Curriculm watered down

Here’s what I do. I let my son enjoy his successes at the high school. He is in reg ed classes with accomodations and in smaller group classes for language and social studies. At home I have him do a book on tape every night for 1/2 hour before bed. This way, I know he’s getting literature, fluency and exposure to the kind of vocabulary he should have. I let him know we expect nothing less than a B grade, given his intelligence and accomodations. He made the honor roll this past quarter, so I can’t complain.

I think schools do this watered down curriculum generally, not just for ld kids. In our Jr. High, it seems like 50% of the kids make the honor roll or merit roll. In my private high school, less than 5 per grade made honor roll as a rule.

Good luck on getting what your child needs.

Having a child with learning differences in school usually poses the problem of the child not doing well in school. Yours is not that problem and some parents might envy you.

My question as a teacher would be how are your son’s skills? Are they progressing? If you see little progress in his skills that would concern me.

I don’t believe any bar should be set high simply for the sake of setting it high. School should be about developing skills and mastering content. The bar of expectations should be set to foster growth in skills and acquisition of content.

Is he doing that? Could he be doing it faster than he is?

That they want him to be successful is great. But that success should be accompanied by a growth in skills as well.

If you don’t see that happening, that should be easy to demonstrate to them. What is his reading level now? What was it last year? How is his writing now? What kind of math is he doing? Is it grade level?

My son’s teacher is so far behind the regular class it’s a joke. She gives busy work easy papers for most of the day just hands them out one after another.

To let my son learn to his capabilities we do teacher’s homework and then mom’s homework. I go to Walmart and buy work books a grade level above the teacher. I also have him tutored in reading 2x a week. His tutor gives him higher level work than the teacher and he is doing well.

I find it very sad that the schools don’t seem to give a rat’s butt if our kids really learn. It is easier just to push them through.

Jean,

Can’t help but respond to some of what you posted…

“He has an I.E.P. which is a good one but they pick and choose what they feel like doing, which is not much. They are always out of compliance and don’t seem to give a hoot. I have done everything possible to try and work with them and have gone the route of using the “big guns” too. They see me as a pushy rude parent, I can’t believe anything they tell me so my relationship with his teachers is not good and the principle would be happy to see us go.”

Based on what you are saying here, and what you are asking as far as what to do… If you want to force the issue, then you simply need to dig into the artilery stockpile and use “bigger guns”, “different weapons” and do what needs to be done. Are you well documented? Do you have all the compliance issues documented or is it a hearsay issue that can be refuted?

If you don’t have your child’s records and a paper trail of the district’s antics in a binder (or library of binders) in chronological order, then you need to get going on this right away.

Every time there is a conversation with someone from the administrative level, follow up with a written response, confirming what it is you understood they said and ask for a written response confirming what you understood. It is best to get in the habbit to send all letters CERTIFIED MAIL, with receipt.

Forget worrying about what “they” think of you. “Pushy Parent” is not the issue. If you let the center of the focus switch from them doing their job, to your reputation with them, then you are at a disadvantage. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to stay respectful, honest, with integrity and maintain a level of humor (difficult as it is). You didn’t get into this subject matter to make friends, and they didn’t take their jobs under the condition to make friends. The origional objective (supposedly) was to educate children.

Often times the misconseption gets going when a parent asks for help, or “complains” that the program isn’t working. The status quo response from a district is to pit the teacher against the parent as though the parent is saying the teacher is not doing an adequate job. This may or may not be the case, but the concept here is the child isn’t fitting into the program and is falling behind, having emotional traumas… and the parent simply doesn’t know how to request the assistance or obtain the objective that is so very elusive.

This does not discount the districts’ locked arm, goose stepping, beaurocratic like response of immediately digging trenches and setting up battle lines whenever they are questioned about what is going on. Self defense mechanisms go into play to simply defend the system as it is, right or wrong, regardless of what makes sense, the initial objectives, or anything that common sense could resolve. Can’t figure that one out yet.

You say he has an IEP (a good one), but they pick and choose what they want to impliment. Obviously this is highly illegal, and if you are well documented about this matter, you need to start filing complaints with the “authorities”, and attach your documented proof of such antics. Keep all emotions out of this, do not involve your child, simply report what is going on and attach documented proof of the violations. I have huge disappointment in the enforcement side of the subject here and do not wish to misrepresent how twisted things can get. But, besides bringing out the “big guns”, you may need to fire off a few well placed rounds to get some people’s attention; both inside the district and out.

Maybe, if the principal would be happy to see you go, he would sign over funding and allow you to take your child to a non-public school where your child will be better served an education, and you will be better appreciated as a consumer… hmmmmmmm.

Couple of thoughts here. Do not take any phone calls to your home. Request all contact be made in writing and you will respond in a timely manner. Make all requests in writing and each time they ignore your request, attach a copy of the origional and send another. Use a phone answering machine and instruct all family members to screen calls for a while, NO EXCEPTIONS. You might be amazed to see what time some calls will come in “under the radar”.

It is critically important to stay civil and good natured. Just stay focused and on task. I know, from experience, how tough it is to not take it personally and to try and not get emotional. If they are as it appears in your post, they are counting on you getting emotional and then proving them right. Go the extra distance and really stay pleasant, but persistance; stay on task, and do not go away until you get the answer, and the documentation you need.

Go to the web sites where the laws are easily accessed (modern day conveniences never cease to amaze me). Read up on your local laws, the state laws, and then of course, the federal laws, by which all school districts are obligated by law to comply with. Be knowledgable about these laws that apply to your situation (compliance with IEP etc.), and cut and paste as needed in your letters, including siting which law and what you believe to be a violation of the district.

Start cc’ing copies of your letters to the head of special ed at the state level of your district. Locate the Office of Civil Rights in your state and ask to speak with someone who is knowlegeable about special ed law.

You also wrote:

“The school says he has some “problems” but I am making a “big deal of it” and so many other students who really need the services more.”

This is such a blatant bs line, and is in so major violation of law, that the supposed law enforcement folks should have a field day. I highly doubt you will get this statement in writing, but it would be nice. If the district cannot meet your child’s needs, or completely apply the IEP that they signed and agreed to… all you need is a good advocate, a competant attorney (who is knowlegeable of special ed laws), and you will solve all the problems pretty quickly.

I’ve already rambled on too much, but the mass quantity of violations in one short sentance here are too many to go into. Please go and really research the laws.

Socks, who posts on this bb has a great web site; hopefully it is back up and running. Also, go to www.wrightslaw.com and www.edlaw.com for more research access. There are so many sites and so much help out there, you simply need to spend the time to really get to know what it is you need to arm yourselves with to, at the very least, become a parent who isn’t just “pushy”, but an effective advocate for your child.

The failure to enforce these laws is really the bigger problem. Although, more and more parents seem to be making headway.

I wish you much luck, and patience.

Best regards,

Andy

ps/ pay attention to the clock and the calender; don’t let too much time slip by if you decide to proceed. Document, document, document.