Offering Diagnostic Educational Evaluations

Students who have difficulty in school benefit from completed study guides for tests and quizzes.  Whether the student has dyslexia or ADHD, a completed study guide can help.  For the dyslexic student, taking accurate notes is a challenge.  First of all, they have to retain the auditory information long enough to write it down.  Then they have to write it fast enough to ensure they don't miss additional information from the teacher.  We know that dyslexic students have difficulty writing quickly.  We also know that students with ADHD have difficulty maintaining their attention for long periods of time on topics that do not interest them.  Without the ability to focus, some information gets lost.  The ADHD student is usually disorganized.  His notes are not legible and therefore cannot be used to study for a test.  Does that mean that students with ADHD and dyslexia deserve to fail.  Absolutely not!  Without completed study guides, these students are at a disadvantage.  Providing completed study guides for these students levels the playing field.  Completed study guides provide them the opportunity to be successful.  However, study guides are often given to students the day before the test.  Study guides are often fill-in-the-blank worksheets.  This is problematic.  If the study guide is given to the student the night before the test...and they have to fill in the blanks...and the answers are not corrected...the study guide does not serve its purpose.  These students will spend hours to complete the worksheets and never know if their answers are correct.  If that is what they use to study, they may be studying incorrect answers.  Some teachers say that they do not want to give a 'completed' study guide because it isn't fair.  Well, having dyslexia and/or ADHD isn't fair either.  It is not up to the teacher to decide if a completed study guide is fair.  If the IEP Team or the 504 Team decides that it is an appropriate accommodation for the student, then it must be provided to the student.  The teacher that thinks a completed study guide isn't fair, should try to grade tests...without an answer key...in the middle of a crowded, noisy restaurant...with a patch over one eye.