LD Class Size for Reading and Writing Difficulties

Check your state regulations regarding special education. Unfortunately, here in Iowa the regulations say that a resource program can have up to 18 students with one teacher and that it can be operated on a multicategorical basis. Definitely not small group or individualized!

I dont know where you are but here in Ohio my son is LD in reading and writing and he has a LD tutor and it is 1 on 1 with her for a hour each day and the rest of his work is modified and he gets reduced writing work and no time limits on test.He will be in 3 rd grade in Aug.a and he had this arrangement for the most of 2 nd grade and I was told by the school psy. he will work with this LD teacher most likely for the next 3 years one on one. tHe school does have sp. ed classes but since he is of normal or above normal intelligence this is whay they offer him .It seems to be working good and he has started to read .I was reading up on what I should ask for in his iep on the net and this is one one thing I was planning to do .I did not know that the school offered it.

Could it be that your child is receiving instruction a reading program called Reading Recovery? This program is offered one on one and is usually offered to below level readers who are not LD. It’s value to the LD population is questionable.

Helen

No he is not in the program reading recovery.He does his reg. curriculm work with her .My son has a IQ of 140 or better and the school found out though their testing to have a severe discrepancy between acheivement and ability in written expression, basic reading skills,reading comprehension, ans mathmatics calculation.He does math in his head in to the 1000s addition , subtraction and multiplcation.However he cant write the numbers in order or in the right direction.Also he needs to refer to charts to print or write most letters even his name he often miss spells or writes the letters backwards.He is just about to turn 9.He has been though vision therapy with no improvement.He does alot of his work verbally and his tutor or teacher writes for him .Here all classes at my childrens school are no larger in student size than 20.22 at the most.My son classes have always been 15 to 17 students in reg. ed.their are 6 classes per grade level.

D.,
Depending on your state there are limits to class sizes. Try the following sites they may help you or contact your state’s Dept. of Education and ask about maximum class sizes for Special Education classes. Officeofspecialeducationprograms,com
Idea97.com
Ericclearinghouseondisabilitiesandgiftededucation

Hope these help, if they don’t tell me what state you are in and I’ll find you some more help.
Jerry

Thanks for the information everyone! I have checked the state regulations, and I have also called the county’s special education representative who filled me in on all of the ratio options provided depending on what types of services he needs. So, I now know what I should be asking for on my IEP for teacher to student ratios. I know the ratio is “adequate”. One on one for one hour a day would be optimal, but that’s probably not going to happen unless we get an outside tutor on our own.