If you’re trying to gauge what students will get the most from special schooling, the ones who prepped and studied for the test are probably the ones who are going to do the same if afforded the special school.

Teacher recommendations are incredibly easy to game. I asked my teachers for recommendations and, to help jog their memory and for their convenience, provided them a sample letter of recommendation that I wrote. They could sign and send that one, use the content as a reminder to write their own, or start from scratch.