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I get the sense that this school has a VERY high opinion of itself. It's an affluent area and the parents here are intense. I talked with three different moms that I would consider friends two weeks ago and was astounded by our conversation. One was concerned that their 4 year old couldn't properly grip a pencil. Another was chastising herself for slacking on the sight word flash cards with her 4 year old. Another asked my opinion of the educational content of the centers in the three year old preschool class. It just seemed a bit much to me for preschool. I don't get a sense that these are kids begging to be taught to read and write but I could be wrong.

[quote=NikiHarp]To help with this problem, I've always been careful to NOT tell the teacher what my kid knows or needs to learn-- even if I know. I let the teacher get to know my kid. But, if my kid is not getting something, is suffering emotionally, or there are any problems, I bring those problems to their attention-- even if I know the problem is that the teacher won't let my kid type. So for example, LittleTimmy is having a hard time getting his work done in school and he has negative comments on his papers. I'd say "LittleTimmy says he's trying so hard to work faster and neater and he's getting frustrated, so at home, I let him type. I hope that's OK. He'd like to know if there's any way he could do that at school too."

the question re whether or not your ds needs a 504 or an IEP depends on whether or not he needs individualized instruction (an IEP) or accommodations to allow him to fully participate in the classroom and to be able to demonstrate his knowledge (504). If a student has an IEP and needs accommodations, they are typically included in the IEP rather than having a 504 plan while the IEP is in place.

One other thing to consider - a 504 plan is quicker and easier to put together. An IEP will require eligibility testing by the school in addition to the documentation you already have. A 504 plan can most likely be written from the private eval report that you already have. On the other hand, IEPs come with more legal protections and requirements for the school to follow the paperwork whereas 504s seem to have less safeguards built in. All that said, the deciding factor re pursuing an IEP vs 504 should always be - does my student need an individualized education plan, or will he/she be able to fully access their education with accommodations through a 504.

AP is assistant principal

The ed psych says that, at this point, he needs "intense remediation" in writing. She also mentions that this may gradually shift in a few years from direct intervention to accommodations, like assistive tachnology, etc.

"Intense remediation" sounds like IEP to me. If he needed to type or have a scribe, that seems like a 504. He needs someone to teach him step-by-step how to write, how to organize his thoughts, how to spell, use traditional writing conventions, etc.

He can tell you that sentences need to start with capitals and end in punctuation but his writing samples were shockingly bad and it's not because he wasn't trying.

nikiharp, the question re whether or not your ds needs a 504 or an IEP depends on whether or not he needs individualized instruction (an IEP) or accommodations to allow him to fully participate in the classroom and to be able to demonstrate his knowledge (504). If a student has an IEP and needs accommodations, they are typically included in the IEP rather than having a 504 plan while the IEP is in place.

One other thing to consider - a 504 plan is quicker and easier to put together. An IEP will require eligibility testing by the school in addition to the documentation you already have. A 504 plan can most likely be written from the private eval report that you already have. On the other hand, IEPs come with more legal protections and requirements for the school to follow the paperwork whereas 504s seem to have less safeguards built in. All that said, the deciding factor re pursuing an IEP vs 504 should always be - does my student need an individualized education plan, or will he/she be able to fully access their education with accommodations through a 504. Hope that makes sense!

I can't tell you which your ds needs, and as mentioned above sometimes *some* instructional services (in some districts) are covered under a 504 plan (teaching a child to keyboard, for instance). Typically with dysgraphia, students need accommodations (scribing, keyboarding, copies of notes, etc), but sometimes they might also benefit from OT (for handwriting or fine motor), and sometimes the issues with writing go beyond simply accommodating (need help with learning various skills involved in written expression.


What blue magic is describing is called "Response to Intervention" (RTI). RTI is supposed to take place before an IEP eligibility evaluation is held (this is what happens in our district). You do *not* have to have your ds go through RTI first if you are requesting a 504 and have documentation of needs from a credible source. You can also go ahead and request the IEP eligibility evaluation even though RTI hasn't taken place. If the school staff replies that RTI needs to happen first, listen to what they are proposing, then respond by listing the history of what has been tried, what did/didn't' work for your ds, and referring back to the needs listed on the evaluation report you already have. RTI might be general policy, but that policy is aimed at understanding students who haven't been evaluated yet.

polarbear