Wish me Luck: IEP for Tigger in an hour

JJJ

Active Member
I called an IEP for Tigger and we meet this afternoon. I am hoping that we will agree to a partial change in placement. He currently spends 20 minute/day in the regular lunchroom and 80 minutes/day in either regular gym or Learning Disability (LD) math (block schedule so classes are every other day). I'm asking that he be assigned to the Learning Disability (LD) reading and Learning Disability (LD) writing classes due to his significant needs for remediation, his desire to do the work and his track record over the last year at academic improvement when provided with direct instruction.

That would leave him in the emotional support room 50% of his day. The pattern of the classes would mean that he was never out of the ES room more than 2 hours in a row; nor would he be in the ES room for more than 2 hours at a time.

I think he can handle this. His current behavior charts don't mean their arbitrary requirement for behavior for a placement change but I think they know me well enough to not try and use an illegal standard to block a move to a less restrictive environment.

That brings me to the second point of the meeting. Their current behavior plan for the classroom stinks. Tigger often has no idea if he lost points or not. And he will lose the exact same number of points for sitting quietly for 15 minutes while he regains control as he does if he screams profanity for those same 15 minutes. Luckily, Tigger wants to be good so he tries to hold it together even if the school's behavior chart doesn't reward him.
 

buddy

New Member
Good Luck, but you dont need it for yourself, maybe for their response...smile.......you seem to really have clear good points so they should respond well...(I am still such a hopeful dreammer). I agree that behavior plan sucks. Among your other points it is very negative to LOSE points. I never allow that. Too punitive and provoking. (keep that up and I am going to take a point away or a sticker off your chart or whatever...and at that point...bam! blowup) Afterall he is there because he can't do it on his own so how the heck is losing points going to help him build the right behavior choices? (I know it will for some who are choosing not to do what they really can do, but I dont think most kids choose so many problems, I really believe they can't do it without support when it comes to this level of need).
 

keista

New Member
Good Luck! I had an IEP this morning and it went very well, so I'll send my good vibes to you.

A/B block schedule? UHG I hated that. Our middle school has it PITA. But I think I like it better than the 8 period day.

Yeah, the behavior plan sounds, in a word, STUPID. Hope you can get it modified.
 

JJJ

Active Member
Perfect :)

He starts in the Learning Disability (LD) room on Monday :)

One of the directors also told the new staff that the goal remains to get him 100% out of the ES room by the end of the year :)

Of course, then he'd have the option of returning to our local jr high or doing 8th grade at his current jr high....let's hope that becomes the toughest choice!!
 
T

TeDo

Guest
:fan:YEAH to you both Keista and JJJ. I love hearing about things that actually work being accepted by the schools. Just wish I had that here.
 

JJJ

Active Member
So much fun to tell Tigger....his response "It is about time!" He wanted to start today but I explained that he had to wait until Monday. The real reason is so that the teachers can meet this afternoon and spend tomorrow gathering any materials they need to go to the new room. Tigger's logic, "Oh yeah, new things always start on Mondays!"
 

JJJ

Active Member
Uh oh.... Tigger is demanding that he be allowed to go without an aide from the ES room. They offered to let him pick which aide goes but he is adament that he doesn't need one. I told him we already had a meeting scheduled in November to have the aide stop going if he didn't need one. He's thinking about it...lol.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
This might be the same issue as my difficult child had...
Clear this first with ES so they are already on the same page...
Then tell him that he gets to pick which aide is assigned to the whole class

Next... the aide has to ignore Tigger as much as possible - as in, be really subtle about it, AND make sure that other kids get attention too.

We've had a couple of absolutely exceptional aides - and some of the worst in the world. The exceptional ones make it look like they are there to help the teacher... and all the kids get the benefits. In reality, 80% of the aides time goes to about 4 or 5 kids... but its not obvious to the other kids.
 
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