We had a meeting with the school recently. We submitted the private neuropsych report in entirety and the school acknowledged the positive/negative aspects of my child. The school wants to do another evaluation, to offer services based on results. My question is this : does the school really need to do this ?
The "evaluation" the school needs to do is slightly different than a private diagnostic evaluation. What you have from the neuropsych gives you a diagnosis and a suggested plan of remediation/accommodations. The school then needs to complete an "IEP eligibility" evaluation in which they determine if your ds is eligible for services under an IEP (i.e., individualized educational services). This isn't exactly the same as getting a diagnosis of dyslexia/dysgraphia/etc - instead, it's looking at ability to function in the academic setting, and if there are challenges determining what areas they fall under, such as "Specific Learning Disability Reading" etc. You can find all the categories under which a student can qualify either in your school district SPED handbook or at wrightslaw or your state's education website.
Typically an IEP eligibility evaluation includes testing, but it's quite possible that your ds' very recent testing from the private neuropsych can be used in lieu of ability/achievement/etc testing through the school. It's possible they may want to tag on additional testing (OT, SLP, etc) depending on what would be beneficial in understanding or further defining your ds' needs and challenges.
Have you had the "IEP eligibility" meeting yet? Is that where you were told about the additional testing? If it was an IEP eligibility meeting, they should have filled out a form checking off the areas they would test/assess and you would have signed off on it. Do you have a copy of the form that includes a checkbox for things like cognitive/achievement/OT/SLP/hearing/etc? If you compare what is listed on this form to the testing done by the neuorpsych then you should be able to see if there is any type of repeat testing planned.
They did say that if he does well, then an IEP will not be given, but a 504 will be given.
Then they are at least acknowledging that your ds has a disability and needs accommodations for it in the classroom and most likely on testing. There will be a certain period of time it will take to complete the school's additional testing (did they give you a time period? It's legally required to be completed in a certain amount of time). During that time, I'd suggest you get to know everything you can about your ds' challenges, how they impact him in the classroom, and what accommodations and remediation he needs. (I know you're already doing that! sorry if it sounds redundant and obvious :)). There will be another meeting after the school's eval is complete, and that will be the meeting in which the *team* decides if your ds qualifies for services under an IEP. *TEAM* is the key concept here - the team should include you (parents), your ds' teacher(s), the school psych, school SPED staff, and any other relevant evaluators such as OT etc. You might want to consider consulting with an advocate prior to this meeting - there are parent advocate groups in many locations who will help you navigate this process at no charge. OTOH, even if you have to pay, having a skilled advocate who knows and understands your local school district well might be invaluable.
I'd also suggest getting used to using specific language when talking to the school - for instance, if they are literally saying "if he does well then an IEP will not be given" - that's technically incorrect. What exactly does "doing well" on testing mean? When you respond, keep the verbiage focused on "the testing shows a gap in ...." or a "weakness in ..." etc, be able to point to the specific data in the testing that shows that. State that he has a diagnosis of "..." and that this is clearly impacting his ability to access his education because of "..." etc. State how the testing shows he has a need for indivualized educational services (if he does). Remember that it's not about "doing well" on testing - it's about understanding the educational needs of your child. I found it really helpful when advocating for my ds to have a few stock responses that I replied with that summed up what ds' challenges were and why he *did* qualify. We had a very difficult school situation in that our school was determined to not offer services - but when you have a valid case for a student who does qualify, if you keep it simple, don't let emotions get in the way, and try your best to keep the conversations with the school focused and on track, you should be able to advocate successfully. I think it's really key to realize that your school has already said he will get a 504 plan - that means they do identify him as a student with a disability.
One other thing though - it will be very important to understand your state's guidelines to qualify for an IEP (this is an area where the advice of an advocate can be very helpful). The school isn't bound by those guidelines (as in, they can choose to qualify a child who technically doesn't meet them), but knowing them is key to understanding how to successfully advocate when the school is saying things like "if he does well he won't qualify".
I don't think any gifted services will be offered, though the teacher can, perhaps, differentiate in the classroom (this will depend on the teacher).
I do hope your ds will be able to either receive gifted services or differentiation of some type, but I also want to encourage you to focus on the 2nd e at this point too - if you can really concentrate on helping your ds learn how to cope with and work around his challenges while he's in early elementary, you'll pave the way for him to be self-confident and able to handle the challenges that will lay ahead of him in his education, which in turn will mean he'll be able to take off and fly in gifted/accelerated programs in a few years.
The one caveat I'll add to that is complicated though - we found our ds responded much better and more quickly to remediation when it was given at the appropriate intellectual level.
I was also wondering : is it possible to set up a 504 now, while the school continues its evaluation ? Right now, the school said that the teacher will carry out all modifications (there were 4 areas identified), and they don't think a formal 504 is needed.
This is probably ok for now. There will be a time limit on the evaluation. I'd just keep watching closely and make sure that your ds receives the modifications and accommodations that have been agreed on, and if not, put it in writing.
My kid is also scheduled to end the social skills pull out they have going on; they did say that another counselor can work one-on-one with my child. This sounds fantastic, but the actual practice will not be possible (as in, there will be no one guiding him through it).
Did your ds already have an IEP? If not, how did the social skills pull-out work? Was he pulled out of class with another student? If he had an IEP, has he met his social skills goals? What needs were identified when he qualified originally? I'd dig into the details of what they are proposing.
Are social skills groups not offered as part of 504 ?
They generally aren't in our school district. If you feel he needs the social skills pullout, I'd gather all the evidence/observations/testing that you have that supports the need, and use that as evidence that he needs IEP services.
Let us know what happens!
polarbear
