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[Lisa_M]

In my district, you go straight to the principal to request an evaluation. By law they have to complete it within 30 days (regardless of where you live). My son is in special education, so I'm very aware of the procedures.

once the permission to evaluate has been signed the district has 60 school days to complete the evaluation. When a child has been found to be "exceptional" they have 30 calendar days to complete the IEP. This is per Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - (Federal Law)

 

[Lisa_M]

I would go to the principal immediately. I would not sit around and wait for the school to take action or your daughter will be in 5th grade having problems that should have been identified in kindergarten. For LDs, early intervention is the key. This is going to sound like a huge generalization, but here it goes: Many (I want to say most, but I won't) schools are not concerned with individual children's needs, they are concerned with their test scores, teaching the masses, cutting costs, etc. You need to be an advocate for your child and fight for her rights. I know several people that have had to fight the school system to get their kids tested, IEPs implemented, and so on. Holding back a child in kindergarten is sometimes just a band-aid.



Exactly! All teachers are not trained in this area.

Why should a child be put in special ed if they have only been exposed to school for 6 months? This is jumping the gun IMO. Retention is sometimes just a band-aid, but this girl may need some time to mature and be exposed to the basics for a little longer since she wasn't in preschool and there are language issues involved.

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

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[Lisa_M]

Specifically, what is she having problems with at school?

interventioncentral.org is a good site for ideas for parents and teachers

 

[meandtheguys2]

You know, she may just not be ready. It sounds as though you are doing so much for her that is possible. Some kids just don't learn to read at 6. Some aren't ready until 7. That isn't anything wrong with them or a disability, they just aren't ready.

Lisa M, I usually disagree with school psychologists...was one myself...but you give very nice advice!

 

[imsayin]

Why should a child be put in special ed if they have only been exposed to school for 6 months? This is jumping the gun IMO. Retention is sometimes just a band-aid, but this girl may need some time to mature and be exposed to the basics for a little longer since she wasn't in preschool and there are language issues involved.

I didn't say the child should be put in special ed. If she needs additional help to be up to speed, due to a learning disability, she should be getting it from the school (as the law mandates). I don't think "being exposed to school for more than 6 months" is a requirement for diagnosing a LD. In our school system, children can be tested before they are 3 years old and entered into a special pre-school to get them what they need, whether it be OT, PT, etc. I think holding back kids based on maturity is a joke. How mature do you expect a 5 or 6 year old to be? I have seen parents wait for the school to do something, and I don't recommend waiting. If it were my kid, you would hear my wheels squeaking all the way to the principal's office.

 

[Lisa_M]

I didn't say the child should be put in special ed. If she needs additional help to be up to speed, due to a learning disability, she should be getting it from the school (as the law mandates). I don't think "being exposed to school for more than 6 months" is a requirement for diagnosing a LD. In our school system, children can be tested before they are 3 years old and entered into a special pre-school to get them what they need, whether it be OT, PT, etc. I think holding back kids based on maturity is a joke. How mature do you expect a 5 or 6 year old to be? I have seen parents wait for the school to do something, and I don't recommend waiting. If it were my kid, you would hear my wheels squeaking all the way to the principal's office.

I'm sure I would hear your wheels squeaking, there are plenty of parents that feel the same way. Do you now drive as well as you did 6 months after you first got behind the wheel? I sure drive better now. The requirement for being classified LD is an ability-achievement discrepancy of average ability with below average achievement (which is very hard to get on a tests evaluating a 5 year old) or a lack of response to interventions. If the school has not documented that she is not responsing to research based interventions and there is no discrepancy, she does not qualify for special education. Early intervention for developmental delays needing OT, PT or Speech Therapy is different than LD. The school needs to help this child in her current environment before resorting to special ed.

 

[tiffany123]

Seems to me that some posters are jumping the gun here in regards to suggesting lots of testing, special ed, etc. This little girl is very young for kindergarten, has limited preschool experience and is bi-lingual. That's a lot for any 5 year old to overcome in a few short months of a classroom with many other children. My suggestions would include, RELAX and enjoy spending quality time with her on a one to one basis----not only on "schoolwork" but also on "housework----cooking, telling time, measuring, etc", consider having her repeat kindergarten next year when she is 6 rather than having just turned 5, ask your school if there is a summer program she can attend for a few weeks or see if there is one sponsored by a church, the Y or someplace similar.

I am a elementary teacher, mother of two and grandmother of six. Pushing our little ones for school when they're not ready does more damage than good in most cases.

 

[summerrluvv]

Seems to me that some posters are jumping the gun here in regards to suggesting lots of testing, special ed, etc. This little girl is very young for kindergarten, has limited preschool experience and is bi-lingual. That's a lot for any 5 year old to overcome in a few short months of a classroom with many other children. My suggestions would include, RELAX and enjoy spending quality time with her on a one to one basis----not only on "schoolwork" but also on "housework----cooking, telling time, measuring, etc", consider having her repeat kindergarten next year when she is 6 rather than having just turned 5, ask your school if there is a summer program she can attend for a few weeks or see if there is one sponsored by a church, the Y or someplace similar.

I am a elementary teacher, mother of two and grandmother of six. Pushing our little ones for school when they're not ready does more damage than good in most cases.

As a teacher, I am really surprised (shocked actually) that you are advocating waiting. Early intervention is key if there is a problem.

 

[dimimi]

I am also a special education teacher and I have found this thread interesting. I would have her evaluated, and yes, once your request it, the school has 60 deays to finish her testing. I notice a few things. First, most children do go to preschool, so your daughter is still very new at this "school" thing. Also, where we live, MANY parents keep their children home an extra year if they have a summer birthday. When you took your daughter to kindergarten registration and they did testing, did they say she seemed ready? Last, being bilingual certainly makes it more difficult for her.

I also agree that it will be very difficult for your daughter to have discrepancies necessary for special education, however, maybe she would qualify for all day kindergarten or reading intervention. However, once you have her evaluated, I would probably have her repeat kindergarten...especially since she is probably one of the youngest.

At her age, many of her difficulties my be developmental, meaning she just isn't ready yet. My oldest son, who gets all A's now, couldn't hold a pencil at 6 and could barely cut and write. My other son had a difficult time learning to read, however, now is on grade level (3) after reading intervention and a private tutor during the summer.

Good luck, and most importantly, have fun with your daughter.

 

[ohboyx3]

As a parent who was told last year that her son was "immature, needed to be tested for learning disabilities, would be unable to take standardized tests and "shouldn't move on the second grade," i can tell you I was devastated and cried and cried over it. I challenged the teacher over holding him back and put my foot down. I know my son, and he is not immature in the least. I believed that his problem was having an unexperienced 1st year teacher who had absolutely no control over the classroom. He would come home every day with a headache! I promised to everything possible to catch him up. I enrolled him in Sylvan last summer. Between that and having an outstanding teacher this year. He is in the 2nd grade, reading on level, and acing all of his tests. I am so proud of him!!!! I disagree with what people said about Sylvan, it was a blessing for us. They met with my childs teacher this year and together we devised a plan so he could do nothing but succeed. I think sometimes educators are too quick to label a child before getting to the root of the problem. Instead of just shrugging my shoulders and taking their word for it, I pressed on and became proactive in my child education. Hang in there and don't give up! You are doing the right thing by doing SOMETHING and not just ignoring it and thinking it'll go away. Have you observed your child's classroom? There could be something distracting her. Just a thought. His teacher last year even went to the extent of saying that he was just an "average" child. Well, so what. Average is fine and you know what??? He's pretty darn special to me! Hang in there!

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

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[flying_babyb]

try your local college, theres people like me who are Education students that are desprate to find money to pay for college. I tutor a child now for $4 a hour. I had one child whos mother was at a ecominic disavantage who I did for $3 a hour, as long as the mom would let me use her as a referance, and would let her freinds know I did tutoring. Too bad your not in my area! Also try getting her closest friend to come over to your house and help her a bit, you know, homework buddies? Encorage them to do fun learning stuff. I learned math baking cookies. Sciene and english with fire trucks. Try to find something that shes in love with (for me it was fire trucks) and use it to help teach her. You know you can get the little plastic party favor trucks that take paint well. I dont know what shes learning but there good for colors, counting..... It may help. Does she have trouble with math? I did. I applaud you for trying to help her now. My mom just didnt have the time to get me help in kindergarden and I failed math so many time, I barley made it through high school (A stundent in everything else). Hey if you need any advice on how to help her with subjects, feel free to pm me. Im currently a preschool, 5 year old teacher. Also encorage her to stay bi lingual. I know in my kindergarden class we had a child who spoke in sign, and a child who spoke spanish. Our teacher would have a spainsh word of the day, encorage us to learn songs in both spanish and english and so such. It was cooL! We even did a cinco de mayo party!

 

[grlpwrd]

Seems to me that some posters are jumping the gun here in regards to suggesting lots of testing, special ed, etc. This little girl is very young for kindergarten, has limited preschool experience and is bi-lingual. That's a lot for any 5 year old to overcome in a few short months of a classroom with many other children. My suggestions would include, RELAX and enjoy spending quality time with her on a one to one basis----not only on "schoolwork" but also on "housework----cooking, telling time, measuring, etc", consider having her repeat kindergarten next year when she is 6 rather than having just turned 5, ask your school if there is a summer program she can attend for a few weeks or see if there is one sponsored by a church, the Y or someplace similar.

I am a elementary teacher, mother of two and grandmother of six. Pushing our little ones for school when they're not ready does more damage than good in most cases.

I have to agree with you. It's a combination of being bilingual, being so young, and having limited classroom experience. Has anyone here posting had actual experience dealing with bilingualism in a school setting? It doesn't sound like her teacher has experience with it either.

I would still get her evaluated, though. Perhaps your school district has resources for bilingual children.

 

[tiffany123]

Summerluv and others------I never meant to imply to not get her evaluated. It just seems that some posters are overlooking some huge points---age, prior school experience and bilingualism. Some posters were even suggesting she be placed in special ed or other programs for educationally challenged children. Evaluation is fine but also remember that age, little preschool prior to kindergarten and dual languages at home may be a HUGE part of the reason she's having difficulties this year.

 

[LAD1108]

Ok you child is not yet in first grade and she needs tutoring?

Is the fact that she is falling behind due to maturity? Some kids just don't mature as fast and you might just need to give her an extra year.

We had the same problem with our son. He fell behind in grade K, and against my better judgement we let him go to first grade. It was a disaster for him and us. The school (Catholic) was going to promote him to second grade and we decided, after we had him tested,(tested at grade level) that the best thing for EVERYBODY involved was to change schools and have him repeat first grade. He just wasn't ready. He needed to mature.

It was hard, but it was the best decission we ever made. He is in second grade and just received Student of the month for the month of December.


Good Luck, I know your frustration---but things always work out

 

[torinsmom]

I teach kindergarten and the children in my class vary greatly. I think some of this is due to age, some to differences in developmental stages and some to ESL. If she is a young kindergartner(and she is), wasn't in preschool, and is fluent in two languages, it may take here awhile to blossom. Now, as a teacher, I would NEVER tell a parent that their child was doing the worst in the class. I would say "She is having trouble blending sounds to make words," or "She is having a hard time learning her numbers to 100". We'd talk about ways the parent could help at home and what I would do to help at school.

Have you had your child's eyes checked by an optometrist? The screening that is done at the doctor's office are just screenings. If a child can't see well, that can affect how well they can learn numbers, letters, etc.

Maybe it is different at other schools, but parents can't demand evaluations at our school. We have procedures that have to be followed before an evaluation will even be considered. We have a student support team that gives strategies to try, then try them for 6 weeks, come back together, more strategies and then talk about evaluation if things aren't working. It is the school's recommendation, and the parent can say yes or no.

You may want to try manipulatives with your daughter. For letter sounds, we use letters made out of sandpaper that the child can feel AND see. After they learn a few sounds, we have objects they match to the first letter sound. For math, we have counters(fish, elephant, etc) the kids use to count, add, etc.

One thing I did before my son was identified was take him to the Doctor's Vision Center. They have a vision screening they do that tests for dyslexia, etc. It was interesting that the weaknesses they found were mirrored a few years later when he was tested.

Marsha