scribe testing

[Guest guest]

Jeanne,

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience in utilizing a scribe for

the NJ ASK for 3rd Grade. I was told by the case manager at 's

school that if a scribe was used, would have to spell every word,

punctuate, capitalize, etc. I found this odd as he cannot write the

required paragraph and he certainly would not be able to spell all the words

that he pronounces. I was told by his reading tutor that this is not the

case. She knows of students in college that utilize scribes and they are

not required to do any of that.

I appreciate any input anyone has to offer.

Thanks

Terri Mortellito

[Guest guest]

I don't know the specifics of using a scribe in NJ, but in NY the child is

required to first say what they want to have written, then the scribe must ask

them where they want certain punctuation marks. They also must have the child

spell any words that are " difficult " meaning that they don't need to spell " the "

but would have to spell a word that is on or above their level of knowledge.

That would depend on the individual student. A scribe is only intended to help

children who have difficulty " writing " or have difficulty expressing themsleves

in written form, but can express themselves verbally. A better alternative is

using a word processor if the reason is the actual physical act of writing. The

use of a scribe is extremely difficult and most states are really trying to move

away from them so they are making the guidelines much more stringent.

thanks.