Letter from Betty for May 2015

Hello, 

Are you concerned about your child's learning skills, do you feel that he is not working up to his potential in the classroom? If you have worked closely with your child's teacher throughout the year and have not seen considerable changes in his performance, it might be time to consider having an evaluation completed to assess his academic and cognitive strengths and weaknesses.  Our feature article for May, "Learning Evaluations" offers some advice on this topic.

We have a second adventure in an imaginary time machine with this month's Puzzler. See if you can puzzle out the relative size of two time spans in "John Adams Time Machine."

At Foundation for Learning, we are ready to assist you with caring, one-on-one, individualized tutoring, SAT/ACT test prep, and educational evaluations. Please don't hesitate to give us a call at 973-425-1774 for a free consultation.


Best regards,

Betty

Betty Bodenweiser
Director
Foundation for Learning

May 2015 Test Schedule

Mark your calendars! Here are the latest test dates.

 

Learning Evaluations

 

IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT HAVING YOUR CHILD EVALUATED for learning issues, you probably have a lot of questions. The information below might be helpful:

There are significant benefits to having your child evaluated. Issues that are specific to him can be identified, and you, as well as his teachers, will better understand his learning style. It’s also the first step to seeing if he is eligible for special services and support which will make his classroom experience more manageable and successful.

If the school refers your child for the evaluation, then by law, the school will pay for the assessment. You can choose to have the evaluation done privately, outside of the school, but you’ll most likely have to cover the expenses for that yourself.

The in-school assessment is performed by the Child Study Team made up of professionals who have special training in different areas. This team may include a learning consultant, speech pathologist, psychologist, and other professionals as well. Each team member completes her evaluation and then works with the other team members to paint a comprehensive picture of your child’s areas of strengths and weaknesses. They’ll look at test results, overall school performance, and medical records. The team may look at development, vision and hearing, motor skills, and social skills as well.  They’ll also talk to both you and your child’s teacher so they have a well-rounded exploration. For your part, you might want to create a binder ahead of time and have it on hand. In it, keep track of report cards, examples of work, test scores, notes from the teacher, and information from your child’s doctor that you think might be important. Also include notes outlining your own concerns and observations, ie: how long homework assignments take to complete, or areas where you notice problems or struggles.



Don’t feel like you’ll be left in the dark though. The school is required to have your written permission before any testing is completed . Once you give the approval, you’ll receive a plan of action, telling you which assessments are recommended, and who will be doing the actual testing. Once the testing is completed, a report will be compiled and you will meet with the team to discuss your child’s eligibility for special services. If he is eligible for services, an IEP (or Individualized Education Plan) will be written. If you’ve opted for private testing, rather than having the evaluation done through the school, the appropriate personnel from the team will review the report to determine eligibility.  If it is determined that your child is not eligible for special services, you will have a much better understanding about why he is having problems in school, and you can work with that knowledge to determine how to best support him at home, at school, in the community, and through a private tutoring service.

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The Puzzler for May 2015: John Adams Time Machine

Question: If John Adams, second US President, jumped into a time machine in the last year of his life, would he take a quicker trip back into the past to witness the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, or forward into the future to witness the day that Google first appeared on the world wide web?

Bonus question: How much longer in years is the longer of the two trips?

Answer next month. 

ANSWER to The Puzzler for April 2015: Cleopatra Time Machine

Question: If Cleopatra had a time machine, would it be a longer journey through time for her to visit the past and see the Great Pyramid being built, or visit the future and see a iPhone being built today? Bonus question: How much longer in years is the longer of the two trips?
 

 

Answer:

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Answer:  
Believe it or not, if Cleopatra had a time machine and used it to travel to the past to see the Great Pyramid being built, that would be a much longer trip through time than if she traveled to the future to see an iPhone being built today!

Bonus answer:
From Cleopatra's time in the first century BC back to the time of the building of the Great Pyramid in 2500 BC is 500 years longer than from our present day back to Cleopatra's era.

This means that:
The Great Pyramid builders seemed more ancient to Cleopatra than Cleopatra seems to us today.