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Subj: THE SPECIAL ED ADVOCATE, APRIL 29, 2002 (ISSUE 162)

Date: 29/04/2002 12:49:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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slaw

The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter

April 29, 2002

<A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/ " >Home</A>

Issue - 162

ISSN: 1538-3202

In this Issue

<A HREF= " #0 " >

</A>W<A HREF= " #1 " >hat is Your IEP IQ?

</A><A HREF= " #3 " >

Your Child's IEP: Practical & Legal Guidance

IEPs: Frequently Asked Questions

</A><A HREF= " #4 " >Help! The School Wants to Retain My Child! </A>

<A HREF= " ../../../0temp/%255 " >Good Case About IEPs: Kanawha v. M.</A>

<A HREF= " #6 " >Editor's Choice; Good Books About IEPs

</A><A HREF= " #7 " >Advocacy Training: OK, CA, IL & FL</A>

<A HREF= " #8 " >Subscription & Contact Info</A>

Subscribe

Email:

Name:

Dear jbmistletoe@...,

At slaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills you

need to navigate the confusing world of special education. This issue is the

first in a series about IEPs. When you master this information, you will be

prepared for the next IEP meeting!

Highlights: What is your IEP IQ? - take our quiz and find out; frequently

asked questions about IEPs; practical and legal guidance about your child's

IEP; facts about retention; caselaw about IEPs; editor's choice - good books

about IEPs; advocacy training schedule.

The Special Ed Advocate newsletter is free - please forward this issue or <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm " >the

subscription link</A> to your friends and colleagues so they can learn about

special education law and advocacy too. We appreciate your help!

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm " >http://www.wrightslaw.com/subscri\

be.htm</A>

Do you want to learn more about special education advocacy? Learn how you can

<A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.feta.groups.htm " >start a FETA Study

Group</A>.

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.feta.groups.htm " >http://www.wrightslaw\

..com/info/advo.feta.groups.htm</A>

We added new subjects to our <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/flyers/free.nwltrs.pdf " >Free Newsletter

Flyer</A> - which has grown to two

pages. We hope you will print and distribute the <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/flyers/free.nwltrs.pdf " >new 2 page Free

Newsletters

Flyer</A>

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/flyers/free.nwltrs.pdf " >http://www.wrightslaw.co\

m/flyers/free.nwltrs.pdf</A>

Ask your school to include the <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/flyers/free.nwltrs.pdf " >Free Newsletter

flyer</A> in the school newsletter

too!

1. What is Your IEP IQ? To be an effective advocate for a child with special

educational needs, you need to know the law. You also need to know how to use

the law without starting battles that no one wins.

Most parents and teachers get information about the law from training

sessions, articles, advice on listservs, and informal discussions with

others. Your knowledge can rise no higher than your source!

As a parent or teacher, you must learn to find answers to your questions by

reading the law. Test your knowledge - take <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.iq.quiz.htm " >our IEP Quiz</A>.

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.iq.quiz.htm " >http://www.wrightslaw.com/\

info/iep.iq.quiz.htm</A>

2 Your Child's IEP: Practical & Legal Guidance for Parents

Your Child's IEP is one of the top articles on slaw. This comprehensive

article describes IEPs and the IEP process, including:

Present levels of performance Is IEP Adequate? Sufficient?

Measurable goals and objectives Educational Benefit and FAPE

How to Measure Educational Progress A Valuable Tool: Appendix A

Objective Testing v. Subjective Observations Understanding the Parental

Role

Passing Grades and Grade Inflation Sample IEP Goals

<A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/iep_guidance.html " >Your

Child's IEP: Practical and Legal Guidance for Parents</A> is the second most

popular article on slaw:

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/iep_guidance.html " >http://www.wri\

ghtslaw.com/advoc/articles/iep_guidance.html</A>

and the companion article to <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/tests_measurements.html " >Understa\

nding Tests and Measurements for the

Parent, Advocate and Attorney</A> (#1):

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/tests_measurements.html " >http://w\

ww.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/tests_meassurements.html</A>

3. Frequently Asked Questions About IEPs

If you are a 'new parent,' this article will answer important questions. And

if you are a seasoned veteran, we think you will learn something new in <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.faqs.htm " >

Frequently Asked Questions About IEPs.</A> The article includes 14 Qs & As:

My child is eligible - what happens next?

What is an IEP?

Who develops my child's IEP?

What can I do to prepare for the IEP meeting?

What are related services? What is assistive technology?

How is placement decided? What options do I have?

Can my child's IEP be changed?

<A HREF= " v " >http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.faqs.htm</A> 4. Help! The School

Wants to

Retain My Child - What Should I Do? Peggy writes, " The school wants to retain

my child. They say if he is promoted, he will flounder in a class with 24

children and one teacher and will not get any additional help. Should I let

them retain him? Should I push to have him promoted and placed in a regular

education class? They say they know what's best for him. " slaw replies:

" It sounds like the school gave you information about your options in a way

that ensured you would make the " right " decision (from the school's

perspective).

The child will " flounder " - and the school won't help? The school will not

provide an individualized IEP with services and supports that are designed to

meet the child's unique needs - as they are required to do under the IDEA?

Sadly, you are not alone with this problem.

If you have a child with a disability, you may face this tough decision. Many

schools offer two " solutions " to children's learning problems: retention and

social promotion - and do not offer what the child really needs - an

intensive program that focuses on teaching the basic skills.

There is no evidence that retention helps children who are struggling

academically. Before you request a meeting to revisit this issue, you need to

get accurate information about retention.

Read <A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/fape_retention.htm " >The School

Wants to Retain My Child - What Should I Do?</A> at:

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/fape_retention.htm " >http://www.wrightslaw.c\

om/info/fape_retention.htm</A>

Remember - you can request an IEP meeting at any time. It's not to late to

change plans for next year. The resources in this article should help.

5. Good Case About IEPs: Kanawha v. M.

In <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/law/caselaw/WV_kanawha_michaelm_00_04.pdf " >Kanaw\

ha v. M</A>., the Court analyzes " appropriate " in the context of <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/law/caselaw/ussupct.rowley.htm " >

Rowley</A>, discusses educational benefit, and provides guidelines about whether

an IEP is appropriate. <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/law/caselaw/WV_kanawha_michaelm_00_04.pdf " >

Kanawha v. M</A> is one of Pete's favorite cases " not because it has

great precedence, but because it does an excellent job of describing

difficulties in the legal definition of 'appropriate' and how to use

'appropriate' in developing an IEP. "

Decision (22 pages in pdf): <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/law/caselaw/WV_kanawha_michaelm_00_04.pdf " >

http://www.wrightslaw.com/law/caselaw/WV_kanawha_michaelm_00_04.pdf</A>

For more cases about IEPs, go to the <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.index.htm " >IEP Page</A> and scroll down

to the Caselaw

section: <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.index.htm " >http://www.wrightslaw.com/in\

fo/iep.index.htm</A>

Be sure to download and read our comprehensive article, <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/iep_guidance.html " >Your Child's

IEP:

Practical and Legal Guidance for Parents</A>- this article includes several

cases

about IEPs.

6. Editor's Choice: Good Books About IEPs

The heart of your child's special education program is the Individualized

Education Program (IEP). These books will teach you how to write IEP goals

and objectives that target your child's problems.

* <A

HREF= " http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879618168/ref=nosim/thespecialedad\

vo " >Measuring Educational Results by Mager</A> *

" Where can I learn to write good IEP goals and objectives? " In the best

selling book on this subject, Mager teaches you how to write clear

measurable IEP goals and objectives.

<A

HREF= " http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879618168/ref=nosim/thespecialedad\

vo " >http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879618168/ref=nosim/thespecialedadvo

</A>

* <A

HREF= " http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879618036/ref=nosim/thespecialedad\

vo " >Preparing Instructional Objectives by Mager</A> * Teaches you to

identify, select, and write educational objectives. You learn how to describe

the performances you expect to achieve, identify the conditions under which

you expect the performance to occur, and set criteria for acceptable

performance.

Includes practice exercises to sharpen your skills and an Objectives

Checklist to help you distinguish good objectives from bad ones.

<A

HREF= " http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879618036/ref=nosim/thespecialedad\

vo " >http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879618036/ref=nosim/thespecialedadvo

</A>

* <A

HREF= " http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570351643/ref=nosim/thespecialedad\

vo " >Better IEPS: How to Develop Legally Correct and Educationally Useful

Programs</A> by Barbara D. Bateman and Anne Linden *<A

HREF= " http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570351643/ref=nosim/thespecialedad\

vo " >

Better IEPs</A> teaches parents, educators, and special educators how to develop

IEPs that are both legally correct and educationally useful. Many IEPs are

neither! Learn more about <A

HREF= " http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570351643/ref=nosim/thespecialedad\

vo " >Better IEPs</A>:

<A

HREF= " http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570351643/ref=nosim/thespecialedad\

vo " >http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570351643/ref=nosim/thespecialedadvo

</A>

More Good Books About IEPs

For more <A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/bkstore/bks_iep.htm " >good books

about IEPs</A>, visit the <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/bkstore/bks_iep.htm " >IEP section</A> of the <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/bkstore/bks_index.htm " >Advocate's

Bookstore</A>:

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/bkstore/bks_iep.htm " >http://www.wrightslaw.com/b\

kstore/bks_iep.htm</A>

7. slaw Advocacy Training: May & June 2002

Knowledge is power. When you have information and skills, you will be a more

effective advocate for your child. Our role is to help you gain knowledge so

you can negotiate with the school on your child's behalf.

On May 2, we hit the road with advocacy training programs in Oklahoma City,

Sacramento, and Chicago. In June, we travel to Orlando. We hope you will join

us!

<A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/ok.02.htm " >May 7: Oklahoma City</A>.

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/ok.02.htm " >http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak\

/ok.02.htm</A>

<A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/02.05.ca.htm " >May 11: Sacramento,

CA</A>.

<A HREF= " ../../../0temp/v " >http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/02.05.ca.htm</A>

<A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/il.02.htm " >May 25-26: Chicago, IL at

International Rett Syndrome Conference</A>

<A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/il.02.htm " >

http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/il.02.htm</A>

June 21: Orlando, Florida (details soon)

These one-day advocacy seminars focus on four areas: special education law,

rights and responsibilities; how to use the bell curve to measure progress &

regression; SMART IEPs; and how to use tactics & strategies for effective

advocacy.

For more information about these events and programs that will be held over

the next few months, please check our <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/index.htm " >Seminars & Training page</A>:

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/index.htm " >http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak\

/index.htm</A>

How to Plan a Training Program or Seminar

If you want to bring Pete & Pam to your community, please read our <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/faqs.htm " >

FAQs about Seminars</A>:

<A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/faqs.htm " >http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/\

faqs.htm</A>

8. Subscription & Contact Info

The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education

legal and advocacy issues, cases, tactics and strategy, and Internet

resources. Subscribers receive announcements and " alerts " about new cases,

events, and special offers on slaw books. <A

HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm " >To subscribe</A>. Read back

issues of <A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/archives.htm " >Special Ed

Advocate</A>.

<A HREF= " http://www.wrightslaw.com/link_to_us.htm " >

Link to Us</A> - More than 1,000 sites link to slaw. If you want to spread

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<A HREF= " #top " >To Top</A>

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slaw & The Special Ed Advocate

ISSN: 1538-3202

Pete and Pam

P. O. Box 1008

Deltaville, VA 23043

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