How do you get kids with disabilities into highschool college prep classes? I want my kids to go to college, they want to go to college but here in ohio we have this thing called school to work, in jr. high our kids are being tracked into programs designed to have them get jobs right out of highschool, the school to work is pared with the most basic academic classes possible and they are so low level that no college will take the kids without years of remedial classes.how did all of you get your kids in the college prep classes?
Re: how do you get kids w/disabilities into colleg
PASSWORD>aa5lxIzfiwL2E: How? You calmly, politely, steadfastly refuse to accept anything, any
: course or any teacher except the ones that you know are best for
: your child. Does your child have an IEP? Has your child’s IQ been
: tested along with a whole battery of tests including the Woodcock
: Johnson? Your child should be placed at the highest possible level
: based on his/her best test scores and then give every accomodation
: needed in order to succeed.: If one person says “no” then find someone else in the
: school who will support you. If you don’t get anywhere at your
: current school, consider transferring to another public school,
: homeschooling or private school.: My daughter was evaluated in seventh grade. She has severe dysgrafia
: with a handwriting speed in the 4th percentile. Although her hands
: look normal the only people who write slower than she does have
: severe physical handicaps. Her verbal IQ is 142. Inspite of her
: IQ, she was recommended for all day special ed, the class for the
: mentally retarded. The reason and I quote a special ed teacher
: “If you can’t write, you cant’t do anything.”: We took her out of public school and put her in a private one. It was
: difficult financially. We took the money from her college fund,
: because we felt that if we didn’t do something drastic she wasn’t
: going to college anyway. She had a good year in eighth grade, but
: wanted to go a big high school. We talked to the head of special
: ed at our local, public high school and he was great, totally
: different from the people at the middle school down the street.
: She reentered public school in ninth grade in college prep/honors.
: It wasn’t easy. There were always teachers who didn’t understand
: and didn’t want to give accomodations. We moved and it was about
: the same—some wonderfully supportive teachers and others who
: seemed to be from the 1800’s. You have to work with everybody who
: is half way reasonable and avoid the others. It is worth the
: effort.: My daughter is now a college student and doing very well.: Good luck to you.Easier said than done Sherry, but I absolutely agree with you! It took a lot of dealing with people who hold the keys to my child’s education, to get to the one that could unlock the door to one of my child’s classes. It took many conversations until I reached the one who could get the job done, and it is so unnecessary. My child felt the he was barred from the class because he has an iep, and frankly, I agree. When I made them explain how placement was determined, and we looked at standardized testing, they changed placement. This change was what was the appropriate thing for my child. Placement was discussed at the iep meeting for this subject, and yet another placement was later selected, despite the iep team meeting. Anyway with much persistance, I was able to get my child into the appropriate class.Sherry, the placement suggestions for your gifted daughter sound outrageous, and I can see why you left the public system. However, parents should just not need to make such decisions. Qualified professionals who understand that dysgraphia does not mean that you have a below average IQ, should be evaluating placements with you. I would think that your daughter’s IQ is quite a bit higher than the brilliant one who suggested an all day sp ed placement for metally retarded for a student with an IQ of 142 and fine motor difficutly.
Re: demand the education your child is intitled to
They would have kept my daughter in basic skill math through the 9th grade. She is ADD. I recognized she would always be just below the level they wanted her to be so I insisted they put her in Pre-Algebra in the 9th grade. She had been tutored for three years previous to this and i had intended to hire a tutor if need be to help her in the Algebra. I had also recognized that she did better with harder math than the basics. She is in the 10th grade now and doing A-B in Algebra. She still is not fluent ( still pretty poor actually) with basic facts but kicks butt with the bi and polynomials. i had to sign a waiver for the school because they did not recommend her to be in the Algebra. My advise to you and to anybody in our failing education system is don’t let the system hold your kid back! Do the research, know your child and demand what is the best thing for that child.
How? You calmly, politely, steadfastly refuse to accept anything, any course or any teacher except the ones that you know are best for your child. Does your child have an IEP? Has your child’s IQ been tested along with a whole battery of tests including the Woodcock Johnson? Your child should be placed at the highest possible level based on his/her best test scores and then give every accomodation needed in order to succeed.If one person says “no” then find someone else in the school who will support you. If you don’t get anywhere at your current school, consider transferring to another public school, homeschooling or private school.My daughter was evaluated in seventh grade. She has severe dysgrafia with a handwriting speed in the 4th percentile. Although her hands look normal the only people who write slower than she does have severe physical handicaps. Her verbal IQ is 142. Inspite of her IQ, she was recommended for all day special ed, the class for the mentally retarded. The reason and I quote a special ed teacher “If you can’t write, you cant’t do anything.”We took her out of public school and put her in a private one. It was difficult financially. We took the money from her college fund, because we felt that if we didn’t do something drastic she wasn’t going to college anyway. She had a good year in eighth grade, but wanted to go a big high school. We talked to the head of special ed at our local, public high school and he was great, totally different from the people at the middle school down the street. She reentered public school in ninth grade in college prep/honors. It wasn’t easy. There were always teachers who didn’t understand and didn’t want to give accomodations. We moved and it was about the same—some wonderfully supportive teachers and others who seemed to be from the 1800’s. You have to work with everybody who is half way reasonable and avoid the others. It is worth the effort.My daughter is now a college student and doing very well.Good luck to you.