I would appreciate any feedback on what to expect during the 1st meeting to discuss my daughters results from her testing.
My daughter was in a public school her kindergarten, 1st grade and 1st quarter of her second grade years. I fought all through the 1st grade with the school to have her tested. She was tested in preshool due to concerns I had regarding her speech development, but were told everything was normal. The teachers continued to claim during kindergarten and 1st grade that all kids develop at different levels and she is doing fine, the concerns that I had regarding speech, letter recognition, reading and math difficulties were normal. I worked with her frequently to improve her skills and also she saw a tutor during her 1st grade and the first quarter of the second grade. She did well on a one to one basis, but when she was in the classroom she was very distracted. She would come home with headaches constantly. I took her to her pediatrician who diagnosed tension headaches. She was in a non structured classroom where there were groups working on different things at one time and had alot of trouble concentrating. I requested that she be tested, but again I was put off by the teacher, she said she is doing ok.(This was the beginning of the teachers 2nd year of teaching) I took her to an audiologist and an ENT to have her evaluated and it was found that her hearing tested at the low end of normal, and they suggested that she might be experiencing central auditory processing disorders. I also took her to an opthalmologist to have her vision tested and it was found that she was just on the borderline for needing glasses. I relayed this information to the teacher and she said she would talk to her other teachers (reading improvement, gym, music, art) to get their feedback on how she acts in class in order to determine if she should be tested. She said that would take about 6 weeks. I finally got fed up and was able to enroll my daughter in a private school immediately. I explained the situation to them and they stated that they will fill out the necessary paperwork immediately to have my daughter tested which they did and within 2 months we had a meeting at the local public school with the educational specialist, psycologist, social worker, speech pathologist, and nurse to discuss my concerns. They just finished her testing and we will be meeting to discuss the results. By the way, since my daughter transferred to the private school, she hasn’t had one headache and her reading and math are greatly improved, the classroom is much more structured and the teachers are very experienced, however her standardized testing scores were well below average. I have come to find out that the school district does not test for central auditory processing disorders and I’m planning on having her tested independently. I don’t know what to expect at all at this meeting and would appreciate any feedback.
Re: what should I expect during 1st meeting to discuss testi
What’s very different about this meeting is that your daughter is no longer in public school. The focus of such meetings is usually what services to provide to the child in the public school setting. As your daughter is in private school and you seem to intend to keep her there, all you would want our services outside of the school day. It’s possible to get speech/language therapy for your daughter before or after school.
However, the first thing they should discuss with you is the results of the testing. Under normal circumstances, there would be a great many people at the meeting. The current classroom teacher, last year’s teacher, the principal sometimes, the school psychologist and almost anyone they can throw in the mix. I’ve always felt this is done to “stack the deck” against the one or two parents attending…to overwhelm their presence with the presence of district employees.
But whether they’ll bother to do that when the child is already out of their school is a question to which I don’t know the answer. I would ask around if you can. Are there other parents whose children have been identified to have had learning differences and who have gotten services from the district. Try to find out what you can.
Try also to figure out what you would like. Be prepared to listen to the test results, try to ask your questions, and try to decide whether what they’re saying matches what you’ve observed in your daughter. Then ask what services they would suggest or list the services you would like them to provide to this child.
Remember that she is enititled by law to have an IEP but they are limits as to what they have to do now that she is in not in public school.
You might consider calling your state office of complaince and asking them some questions about what the districts in your state normally provide for children with learning differences in private schools.
Good luck.
Understand how to interpret the test results
Ask them for a copy of the test results prior to the meeting. Go into LD INDepth and read under the Assessment section an article by Wrightslaw entitled how to understand test results.
My dd’s testing had all kinds of discrepancies in it as well as significant subtest scatter - but the school told me - all is well and she doesn’t show any problems and does not qualify for an IEP. I called them on the discrepancies, they fumbled a bit, recalled another meeting with the district and low and behold we were told that she does qualify. (I have always felt they were being deceptive to me?)
The fact that you are now in a private school, could potentially mean that they won’t have to provide any services - they are only obligated to do the testing and write-up an IEP(but they don’t have to provide the services in the IEP, nor does the private school).
Althought this may make you really upset, consider the fact that even if the school did provide the services, they probably are not going to be intensive enough to do any good. You probably would have to seek private therapy on your own anyway. We won the battle on getting our dd services in school, but lost in the end because the pull-out she was getting was worthless.
You should expect...
that someone will review the scores with you and explain what they mean. Whether it turns into a discussion of other stuff like services really depends on what the scores look like.
You should have a copy of the test results before the meeting- it is unfair to expect you to participate in an intelligent discussion over numbers you haven’t seen. You cannot develop questions then and if you are like most parents the numbers are confusing and you will have questions.
Unless the individualized testing corroborates it, and her teachers are also concerned, I wouldn’t worry much about group administered achievement tests. They are at best a snapshot and not a very effective one at that. Their real benefit lies in the assessment of a large group and in establishing trends, not assessing individual progress.
If you child qualifies for services- and remember- this depends on the test results (many students are tested but not all of them need services) the public school is obligated to make the services available. They are not obligated to get them to her, or her to them- and neither is the private school. The schedule is something you have to work out and it occasionally is quite difficult to do that. Some districts, if they have the personnel, will offer after school as an option, but not many, and they don’t have to. They have to offer a slot in the service providers day- period. If this doesn’t seem fair- and this discussion has assuredly happened on this board before:)- it is ultimately the parent’s decision to remove their child from public school. There are consequences to that decision ( like any decision) and one of them is convenience.
However- let us not jump the gun here. First the test results have to be explained and that is what will happen at that meeting- I hope.
Robin
Wendy,
Couple of quick thoughts. First is, notify them 24hrs in advance that you wish to tape record the meeting. If anyone asks why, just tell them the truth. All the new information is overwhelming and you want to be able to review and digest everything at home afterwards. That way, if you have any further questions, or if you misunderstood something, you can hopefully see your way clear with the taped copy of the meeting.
Don’t go alone. Bring someone. The child’s father is a good start, or someone else supportive who will help with the tape machine and listen to what is going on; ie a second pair of ears…
Bring a list of questions written out and a note pad to jot things down.
Make a point of asking questions regarding the types of testing offered and why. For example, the auditory testing you say they do not do… The law is specific that children who are suspected of ld should be tested in all areas of deficit or suspected deficit. There can’t really be a good reason as to why they don’t test in any given area, as they can always refer out to independend examiners if it is determined that she may have disabilties in this area. Whether or not they will do this is another story.
You will find the non-public school has only certain obligations, and the district must still be responsible. You will possibly get passed back and forth, and precious time will pass.
Follow your gut instincts about the program and placement of your child. If she is thriving in the other environment, your position and instincts are probably right on. District may argue otherwise.
Be documenting everything. Do as little as possible over the phone and try to make all communications be in writing and traceable. Write response letters to any conversations that were either in the halls, or on the phone. Confirm what was said and ask to have anything clarified.
Do your utmost to be respectful and courteous. DO NOT SIGN ANY DOCUMENTS IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING SAID OR WRITTEN.
It is ok for you to simply say that you wish to review the document and return it in a day or so.
To answer your question: You should expect almost anything. Best bet is to go in prepared for the worst, but expect the best. Don’t be paranoid, just be prepared.
Strongly suggest you go to web sites like Socks’ (from this bb, and others), included would be www.wrightslaw.com and www.edlaw.com . Become as familiar as possible with the areas you are dealing with. Rights and responsiblities regarding IEPs, placement, testing and evaluations…
Most of all, keep a level head and a sense of humor. Bring a snack and a drink, so you will be able to keep your blood sugar level during what could be a hectic or unerving meeting. If it goes well, you have snacks to offer the rest and make friends…
Best of luck.
Andy