the way things work out. Thankfully, the public school system where I live in CT is excellent and has great services for all their special needs kids.

[liberal_at_heart]

13. well get ready because this state standardized crap comes all the way from the top down.

We sacrificed a lot to have our children in economically well to do neighborhoods thinking this would give them a good public education, and elementary school was great actually. But in middle school our child was on his own, and high school is no better. We moved to another school district in a less well to do neighborhood thinking a small town would be able to give our son more attention. Now he has no educational assistants in any of his general education classes. I'm glad you are having a good experience now, but be prepared. You are more than likely to run into schools who cannot afford to staff the help they need to help your child, and you will run into the state standardized testing because like I said it comes from the top down. Everybody has to deal with it now.

[Jefferson23]

11. You know this I am sure, but your kids sound, AWESOME!!!

I am sorry any parent and child has to put up with such bullshit..unreal.

[Rex]

14. Well, when your state is run by a known criminal

expect nothing to be out of the realm of possibilities.

[liberal_at_heart]

15. kick.

[The Straight Story]

16. Good

For all we know she has some hidden christian agenda like them durn people who want the government to allow them a choice to home school their kids.

. The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter warning lawmakers to keep assessing all children, and one Florida Education Department spokesman told me that “waivers do not apply to students with a chronic situation.”

Yep, we need them dudes in suits that will never even meet our kids to keep prodding them along the way they best see fit because they know best. Not us, the teachers, parents, local school boards - we need to make sure those folks in DC have the power to make decisions for us because...well we suck and might have secret hidden agendas.

The few know what is best for the many all across this country and parents whining about this just don't care about kids getting the education they need. We want only those tested who can prove their worth in ways that employers and government officials think best. The 1% are there because they are better, smarter, more capable and if we just let them run our lives and lives of our children like a business we can all be in the 1%!

Less choice. More force. Less people locally making decisions. We will become one, a collective.

And those, like the child in this story, will be found that they do not belong. No 'special' treatment. Either you pass the tests of purity laid down by the few on the many or you do not.

That is true freedom.

Please note the above may contain some sarcasm.

[liberal_at_heart]

17. kick.

[Dash87]

18. Being in a coma isn't an automatic opt-out for taking a test?

Wtf?

[liberal_at_heart]

19. Well according to the Department of Education every child can learn something and can be

assessed in some way. Bunch of assholes.

[WinkyDink]

22. The lower the aggregate score, the sooner the school can be privatized.

[DebJ]

24. The people who insist on this are a greater tragedy because they WERE born with a brain. n/t