help with school IQ test

My understanding is that, if you disagree with the school’s findings on tests, you have the right to request an IEE (Independent Education Evaluation). This request has to be made in writing, I think. School districts vary in how they handle this. Some require you to choose an outside evaluator from their list of “approved” evaluators. In any case, the school district pays for the IEE. If they reject your request for an IEE, you can take the school to “due process”. This requires the school to spend money on legal fees so, if the school knows that you understand what your options are, they will usually agree to an IEE to avoid legal costs.

I am not an expert in this area, so please understand this is only an outline of how I think the system works. For better information, click on “LD in Depth” at the top of this website and check out the articles under “Assessment” and “I.E.P.” Also, do a search on IEE. Here is the address of an article that explains an IEE: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/assessment/iee_assessment.html
If that address is complete and lit in blue, you should be able to just click on it to go there.

I don’t think you can keep the school’s test scores out of your child’s file. However, it is *very, very* important that you get that IQ score changed upwards if you can do it through independent testing. Services rely on a discrepancy between IQ and performance. A child with low IQ and low performance will not qualify for services, because he/she will be “achieving up to potential”.

I would also suggest that you consider doing cognitive skills training at home, as this often improves IQ scores. Audiblox would be suitable for a 7yo. Cost is about $250 and the program requires at least one-half hour per day of one-on-one (one hour per day is better), but you can provide that yourself. Website is http://www.audiblox2000.com

Nancy

Another option you may have is your medical insurance. If you have medical insurance, call your company and ask about getting a complete neuro-psychological evaluation. (Tell them you have been advised your child needs this. They don’t need to know it is me…..) Policies have been changing in the last few years, and some insurance companies are covering them even without a referral. These evals are fairly comprehensive and include IQ testing. It is well worth a phone call to your insurance company to ask about this. (If you are not happy with the results of your first phone call, try again another day. You will likely get a different person and may get completely different information!)

Nancy

I know my godchild could have been classified as MR if the tester had just used the IQ score, but the tester also considered the processing difficulties. My godchild has always been much better at reading peoples’ faces and tones than the words they say, so she would try to “read” the tester to see if her answer was right… which of course they can’t show, unlike 99% of other situations in real life. The tester noted that she pretty much said the first thing that came to mind and looked at her for cues. So, her classification was the more appropriate LD - which was also supported by her “adaptive behaviors” which were and are excellent (she’s about to graduate from high school, and has a job).

I would be looking for an independent evaluation, like other folks have said. It would be easy for the school folks to think “this parent just doesn’t want to deal with reality” - but they could also be just plain wrong.