Re: IEP Progress Report

[Guest guest]

Hi Lorra,

Keep pushing them at school to teach Emma, and keep schooling her at home. The more you teach her the more she will start to show them what she knows at school. You may have a problem with this year's teacher, but you will get another teacher like last year who "gets it".

Reading has always been easier for Faith than math, so that is what I push, both at home and at school. This year, in 4th grade, the teachers really do "get it" and it has been a good year so far. I think the mainstreaming is important for socializing and learning to act like typical kids, even when that is some not so good behavior! If she picks up some academics while in the gen ed classroom, that is great. This year she is about half and half and has math and reading in resource.

Hang in there, it sounds like you'll be able to work with this school arrangement. Ask for what you want, and keep on top of what is happening.

ette

-------------- Original message from "stileslorra" : --------------

I will try to give a little background, but keep it short...Emma is in Kindergarten this year. She is starting to be more verbal, but uses sign language and picture communication. She is full inclusion with 40 minutes pull out time daily with the special education teacher to focus on reading and math (IEP Goals). We recieved her first progress report and I thought it was a total joke. If I am understanding the IEP process they should be measuring how much of the goal she knows right now so that when they do the next progress review they should be able to tell if she is making progress towards her goal. One of Emma's goals this year is that she will recognize and label numbers 1-10 with 100% accuracy. This progress report the special ed teacher wrote "Emma can hold up one finger with assistance when we are playing a game." It does not tell me how many numbers she has gotten her to accurately label or how many she knows. I know how many she knows because we work on them at home and Emma is more than capable to hold up one finger on her own! Emma went to preschool at the same school that she is going to kindergarten and her teacher was awesome. It probably helped that she was fresh out of school and had a minor in special education. At every IEP Review we were told she new this many letters and at the next review she new this many letters so we knew she was going towards her goal. This paper tells me absolutely nothing. I will be going and talking to them about it, my question is do I talk to just the special education teacher who is in charge if this report or do I have a small meeting with some of the IEP team (principle, teacher, AEA)? I have brought things up in the past about the work that they have Emma doing because I don't think they really know how to work with Emma and I don't feel it has gotten me anywhere. The last time I commented on a paper that came home in Emma's bag that was a ABC dot-to-tot that was done perfectly and colored perfectly...her one-on-one aide did the paper while Emma sat there because Emma didn't want to do it...keep in mind Emma does not write and just is not interested in doing paper and pencil type work...the principle never even responded and the AEA worker told me that they would work harder at adapting the work for Emma and that they were optomistic that she would be able to stay in the General Ed classroom. We live in a small town and the bigger town close to us that I would open enroll Emma to in a heartbeat is not taking any kids on IEP's out of their district so they have no other options but keep her in the general ed classroom. Sorry...I was going to keep this short ~ I am just so frustrated! I am able to get her do so much at home if they would take the time and make what they are doing with her at school fun and at her level she could be doing more there also.Lorra

[Guest guest]

> my question is do I talk to just the special education

> teacher who is in charge if this report or do I have a small meeting

> with some of the IEP team (principle, teacher, AEA)?

Hi Lorra

It is really up to you. The 's law folks recommend sending a

certified letter so that they cannot say they didn't get it and you have

a paper trail and receipt. I think you have to look at the degree of the

problem though and keep in mind that you may be working with these

people for years to come. The way I have handled conflicts and concerns

is that I go first to the person responsible or most closely connected

to the concern. In this case the person who is filling out the progress

report. If there is no resolution made in reasonable time I would either

call a meeting or contact the principal. In the past I have gone in

person and I have sent a letters snail mail which usually gets their

attention more than email. I have not yet felt it necessary to send

anything certified, but it may come down to that. I am having similar

problems with progress reports. They are so vague they are worthless and

I working my way up the ladder on this issue now. I have sent two

requests and two verbal requests to the SE teacher which have thus far

been totally ignored. I'm opting to meet with the principal next week

rather than calling a meeting since this is not really relevant to most

of the team members, I don't want to waste their time.

I hope all goes well for you. Keep us posted.

Hope