Hi:
I recently met with my 6th grader’s regular ed. teacher, special ed. teacher and the ED teacher. I told them that my daughter failed every SOL (Virginia Standards of Learning) test except for computers. I was also explaining the writing, spelling and homework difficulties we’ve encountered in the past. They told me that they could not give my daughter any more hours. They are planning to retest her in the Spring and we’ll have another IEP meeting to discuss the results toward the end of the school year.
I already told them I am seriously considering holding my daughter back for another year of 6th grade, because I know she is not mature enough to go to middle school. No one has assertained if she just doesn’t want to try, if she has legitimate learning problems or both. We are still in counseling, but we are having a lot of difficulty enforcing the structure the counselor suggested.
A friend of mine recently told me that I could request another IEP meeting any time and request additional services. I don’t think they will add services just based upon my daughter flunking SOL tests. I was told that if my daughter does not meet certain benchmarks by the end of 6th grade she would not automatically be promoted to 7th grade.
I don’t know whether to try and convene an IEP meeting or just wait until the school completes the testing in the Spring. Another reason I want to hold her back is that I think elementary schools generally offer more services than middle or high schools, but I am not sure. The way my daughter writes now, I cannot imagine her passing the TOWL (Test Of Written Language). Writing was her lowest scoring test on the SOLs and she even chose a great topic! :-) She wrote about how much she enjoys reading.
Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions, I’d appreciate them!!
Thanks,
Margo
Re: Requesting additional services?
Margo,
You can request another IEP meeting at any time, and the school MUST have one. (I, too, live in Virginia.) Does your daughter need additional services, or do the services the school is providing need to be fine tuned to fit your daughter more specifically. One of the tenents of the IDEA is “specialized instruction” to meet the student’s needs. I don’t know what your daughter’s disability is - but various kids react to different teaching methods different ways. Perhaps they need to try a different approach with her to help her learn things. Hopefully the IEP team can discuss this and come up with more appropriate ways to help your daughter. Does she have any modifications written into her IEP such as extended test time in a quiet room?
I have a close friend whose daughter floundered in the elementary school resource room, and flourished in the middle school one. I think it is the quality of services (based on the individual teacher) and not the amout of services. Interview the middle school sped teacher, and see how she reacts to your daughter’s issues. Your daughter might be better off in middle school, but you have to go on a fact finding mission (and use your intuition) to determine that.
Re: writing...
I just have to say that my daughter is in 8th grade honors classes and she has severe writing problems.She did almost no homework in 6th grade, no homework in 7th grade and is now doing a little homework. She was given two writing tests last spring and both times she turned in a blank paper. This fall, she scored under 20% on the TOWL scores—she wrote 3 sentences on the essay part—she also reads at the 12th grade level and scores 80-90% on the structure of english sentences. I am always fighting to get the proper services (lindamood-bell has been the only thing that has worked for her), but you should not let this wait. Call an iep meeting in writing, write a letter and ask them to test her now (have to do it within a short time frame), and go look at the middle school and their resource program. My daughter was classified in resource—I tried to get it changed to inclusion in 5th grade—unsuccessfully. After mediation, and lots of wasted time getting no services (the middle school did not do things as the elementary school did them) my daughter is now inclusion and is getting support, but no writing instruction.I am letting her fail this fall in written work to prove the school does not know what it is doing when it comes to her writing instruction.
Good luck
Re: writing...
Anitya has posted a number of times here indicating the difficulty of teaching writing. Her posts have served to confirm my doubts about how well this is done in the vast majority of schools. I personally have chosen not to leave this entirely in the hands of the school for my child. Shay has posted a number of times here on the success she has had with her students using Sopris West’s Step-up to Writing. I like the Institute for Excellence in Writing because it is parent-friendly (many homeschoolers use it), can be immediately applied to writing in all subjects (e.g. science, social studies), and approaches writing in a way that is very helpful for kids who are the most intimidated by it. Check out the website at www.writing-edu.com. I actually find this site very confusing, but you can get a very good understanding of the program’s initial approach to writing by clicking on “newletters” and then the article “Writing Without Tears.”
Re: writing...
Hi, I am Hope i have a 7th grader. we live in Va also. from the parental side of the educational process here is what i have found… we do not know how to educate (so they think) well Stephi is now in the 7th grade and has NEVER pased a SOL test, Stanford 9 test and is progressing through the grades, without ever increasing in her ability in reading (as a foundation). here with our division i have inquired about remedial reading and WOW her school has none, however they do have a LD class but no remedial reading… Stephi is 1/4 points away from what this division calles LD. she recieves accomadations but no services, according to this division she is ok but continues to read, spell and function with work requiring the ability of reading with almost 3.2 grades below level. last year stephini recieved the only form of remedial reading available at her school ( educating enough to pass this sol) she was Forced to take the 5th grade SOL until she passed it, she tried 2 times and flunked … on the third she played dot to dot and passed by 1 point… (needed 400 to pass she got a 401 in english) so even though your child hasn’t hit benchmarks i have found it doesn’t matter. passing the statewide test doesn’t matter they keep giving it until the child passes, (my child took it 3 times last year because she failed the SOL the previous year) also Stephini had to attend summerschool this past summer to pass this test, i had to pay for summerschool services so she could recieve 1 on 1 assistance in passing that test… however although she passed it doesn’t mean she can read… with accomadations now they read everything to her… i assume when she is 30 i’ll be reading to her, the division makes no attempt to help her to learn only help her to hurry up and get out of school because the system can’t afford to educate the slower child.
sorry about being so …. aggravated
Hope
Hope
There is a law that was recently passed that you should look into. Type No Child Left Behind into google. It is a law that allows parents to pull their children from failing schools and send them elsewhere. There are many other pieces to it. This is not specific to special ed.
I think your school is failing your child. There seems to be alot of that going around.
Re: Hope
i have the entire report from No Child Left Behind, from the investigation the origional report sent to Mr. Bush to the now legal report up for regulation. you are absolutely right i can move my daughter from a Failing SCHOOL but the school is not failing… according to the most recent responce to the VDOE. should i move her? if i do i am in non- compliance with LRE, if i do not the division is in non- compliance with FAPE. showing cause to remove my daughter from this school under No Child Left Behind is hard since they have until 2013 to get the schools up to Level.
i have filed a complaint with VDOE and recieved the LEA’s responce that the VDOE has no standing on implimentations process, accomadations, and services… it is the VDOE’s responsability to make sure the regulations are met not how the IEP or 504 is implimented or adjusted. so basically here is what has happened the respondant to my complaint from the LEA ( the director of special education) has clearely stated the VDOE has no place interfearing on the State Level and the parent must file for Due Process… smack… another hit in the face of parents that care about educating children with hopes of having them achieve a future above poverty.
Hope
Re: Hope
I have to say I’m not impressed with the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND act either. When I first heard of it, I thought it sounded wonderful. But, now I’m not sure. My son used to be exempt from the required state testing. He had to take it, but didn’t have to pass it. Well, now they tell me (the school) that he has to take the test and pass, if he doesn’t pass he will just get a certificate of attendence after 12 years of school, not a diploma. That seems really unfair, who’s paying the price here? My son. Of course the school made no mention of how they plan on helping him pass, they just said he must pass.
From “Questions Parents Frequently Ask about Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) Program”
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/PolicyPub/Parents/#10
For K-8 students, SOL test results are just one factor of a set of multiple criteria that schools use in promotion/retention decisions.
Q: Can the tests be retaken before remedial instruction is given for students in the 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades, and for core areas at the high school level?
Yes, however at present, there is no funding to support the re-administration of SOL tests at grades 3, 5, or 8 except as a part of a school’s remediation recovery program. The school division determines which type of remediation program is appropriate for the academic needs of the child.
It is important to remember that the stated purposes of the SOL tests are to provide information on the progress of students and schools toward meeting achievement levels on the SOL, provide information that can be used to improve instructional programs, and provide assurance of the quality of public education.
The school division must provide remediation for students who do not pass any of the SOL tests at grades 3, 5, and 8, but retesting is not required.
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This seems to state that the school must provide remediation. If services are the same as last year then the question is are the current services enough to address remediation in all areas that your child failed in the SOL. You have the right to call an IEP meeting at any time and you should call one to address this issue.
Helen