The
FCAT is a tricky, high stakes test. Schools in Florida spend 7 months
preparing for the FCAT, and even a typical student feels the stress.
Now let's take Matthew and Jennifer. Two children who have Dyslexia -- a problem with words.
We asked their parents three questions:
- Does your child remember places visited, even from years ago?
- Does your child learn best when they see and experience information?
- Does your child skip words and lines when reading?
Matthews
mom answered yes to all three -- and Jennifer's dad had to check -- he
called back and said yes to all three -- and he asked "How did you know
to ask those questions?"
My name is Mira Halpert, M.Ed. Two of
my four kids have Dyslexia. I now realize that most kids with Dyslexia
have an uncanny ability to learn best when they see and experience
information -- and we label them right-brained learners.
72% of the right-brained learners we have tested also have a tracking issue.
Matthew's mom was frustrated though. She knew her
son had Dyslexia and a Tracking issue -- but the school gave him no
accommodations -- they told her that neither Dyslexia nor Tracking
issues qualified her son for Special Education, an IEP (an
Individualized Education Plan) or extra time on any test, and certainly
not on the FCAT.
Jennifer's mom had been luckier. She had
learned the magic words were a Learning Disability. Jennifer had
qualified for Special Education, an IEP, and extra time on the FCAT --
but she still failed.
We asked three more questions:
- Does
your child have trouble with the little words on the FCAT -- why, what,
which is the best answer? Both parents answered yes?
- Does
your child have trouble remembering words the have previously learner?
Matt's mom said no, and Jennifer's dad said yes. Not every child has
every challenge?
- Does your child get
anxious the week of the FCAT? Matthew's moms said yes, and Jennifer's
dad said she got sick for weeks, if not months before the FCAT.
The five biggest challenges for the child with Dyslexia and Tracking issues include:
- The FCAT is hard, and both these problems together make the test very difficult.
- The
sight word vocabulary and pattern recognition problems are rarely
understood and almost never addressed - by either schools, tutors or
learning centers.
- Tracking issues are only occasionally caught -- and most remedies yield marginal gains.
- The anxiety challenge is understood, but rarely overcome.
- Very
few people test for the learning differences, only a few catch the
tracking issue, and very, very few professionals address the sight word
vocabulary, pattern recognition, tracking, anxiety and getting the
right accommodations at school.
Mira
Halpert M.Ed. developed and directs the 3D Learner Program (R) in Boca
Raton. Mira prides herself on addressing the whole child and
transforming Stress into Outrageous Success. For more information visit
Parents Make The Difference or call 3D Learner at 561-361-7495.