learning disabled

[john9001]

just saw some thing on TV about "learning disabled"students getting 50% more time to do a SAT test.

what is "learning disabled", is that what we used to call "dumb"?

it seems students who are not "learning disabled" are claiming it to get extra time to take the test

[mietla]

Just because someone is not smart and/or is un-educated does mean that we should deprive him of a good grade.

He'll feel inferior if we do, and we can't have that, can we? It would discourage him from applying and being accepted at Stanford.

[hardcase]

Dyslexic(spelling) Attention  Deficit Disorder, Hyper Activity  Attention Deficit Disorder. I use to tutor them in Algebra, Geometry . It is sad to see kids trying hard and the brain just take em away. Depending on the disablity, I see no real problem.

hardcase

[Montezuma]

Originally posted by john9001

what is "learning disabled", is that what we used to call "dumb"?

According to a study done by the LA Times, it often means that the parents are rich enough to hire a psychologist to give out piece of paper allowing extra time on the test.

The College Board used to 'flag' scores from disabled folks that got extra time, but they had to stop doing that after being sued by a student who has no hands.

[Ozark]

I was learning disabled! They didn't call it that in the late 60's.

My main problem is dealing with dyslexia. Heck, I can’t write or spell worth a darn. What takes most people an hour to comprehend and learn, it takes me about two hours. I spend that extra time rearranging the numbers and letters in my mind until it’s sorted out correctly. However, once I understand the concept, I’m blessed with excellent recall. Now that I'm older and know how to learn and deal with it, It's not a major problem.

Now you’re asking yourself… WTF is this hillbilly talking about.

From that ordeal, I developed a skill that 99% of the people will never develop… public speaking! I’m talking about people paying me real money to talk about a subject I love to talk about. I’m talking about lecturing on the University level for the past 16 years. Guess what? It’s just a part-time job. My full time job is still police/fire rescue at the local airport. Got my 20 years in and eligible to retire at the age of 43. However, I'm having too much fun at the airport to retire now.

Most folks that are learning disabled are not dumb. Once they learn the concept and understand, most have better recall than the "normal" students. (they had to work at it)

Just a POV from the other side of the fence.

[Kieran]

Learning disabled does not mean low I.Q. or low ability. Learning disabilities come in a variety of forms. So you give the kid who is dyslexic more time on a test? What's the big deal?

Look at it this way- if a kid is trying to do his best, has some intelligence, but needs a few more minutes to sort out answers, are you really ready to write him/her off? Are you really ready to support this person (via public assistance) for the rest of his/her life because you think it is unfair to get a few more minutes on a test?

Quite honestly, standardized tests are a bit of a joke anyway. Of eight known intelligences, these tests cover two. Colleges place a lot of pressure on students to score high on these tests, and students place a lot of credence on the tests as a measure of self worth. This is dangerous, and it's wrong. Of course I don't have a better alternative, but you should recognize the tests for what they really are- tests of math and language skills.

There are a lot of people walking around feeling stupid that aren't- of course, the opposite is true, too.

[Kieran]

Let me give you a perfect example of what I mean... HT probably can't spell his own name, yet he is a coding maniac. Is he stupid? No, he has shown pretty good business acumen so far.

Language and math isn't all there is to life, folks.

[Kanth]

Kieran,

 you must not be flying at this time.

Originally posted by Kieran
Let me give you a perfect example of what I mean... HT ...

[Thrawn]

Isn't problems with spelling dysgraphia?

[Kanth]

If you are referring to the example of HT that Kieren is using, I don't think his spelling errors are caused by disease or dysfunction.  

btw I didn't know they had a seperate word for writing dysfunction, I thot it was all covered under dyslexia.

Originally posted by Thrawn
Isn't problems with spelling dysgraphia?

[Kieran]

Well... let me try again.

If your car breaks down, who do you want to show up- Elfenwulf, who could write a treatise on your situation that will have you clutching your ribs in laughter, or Lazs, who could fix the dang thing and add about 50 horsepower in the process?

[Eagler]

what  Montezuma said

just another well meaning warm and fuzzy equalizer which is being exploited & abused more than it is helping

[Kieran]

Eagler-

You don't know what you're talking about, sorry.

[lazs2]

how is having more time gonna give you the answer?  why not just let everyone have as much time as they can stand?

if you want to test (seperately) how fast someone comes up with an answer on a test then perhaps those who work things out slowly won't even bother to take such a test.   Everyone is good at something.   I think those who arrive at answers rapidly should be recognized too.   their skill can be weighed by those who may have a use for it and ignored by those who don't.
lazs

[Eagler]

Originally posted by Kieran
Eagler-

You don't know what you're talking about, sorry.

You do not think this has/is being abused?