My DS is 2e with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia. He will be heading to middle school next year and we just started his transition meetings. I am finding out that he will be pulled out of every special (art, music, chorus, library, etc) because this is the time the school has allotted for special education. My son needs these specials. This really doesn't seem fair at all. Has anyone else been in this situation?
Our school uses study hall for these services. They also do quite a bit of "collaborative teaching" (i.e. pushing services into the regular classroom rather than pulling the child out).
In your shoes I'd start advocating for better solutions....
Perhaps they should try it themselves first. I can see they are trying to avoid him missing core subjects but it would be awfully dull.
Look at the kind of services he has on his plan. Some supports can be provided relatively easily in a co-taught/inclusion setting, or by monitoring general educator use of accommodations. Others are more challenging. If he is still receiving fairly intensive services (e.g., OT, systematic instruction in decoding/encoding (OG, Wilson, etc.), then the pull-out is kind of important. Does the work he does in special education replace his classroom work? Unless it is something like Wilson, it should ideally take place during the relevant subject, so that his access to that material is appropriately supported, and he is provided with the least restrictive environment. And as a matter of general principle, he does have a right to access the general education curriculum, of which the arts frameworks are a component.
Though I will note that many schools use specials time for tier 2 general education interventions (remedial/academic support classes for low-achieving/at-risk students not exclusively in special education).
Update: I had my IEP meeting last week, I will now homeschool my son in Math (which he is 2 grades above anyway) and the school will deliver his services during the regularly scheduled math time. This really helps on so many levels!! I am so excited!!
Excellent! That is good news.
Is the school providing you with their math textbook(s) and materials for teaching your son at 2 grade levels advanced? Otherwise summer is a great time for lining up some potential resources for homeschooling your son in math.
For math he actually attends the Russian School of Math. He started several years ago, and loves it. The teaching style is a perfect fit for him. My usual quiet, inattentive child is transformed into a math superstar, raising his hand, going to the board and engaged! The teacher says she notices the ADD and sometimes he uses all of his energy to pay attention, but overall it has been the best thing for him. As far as homeschooling- I have the textbook and will go through that with him to make sure we cover it all but honestly I think he already learned it a year or two ago in the Russian school of Math. It will still be reviewed.
He will also have 2 extra study halls so he can get some homework done.
Presently, I am trying to require the school to only use a Wilson certified teacher to teach the Wilson program. Most of the time the Wilson teachers are teacher aids with NO training.
Update: I had my IEP meeting last week, I will now homeschool my son in Math (which he is 2 grades above anyway) and the school will deliver his services during the regularly scheduled math time. This really helps on so many levels!! I am so excited!!
Well done! Great problem-solving.
Nice. Great outcome.
There are a ton of online, self-paced math courses. Khan Academy has a lot of good material. My 12yo and I took a calculus course from Ohio State over the summer. It was taught much better than when I took it 30 years ago.