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New Jersey 4th Grade Statewide ESPA Tests—
What Parents Should Know
But do they have to...?
Did your 4th grader have a great school year
-- until April of last year? Your not alone if your
child with Tourette Syndrome had a difficult time preparing
for and taking the state's Elementary School Proficiency Assessment
(ESPA) for 4th graders.
The ESPA —What parents need to know. . .
Maybe your child has never been required to take standardized
tests..or maybe your child has always performed well on traditional
standardized tests with no modifications. The ESPA is not
a typical standardized test, and state laws regarding who
must participate in statewide assessments have changed.
Public Speaking — Field Test...
The ESPA is different in that it requires a timed preparation
and presentation of a public speaking session. Students are
judged on the presentation of their topic, their opening and
closing, use of supporting details, word choice, sentence
structure, eye contact, gestures, and expressions to the audience,
pacing, and intonation. This could make many children (and
adults) without a tic disorder begin to tic.
What if my child has never been required to take standardized
tests in the past?
In early 1999, the New Jersey Department of Education implemented
new policies to increase access to the statewide assessment
system for students with disabilities, in accordance with
new federal regulations, allowing very few students to be
"exempt" from assessments.
Know the laws...
Under the new laws, students with disabilities must participate
in statewide assessments unless "the nature of the student's
disability is so severe that the student is not receiving
instruction in any of the knowledge and skills measured by
the statewide assessment and the student cannot complete any
of the questions on the assessment in a subject area with
or without accommodations." The state has identified categories
of participation from testing with no modifications, testing
with modifications, to the elimination of a specific section
of the test.
Talk with your child...
Most children have done some type of speaking in front of
the class by fourth grade. How did they do? Explain to your
child what the teacher will be judging and decide together
if participation in this type of assessment is appropriate.
Would it be better if your child was assessed in a small group
setting instead of with the full class? Or would eliminating
the time limit to prepared be of help? Together, consider
adaptations that may help your child participate.
Make a plan...
Meet with your child's teacher early in the 4th grade year
to share your ideas. If your child already has an IEP, modifications
for taking this part of the test should be noted. If your
child does not receive special education services, and accommodations
are necess
ary for the public speaking assessment, they
can and should be made under Section 504, without having your
child classified or an IEP written.
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This page was last updated
February 28, 2006
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