Tests attacked as unfair to disabled children

CONCERNED: Psychologist Sandra Kaye, with her daughter Elishia, 10, said a time limit was inappropriate for many children.

A Canberra psychologist and a disability support group have questioned the validity of last week's national literacy and numeracy tests, claiming inappropriate time limits were imposed on some disabled students while other parents were encouraged to keep children at home to improve a school's overall results.

Canberra psychologist Sandra Kaye, who specialises in working with children, said her daughter Elishia was given an extra five minutes per half hour to complete last week's tests at Jerrabomberra Public School on account of speech and communications problems sustained at birth.

Ms Kaye said the tight time limits had caused extreme anxiety for her daughter and were not an accurate measure of Elishia's ability, given she had previously been assessed as having an IQ in the top 5 per cent of her age group.

''To take away a child's sense of competence is very damaging. She won the overall academic award at her school last year, but she can't do a timed test and that can disadvantage her from getting into a selective high school,'' Ms Kaye said.

Vice-president of Autism Asperger ACT Bob Buckley said placing time limits on children with special needs was not appropriate, and allowing every child to complete a test regardless of how long it took was a better way to measure ability.

For more on this story, see the print edition of Canberra Times.

from http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/tests-attacked-as-unfair-to-disabled-children/1832694.aspx