Hilltopmom Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 My daughter has "calculator use" on her IEP for standardized testing & regular tests/ daily work. Can she use it on both sections of the CAT math part?- computation AND concepts/ applications? I seem to remember from my teaching days that kids could NOT use it for the computation section??? Help! Need to get this test done tomorrow:) thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 (edited) I don't know about the CAT specifically, but if she were to use a calculator on a test that is assessing computation skills, that would be considered a modification rather than an accommodation--sort of like reading a reading test aloud to a student. Accommodations are meant to level the playing field but not fundamentally change it. Edited June 7, 2016 by EKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 In her IEP, DD is not allowed to use a calculator on the computation sections of testing, even though it is an accommodation for her at other times. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Sometimes they want to see how well kids are doing with the calculator. Like -- what if you got a lower-than-expected score with a calculator? Maybe you would see there was still help needed in learning to use the calculator, or something like that. Or you would find out how much more slowly the testing went, which could be helpful information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 (edited) I guess it makes sense to me, bc I think there are a lot of times when you can give someone a calculator and the person could still have a difficult time with computation. I took a class in high school that helped me a lot with things like learning to balance a check book, and I had a couple of classmates who didn't seem like they understood decimals, and so they had a lot of trouble adding and subtracting money bc the decimals, or just had other mistakes, even though fundamentally it was adding/subtracting columns of numbers. So it might have helped them to not have a low score be treated like "oh, usually they have a calculator, so usually they would do fine with that." Edited June 7, 2016 by Lecka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted June 7, 2016 Author Share Posted June 7, 2016 (edited) Yeah, the calculator doesn't necessarily help her always. There are things like long division & long multiplication & lots of other stuff on the computation section that she has zero idea how to do- but would know how to enter them into a calculator. Without the calculator (or times tables charts) she'll only get a few questions correct on the test. (We have to submit scores to the district & must score a certain %ile) Edited June 7, 2016 by Hilltopmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shortmomto4 Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Is this test for anything other than proving to the state your child has achieved learning this past year? I use the CAT test here in VA to show progress. Some of my kids are dyslexic so I read the stuff that needs read all in a monotone voice and I don't follow the time restraints. I know that what they are fully capable of doing or not and overall the tests come out exactly as I'd expect them to. My dysgraphic/dyslexic uses a lot of scrap paper and no pressure about the timing - I had never thought of giving him a calculator. Obviously you are working with your child and you know what she is capable of doing and I'm not sure it is worth the hassle of stressing her out and perhaps risking the state to become involved and make life miserable. This is just a form of showing progress that your child made for the academic year. I wouldn't worry and hand her the calculator and call it done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 Well, turns out we need to teach "how to use a calculator" before using a calculator will be helpful. No idea why I never realized that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Well, if she is using a 4-function calculator to do fractions, honestly that is not that easy. But I hate things like that, when it is not as smooth as I think it will be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) But, what I remember seeing from high school, is that it can be really easy to not enter a decimal, and if you don't have a good sense of numbers, you won't realize that adding up 7 or 8 numbers of less than $50 cannot equal $1,000+. But if you miss one decimal point, your answer will be over $1,000, and when to me I would look at that number and see that it is way too high, they would look at it and not have that sense like "I must have made a mistake." My cousin is a little like this, too. Edited June 8, 2016 by Lecka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 So, what was the outcome? On which portion of the CAT is a calculator allowed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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