Open-Book Test for Starr: What Went Wrong Here?

As mentioned previously, Superintendent Joshua Starr is coming to the Special Education Advisory Committee tonight at 7:00 pm, in the Carver Center at 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville.

To get the ball rolling, let's have Dr. Starr read the following excerpts from a column from today's Washington Post:

"The first clue Bonnie Beavers had of her daughter’s learning disability came in the second grade. The girl scored at the 99th percentile in math on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, but when her teacher divided the class into groups for math, she was not in the highest one.

Beavers showed the child’s test results to the teacher, who was unmoved. “I caught her counting on her fingers,” she said. Then she went completely over the top by insisting none of her students knew the groups were ranked by perceived ability.

“My daughter never again liked math or thought she was a good math student,” Beavers said.

The girl was later diagnosed as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and executive function disorder (an inability to self-organize), as was her older brother."

and

"After two years at Barnsley, her son wanted to go to a math-science magnet school, but failed to qualify. He finished only half the math questions in the allotted time, though all were correct.

He enrolled at Westland Middle School, where Beavers asked for a 504 Plan, part of a federal law that requires schools to give children with disabilities a boost. She presented his high test scores and the contrasting Bs and Cs he was getting because of late or missing work. She asked for extra time on tests and other accommodations. The head of the school’s education management team said, “I feel sorry for your son. You are clearly pressuring him to make As,” then walked out."

What went wrong here, Dr. Starr? Discuss.