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That violates about five different federal and state laws.
Should a kid in a wheelchair have to take the same PE course as a kid not in a wheelchair?
Of course not. The school modifies that requirement.
It should be no different for a student with a learning disability.
There is a concept of a reasonable accommodation such as extra time, someone to fill in bubbles on a scantron sheet, etc.
Do you think a reasonable accommodation should be that a student doesn't need to pass courses? By that logic, wouldn't it be acceptable to say a reasonable accommodation would be no requirement to learn math at all in order to earn a PhD in Mathematics so long as you have a documented learning disability such that you can't do the work?
There is a concept of a reasonable accommodation such as extra time, someone to fill in bubbles on a scantron sheet, etc.
Do you think a reasonable accommodation should be that a student doesn't need to pass courses? By that logic, wouldn't it be acceptable to say a reasonable accommodation would be no requirement to learn math at all in order to earn a PhD in Mathematics so long as you have a documented learning disability such that you can't do the work?
That's a silly argument.
A course or two in HS does not equate to an entire PhD program.
It is a failure of the educational system to believe that.
What?
That's not even how exemptions work, as I guess you would already know. For example, a student in college who is majoring in underwater basket weaving but has dyscalculia might ask to be exempted from math 101. A committee reviews the student's psycho-educational assessments, realizes that Math 101 has no bearing on the student's major of underwater basket weaving, and allows the student to take science 101 instead of math 101.
The scenario you proposed would never happen, in large part because a committee or dean, etc, would realize that an exemption in math cannot be made because math is central to the degree being pursued.
That doesn't mean that "every individual gets to pick and choose". There are committees that work on these standards, although I agree that what those standards are may vary from person to person, since learning disabilities affect different people in different ways.
If the "standards" vary from person to person, then th hey aren't standards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by calgirlinnc
...
The scenario you proposed would never happen, in large part because a committee or dean, etc, would realize that an exemption in math cannot be made because math is central to the degree being pursued.
In your state that group has decided that geometry is central to the degree bring sought-- a high school diploma.
Now if you want to argue that geometry shouldn't be central to a high school diploma, that's a different argument. But you aren't arguing that; you are arguing for special lesser standards for one person.
I agree with Phaetori. If you argue that there should be levels of diploma signifying different levels of standards, that's a different position I think most could concur with.
The problem with this is, with modifications such as being allowed extra time, using a calculator, adjusting the grade on a different scale, etc. They are still covering the necessary content. A lower level course not meeting the standard needed for graduation is not exposing them to the necessary content...
That's the idea, yes.
From what I gather, the student in question has indeed passed Algebra and is currently enrolled in Geometry. With enough effort and accommodation, the chances of him failing are practically zero.
Struggling though an unpleasantly difficult course seems to be a far preferable outcome than a GED or lack of diploma.
FWIW, our HS requires three years of math, including Geometry. Math applications and statistics are the alternatives for those not interested or comfortable with the idea of Algebra II and beyond.
Sure, many kids have failed math classes on their first attempt, for some reason or another. However, I've never seen a kid properly accommodated and adequately motivated fail to satisfy their graduation requirement in this subject.
From what I gather, the student in question has indeed passed Algebra and is currently enrolled in Geometry. With enough effort and accommodation, the chances of him failing are practically zero.
Struggling though an unpleasantly difficult course seems to be a far preferable outcome than a GED or lack of diploma.
FWIW, our HS requires three years of math, including Geometry. Math applications and statistics are the alternatives for those not interested or comfortable with the idea of Algebra II and beyond.
Sure, many kids have failed math classes on their first attempt, for some reason or another. However, I've never seen a kid properly accommodated and adequately motivated fail to satisfy their graduation requirement in this subject.
That may be part of the problem since the mom wants to get him out of the geometry course.
That may be part of the problem since the mom wants to get him out of the geometry course.
Funny, you would think if I wanted to "get him out of the geometry course" I would have tried to do so before he signed up for it or any time this year.
Arguing that a lower math class would be more suitable for him in an online forum does not equate to a situation in the real world where I am trying to get him out of geometry.
I could be in favor of schools having a small number of diplomas, PROVIDING they are labeled as such. For example:
Academic Diploma
General Diploma
Special Services Diploma
This is what our state does. We have the Traditional Diploma which allows admission to higher education, the District Option, in which a district may have lower standards for graduation but it only grants access to vocational programs, work, or the military, and the Occupational Diploma which is for exceptional education students who have met the requirements of their IEP.
The first two diplomas require the students to pass four state tests, 10th grade English, Algebra I, Biology I, and US History. There is a lot of talk about doing away with them, especially the US History exam, because large numbers of students fail to graduate because they can't pass the tests. Some of the students will take the English II exam ten times before they run out of chances because they haven't learned how to read well enough.
Should illiterate students be able to graduate just because they know the content verbally even if they can't read or write?
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