Advice please! slow processing and using a laptop in exams

[picklefin]

DD v bright, did well in gcses, (7s & 8s) but tires in exams and is a slow writer.
Her school have run a few tests for access arrangements and in CTOPP-2 Rapid Symbolic Naming she achieved a standard score of 76 = 5th percentile.

Although her scores were ‘spiky’ she did not score lower than 84 in any other areas, or between 85-89 to get 25% extra time. But the testing was not a full dyslexia test, just a basic screening for exam arrangements. However, we may proceed with a full test for dyslexia, which may or may not highlight other <89 scores.

There is also a large difference between her LUCID exact handwriting speed – 55th Percentile and her typing speed 88th percentile.
In addition, she is hyper-mobile and gets achy hands after writing for a long time.
School are saying she can't use a laptop in exams. Does anyone have a link to the rules for being permitted to use a laptop/word processor in exams, other than it be a student’s “normal way of working”?

You could try looking on Home - JCQ Joint Council for Qualifications
I used to invigilate (mostly one-to-one in a separate room and lots of pupils seemed to use laptops).

I never really understood the "normal way of working" thing, as no-one's normal way of working is in an exam hall on a desk 90cm x 90cm with dozens of others!

Using a laptop is the decision of the school and isn't decided by the JCQ. My son has been using one in English lessons with long writes since Y8 (and in other subjects as high mark questions became longer and longer moving towards GCSE eg essays in music, writing in french, essay in computer science). I guess that's what they mean by usual way of working?

I had his handwriting speed Vs typing assessed by an occupational therapist and this report plus reports from his teachers that he doesn't finish exams without a laptop but does when he uses one, means he is allowed to type when he needs to - mixed use.

Try speaking to the SENCO if that's not who you've already discussed with.

Thanks Techno56 - one Senco at school said she could use a laptop in exams, and now a different one has said she can't! She does finish exams but rushes and doesn't always have time to get all the info she wants to down on paper.

I would ask both SENCo and exams access arrangements person (usually a different person) what the criteria is for laptop use and go from there.

Each school or college will have a Policy for laptop/WP in exams. You could ask to see that. I work in the Exams Team in a college and also closely with the Senco team and I'm pretty sure your DD would be allowed a laptop in exams with us. You need to have a discussion with the Lead Senco I think

According to the JCQ guidance, the school should have a laptop policy, so ask to see this, and see if she fits the criteria or not. However, the guidance does say that being able to type faster than you can hand write alone isn't a good reason for a candidate to use a laptop.

I would contact her class teachers and ask if they think using a laptop would help her. If they are on side, they can start it as a "normal way of working" in class!

Personally, if you can afford it, I would go down the route of the private assessment. It'll also help with DSA etc if she goes to uni.

She does finish exams but rushes and doesn't always have time to get all the info she wants to down on paper.
I'm sorry, but who does have time to get every single thing they want down on paper? This is literally why exams have the time limits they do!
If she's hitting 7s and 8s at the end of KS3 with the current arrangements, and hasn't got within the range for the required threshold to get a laptop, this just smacks of wanting an edge, and I would be annoyed if the school approved it TBH.

My ds has used a laptop in all classes due to hypermobility since yr5. This was on the recommendation of OT - due to the extreme pain and fatigue caused when writing. He used a laptop for exams - as a pp has said, laptop use is something schools agree, rather than something you have to apply for. It also has to be their normal way of working. The access tests are less relevant here - this is not about speed, it is about a physical impairment. Do you have any official diagnosis regarding the hypermobility?

She can have a laptop if she usually uses one in class.

@BiscuitsandPuffin sometimes it makes a huge difference, even to already bright kids. My ds went from grade 6 to grade 9 in English when he was allowed a laptop. Attaching a sample of his handwriting so you can see why sometimes even able kids need a laptop.

handmademitlove yes we have an official diagnosis.

@BiscuitsandPuffin Believe me, I absolutely would not want to play the system or get any edge, that wouldn't sit well with me. I'm here to ask advice, not push for something she isn't entitled to, but the school has backtracked over her being allowed to use a laptop in exams and I'm understandably trying to find out what the rules are so I can challenge or not. I suppose my concerns are that it's more about reaching full potential, rather than "they did well at GCSEs so no need to look into a score on the 5th percentile as they're bright"

And A levels are a massive step up, sometimes that's when the wheels fall off and coping mechanisms don't work anymore...

@Postapocalypticcowgirl school (State) will not accept a private diagnosis...they say it's not fair to students whose parents can't afford it...

If the person providing the diagnosis has appropriate qualifications, the school risk contravening the Equality Act 2010 if they ignore it completely. However, JCQ guidance stated that the scores from a private assessment cannot be used for exam access arrangements unless this is agreed with the school before the assessment. Without the schools agreement, the diagnosis and scores only provide evidence of need and the school would need to re-assess her to confirm that she meets the criteria for exam access arrangements.

Surely that simply means that the pupil hasn't been taught handwriting properly?

Handwriting, including how to hold a pen and pencil correctly, used to feature highly on junior school curriculums, but it seems that there is very little emphasis on good handwriting today.

No, it's a variation of fine motor coordination skills.

All 4 of my kids attended the same school in a similar era with the same stable group of teachers. One of them has beautiful handwriting. One has dreadful handwriting (not the one I have shared above). The other two have poor handwriting. Strangely, my son has handwriting very like my husband's. And his interests and cognitive strengths too.

@picklefin see https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AA_regs_Revision_One_Sep23_FINAL.pdf pg 58 for laptop use.

A diagnosis of dyslexia should be accepted by the school where it is carried out by an appropriately qualified assessor. As a pp said, if they decide not to accept a private diagnosis, they risk falling foul of the disability act.

However, as you say that the issues are around both slow processing but also that her hands hurt, I would approach school to suggest that she be allowed to use a laptop for all her lessons from now. You don't say what year she is in, but assuming 6th form? Laptop use is a reasonable adjustment for hypermobility where writing causes pain and fatigue. Have a look at https://theschooltoolkit.org/. This is useful when considering reasonable adjustments for symptomatic hypermobility https://theschooltoolkit.org/reasonable-adjustments/.

Was her diagnosis done by consultant or physio etc?

Push for adjustments for her medical needs - this is the way in to resolve this. And to those who suggest that getting 7s and 8s at GCSE means she doesn't need it - My DD got 8s and 9s at GCSE, but was still then given 50% extra time at A-level following diagnosis and assessment of other conditions. These are lifelong conditions that were definitely present at GCSE but were not known about until afterwards.

I’ve marked thousands of handwritten exams and that handwriting really wouldn’t stand out. At least I can read it.

@Rolypoly2961 thanks for advice. Her school does not test for dyslexia in 6th form, just exam access tests, and one specific processing test which picked up the 5th percentile score. They have said that their exam access arrangement tests themselves would not pick up dyslexia in a v. bright student. So in that case, if they won't test property themselves, but won't accept a private diagnosis then surely they're discriminating against bright dyslexic students?!

@handmademitlove She's yr 12. I will dig out her hypermobility diagnosis. And I know what you mean with bright children going undiagnosed because they're doing well at school. You don't have to be failing to be dyslexic.

We're 2 years behind you, but I have the distinct advantage of knowing the Exams arrangement assessor outside of her job at my kids school.
DS1 has a diagnosis of dyslexia, dysgraphia and gifted, performed by a UK qualified ED Psyc, but not assessed in the UK.

He has used a laptop in extended writing tasks since Y7. And for longer bits of homework since middle of primary.

He was assessed end of year 9 as scoring over the 85% threshold in the standard assessments. Chatting to the lady who assessed him, I mentioned his poor writing, spelling and copying definitely didn't allow him to show his full potential in written, timed, assessments. The 85% thing seems to have come to allow those without diagnoses have access arrangements applied.

Anyway, having pointed out he had a full Ed psyc report, she read it, and tried a assessment that picks out the stuff he is weakest at. And he scored under the "magic" 85%. So, we believe he will get extra time - still awaiting either JQC to approve, or school to confirm. Not sure which one.

Worth exploring further assessments, maybe - but you will need the Exams officer/SENDCO/access arrangements assessor/other relevant school staff to be on board.

I would get an OT report that states DC must use a laptop from now on for the hypermobile fingers - and for exams.

I have a DD with hypermobile fingers, and dyslexia (with one score below the 84) and ADHD. She gets laptop for everything and an extra 25% time.

Utterly ridiculous that school won't accept private reports. We got the dyslexia and hypermobility via DD's state primary's in-house Ed Psych years ago, but had to go private for the ADHD as it's a 3 year waiting list here for NHS assessment.

Your child should not be disadvantaged because there is either a postcode lottery or lack of state resources to rubber stamp a diagnosed disability.

If school continue to push back, I would get your MP involved in this one. Furious on your behalf - DD had never written more than 2 sentences before she moved to a laptop... English teacher got a bit of a shock when the next homework was 8 pages!

picklefin if your dd has a diagnosis of hypermobility then the school should allow her to use a laptop for her exams and they have made it her normal way of working in exams by allowing her to use one in her GCSEs. As PP have said it's a centre delegated arrangement so push to see thier WP policy and your dd will either meet their criteria or she won't and you can appeal due to hypermobility if she doesn't.
A diagnosis of dyslexia though, doesn't entitled her to anything, as extra time is about processing speeds . A CTOPP is a standard test used for testing processing and in my centre one low score would mean my specialist assessor would usually do a range of tests to make sure there definitely wasn't another low or below. But if all other possible tests come back above 89 then there is literally nothing the school can do, it's a jcq rule not a school rule. You could ask if they have done a DASH, as given your DD's problems with writing that might throw up a lown enough score.

Yes but it's slow and labourious for him. His teacher was always saying the content was great but he wrote half as much as everyone else. You can see the pressure in each stroke.
You can't argue with going from a 6 to a 9 just by allowing laptop use and therefore enabling him to write the same amount as his peers could. He did not get extra time, which is a different thing entirely.

This is really interesting. Earlier this year DS was told to use a laptop in lessons by one of his teachers as his handwriting speed is painfully slow and he was struggling to keep up. No diagnosis, just a bit of perfectionism, maybe verging on mild OCD, which means he hates having "messy" notes.

I had thought this was a bad idea as he'd just be setting himself up to fail in exams. But if a laptop is an option, maybe I should speak to the learning support team and see what it might mean in future.

His end of term report from this teacher comments on how much it's helped him, so it clearly is making a difference. But I don't want to stitch him up by getting used to working on a laptop and then having to hand-write exams.

Anyone been in the same position and managed to use laptops for GCSEs?

Yes, if it helps he should be allowed for gcses.