Hi,
I have been homeschooling my 8-year-old daughter and now I’m sending her to public school. I am doing it because in our state a student is qualified for a special private scholarship if they spend the previous year in public school UNDER an IEP.
My question is, how do I approach the teacher about her problems?
1. She has a severe case of CAPD and her reading skills are beginning 1st grade.
2. Her math skills are about the same level as her math.
3. She needs preferential seating and probably an FM device.
We have wasted a lot of time trying to teach/understand in ways there were not clear to her. Now that I know what works for her we have been doing it but it hasn’t been enough so that her skills are at a end of 1st/beg. of 2nd grade level.
She is extremely bright and as long as the material was in a visual format, she had no problem. Reading has been different—she is just beginnin to catch on to what it’s about. Math is better because I am teaching part+part=whole and thinking patterns like if 7+7=14, then 7+8=?. Repition and drills were useless.
I will continue to work with her after school each day.
What do I say to the teacher to explain about her level of skill? How do I let her know she will be getting testing (private) in order to try to get an IEP?
Thank you!
Re: Aproaching the teacher at beginning of school
How about writing a 504 plan. You can include modifications and adaptations in it. I’m not certain you can get AT throught it as it is not a SPED placement, but it’s worth looking at.
Re: Aproaching the teacher at beginning of school
I would request a meeting before school starts, but if that’s not possible perhaps you can go to the school on the 1st day and speak with the teacher. Also, contact the Child Study Team as soon as possible and request an evaluation and testing. This is your right as a parent, and the Child Study Team must respond to your request and evaluate your daughter. If they deem it necessary (which, from what you have written, they should), they will contact you so they can begin testing. Check the laws in your state, and keep a copy of them so you can make sure everything is being done as it should be.
As for accommodations while this is going on…preferential seating should not be a problem at all. I was given preferential seating in elementary school because I wore glasses and needed to be close to the chalkboard. I don’t know how it is in your state, but when I was trained as a teacher, I was taught to ALWAYS use multi-sensory teaching. Even as a high school teacher, I always make sure I have visuals, as well as manipulatives, while I am speaking to accommodate every learning style. Assistive technology will be hard to get from a district before your daughter is given an IEP. AT is expensive, and most districts will not purchase it for a student unless it is documented in an IEP.
You can request a meeting with the teacher before school starts. Kind of a “getting to know you” type meeting. Write up a short paper on the accommodations that you have been doing and what works for your dd. Bring a snack for your meeting to make it more friendly.
Private testing will probably not get you an IEP if the school hasn’t tested her, although it may help with additional information. You need to request an IEP evaluation before school starts. Part of this evaluation is parental input where you can write up a more comprehensive explaination of what you have been doing for your dd.
A great book to help you with advocating for your dd is From Emotions to Advocacy by Pete and Pam Wright. It has lots of information on how to work with the school, documentation, letters and how to understand testing and measurements used by the school.