Hood

BACKGROUND

At the time the California special education hearing officer issued a decision, Anna Hood was 10 years old and, according to her report cards, was performing at grade-level appropriate/ average or above average levels in the public school classroom.1 While Anna’s second, third, fourth, and fifth grade reports chronicle her consistent difficulties completing tasks, turning in homework on time, and keeping her belongings organized, Anna’s scores on the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9) have placed her above the fiftieth percentile with near unifor- mity.

Meanwhile, Anna’s performance on various intelligence tests indicates high intellectual ability. Anna’s scores on the Woodson-Johnson Test of Achievement-III, administered by resource specialist Patricia Hotz, measured Anna’s achieve- ment in eleven different areas, and in all but one area, Anna’s scores were average or better. One (writing sample) was in the “very superior” range, eight were in the “high average” range, one (reading fluency) was in the “average” range, and one (math fluency) was in the “low average” range. She received a Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III verbal score of 127, performance…