Parent-teacher conferences are rapidly approaching, so here’s some advice for you. Remember, schools aren’t designed according to the science of learning. Students are advanced to higher grades and higher-level skills based on age and arbitrary timelines set by the school district, NOT on skill mastery.
When you go into your parent-teacher conference, think about this:
- Close to 70% of students are below proficiency in all academic subjects
- Students who struggle are the norm NOT the exception
- 20% of students are classified as learning disabled
- Less than 1% of students have true neurological learning impairments that they were born with
If you are told your child is struggling, you are not alone.
Most students struggle academically because they have not mastered core academic skills. They haven’t mastered these skills because of ineffective instruction and insufficient practice NOT because there is something wrong with their ability to learn. However, many struggling students are referred for neuropsychological testing so that they can be labeled with a learning disability and put into special education. But these labels aren’t real. They are just names for skill deficits.
Naming a problem doesn’t solve it.
A staggering 90% of classified students receiving special education services graduate below proficiency in all academic subjects. Why? Because these services don’t solve the problem! Skills deficits can only be solved through effective instruction and repeated, reinforced practice to fluency.
Labeling students with learning disabilities ensures the continuation of skill deficits. These labels place the blame for the deficiency on the learner, rather than on the ineffective instruction being used. This is why ineffective school policies and teaching practices persist, and proficiency rates never improve.
At Fit Learning Online, we solve the problem with effective instruction, repeated practice, ongoing measurement of learning, and data-based decision-making.