Fairness in Student Assessments
I am a firm believer in students excelling academically given the right environment. For instance, students who have IEPs or 504 plans are good examples of this. A student with accommodations for extended time on a test is now on the same level as other students because he or she has a learning difference than impedes him or her from finishing on time, but given the extra time that’s provided, they end up flourishing. There are specialized schools that help students flourish. For those who excel in math and science, there technology schools or magnet programs meant for those students and for those who need special education and smaller classes, there are schools focused on student differences and learning disabilities. If you think of it this way, is it fair for a student who is continuously underperforming to be placed in a group of kids who are over performing? There’s too much of a gap and in order to reduce the gap or at least mediate it, there needs to be some fo...