Educational Testing

At the end of the school year, my son completed a battery of tests administered by our local school district to see what type of support he’d be eligible for if and when he moved to the public school. The results were similar to previous tests and the results were the same – based on their criteria, my son does not qualify for special education services due to a learning disability. 

At about the same time his test results came in, I began the process of getting certified to teach special education. I’ve attended many seminars before about special education because I’m always looking for a better understanding of how my son will get educated enough to graduate from high school and possibly go to college or a technical school. 

I learned several things about how the education system works in that seminar and was left with one glaring fact – teachers aren’t any happier with the system than parents are. 

The statistics shared in that seminar were staggering. Nationally, more than 11% of the school-aged population receives special education services. Since 1990, the number of students receiving help has increased more than 32 percent. 

But parents, like me, are still frustrated. I remember the first time I was told my son wasn’t “far enough behind” to qualify for services. He was 6 and his speech and language test scores revealed that he was in the 12^th percentile for kids his age meaning that 88 percent of kids his age would be expected to perform better on that test. He needed to be in the 7^th percentile to receive help. I remember clearly looking at the school personnel in that first pre-IEP meeting and saying, “But I’m not raising a kid to be in the 12^th percentile of the population.”

 My son qualifies for special education services under Other Health Impairment (OHI). In Texas, ADHD is not considered a disability category but students who have a diagnosis of ADHD and it impacts their ability to learn, can qualify under OHI. Any medical diagnosis that affects a student’s ability to learn can be considered to qualify a child to receive help from the school. 

My son’s learning disabilities have been well documented by professionals but in the public school setting, they are not severe enough. I’m thankful that my son continues to make good progress year after year but I’m still not willing to accept that he’s a 12^th percentile kind of guy.