My son is due for his 3yr re-evaluation for his IEP. He’s currently classified with a written expression LD. He’s in 8th grade, and managing OK with regular education classes. However, I can still see what a struggle writing is, and in particular, his spelling is nowhere close to grade level. His grades are mostly B’s, with an occasional A (in science) and an occasional C (in math).
The special ed teacher indicated at our last conference that she thinks he won’t qualify to continue on an IEP based on the grades he’s getting with minimal accomodations. I’m a bit concerned, being afraid if all accomodations are removed, that he will end up floundering in high school next year. His current accomodations are: 1) he can’t be downgraded for poor spelling unless it’s a spelling test; 2) seating in the front of the room (helps with vision and hearing issues); 3) teachers are supposed to provide class notes.
The staffing meeting is in 3 weeks. I haven’t seen any test results yet, so don’t know what will be recommended. Should we try to keep him on an IEP? If the testing doesn’t fit the required percent difference between verbal and written expression to keep him receiving services, what should we do? I can’t believe he has outgrown the LD, as I get to see the rough drafts of his work before the word processor fixes many of the errors.
If we can’t keep him on an IEP, what other alternatives are there? (besides keeping up his private tutor, which I fully intend to do.) Any advice from those of you who’ve gone through this would be much appreciated. I know there are a lot of experts out there!
Thanks,
Kay
Re: 3 yr retesting
I also have similar issues with the school district. My son is in 7th grade and receives O.K. grades. He struggles with reading and reads at a low level. I have not gone through three year testing, however, when I tried to get him initial services I stressed the amount of intervention WE provided outside of school to try and keep him from failing. (i.e. tutors, hours of time spent at home on homework, other outside tutorial testing like Sylvan). I put this information in writing and sent it to the district administration and school principal.
The school really never did anything for my son, however, given the state standards testing required, we felt we needed and IEP in place. I also wanted to have some kind of say in his placement each year and the IEP was a help.
Request Testing
Sugges that they give the Test of Written Language. Grades are subjective and not the best measure of whether a student is eligible for and in need of sped services. As a member of the team, you should ask for testing for the triennial evaluation. In our district, a parent has that right. Not sure about your state, city/district. You might want to contact your parent training center to find that out before the meeting.
Teacher-Mom
My district would not automatically exit a student if the discrepancy decreased. I think you should be prepared to say how much the accommodations help him and that you think that is the only reason he is successful. By the way, it is a discrepancy between the IQ and achievement (in this case, written expression). Exiting a student is a team decision, so if the school members want to dismiss, you can say that you don’t agree and they may back down. I think high school transition is important, and I would not want my child dismissed until it could be determined if they can handle high school work without support.
Janis