Home » News » – Haven’t told him

– Haven’t told him

17-year-old Ask Larsen from Filtvet is studying sales and service at Lier upper secondary school. The school is purely vocational.

“Ask hates being home from school. He participates every day, never skips – and mostly does what he is told,” writes father Ronnie Michael André Giskegjerde Larsen (52) in a posts on Facebook.

Furthermore, he explains that his son, who has Down’s syndrome, is well followed up by the school system, and that the 17-year-old has had an individual learning plan all his life.

Nevertheless, in two years – when Ask will proudly receive the diploma – it will probably read “Not rated».

This despite the fact that in the Education Act states that: “Students, apprentices, apprentice candidates and practical certificate candidates have right to assessment. The right applies from the 1st year and beyond upper secondary education. The right to assessment includes both interim assessment, final assessment and documentation.”

– Will be assessed daily

“After 13 years happily at school, with almost zero hours and days absent, where every day the teachers have written in a book how the day has been, how things have gone, how he is doing. So he finally goes out the school gate, dressed up for the occasion, and with him he gets a certificate that says: Ask Larsen, NOT ASSESSED”, writes Larsen further in the post.

The 52-year-old works at Follo folk university. In addition, he runs a bookshop with restaurant and art gallery. Ask’s mother is a teacher at a high school.

This is how they became aware of what will be written on their son’s future diploma.

FATHER AND SON: Ash and dad Ronnie pictured in the 17th May stand.  Photo: Private

FATHER AND SON: Ash and dad Ronnie pictured in the 17th May stand. Photo: Private
sea ​​view

– The basis should be present

The father of three tells Dagbladet that none of his other two children have been assessed as carefully as Ask.

– He has attended primary school for three years. He then attended the rest of his schooling at a special school in Drammen, before starting at Lier upper secondary school. Along the way, he has been assessed in everything he does. He is never alone.

– The assessment basis should really be present, says Larsen.

Furthermore, the 52-year-old clarifies that he is not asking for Ask to be assessed on the same level as those who do not have special needs, but that it should say “implemented” or “been present”.

– I don’t think anything of the fact that the standard in Norway is “not assessed”. That should be the exception, not the rule.

Want an answer

– Does Ask know that it will probably say “not assessed” on the diploma?

– We haven’t told him that. I don’t really know if he understands the term now. But Ask gets better and better in everything he does – and he understands that. The other day he had a math test with 45 problems. He only got two mistakes and was super proud.

The purpose of the Facebook post is for Minister of Education Tonje Brenna to look into the matter.

– I want her to look at the wording, says the father of three, and adds:

– When we got Ask 17 years ago, we thought that things might have been “lined up”. That there was a bit of automaticity in it, but it wasn’t. We still have to take Ask to the doctor twice a year to confirm that he still has Down syndrome. It’s so crazy that you almost can’t believe it.

– Ash is just as right

The principal at Lier upper secondary school, Cathrine Borge Bolle, tells Dagbladet that the school has an assessment practice that is adapted to the individual student’s requirements and individual education plan.

– If you have a teaching plan with many adaptations, it will not be correct with numerical grades – but better with a description of the pupil’s competence. They have a half-year assessment and a final assessment. Verbal and/or written feedback on the student’s competence.

PRINCIPAL: Cathrine Borge Bolle tells Dagbladet that she understands that

PRINCIPAL: Cathrine Borge Bolle tells Dagbladet that she understands that “not assessed” is hurtful. Photo: Private
sea ​​view

The headmaster says that those who do not get their grades assessed with numbers, get it with words. She makes it clear that this is in line with the Education Act.

– Ask has just as much right to assessment as all other students. The Education Act states that all students must be assessed both with and without a grade. It also includes Ash. He is included in the Education Act and the Education Regulations, but is exempt from numerical grades, says Bolle.

– Is the school owner responsible for ensuring that the right to assessment is fulfilled? If so, who?

– I am the principal. The school must ensure that the students are assessed in relation to the learning objectives that have been set.

Understanding

– What do you think of Ronnie Larsen’s post?

– The most important thing for us is that we have good assessment practices for his son, and we are in dialogue with the parents on a daily basis.

Larsen himself writes in the Facebook post that the dialogue is good, and that the son is well looked after in relation to assessment, Bolle points out.

– I understand and see that it hurts that it says “not assessed”. Then it’s nice that he gets involved in it. I think that is good, and very important.

– It is a challenge

Karianne Hjørnevik Nes sits on the professional council of the organization Down syndrome Norway. She tells Dagbladet that there is a “culture” of grade exemptions in Norwegian schools, which she believes is both destructive and challenging.

She says that the exemption causes low ambitions related to the learning outcomes at secondary school and upper secondary school.

– It is a challenge, and it already starts in secondary school. There, students with Down’s syndrome are exempted from a grade above a low shoe.

Nes explains that the decision is made when parents receive a letter from the school, where an exemption is proposed – and encouraged.

– One must be careful in accepting exemptions for grades. Actually, the law is such that if you are granted an exemption from grades, there must be clear educational goals in an Individual curriculum. But the assessment of learning outcomes rarely happens. Often it is just a summary of what the student has done, says Nes.

40 years of research

Nevertheless, the future can look brighter, she believes. The Norwegian Council for Down Syndrome is in the final phase of publishing a guide for inclusive teaching.

It will be handed over to Minister of Education Tonje Brenna (Ap) on 21 March.

– Through 40 years of research, we have many methods and good practices for effective teaching for pupils with Down’s syndrome. The challenge is that these are not used in the classrooms, says Nes.

– We are in a positive development now. The work to change prejudices to expectations is well under way. It is nevertheless important that parents are advocates for their children, and expect assessment for learning, she urges.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.