We had a 1.5 hour IEP meeting yesterday with 8 people in the room only to learn that the IEPs have changed (no idea if county or Fl state thing) and they no longer have to put specific steps/accomodations on the IEP - the wording can be very generic (which my advocate and I think is a total cop out because now there is nothing in black or white stating specifically what these kids need) - they just write a generic goal and that is all that is required....
All goals have to be observable and measurable. Any goals that are not observable and measurable do not meet IDEIA requirements. Additionally, the IEP has to indicate how the goal will be measured. The only change I can think of that would apply is that there do not have to be lists of objectives under the goal. However, key objectives should now be PART of the goal. Accomodations are a separate issue, as they are a service. They should be listed separately in the IEP (as a supplementary aid or service) and the IEP should specifically state who will deliver them and for how much time.
we went round and round in circles showing test scores and studies stating that he needs to be allowed to work on his level
The IEP must be data driven. What is the school's justification for ignoring the data?
The argument that he won't be accelerated up until he shows he can do the "easy" work and behave BUT he won't behave and do the easy work because it's too easy for him and he is refusing to do it.
Have you considered requesting a behavior intervention plan? Based on the school's assertion that he is not working due to behavior, they should have included an acknowledgement of special factors. If you go this route, you can request an FBA (functional behavior analysis). This would involve directly naming the behaviors and their functions (in this case, avoiding work that has already been mastered) and--as part of the behavior intervention plan--listing positive strategies that serve to decrease the behaviors.
and it doesn't seem fair (these are his words) that the other kids get to all learn new things so why can't he....
What was the school's response to THAT
?
I am absolutely appalled by the way in which your school has handled this. Given that you are ready to homeschool him again anyway, you are in a position to push this. My suggestion is that you write a letter to the prinicipal and/or LEA, asking him/her to respond in writing to your concerns:
1) Data has been shared with the school (attach it even though they already have it) stating that DS has already mastered the following skills being worked on in class (list them). What *educational* benefit are they hoping that DS will derive from repeating these skills?
2) The school has noted that DS's behavior is inappropriate for the classroom when he is assigned work that he has already mastered. Given that he has dyspraxia (am I recollecting that correctly???), fine motor skills are challenging. Is it not a reasonable accomodation to have him work on motor skills by way of activities that are engaging? For instance, if the school has chosen to have DS work on fine motor coloring skills, rather than coloring the counting sheets during math, could he instead work on coloring fractional parts; constructing polygons on a geo-board and then drawing the polygon on dot paper, etc.? If not, why not?
3) Please clarify what you mean by no longer needing to include specific steps and accomodations on the IEP.
4) Please clarify how his current level of ACADEMIC performance is being used to determine instructional goals.
You might start off with something like, "after going home and thinking about the conversations we have had regarding DS, I realized that I needed additional clarification. Thank you in advance for reading through my questions and responding to them in writing".
You can then close by thanking the school again for taking the time to explain their thinking. Blah, blah, blah....
If you do not recieve a written response, take your written questions, a copy of the IEP, and a short cover letter and find out who to contact in your state department of education/department of public instruction. There should be someone specializing in special education issues (I'd pursue it through the special education route--rights are clearer than they are for gifted). If you do recieve a written response, and it does not adequately address your concerns, include the school's response in materials you send to the department of public instruction. Going to battle always feels risky, but it seems that worst case outcome here would be that the school would be hostile and you wouldn't want to send DS anymore. Since you already don't want to send DS... you're in a position to make a few very appropriate waves.
That's just my two cents fwiw---it's much easier for me to chart a plan of action from way out here (where I sit outraged and wanting to call in the calvary
). Whatever you decide, I hope you know that you have a lot of sympathetic ears out here!
