Retention and parent conferences

[Guest guest]

MOST children should NOT be retained. It has been shown that there is no real benefit to retention and actually harms students. FACTSStudents rated grade retention as the single most stressful life event, higher than the loss of a parent or going blind. Retained students are less likely to receive a high school diploma by age 20, receive poorer educational competence ratings, and are less likely to be enrolled in any post-secondary education program. Retained students receive lower educational and employment status ratings and are paid less per hour at age 20.You can find more information here and read papers published studying this. More available here http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/retain.index.htm

 

I recently met a parent who is in stunned because her kid;s teacher suggested retention next year. Here is what I think:

 

The students have the right to stay in elementary school from K through 5, which is 6 years, right? ESE kids have the right to stay another 2 years before they have to, by law, move to  middle school. Most cluster students do not meet promotion criteria because they are below grade level academically. General education (gen.ed.) students who do not have a disability and who do not receive services at school will not be promoted if they do not meet criteria. This is not up for debate, the teachers  and the parents do not have an option here. The students need to be retained. Typically this is done in kindergarten or first grade. It is also commonly done in third grade for various reasons. Gen ed students who are retained are often evaluated to see if their is a more serious underlying problem here. Some children in kindergarten are simply immature and they catch up soon. Others have a learning disability and need more intense

instruction.

The goal is that by the time the students leave the elementary school, they should hopefully be able to perform academically at fifth grade level. They should be able to read and write like a fifth grader.

 

Cluster students and other ESE kids have the right to be retained two years in elementary school. It is your teacher's responsibility to explain this to you, and in my  opinion, they should be held responible for giving you a copy of the promotion criteria.

I cannot understand why parents of cluster students are in a hurry to get them out of elementary school and into middle? Why???

You can ask them to retain your child any school year.  If you are  not sure what to do, retain again in 5th grade.

If nobody at your school has suggested retention, there is something very wrong with your school. It is in our county;s and community's interest that all students receive the maximum learning gains possible while they are in elementary school.

 

All parents should by now have finished their spring teacher-parent conference. This conference should focus on 2 things: academic and social progress, and promotion versus retention. The conference form that you get a copy of should say somethng like this " Retention discusses, the parents would like ______,  and therefore X will be in so and so grade next school year " . If you want him to be promoted the conference form should say something like this: " retention discussed, and the parents want X to be promoted due to good cause " .

 

Cood Cause: ESE kids  (and others)  cannot be retained more than 2 years. Therfore they will be promoted no matter what. The promotion crteria will be waved, and the child is promoted due to something that is called " Good Cause " . If you retain him in kindergarten for a year, he has to move to first grade next year. You can retain him again in first year, but after that he has to move up no matter what.

 

If you have not been invited for a spring conference, there is something very wrong with your school,. This is a red flag. You should by now have the copy of your conference form in your hand or you should have it filed in your big binder.

The teacher has to have a minimum of 2 conferences with you each year. This is state law. In my opinion, you should request no less than 4 conferences, one for each marking period. You receive the progress report and report card ina yellow envelope eah marking period, right? There is a line outside the on the envelop that you need to sign, and next to it is a question that you should answer: " Do you want a conference "   I can't imagine why you would say no right then. Why? And if you don't get they paricular envelope, I strongly suggest that you request your conference right then!!!

 

When I read about all the nonsense that takes place in our schools, I want to cry. One way to fix this is by empowering and encouraging the kids' families. The best ammunition so to say, is to be more informed about the educational system. It is great to know a lot about the law, but it is equally important to know how things work in real life. Families and friends of ASD kids who take this seriously need to get their " a-- in the class " . Four conferences a year is a must. Let's start this next year.

If you have specific questions related to your school that I may be able to help you with, just e-mail me privately. Make up a fake name if that helps. This is about the kids and their education,  not who is who in the community.

 

Liz

 

 

To: <deniseslist >

Sent: Thu, June 3, 2010 8:45:26 PMSubject: FDDC: $60 Million in Grants Available 

 

 

From: Florida Developmental Disabilities Council [mailto:vandab@ fddc.org]

Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 4:17 PMTo: denisekarpmyacc (DOT) netSubject: $60 Million in Grants Available

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                  Contact:  HHS Press OfficeThursday, June 3, 2010                                                                 

 

 

Announcement from the

Florida Developmental Disabilities Council

 

For more information, please contact

HHS Press Office  *

 

HHS announces availability of $60 million in Affordable Care Act Grants

to help people navigate their health and long-term care options

 

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the availability of $60 million in Affordable Care Act grants to states and communities to help individuals and their caregivers better understand and navigate their health and long-term care options.  

 Through this opportunity made possible by the Affordable Care Act HHS' Administration on Aging (AoA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will work collaboratively to award funds for an integrated approach that focuses on the unique needs of seniors, disabled Americans and their caregivers as they seek health care and long-term care.

  " The Affordable Care Act seeks to lower health care costs, improve the quality of health care and perhaps most importantly give people more control over their own care. These new grants, authorized under the new law, will help seniors, individuals with disabilities

and their families get better quality care and more control. We've also streamlined the process for states and people who rely on these funds, " said Secretary Sebelius.  " We know how difficult it can be for caregivers and patients to try and deal with a sudden illness or chronic disease while at the same time trying to navigate through a complex health care system to figure out where you can get help. These new funds that we have bundled together will help promote better opportunities for coordination of health and long-term supports, " said Sebelius.

 The purpose of this new grant program authorized by the Affordable Care Act is to create streamlined, coordinated statewide systems of information, counseling, and access that will help people find consumer-friendly answers they seek to meet their health and long-term care needs.  AoA and CMS will administer the funding through separate announcements, but will coordinate

implementation and monitoring through a single process.   Some specific areas of focus will include assisting individuals who are under-served and hard to reach with information about their Medicare and Medicaid benefits, helping older adults and individuals with disabilities live at home or in settings of their choosing with the right supports, assisting people transition from hospital or nursing home stays back into the community, and strengthening linkages between the medical and social service systems.

  " When it comes to long-term health care, each patient has a unique mix of complex medical and social needs that must be considered when seeking care, " said Marilyn Tavenner, acting CMS administrator. " Our health care system can offer many options to meeting those needs from traditional nursing home care to home and community-based services.  Making patients and their families aware of these options will help them

make inherently difficult decisions about long-term care.  This integrated program will help families make informed choices and make sure patients have more control over their own care. "  AoA and CMS have provided grants to states for several years to develop person-centered systems of information, counseling and access to make it easier for individuals to learn about and access their health and long-term services and support options. This grant program through the Affordable Care Act strengthens and enhances the ability of states to truly integrate the medical and social services care

models.                                                                                                                   " AoA's national network of community-based organizations has long served as the central place for individuals and families seeking information and help to address health and long term care challenges.  This collaborative opportunity between AoA and CMS will

further strengthen the network's capacity to help people in a more coordinated and comprehensive way in the communities where they live, " said Kathy Greenlee, assistant secretary for aging.                                                                        

Funds will be available to states, area agencies on aging (aaa's), State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) and Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs).  Through the grant program, states and local aging and disability programs will receive funds

to:         *provide outreach and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries on their Medicare

         benefits including prevention;        *use additional funds through a competitive process to

         provide Options Counseling on health and long-term care through ADRCs;        *use additional funds through a competitive process to strengthen the ADRCs role

         in Money follows the Person program and support state Medicaid agencies as

         they transition individuals from nursing homes to community-based care; and         *coordinate and continue to embed tested Care Transition models that integrate

         the medical and social service systems to help older individuals and those with

         disabilities remain in their own homes and communities after a hospital,

         rehabilitation or skilled nursing facility visit.    " CMS and AoA share a long-standing goal of expanding access to community-based care for the elderly and individuals with disabilities.  The Affordable Care Act provides significant resources for state Medicaid agencies and providers to balance the nation's long-term care systems and assure that individuals have a choice of where and how they receive their services, " said Mann, director of CMS's Center for Medicaid, CHIP, and Survey and Certification. 

 The announcement combines funding opportunities from several provisions in the Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010,including the Role of Public Programs (Title II, Sections 2403 - Money Follows the Person and 2405 - Funding for Aging and Disability

Resource Centers) and Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Health Care (Title III. Section 3306 - Funding for Outreach and Assistance for Low-Income Programs).  These grants also complement President Obama's " Year of Community Living Initiative, " which focuses on better serving those individuals with disabilities who need ongoing services and support programs in the community such as those provided by AoA, CMS and other HHS agencies.                

 The deadline for applications is: Monday, July 30, 2010.  Grants will be awarded in September 2010.  For more information about this grant opportunity, please visit http://www.aoa. gov/AoARoot/ Grants/Funding/ index.aspx or www.grants.gov.

To learn more about the Affordable Care Act, please visit www.healthreform. gov. Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs. gov/news.

 

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