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Have you been following news of the SAT and ACT scores? Education Week, August 27 and September 3, 2008 reported that SAT scores are flat. Gaps among groups remain wide. ACT scores “dip slightly.” Are these numbers the meaningful gold standard we need? Unfortunately not. We assume reported scores reflect a standardized norm. But, alas, they no longer do. While Ed Week headlines SAT scores and the ACT’s one tenth of a point (on a 36 point scale) decline as a “slight dip,” where is mention [...]

Dear friends of public education,It's been far too long since my last post--I was away from my desk.Nonw, I'm back and happy to report that my little law book, GRADES, REPORT CARDS, ETC...AND THE LAW continues to meet needs all over the country! People seem to love it. In fact, I've been invited to speak around the country on this issue which is really about the nuts and bolts of inclusion in classrooms. How do educators provide grades for all students, including students with [...]

Hello again,I get so many questions about this topic... so let's see if this explanation helps.Educators and parents often get confused about the difference between these. Remember: an accommodation does NOT fundamentally alter what is being taught or tested, and a modification DOES. A fundamental alteration changes the essence of what is being taught or tested. For example, providing a student with a reader (someone or a technology to read the text to him) on a reading lesson or test [...]

The issue of report cards and transcripts comes up often. I get many email queries about it...So, I'd like to share my several step process in developing report cards.As I see it, the most important step is the first one. The school needs to be very clear about what the grades will mean. This can be either school wide or teacher-by-teacher. In either case, students and parents have a right to know what matters when it comes to grades.Will they focus on knowledge? skills? effort? attendance? [...]

Nathan Levenson, Managing Director, District and Community Partners. www.dmcouncil.org. Fixing Special Education is far reaching, yet practical. The analysis convincingly challenges conventional practice and lays out a road for reform. It is the intersection of out of the box thinking and a life time of in the trenches experience. Fordham Institution’s  Education Gadfly review in the “recommended reading section This little flipbook takes a critical look at special education in [...]

California grandmother: “If anyone asks you about this book, I can recommend it. My children used it as a powerful tool in helping them get their first California grandmother, “If any parents want to know about this book and whether it is helpful, I can personally IEP for their child.” Kentucky mom: “Miriam, many thanks for the IEP Team Meetings book. The layout, the simplicity, and the explanations were all great! Your book helped us achieve a better IEP for our [...]

Virginia Department of Education: “I found your book (Grades, Report Cards, etc…and the Law) lying on a co-worker’s desk and thought I’d glance at it. Well, I couldn’t put it down! It’s a wonderful, straightforward guide. How do I get a copy?” -May 2005, Virginia Department of Education. Tennessee school district. “I am ordering more books. The book is wonderful.” - Tennessee school district

My letter about the Massachusetts state testing system, the MCAS, appeared in the June 12, 2007 Boston Herald. The link is below.http://news.bostonherald.com/letters/view.bg?articleid=1005996&format=email

NEW! New Regulation 34 CFR 300.160.In essence, it's a new development about accommodations! The Regulations now specify that accommodations on state or district tests need to lead to VALID results! On April 9, 2007, as you probably know, the US Department of Education issued NCLB and IDEA regulations dealing with assessments (both regular assessments and accommodations, and alternate and modified assessments). For those of us who believe in standards when testing and in valid [...]

Sunday, April 15, 2007 Great news about Grades, Report Cards, etc...and the Law! Great news!My little book, Grades, Report Cards, etc...and the Law, has been adopted by the state of Colorado for all of high schools in the state. Each one received a copy! As well, each one received a copy of the 2-page update on cases and Department of Education guidance, which have developed since the book was first published two years ago. If you wish a copy of [...]