No problem with extra time for in-class writing activities, they have a detailed plan where for in class English essays he will be expected to spend that "extra" time doing a prewriting activity, and then get the regular amount of time to do the actual writing.
Do they have a plan for the pre-writing activities? I'm just curious, given that I have a kid who also benefits from pre-writing strategies
I think that is still to be determined. I am going to suggest that his private writing tutor work with him on best pre-writing strategies for him. I know there are dozens of different ways. I do know they are going to require he WRITE something on paper to work from. It sounded like the teacher & psychologist already had a plan formed but we didn't go over the details.
The class where this is most critical is Chemistry where he is currently failing. Assessments are at 85%, homework is a big fat 0 at this point.
Is the homework grade a zero because your ds isn't doing the homework or because he's not getting it turned in? Or does he not know what the assigned homework is? This is an area our ds is struggling with, in just a few classes where the teachers are not organized and predictable re homework assignments, and where the teachers are not posting homework assignments in easily accessible places so that ds can look up and double-check assignments.
I wasn't able to figure this out by myself. We got somewhere in the meeting. Some of this seems to be miscommunication, not knowing when or what was assigned. Some of is his anxiety kicking in. Much of it is unfinished work and that he doesn't like to turn in unfinished work. This teacher emphasized that while homework is graded on completion if it's 70% done, you get a 7/10 still better than a 0/10. Part of it is when a ship starts sinking, he doesn't try and rescue himself but gets embarrassed and just wants to go down with the boat.
He will be required to do a homework contract with this teacher for the next 6 weeks. This is required because he is failing. Because this teacher is known to have problems with organization, this is as much for my benefit. I didn't know how critically bad it was until this week since the teacher hadn't updated anything.
How does the homework contract work? Does your ds have a way to verify what he's supposed to be doing for homework or is the contract just about getting it done and turned in?
He will be required to go see her once a week at "office" hours. There will be a form that the teacher & he will have to fill out and that I will have to sign. It will include dates for upcoming work, what his current missed assignments are, and she will be required to take late homework for the past week at that time. (She generally doesn't take late homework.) He is encouraged to skip & circle any homework problems he doesn't know how to answer. At this point it will be a 6 week contract and at that point be re-evaluated.
No social skills class at this point, he is not interested. And the fact that he is in marching band and robotics club make both I & the psychologist comfortable that he is working these things through on his own. And he does see the outside psychologist.
That all sounds good - and jmo, but if he doesn't have to fit in the extra class, that's probably a good thing too, because taking the social skills class at school would take away an elective, right?
This wouldn't be an extra class. They schedule this during school once a week, different period ever week so it doesn't affect any one class too much and try to take into account not having them miss any tests.
They were happy to include the keyboarding for in-class essays but my son doesn't think it's necessary and is resisting that accommodation.
Do you think he needs the keyboarding accommodation or did the psych that did his eval think he needed it? Have you thought of telling him he has to try it but also giving him some kind of reward for doing it? I realize he's 15 and it's very different from getting a younger child to use accommodations - I'm living with a 14 year old
And a 12 year old prodigy (not a prodigy with respect to intellect, but with respect to acting like a teen before her time lol). But I've also found that it's really useful with my ds to get him to actually use an accommodation for a certain period of time - because in spite of resistance to try it, as long as the accommodation is something that really is necessary or really will help - after he's been forced to try it, he usually realizes life is much better using it and that takes away the resistance to use it.
He just doesn't think it would help. About 50% of the time these writing assignments are done in the computer lab anyway. I am not sure who this would be administered and probably need to ask. Perhaps they send him to another room to do the essays? Thinking about it further, as this is a fairly common accommodation my guess is they send him to the resource office to do the assignment but I should ask.
All in all.. I think I am overall lucky. I really like the current high school psychologist.
This is great - I hope that this psych stays at the school for the remaining years your ds will be there!
So do I. I really didn't get along with the psyc at this school when my daughter was there. I spend the whole time fighting to keep my daughters IEP until after they need a full assessment her junior year.
They are willing to put in a 504 for a kid who mostly isn't failing but underperforming.
Don't ever forget - a 504 plan isn't about *grades* or performance - it's about access to education. If a child is not able to access their education. I know you know that, just wanted to point it out for other parents of kids with disabilities who might be reading this
Thanks I know but it's easy to forget. I really appreciate your responding. This whole thing can get overwhelming and it's nice to talk with other people going through similar things.
