IEP \State Tests \ grades

[tryinghard]

I desperately need your advise....

My difficult child is in 6th grade and has had an IEP since 1st grade. He has received one hour each day of one on one in the Special Education class (explaining assignment, reteaching what ever the teachers told ISP teacher he wasn't getting, retaking test, taking tests). Now in middle school, he is in a collaborative English class but not Math. He has struggled all year in math. He only gets a C in the class because he does his homework but gets D's and F's on tests.

SO here is the issue...

Two years ago (4th grade) difficult child scored in the 20th percentile for math, reading and language. EVERY test since then (two times a year in Fall and Spring) he is declining!

I just go the test results and he lost 11 points in math and is now in the 1 percentile, he gained 4 in reading but is now in the 3rd percentile, and he gained 16 in language and is in the 11th percentile.

I emailed his Special Education teacher and told her I wanted him in collaborative English and math next year. It has been three days and I have not received a response.

HELP...what else can I do. It is obvious to me my son stopped growing in the 4th grade but they are not suggesting anything.

Can I do this without an advocate or do I have to spend the money?

I am to the point of sheer desperation....

Since first grade I have paid for a tutor four times a week for an hour even over the summer.

He has NO diagnosed learning dxs'. He qualified because.."Not learning up to his full potential". I guess that means IQ (98) compared to grades???

 

[klmno]

You can call and asked for IEP meeting. If they ignore that, send a certified letter asking for an IEP meeting. They are required to have one if you request it. If school is out for the summer, you might need to wait until the start of next school year. But, you can request it now and call to remind them a couple of weeks before school starts.

In lieu of, or in addition to, collaborative math you might want to consider asking for him to have extra time allowed for tests, or be allowed to take tests outside of class in a smaller setting. You can think about what would help him most- depending on if the problem is that he really isn't "getting" the math as it is taught, or is he primarily struggling with taking tests, due to pressure, anxiety, the way the instructions are worded, etc. These things can be written in the IEP- they are in my son's for a couple of classes.

 

[smallworld]

I'm sure Martie or Sheila will be along to help you on the IEP process.

I'm wondering if your difficult child has ever had private neuropsychological testing. It seems as if something is going on that hasn't been diagnosed yet. That's where I'd put my money.

 

[Sheila]

IEP = Individual Education Plan -- something that tends to get forgotten using the acronym.

I strongly urge you to get your child evaluated privately. There are two ways to get this done.

1) If the sd has evaluated your child recently and you did not agree with the evaluation report, you can request an IEE. (The sd CAN NOT select the private evaluator.)

2) Go out of pocket and get it done.

Without an appropriate IEP, chances are very good that your difficult child will fall further and further behind.

Evaluation reports, whether performed by the sd or done privately, should contain a section on Recommendations (including IEP items).

If your son's percentile rate is falling, I doubt he's getting appropriate school interventions.

 

[Sheila]

by the way, if you ask for an IEE do it in writing and via certified mail.

 

[tryinghard]

Thanks for the advice.

I was in the process of scheduling a Neuro Physc when he was diagnosis'd with type one diabetes on March 15th. It has been a struggle dealing with the diabetes and I am finally ready to try and get testing set up for over the summer.

I am going to ask for an IEP meeting but I guess I am unclear what I am going to tell them at the meeting. Am I suppose to point to the test results and tell them that the IEP is not meeting his needs and I want them to come back with a plan?

 

[tryinghard]

Shelia,

I just opened the link and read the article. WOW..that is pretty much how it is. I an told my son is lazy, he needs to figure it out, there is nothing else they are going to do to help him. I am told that I enable him to be lazy and are too involved.

So after reading the article it appears I need to go outside to get an IEE. Is that the best option? If so, who do I contact to do this? If I go outside, does the schoold district have to accept the findings and recommendations?

I posted earlier that I will call for an IEP before school is out but I am not sure what to say or ask for in the meeting.

Thanks

 

[Martie]

I would try to get the evaluation done by a multidisciplinary team at a children's hospital with a good psychiatric unit. This is especially true becasue of the medicallly complicated situation.

In ALL correspondence with the SD, send letters by CERTIFIED MAIL and STAY OFF THE PHONE

Martie

 

[tryinghard]

Thanks Martie,
One last question just to make sure I am clear.

I will call for an IEP by certified mail. At the IEP I will tell them that I want an IEE paid for by the SD.

Is an IEE the same as a Neuro Physc?

What if they say NO the SD has no money? (Our SD just laid off all teacher with 10 years or less senority and it is a BIG deal around here that the SD has no money)

 

[Martie]

You have a right to an IEE. In some states tat is at SD expense. In others, such as IL, in order for the SD to have to pay, the SD evaluation must be shown to be inadequate.

The law never addresses SDs paying for this stuff. The general answer is "cut the athletic budget," not a popular answer in most locales.

A neuro psychiatric evaluation is directed at brain functioning and related issues. It may be conducted by a neuro psychologist or a neurologist (M.D.). SDs rarely have anyone qualified to conduct a good neuro psychiatric. Many kids on this board need them to get a diagnosis that is accurate enough to support medication management. It is not frequent that a neuro psychiatric will translate DRIECTLY into curricular recommendations, which is why SDs find them to be "unnecessary." by the way, SD must pay for medical EVALUATIONS deemed necessary but not medical Tx.

You will probably need to put your request for an IEE in certified mail after the meeting, i.e., after they say, "No."

Best to you,

Martie

 

[tryinghard]

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[momtoagreatkid]

"Two years ago (4th grade) difficult child scored in the 20th percentile for math, reading and language. EVERY test since then (two times a year in Fall and Spring) he is declining!

I just go the test results and he lost 11 points in math and is now in the 1 percentile, he gained 4 in reading but is now in the 3rd percentile, and he gained 16 in language and is in the 11th percentile."

What kind of testing are you discussing that he is given twice a year? For a child to drop from the 20th percentile to the first percentile in a subject in two years is a huge drop. Anytime a child scores below the 25th percentile on achievement testing, it is a concern, but once a child scores below the second percentile, it is a very loud alarm going off. To say that your child is scoring in the 1st percentile in math, the 4th percentile in reading, and the 11th percentile in language is to say that your child is scoring well below grade-level (50th percentile) and well below average (25th-75th percentile). So what type of testing is your child being given that is showing this?

"He has NO diagnosed learning dxs'. He qualified because.."Not learning up to his full potential". I guess that means IQ (98) compared to grades???"

A child can't qualify for an IEP under "not learning up to his full potential." Your child had to have qualified for an IEP in a certain category, and from what you are saying, I would guess it was Learning Disabled (Learning Disability (LD)) because "not learning up to his full potential" is what an Learning Disability (LD) is. To say that your child has an IQ of 98 is to say that your child's IQ is in the 45th percentile, but academically, he is scoring in the 1st percentile in math (33 points below his IQ, which is over two standard deviations), 4th percentile in reading (28 points below his IQ, which is over one-and-a-half standard deviations), and 11th percentile in "language" (17 points below his IQ, which is just over one standard deviation). That most certainly qualifies your child as Learning Disability (LD).

 

[reallytrying]

Hi there-
I am new here, and I teach SpEd. I understand your frustration, but from a different perspective. We may not be in the same state, but I might be able to help a bit. I really had to push to test a couple of students this past year because of continuously slipping grades, and it really took both me and the classroom teacher gathering work samples, tracking test scores--both state and district, and making observation notes to finally get it going. It's really a shame that students who need the support have to wait so long to get it. I hope you got some sound advice