Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy IEP meeting at school -- must vent!

Just to update you:

I wrote a letter to the principal regarding the horrid IEP meeting. We wound up having to postpone our meeting to discuss math grade skip until the day before school let out (work schedule problems on my end).

To summarize, she really managed to talk a lot without saying much or promising anything, other than she'll try to place DS9 in a class with a teacher who gets him, and she'll let him take a computer-based math test next fall that goes above grade level to see what his needs are.

Also, she claimed she hadn't been able to finish reading my letter about the IEP meeting. I summarized that I was asking for classroom modifications for DS9 and she said that seemed reasonable. I stated that I had not yet seen the new IEP, hoped it would include those modifications, and that if it did not, I would be pursuing an appeal via the Board of Education.

My husband was so disheartened to hear about the total lack of progress on math acceleration, that he suggested we move to Pennsylvania (I told him about the GIEP mandate there.)

bk

I'm so sorry!!! I'm glad you told her you were going to be pursuing the appeal. I bet that will make her get on the ball with the modifications. Hopefully you'll hear some good news soon!!!

Thanks! I feel like we probably will get some of what DS needs in the IEP-- and absolutely hopeless about math grade skip/enrichment.

Maybe things will go better at the beginning of next year when everyone is rested.

Sorry about the continuing stress and aggravation. I've definitely BTDT.

OH I"m sorry the meeting didn't go better. I hope the Principal reflects on it those and moves forward with getting his needs met.

((bug eyes))
well there's a new one!

Online Math can be good, I guess. I'm hoping the above level test goes well. I'd be tempted to hothouse Math over the summer purely out of spite!

((shrugs)) and More ((shrugs))
Grinity

Thanks for the warning, Dottie! Name now removed.

I wish DS was amenable to math instruction outside of school. He thinks he is not good at math (it's a relative weakness in his test scores, but he is still "gifted" in math and met the criteria for a grade skip on the IAS, from my calculations) so he does not want to do it unless he has to do it for school, AND he complains that it is incredibly slow-moving and dull at school.

It is. The state NCLB tests are so dumbed down, 3rd grade math tests essentially only cover what should be second grade math material. Guess what? The 3rd grade teachers only bothered covering 2nd grade math material before the NCLB test in March. Since 3rd grade students do better with 2nd grade material, state scores are going up!

Yes bk1, I read that our state tests cover the 2nd half of 2nd grade and the 1st of 3rd grade .... well, normally most of the 1st half of any school year is review of the previous year!

Bk1 - I would try some living math books, perhaps an older math student-mentor that he connects with to try and turn around his thoughts on math. I wonder if there is something to what i read online that gifted students retain less when the material moves too slow. Perhaps that is why he thinks he is not good at math. I know I've seen this with my own son. After a disastrous K year and son hating math, a teacher friend suggested I teach math at home. I started him in RightStart. He soared. Then school started again and it was hit or miss depending on homework. I noticed we got bogged down. RS expects students to make leaps in thought periodically and he wasn't making those. I realized it was because we were moving too slowly. Once we made math a priority and was doing it everyday again, he was back up to speed, making those leaps, and retaining what he was learning.

bk1, I have had only a few meetings with teachers, never yet with the principal. But even in those few meetings I have always felt pushy, too sure of my ds's abilities although they might not fit in any well definied category. You're right, pushing for your kids is what we parents are supposed to do.
We just worked our way through phase 1 of having my son evaluated for giftedness by the public school system here and it really was work. The initial evaluation stated that scores were great, reading levels were great, but they were going to collect more information over the course of 3 months to make a final determination on his eligibility. I basically dug through all the last 6 years worth of drawings and projects from my ds and found what I felt was a large but worthy stack of items to bring in...and bring in and bring in. I went back to the teacher collecting these samples over and over to present items. Some she would take, some not. DS would bring home things graded by his regular teacher (who was supposed to be passing these on to the gifted teacher) and I would send them right back to the g.teacher!
After the evaluation concluded, the gifted teacher called to let me know the (good) results and was quite emphatic in thanking me for sending in all the examples, implying that it really made the difference.
Now my sister, dd's in the same county, is going through the same trial, I have told her to keep pushing and that it seems like the schools won't accept a child into one of these programs without some blood from the parents! Some proof that they are really really committed to their kids success. Or should be committed
So, let the tears flow and when the school pushes away, push right back!