Grades, Testing and Dyslexia

I love a good "a ha" moment. That magical time when information comes together, as if what you have always known deep down is now confirmed through new experiences. Just the other day, I was grading my son's math test and realized he scored a grade worthy of needing remediation. I sat down with him and we began to go over the questions he missed. That's when it happened! I realized in that moment that my son and I were truly pursing understanding, not a grade. There was never an incentive for me to do that in school because the grade I received was often the grade I was stuck with. If the purpose of education is to pursue knowledge, then why are students not incentivized to learn why they got the question wrong? Afterall, so much knowledge is gained through making mistakes! Consider Thomas Edison, it took him and his team over 1,000 tries to invent the incandescent light bulb.

Since we know that students with Dyslexia struggle with literacy, why then do we measure what they know with a test that requires them to read and write? Sadly, when we standardize tests, there is a high chance that 80% of students will test decent, but 20% will test very low. Furthermore, if they were better readers, or if the test had been given orally, they might have gotten the questions correct.

(The chart below follows a longitudinal study that followed 445 students from kindergarten to adulthood in 1983. This was the landmark study that revealed 20% of the population are dyslexic. As shown below, there is a gap existing between typical and dyslexic readers that begins as early as the 1st grade. )

Years ago, my son attended a hunter safety class. He was 11 years old and was excited to get his hunting license. It was an all day class full of teachers and avid hunters imparting valuable wisdom to future hunters. He soaked up every word! At the end of the class he took the test . . . and failed it. The look on his face broke my tender, mom heart. By the grace of God, the proctor had a son with Dyslexia. He asked my son if he was Dyslexic and my son told him he was. The proctor then read him every question he missed and he passed! I was shocked! I remember telling that proctor to not go easy on him, but he told me, "If he knows it, he knows it."

What if that man would have missed the signs? His final grade would have been a fail, despite knowing the right answers.

Students with Dyslexia are great listeners. They often think in pictures and are extremely imaginative. When you show them a picture or explain one in detail, they are grasping what you're teaching; however, they are unable to accurately convey what they know on paper at their grade level.

Luckily, all it takes is the right teacher to notice and make all the difference. In fact, a good teacher will pursue knowledge over teaching to a test. Find ways for students to test in a way that unlocks what they know. Allow me to encourage you, go through your gradebook and find the students who are failing. Only 4% of children with Dyslexia are actually discovered. This means many more are falling through the cracks. Lets incentivize students to go back and correct the questions they missed for a better grade. Students with Dyslexia are often misrepresented as and have been for years.

In closing, lets represent all students well by truly pursuing what they know in a way they can express. Afterall, learning is about the pursuit of knowledge, not a test.

"Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel." Proverbs 20:15

"Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint." Proverbs 29:18

Written by: Mrs. Erin