Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional need help covering (another) base

RtI is a framework that crosses general and special education. Not only is it supposed to be "don't wait until the IEP process is finished", but also "don't withhold help because a child doesn't qualify for an IEP".

Tier 1 is a quality, evidence-based core curriculum implemented with fidelity for all students. For academics, this means using a research-supported reading, math, etc. curriculum, such as a reading curriculum with explicit instruction in the Big 5 reading skills, including phonological processing and phonics. For behavior, this could be a class/school-wide positive behavior support system. For EF, this might be agendabooks, organizers, or online assignment-tracking and communication systems (like edline or teacherweb), scaffolding/benchmarks for multi-part assignments that the teacher presents to the whole class.

Basically, anything that is presented to every student is tier 1. Teachers skilled in UDL (universal design for learning) tend to have a great many strategies usually thought of as tier 2 already programmed into their tier 1 instruction.

Tier 2 is usually standardized small group interventions. These may be pull-out, push-in, or implemented by the regular teacher. Academic examples would be grouping reading instruction by high, middle, low reading levels, or pull-out remedial reading instruction. An EF (or behavior) example might be having a list of children on check-in/check-out of some kind, such as initialing the agendabook, or collecting homework for all subjects first thing in the morning (before they have a chance to get lost).

Tier 3 is more intensive individualized interventions. A minority of schools actually offer OG or Wilson reading as an RtI tier 3 intervention. An individualized behavior support plan would be tier 3. I'd put developing and monitoring a personal organization flow for homework completion and return in tier 3.

Hypothetically, tier 3 supports should be available to any student who needs them regardless of sped status, but in practice, demonstrating need for tier 3 interventions tends to put children onto the IEP/504 track.

Thanks, I've been researching this morning and had concluded the same thing. I think the interventions are more Tier 2-ish, but since they are being done for him, individually, perhaps that makes it Tier 3 (informally--we have not discussed RTI). I sensed the HS teachers are accustomed to doing these interventions, while the MS teachers are not. The difference between regular ed and gifted ed, perhaps?

I think he is being evaluated this time. I received different (more) paperwork to fill out and it refers to "screening as we begin to evaluate your child."

If he is being formally evaluated, you should also have received a copy of parental rights with regard to special education. (Usually says something like "Notice of Parental Rights" or "Due Process Rights" across the top of it, in big letters.) Also a cover letter explaining the district's proposed actions, and a signature page that lists the areas to be evaluated (preferably with names of actual instruments on it, but not required).

No cover letter, but received "Parents' Bill of Rights" and Procedural Safeguards Notice.

So perhaps not, on the formal evaluation, yet.

My district produces that sheet about 2-3 weeks after the meeting where everyone looks at each other and says "yes, we need to evaluate this kid." They then call this the formal consent, not the parent in the meeting saying in the meeting in front of 12 witnesses "I consent to evaluate the child. I've written it down in a letter signed in blood that I'm handing over now." They seem to do this to buy them an extra few weeks to get it all done.

I talked to sped processor and she said the RTI process is usually more for elementary level students, and that the accommodations we have on 504 are similar to what they would do, at any rate.

I couldn't get a clear sense from her what she thinks of DS' organizational issues--although she did mention these are "difficult to teach." She said the same thing about social skills, in the 504 meeting. She did use the "functional" term, more than once, which is what I emphasized in my request for evaluation letter.

Said it before, I'll say it again. DS needs direct instruction, not only accommodations, to remediate the deficient skills. This is not merely 504 accommodations; this is IEP services.


IMO this word is key for getting help for 2Es. IEPs cover both academic and functional skills. You can type "functional" into the search box at wrightslaw for ammunition...

I did! My request letter is riddled with functional language, on your advice!

I'm a little wary. She also mentioned that autism comes in many flavors and some end up being billionaires, executives of Fortune 500 companies. She was probably just being nice--but I kind of wanted to ask--do you think Bill Gates' mom followed him around middle school? :P

I'm bumping this because I don't know what to do right now.

Can anyone advise on the "not turning in work" issue? Right now, it is one class. Not just homework, in-class assignments are stuffed into the binder and not submitted. DS cannot explain his process.

We (I) am scanning and emailing everything in this class and so he is receiving credit, but this is a mess.

His grades are fine but wouldn't be in this class if I weren't doing this.

Also: the "initials in planner" accommodation, evidently, is a problem because the coordinator said so--she said DS isn't doing this and is being sent back every study hall to get initials. I just ended up saying "we can remove that accommodation if it is unnecessarily irritating." To which she replied: "no, I think we should continue, maybe he will eventually get it." Okay--but can we not call it a "problem," then? <--this makes me assume that the teacher is annoyed and doesn't want to do the accommodation.

The same teacher in whose class DS isn't turning in completed work is the one he has for study hall and who is responsible for checking the planner.

DS turns in classwork where there is a system in place but my guess is that is a teacher prompting the whole class. I don't know what's different about this class. We are going to meet (teacher, me, DS) next week to reinforce classroom procedures. DS can't tell me anything useful.

I am reading Smart but Scattered but can't find anything about this particular, extremely frustrating, difficult to understand issue.

*If* he ends up with an IEP (and I won't be holding my breath), I think someone at school can help with this. In the mean time--I don't know what to do. He has agreed to read the Smart but Scattered book with me to strategize.

Should I just resign myself to scanning every piece of work he does in this class, not being able to understand what he writes (when he writes) in his planner, not being able to communicate with him about it, and just doing damage control?

Has anyone ever tried anything like this:

http://watchminder.com