Ohio SpEd Victory
- Thread starter flutterby
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Sheila
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Thanks for posting this.
I'm very glad the kids won this suit.
Bittersweet -- it took 18 yrs to get through the legal system -- requiring Ohio to do something it is already required to do and have been for many, many years (+/-1960'sor 1970's)?
Where has the US DOE been? They are suppose to pull federal funds from states when IDEA is not implemented.
I wonder much money they spent fighting this suit tooth and nail over the last 18 yrs?
How many special needs kids lost out over the last 18 yrs....?
Fingers crossed that this mandate will be enforced.
I'm very glad the kids won this suit.
Bittersweet -- it took 18 yrs to get through the legal system -- requiring Ohio to do something it is already required to do and have been for many, many years (+/-1960'sor 1970's)?
Where has the US DOE been? They are suppose to pull federal funds from states when IDEA is not implemented.
I wonder much money they spent fighting this suit tooth and nail over the last 18 yrs?
How many special needs kids lost out over the last 18 yrs....?
Fingers crossed that this mandate will be enforced.
flutterby
Fly away!
It made front page of the Columbus Dispatch, so it was big news around here.
What I've noticed so far? They used new forms for the IEP this year. difficult child was the first one they used it on.
Seriously, though. We *finally* have an IEP with teeth and a SpEd teacher that was taking it around personally to all of difficult child's teachers and explaining it to them.
This is my first experience with this school, since it's the high school, so I don't know if this is a result of the settlement or if it's just how they do things. I have to think that the settlement is playing a part. Because when I registered her (since she was home schooled last year) and met with the guidance counselor, the fact that she has an IEP didn't play a part at all into her choosing classes. And now they're wanting to fix that. Except that I have a difficult child with severe anxiety who is not at all willing to change classes mid year.
But, we got everything else we wanted that will help difficult child be successful in school.
But, yeah....18 years. Unbelievable. It doesn't address the funding issue. Ohio has had all kinds of issues with school funding. I don't even know how it works anymore.
What I've noticed so far? They used new forms for the IEP this year. difficult child was the first one they used it on.
Seriously, though. We *finally* have an IEP with teeth and a SpEd teacher that was taking it around personally to all of difficult child's teachers and explaining it to them.
This is my first experience with this school, since it's the high school, so I don't know if this is a result of the settlement or if it's just how they do things. I have to think that the settlement is playing a part. Because when I registered her (since she was home schooled last year) and met with the guidance counselor, the fact that she has an IEP didn't play a part at all into her choosing classes. And now they're wanting to fix that. Except that I have a difficult child with severe anxiety who is not at all willing to change classes mid year.
But, we got everything else we wanted that will help difficult child be successful in school.
But, yeah....18 years. Unbelievable. It doesn't address the funding issue. Ohio has had all kinds of issues with school funding. I don't even know how it works anymore.
svengandhi
Well-Known Member
If the classes she is in aren't a problem, why would her IEP require them to be changed? To me, academics comes first. We dropped one session of resource room last year because it conflicted with difficult child's foreign language and dropped resource entirely this year because he takes honors classes instead. We just rewrote his IEP for indirect/consultant teacher services.
This is good news for Special Education kids in Ohio. I do believe it will turn the school system in this state on its head though. Rumor is that school districts will only hire teachers with Special Education degrees and will begin phasing out all current teachers that don't meet that requirement. Given that most every classroom has several Special Education kids in their classroom, this seems likely. However my easy child is in her senior year in college pursuing an education degree and no one foresaw this coming so they could counsel students to get certified in Special Education. Actually Ohio has a strange certification program which really limits the teachers ability to find jobs here.
A little off the subject but the ruling is good news for kids.
Nancy
A little off the subject but the ruling is good news for kids.
Nancy
svengandhi
Well-Known Member
My daughter is a college freshman planning to be a Special Education teacher. I find it strange that ALL teachers have to have a sped certificate. I think that there should be more courses taught in college on sped so that teachers are more at ease and knowledgeable about sped but I don't believe that a certificate is necessary for all teachers.
If you want to teach HS math, your major concern should be math competency and sped should be an aspect. Believe me, I have had enough experience with teachers (especially math teachers) who don't think they have to deal with sped needs but the bottom line is that I want my kid to be taught math by someone who majored in math, not sped (unless my child is really low functioning and is just learning life skills). I am glad that my daughter is planning to teach elementary school and autistic kids because she sucks at higher level math and I would be ****** if she was teaching serious math to my children as a teacher.
Just my two cents. However, more exposure for teachers to sped issues and concepts is only a good thing.
If you want to teach HS math, your major concern should be math competency and sped should be an aspect. Believe me, I have had enough experience with teachers (especially math teachers) who don't think they have to deal with sped needs but the bottom line is that I want my kid to be taught math by someone who majored in math, not sped (unless my child is really low functioning and is just learning life skills). I am glad that my daughter is planning to teach elementary school and autistic kids because she sucks at higher level math and I would be ****** if she was teaching serious math to my children as a teacher.
Just my two cents. However, more exposure for teachers to sped issues and concepts is only a good thing.
svengandhi
Well-Known Member
Flutterby-
I understand now. But if she's happy, maybe a push in for the rest of the year in the courses that are not co-taught might work and she can go into co-taught next year.
I am debating putting my now 5th grader into inclusion (what my SD calls co-taught) next year in middle school. There are 6 sped kids out of 24 in a co-taught class. In my SD, kids have one teacher for science and math and another for english and SS in 6th with separate teachers for specials and foreign language. However, the inclusion kids are apparently not given a language but have resource room during that period. It's a tough choice as he is looking forward to following his older sibs into Latin.
I understand now. But if she's happy, maybe a push in for the rest of the year in the courses that are not co-taught might work and she can go into co-taught next year.
I am debating putting my now 5th grader into inclusion (what my SD calls co-taught) next year in middle school. There are 6 sped kids out of 24 in a co-taught class. In my SD, kids have one teacher for science and math and another for english and SS in 6th with separate teachers for specials and foreign language. However, the inclusion kids are apparently not given a language but have resource room during that period. It's a tough choice as he is looking forward to following his older sibs into Latin.
flutterby
Fly away!
It's not that she's happy in her current classes, it will just create too much anxiety to move her at this point in the year. I had to stop the discussion because her face was turning red, she was starting to cry and I could hear her doing the panicked breathing.
So, it's in her IEP that next school year she will be in classes that are co-taught - except for foreign language (where it isn't offered) and whatever art classes she takes.
They talked to her about an Academic Assist class, which is just a guided study hall (only 8 kids in the class, so they get extra help with homework, etc); it would replace her current study hall. She balked about that and we left it that the SpEd teacher would let her scope it out.
So, it's in her IEP that next school year she will be in classes that are co-taught - except for foreign language (where it isn't offered) and whatever art classes she takes.
They talked to her about an Academic Assist class, which is just a guided study hall (only 8 kids in the class, so they get extra help with homework, etc); it would replace her current study hall. She balked about that and we left it that the SpEd teacher would let her scope it out.
svengandhi
Well-Known Member
Well, I guess as long as you are on top of it. Maybe she could compromise and go into a co-taught class in one subject (maybe one she needs the most help in) to test it out. I don't know if that's possible. In my school, the inclusion class I mentioned is the only one - SIX kids out of about 400 in the grade can be in this program so that solution wouldn't be possible.
In the HS, there are more co-taught classes. My now 10th grader, who's my kid with anxiety, was in a couple of push-in/co-taught classes last year. He actually went to the sped teacher outside of the class and BEGGED her not to approach him in class. This year, he took himself out of that program by enrolling in all honors classes which are never co-taught, though there have been occasions where an individual child has had an aide in the class for some reason. on the other hand, my friends whose kids are in the push in classes really like them as it often reduces the need to go to resource room, which HS kids hate for the most part.
In the HS, there are more co-taught classes. My now 10th grader, who's my kid with anxiety, was in a couple of push-in/co-taught classes last year. He actually went to the sped teacher outside of the class and BEGGED her not to approach him in class. This year, he took himself out of that program by enrolling in all honors classes which are never co-taught, though there have been occasions where an individual child has had an aide in the class for some reason. on the other hand, my friends whose kids are in the push in classes really like them as it often reduces the need to go to resource room, which HS kids hate for the most part.
svengandhi, what was reported in our media is that in our city the rate of Special Education chidren in the school district is 15% and most of those are included in the regular classroom and some are taken out for Special Education services. With that high a percentage of Special Education kids they are just not hiring teachers who don't have that certification. They can afford to be picky.
I was just talking to my easy child abot this today. We can't figure out why Special Education is not taught to ALL teachers, why it is not part of the education curriculum. She is going into a classroom next week for her five week methods instruction and when she observed today she found that there are several Special Education students in the class, one of the boys has autism and he is completely included so the regular classroom teacher is soley responsible for his learning. It makes no sense that they wouldn't include Special Education training for all teachers. It's one of those things that makes you shake your head.
I'm not sure what the answer is but as long as we have inclusion teachers need the training to handle it.
Nancy
I was just talking to my easy child abot this today. We can't figure out why Special Education is not taught to ALL teachers, why it is not part of the education curriculum. She is going into a classroom next week for her five week methods instruction and when she observed today she found that there are several Special Education students in the class, one of the boys has autism and he is completely included so the regular classroom teacher is soley responsible for his learning. It makes no sense that they wouldn't include Special Education training for all teachers. It's one of those things that makes you shake your head.
I'm not sure what the answer is but as long as we have inclusion teachers need the training to handle it.
Nancy
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