Full Inclusion

IEP determines placement, if he needs a self-contained class, they have to provide it for him. His parents should get themselves an advocate and call for another IEP meeting.

Is there any way that the child can be placed in a lower grade since his needs are so diverse from your classroom? I can understand your frustration as I have children who are 2 years behind also. Maybe this new child can go into a lower grade just for reading. I will be grateful to hear what you are going to do.

You really can’t put a 5th grader into a lower classroom. The social stigma would be devastating. If this child’s cannot be met in your classroom, he is entitled to a free and appropriate education (emphasis on appropriate) in the least restrictive environment. The district is required by law to place him in another class be it public or private where his needs can be met. Least restrictive environment takes a back seat to appropriate education.

Mary,
It looks like we are in the same boat. Prior to this year I have support faciltated and cotaught with students with mild disabilities in the inclusive regular classroom seeting. This year I have moved to a new school and I am also doing “full inclusion” in a middle school setting. I have 24 students who are LD, ADHD, Emotionally handicapped and educable mentally handicapped. While I have seen inclusion to be very successfull for most of the students who otherwise have been in a self contained setting for most if not all of their academic career. I think I do have 2 students who are primary or nonreaders and I have had a difficult time meeting their needs which would require me to work with them 1 on 1 for an extensive amount of time. Since this is not possible I am currently seeking reading programs that emphasize phonemic awareness and auditory processing with a preference toward a software program that allows them to work independnetly but also allow me to track thier progress and supplement this with additional reading instruction with me. I am currenlty looking at the Edmark Reading Program and Earobics for Adolscents and Adults as well as the SRA Reading Lab program that has step leveled reading. We also have ordered a wonderful indiviudalized instruction using “gameboy” like programs called brainchild (www.brainchild.com). I hope this offers some assistance. Let me know if you come up with any other ideas to help or low functioning students in the reg ed classroom. GOOD LUCK

Edmark is a very good program for your non-readers. I may have a good program that you could use with some of your readers who are above Edmark, but still need spelling and reading support and phonemic awareness work to improve spelling, reading, and vocabulary. All students work mostly independently or in pairs in these materials, even at different levels, so it frees you up to work one on one with the ones who really need it. It
comes in a binder of 20-23 reproducible lessons of 12 pages each, so you buy one binder for each level you need (there are 3, corresponding to reading levels: 2-3, 3-4, & 4-6). It’s called Looking Glass Spelling. I’m a special
ed teacher, and the author. My whole school uses it, and it has been very successful. Go to my website at www.gwhizresources.com and check out the sample chapter of Level 1. Email me if you are interested, and I can give you more info, prices, etc.
Fern Goldstein

But… a teacher isn’t going to make it happen. Hey, I’m required by law to keep the speedo under 65, too — but that doesn’t make it happen now, does it?

How do the parents feel about the placement?

Any way the kiddo could at least “visit” a lower classroom? To “tutor” or “help” them?