Hi Eldertree,
I am glad to hear that she is having a successful year transitioning back to the public school. How much of a part did her IEP play in this? What aspects of the IEP? When you say she has outgrown her IEP, are you referring to her lack of enthusiasm for the resource room? What is the issue with the resource room? Is it the peer grouping? Teacher? Instruction or lack there of?
I'm posing these questions, because moving from an IEP to a 504 is a big deal. Maybe not in terms of the services, but absolutely in terms of the procedural safeguards and "teeth" that an IEP offers that a 504 does not. Given that she will be making a fairly large transition, I would be reluctant to give up IEP eligibility. And, from a purely procedural standpoint, one should not make an eligibility decision without a full evaluation - you don't mention whether or not this has been done.
What would you give up by canceling her IEP?
1. Procedural safeguards that regulate the need to have team meetings, stay put rights, dispute resolution, etc.
2. Services beyond accommodations - content, modifications, performance criteria
3. Protections for behavioral issues
4. "Weight" of an IEP vs 504 from teachers' perspective
Again, I don't your child, her capabilities, her challenges or the type of HS she will be walking into. But, if you have any concerns about the transition (and it seems that you might based on your closing statement), I would urge you keep the IEP. She does not need resource room services to keep the IEP. Perhaps she merely needs some sort of consultation between her teacher the team and an adjustment or guidance counselor to make sure her needs are being met. Maybe she needs to have a check in once a week with a trusted adult to keep an eye. Maybe you want a quarterly consult with a team chair to stay on top of things. These are examples of "services" that could be very helpful to her and could be in addition to or instead of her current resource room.
Let us know how it goes.
