I recently had my first IEP for my brother, who is in his second month at new high school.
The sped director was going to revise the accomodations list, which we went over and then add the additional recommended accomodations from the IEE. We received the revised accomodations list in the mail and also a revised present level of educational performance page. Under: How does the disability affect progress in the curriculum area? It says:
Independent testing was completed on X date by Dr. X. This testing was received on date X by X high school and a meeting was help on X date to discuss and review results. This information will be added on to Vito’s current IEP. Tests administered by Dr. X were: (extensive list of testing) and that is all it says. That too me says nothing on how his dysgraphia, dyslexia, receptive and expressive language disorders, APD are affecting his performance.
Then under: “What type(s) of accommodations, if any, is necessary for the student to make affective progress?” it says:
Conclusions and summary of testing by Dr. X stated, “Student X, is a fourteen year old, right handed adolescent whose overall intellectual abilities are in the low average to average range. Student X neuropsychological profile reveals significant attention deficits for short bits of visual and auditory information, significant sequencing and prioritization deficits, severely impaired graph motor speed (dysgraphia), dyslexia, and spelling and math disabilities. Based on testing, student shows strengths reflecting that he has worked very hard including his generally store of information and vocabulary (advocate said this was age related, maturity) Student X’s profile is consistent with an “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder given that his attention deficits severely impact upon his new learning” Dr. X mentioned the possibility of medication for student X but mother is against medication for Vito. Mother also disagrees with Dr. X assessment of ADHD. His liaison agrees and does not see hyperactivity but rather sees lethargy and times (happened twice in 8 weeks of school) when student X puts his head down. The lead teacher/liasons/english teacher is making sure student x has preferential seating and that he is not avoiding work.
Despite the above, student X has done well so far vocationally……
Student x continues to receive special needs support in English, math, social studies and science and direct speech and language support in class and out of class”
Ok, so aside from the fact that I don’t feel the IEP is the place to discuss medication issues. This sounds all wrong for the present levels of performance. He received three tests from the Wide Range Achievement test, reading SS 79, Spelling SS 68, and Arithmetic SS 65. These are incredibly low to me. He does not receive actual services; he is in sped classes, which the school feels are appropriate. He does not receive reading help, he is in a reading class where they do not use a reading program, the teacher has them silently read, occasionally they take turns reading, and she also reads to him.
It seems that the school is focusing on attention issues, which I figured they would once they saw they letters ADHD and there is no focus on his APD, which is severe.
On top of that the SLP said he is going to work on organization with my brother. I am scheduling a new speech and language eval for him and a new APD screening since it was 18 months ago.
This school does not believe in remediation, they kept saying that they didn’t want to give my brother a crutch and we needed to teach him to be independent. How will he be independent if he can only read at a second grade level? There is no way that silent reading will increase his ability to read. The DR also mentioned in her report that my brother lacked phonemic awareness skills and is reading based completely on memory of words, so how is doing more of the same going to make him a better reader.
I need help, I know his program is not going to help him academically, I am glad that he will have a skill but if he can’t read and write and perform math functions, what good will it be.
Also, how do they expect him to pass the MCAS? They suggested he should join the once a week homework club. I am feeling this is the same crap all over again, dumb everything in my brother’s lap and blame him for not succeeding!!
Any thoughts or suggestions?
K.
Re: New School, same IEP problems
No apology necessary!! I sit in front of my computer almost on a daily basis and try not to write and in CAPS!! It sound like we are in similar positions, the school says they are great for LD children and provide so much extra for them, when in reality they don’t!!
I don’t want to fight anymore and wish they would just step up and give him what he needs!!
K.
Re: New School, same IEP problems
What kind of goals do they have set for him? How are they going to meet them? Have you ever considered complaining to your local office of civil rights for denial of FAPE due to his disabilities?
Re: New School, same IEP problems
Well, thats the next problem, I find the goals to be completely horrible. The first goal is Math, the goal is:
Student will use the problem solving process when working with extended basic operations and equations involving higher level skills. This goal will be measured by a change of 10 %tile rank in his Broad Math score on a standarized test.
His PR rank on the Woodcock Johnson as of 4/29/02 was 10th percentile, that only brings it too 20%tile, which is still below average!
Second goal is Reading, goal is:
Student will improve basic readingskills and comprehension to a levle that is commensurate with curriculum material.
It says under what will student need to do to complete this goal:
Student will encode/decode words at his instructional level given rules and syllabications patterns. Student will orally read a passage at his instructional level using rules and syllabication patterns. Student will orally answe comprehension questions about passages read given selections presented at his instructional elvel and teacher director discussion.
Huh? He does not have any reading program, he has a reading class that he attends during academic weeks of school. He said today that he wants out of the class because he feels that he is not getting any help just sitting having to read a book he doesn’t understand. I told him to make an appt with sped director, he needs his opinions to be heard. There has to be someway to get him reading program!
There is also a second reading goal:
To provide student with addtional word pattern strategies that increase his ability to decode and encode real and nonsense words.
HE will reach this goal:
Student will use the skills he has learned while reading both controlled and non-controlled texts. He will recognize in a letter grouping the six essential syllable types and the sounds they produce!
Ok, so what next? There are also written language skills across the curriculum goals, speech and language goals, 2 communication goals, ( I just noticed that communication goal is same as speech/lang goal) Task focus goal.
The entire IEP talks about how my brother will demonstrate the goal but not how he will reach it!
I don’t know, I need help! Where can I learn how to write goals that match his needs, like getting a reading program and real speech and lang help?
K.
Re: New School, same IEP problems
Why don’t those goals reflect appropriate or ANY grade level? What grade level is the curriculum they talk about? How much time are they giving him to get an 10% increase? If they are giving him one year, this sounds very much like the Shannon Carter case (see wrightslaw website) where the district assigned goals that were way too low. Since you disagree with the goals and the methodoology or lack there of, put your concerns in writing and demand prior written notice. In PWN, they will have to address your questions and why they are refusing to try to get him to grade level. Hopefully when they have to write all this info down, they will realize how stupid it sounds. This is what they must include.
1) a description of the action proposed or refused by the agency;
(2) an explanation of why the agency proposes or refuses to take the action;
(3) a description of any other options that the agency considered and the reasons why those options were rejected;
(4) a description of each evaluation procedure, test, record or report that the agency used as a basis for the proposed or refused action;
(5) a description of any other factors that are relevant to the agency’s proposal or refusal;
(6) a statement that the parents of a child with a disability have protection under the procedural safeguards of this part and, if this notice is not an initial referral for evaluation, the means by which a copy of a description of the procedural safeguards can be obtained; and
(7) sources for parents to contact to obtain assistance in understanding the provision of this part.
BE SURE YOU RECEIVE YOUR PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS REQUIRED BY LAW
good luck!
Re: New School, same IEP problems
The IEP that the new school is working on, was written by the old school, that is why the goals are so awful. That is how the school operated, they kept saying “They are only goals and if they are not met, no big deal!” Even the atty we hired said that at one of the meetings! I was appalled, I thought the purpose of services and writing goals was to actual accomplish them. How will he feel successful if he has not had any success!
How can I learn to write goals myself? Based on his neeeds of reading better, he is at 2nd-3rd grade level, math about a 5th grade level, speech and language, still confusing sounds but I am setting up a new eval, and auditory processing issues? You saw the goals that are there now, they are useless! Which the school probably loves!
What are good programs, books, or tapes I should look for?
K.
K, from reading on the board here lately I get the impression that most high schools do not believe in remediation. When my son first started high school here I thought they were different-but it seems to of been a ploy. They got me relaxing not worrying then they pulled the rug. I looked at their web-site and it bragged how they helped their LD students to improve and how their scores have gone up. What I want to know is how can they say this? I pulled their last reportcard and noticed that 0 students on IEP’s took the PSAE (states test given in 11th grade), that only 4 students on 504 plans took the test, and another 3 students took the alternative assessment. Now you can not tell me that their are only 7 special ed students in a school with 1200 students. When it listed the percentage of students who took the test it was less then 100. When they broke down which percentage of which kids passed the test they never mentioned children with learning disabilities. So I think to make their numbers look good they just don’t include the scores of children with disabilities into the mix. Sorry did not mean to vent–-just in one of those moods today.