when to move from SpEd to regular classroom

I have moved my three dyslexic children from elementary to middle school.

What I have done:

- the previous spring, in May, I make an appointment with the elementary
sped teacher and regular elementary ed teacher. I ask for their thoughts.
I also ask for their insight about anything they know about the middle
school and the staff. Tell them all information they tell you stays with
you and nobody else. Ask them what they would do if “Anne” was
their child. Amazing what answers will come of that question.

(Note - for every mtg. at the middle school, until you feel safe -
Dress up, look well to do, if you have a security badge from your work,
wear it. Carry a briefcase, wear expensive perfume, makeup, have a good hair day. Even if you don’t work, look like you do. (I work from home in a ratty tshirt and leggings and stocking feet - but I’ll look like I work as an executive when I go in.)

- Next make an appointment with the counselor who is going to
be handling your child at Middle School. Take a picture of your child in with you - smiling.
Take the last IEP with you. Talk to the counselor about how your child
best learns. Then ask the counselor - which teachers do you think would
best work with my child.

- If you are going to do any sped classes in middle school make an appointment
with that teacher. Take the picture, talk about the same issues.

- Now figure out the best program. Which teacher, which class will work best.
Go back to the counselor and say this is what I want done.

- If you encounter any trouble along the way, go up the line, principal,
head of special services, superind. of the district.

Now that is all to be done THIS SPRING!!!
Find out when the staff is supposed to be back in the building in AUGUST.
Mark it on your calendar.

- Call and make an appointment with the counselor within the first couple
days of the staff being back. Go over the proposed schedule. Is it still
the same?
It may not be - some teachers may have left, some classes be rescheduled,
all sorts of reasons that things have changed over the summer.

Fix any problems or changes.

Now, write a letter to each teacher, make stationary with your child’s smiling picture on it. Introduce your child with her strong points first
and her plans to play basketball, etc.
Then write about your child’s learning needs. How she learns best, what she is concerned about in the classroom.
Tell the teacher that your child will be FULLY SUPPORTED at home.
You and your husband are involved parents. Don’t worry about being labeled ‘one of those parents’ - they need to know this child will NOT be allowed
to slip through the cracks. The staff needs to know that this child will have consequences attached if her needs are not met.

Then ask to meet with the teacher, add your phone number, email and address. Wait one or two days from when you expect the letter to be delivered - now CALL and set up appointments with each teacher.
Take a copy of you original letter, with the smiling photo.

At your appointment, discuss your child’s learning challenges, ask the teacher what she/he think will help your child. If they don’t offer up what you think your child needs, show them last year’s IEP and say that we are looking along these lines or we propose t make these changes.

If you feel a certain teacher will not fit, go back to the counselor and do the whole thing over with the new teacher.

THEN, very important, ask for you child’s IEP to be scheduled in October. (Or depending on your school schedule - give the teachers about a month to get to know your child and to see how things work out.)

Don’t worry about being proactive, you HAVE to be.
Your child’s future is on the line here.

Anne :-) oh, and sprinkle your emails with :-)
and always approach a problem with ‘we have a problem’
be positive, be relentless, be the Mom-minator.

ps. One of my children went into middle school ‘normal’
one was removed from sped half way through the first year,
and one will be in for the duration.

Having allowed my son to be removed from his IEP once at the start of a new school year, I would NEVER gree to it again. First, there may be some LD issues that can be fully remediated, but I think that a lot of these kids can do really well with a little support, but really _DO_ need that little bit of support all through school. Second, if I ever WERE to agree to letting my son get by with a lower level of support, I’d want it to be introduced slowly, mid-year, where we could get the support net back under him quickly if he should show signs of serious difficulty.

As it was, after I agreed to let him be taken off his IEP at the end of 2nd grade, we had a MISERABLE (read basically lost) year while we tried to get the IEP reinstated. I’ll be very, very careful about letting them take it away again.

Karen

I agree. Changing from direct services to consultation is the logical move before exiting special education. As long as the child has a consultation IEP, he can still get any need modifications. Then, if direct services are needed again during the year, all it takes is a simple addendum to the IEP to change amount of service.

Janis

Thank you Anne for the really informative email. I have printed it, and will use the step by step guide for my son. He will be entering into middleschool not this fall but the next. I am currently homeschooling him, but we have moved to another elementary school which seems promising. He is really looking forward to middle school (he is such an optimist!) and my daughter had a really positive experience in middle school. They are very nice there, but it is large and the putting my sons smiling face on the letterhead is SUCH a great idea!!

Thank you for being a parent who has walked before me!
DA

Way to go! Your post made me laugh and cry. It’s amazing what we have to do to get the support our children need. My child has medical issues too so I do this with doctors [and of course my insurance company] as well!

Thank you for breaking down all the steps. The minutiae is so important!! And it’s such a fine line to walk between being perceived as a staunch advocate for your child and an obnoxious parent. I find it so exhausting to find the right level of diplomacy and tact that will get me further than being as blunt and as pointed as I tend to be.Anne wrote:
>
>
> I have moved my three dyslexic children from elementary to
> middle school.
>
> What I have done:
>
> - the previous spring, in May, I make an appointment with the
> elementary
> sped teacher and regular elementary ed teacher. I ask for
> their thoughts.
> I also ask for their insight about anything they know about
> the middle
> school and the staff. Tell them all information they tell you
> stays with
> you and nobody else. Ask them what they would do if “Anne” was
> their child. Amazing what answers will come of that question.
>
> (Note - for every mtg. at the middle school, until you feel
> safe -
> Dress up, look well to do, if you have a security badge from
> your work,
> wear it. Carry a briefcase, wear expensive perfume, makeup,
> have a good hair day. Even if you don’t work, look like you
> do. (I work from home in a ratty tshirt and leggings and
> stocking feet - but I’ll look like I work as an executive
> when I go in.)
>
> - Next make an appointment with the counselor who is going to
> be handling your child at Middle School. Take a picture of
> your child in with you - smiling.
> Take the last IEP with you. Talk to the counselor about how
> your child
> best learns. Then ask the counselor - which teachers do you
> think would
> best work with my child.
>
> - If you are going to do any sped classes in middle school
> make an appointment
> with that teacher. Take the picture, talk about the same
> issues.
>
> - Now figure out the best program. Which teacher, which class
> will work best.
> Go back to the counselor and say this is what I want done.
>
> - If you encounter any trouble along the way, go up the line,
> principal,
> head of special services, superind. of the district.
>
> Now that is all to be done THIS SPRING!!!
> Find out when the staff is supposed to be back in the
> building in AUGUST.
> Mark it on your calendar.
>
> - Call and make an appointment with the counselor within the
> first couple
> days of the staff being back. Go over the proposed schedule.
> Is it still
> the same?
> It may not be - some teachers may have left, some classes be
> rescheduled,
> all sorts of reasons that things have changed over the summer.
>
> Fix any problems or changes.
>
> Now, write a letter to each teacher, make stationary with
> your child’s smiling picture on it. Introduce your child with
> her strong points first
> and her plans to play basketball, etc.
> Then write about your child’s learning needs. How she learns
> best, what she is concerned about in the classroom.
> Tell the teacher that your child will be FULLY SUPPORTED at
> home.
> You and your husband are involved parents. Don’t worry about
> being labeled ‘one of those parents’ - they need to know this
> child will NOT be allowed
> to slip through the cracks. The staff needs to know that this
> child will have consequences attached if her needs are not met.
>
> Then ask to meet with the teacher, add your phone number,
> email and address. Wait one or two days from when you expect
> the letter to be delivered - now CALL and set up appointments
> with each teacher.
> Take a copy of you original letter, with the smiling photo.
>
>
> At your appointment, discuss your child’s learning
> challenges, ask the teacher what she/he think will help your
> child. If they don’t offer up what you think your child
> needs, show them last year’s IEP and say that we are looking
> along these lines or we propose t make these changes.
>
> If you feel a certain teacher will not fit, go back to the
> counselor and do the whole thing over with the new teacher.
>
> THEN, very important, ask for you child’s IEP to be scheduled
> in October. (Or depending on your school schedule - give the
> teachers about a month to get to know your child and to see
> how things work out.)
>
> Don’t worry about being proactive, you HAVE to be.
> Your child’s future is on the line here.
>
> Anne :-) oh, and sprinkle your emails with :-)
> and always approach a problem with ‘we have a problem’
> be positive, be relentless, be the Mom-minator.
>
> ps. One of my children went into middle school ‘normal’
> one was removed from sped half way through the first year,
> and one will be in for the duration.

Hi Linda,

>>I find it so exhausting to find the right level of diplomacy and tact that will get me further than being as blunt and as pointed as I tend to be.<<

You hit it right on the head!
It is so exhausting.

I have a friend who will often run her questions and responses
by me first as she knows she can fly off the handle and needs
a cool down period and reflection time.

Anne

Hello all, These post are so true. But what do you do when you are a teacher in the same district as your learning disabled daughter? Some teachers have been great and some have not been so great. Sharon in Flordia

Wow! Anne, that was articulated brilliantly. Excuse me while I get some paper for my printer.

Anne,

That is a great post! I just visited the middle school that my son will be attending in the fall (so I couldn’t follow all your great hints), but I am so glad I went. I met with the SpEd teachers and feel so much better about sending my son there. I know I will be positive as I send my son there next fall as I observed classes (the special ed class as well as the “normal” class where there are some SpEd students). I was very comforted to know that they receive such good treatment and are not lost through the cracks.

Thanks again for the great advice about laying the groundwork NOW! It is a must to insert yourself as a parent.

gk

Thanks Rose and gk!

Looking at my calendar and noticing that it is May 1 tomorrow,
I’m getting ready to contact the 7th grade sped teacher and see what
he has planned for my soon-to-be 7th grader.

This time I’m trying something new.
My son will be 13 by the time school starts.
Old enough to have some understanding of his dyslexia
and to know how he learns and what he needs to learn.

So I’m taking him with me to meet with the 7th grade sped teacher.
And together we’ll interview him, see what he has to say and
then decide if sped LA is the way to go or should we interview
some of the regular LA teachers.

I’ll report back about our meeting when it happens.

Anne

LEt me just add, though, that in my experience teaching in middle and high school, there’s a huge tendency for teachers and kids and parents to take the “oh, let’s try it on your own and see how it works out.” Way, way, way too often a ton of damage has been done before it’s figured out that it is NOT working out. Usually the teachers figurethey’ve got a kiddo who either isn’t very bright or is lazy. I just had too many kiddos that had done really, really well in my classes (LD)… and flopped hard in regular ed. This was in the days of “mainstreaming” — nobody could even spell accommodations, much less provide ‘em. Regular ed was regular ed.
I’ve since learned to argue that it is better to try something a little easy, succeed!!, and move on to something harder, than to start the year with failure. It’s also a *whole* lot easier to get a middle schooler to *start* with accommodations than to get him to try them later.