I am so MAD. My 2nd grade son is a full year behind in reading. His IEP was started February 1st. It says he will be pulled out of his class, into ESE reading for 1/2 hour 4 times a week. In the 5 weeks since he started, he has YET to get all 4 days. He hasn’t gone now in 2 weeks!!!!! I have a meeting set up with the princpal, his teacher, and the ESE teacher tomorrow. I thought for sure he would get reading today - to look good for the meeting tomorrow - but NO READING AGAIN.
They are at a 47% “success” rate.
Am I wrong to think the IEP says what they legally have to do? Is that document just a “general guidline?” Any help out there would be great. I want to walk into that school tomorrow and sue them, but that still doesn’t get my son his reading!
Re: IEP help
Perhaps he actually wants you to pursue this. We don’t have enough personnel for this kind of 1:1 treatment, even if it only 10 minutes per day.
Special ed. varies tremendously around the country, the worst area overall for resources is the south and the west is the second worst. that means in those parts of the country special educators carry the largest caseloads with the least amount of paraprofessional assistance. The northeast was ranked the best.
So, depending upon where you are, this could really be a case of overtaxed special educators who really don’t have the ten minutes, with all the stuff they are expected to so.
My aide has always left 15-30 minutes prior to dismissal (shorter work day) and I teach all day, so I can’t help a child in this fashion nor do I have the resources to promise it.
So, it is possible your district would like documentation that they cannot meet the IEPs with staff they have available. When we were fighting for smaller caseloads in CA, our state legislature said they did not think the size of our caseloads impacted FAPE. They need to be SHOWN that large caseloads and too few paraprofessionals does negatively impact FAPE.
This is the perfect task to assign paraprofessionals to work with, it requires setting up a system and having the aide implement it with students, while the teacher teaches.
Re: IEP help
Thanks, Anitya! I hadn’t thought of it that way. It would explain why he was so bluant about not being able to do anything.
I’ll have to think on this
Kelly,
I hear your pain. I’m in a very similar place.
My 7th grader is very disorganized and failing almost all classes because he forgets to do the work or turn it in. He has an almost blank planner because he’s off in lala land when the teacher gives the assigment. (He should be writing it in the planner.) Part of the problem might be that last year he was pulled out of “Sucess” class for services. Sucess is where they teach organization skills! At the recommendation of the district special ed supervisor, John was to leave his last class 10 minutes early. The special ed aide was to go over his planner with him making sure he had something written for each class and that he had the tools (school books, whatever) to do the assignments in his knapsack. If he forgot, she was to help him think over each class and complete the planner and get the tools. This was to train him and make it a habit for him. At the IEP meeting I asked if this was feasable because I know what school is like for the aide the last few minutes. I was told that they would have to make time for it since it was in the IEP.
He has had stuff written in his planer and the correct tools 3 out of the last 21 school days.
I called the assistant principal to ask what we could do. He said they were trying thier best but were all very busy at the end of the day. I asked if the special ed supervisor would be happy with this situation since it had been her idea. The AP said probably not but she’s not at this school and only has an advisory position. I finally said I didn’t think the State Dept of Ed would be happy with this either. He remark? Do what you feel you have to.
I’m waiting to see if the rest of the IEP is implemented on March 12th as per the paperwork. If not, I will have to file a formal complaint. But I wonder what the State will do? They can’t make someone follow the IEP, can they? Even if it is the law.