My son has just done the Lucid Exact literacy assessment, to see if he could apply for extra time in exams. He has scored just above the magic cut off number (standard score of 85- the boy is an 87) in his lowest area, which relates to comprehension speed. Apparently this means no hope of extra time.
His comprehension ability and handwriting are pretty much where they should be, and his typing and spelling are very good, but the results show there's a clear weakness in processing language- once it's in, he knows what to do with it, it's getting it in that's the problem. He has other difficulties that are not covered by the test, in my opinion, but less easy to test for IYSWIM. For example, he's very literal. And he falls down when it comes to more complex questions because he doesn't understand what he is being asked, he finds it difficult to pick out the important parts of a question. Or what kind of answer is appropriate. For example if he is faced with a question about Tim and Asheesh going to the shop with a fiver and buying XYZ for £3.25 and how much change would they have left, he may well start off on a long rambly story about Tim and Asheesh at the shop. In a Maths exam. Write it as £5-£3.25 and no problems, but the wordy questions completely baffle him.
The boy has autism, and recently transferred to mainstream school after being in special ed. from the age of four. He's doing very well and whilst I am thrilled at this, there's a small part of me that's thinking sheesh, 2 points? Really?
Is it worth challenging this?