Need Help.IEP Questions

[mlynn]

My dd7 has been labeled "at risk" Her teacher and I have been making great progress with her. She is only behind by a few months now. But now with all the cuts in NJ schools.I'm scared to death she is going to fall through the cracks. All the in class support aides were giving their pink slips today.So no more aides int he class room for us.

So I'm trying to find out what is involved with getting an IEP.Can you get IEP for just a learning delay? If so where do I start? Told by a aide today to do on my own.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MushyMushy]

My dd7 has been labeled "at risk" Her teacher and I have been making great progress with her. She is only behind by a few months now. But now with all the cuts in NJ schools.I'm scared to death she is going to fall through the cracks. All the in class support aides were giving their pink slips today.So no more aides int he class room for us.

So I'm trying to find out what is involved with getting an IEP.Can you get IEP for just a learning delay? If so where do I start? Told by a aide today to do on my own.

Thanks in advance.

Has she been tested? That's the first step. You need to write a letter ASAP to the guidance office requesting she be tested and they have so many days to do it after that (60?), so now would be the perfect time to try to get it in before the next school year.

I don't know what NJ laws are, but in most cases, there has to be a certain discrepancy between what her actual achievement is vs what her potential is, and that discrepancy doesn't usually show up at such an early age. For a lot of kids, it doesn't show up until middle school.

 

[mlynn]

No not tested yet.I have a meeting with her teacher tomorrow.I'm going to talk to her about it then. I just want to have all my ducks in a row.

Thanks so much.I have been googling but it is all so confusing. I knew I would get so much clear in fo on here.

Her main things are Reading adn Sight words. The thing with the sight words are mind blowing.She can get big words like "Together" but can't get "and" "the" words like that. Her teacher is great (she has had her for 2 years 1st and 2nd grade) She has come a long way.But with all the cuts I'm scared for her now.

 

[scojos]

i would suggest you post the same question on the disabilities thread, as a teacher i could tell you how this works in the UK, but im really sure that would be of no help whatsoever
good luck, if its like here in the uk (i have an asd son) its v hard to do, but never underestimate the strength of a mother x

 

[2Kds2K9]

Here in VA you have to have a teacher referral to be considered for an IEP.

My process was having the teacher refer my DS to the "committee". Various members of the committee then observed him in class. It was determined that he was at least a year behind. Once the committee observed him, they called us, the parents, in to meet and discuss his deficiencies. It was then that they asked us to test him. This process took about 3 months. Once the testing was done, he received his IEP and it was implemented right away.

If you are losing classroom help, I don't know how much an IEP is going to help your child. Unless your school system decides to move your DD into a "self-contained" environment with kids with various disabilities.

An IEP is a document stating that your child has X deficiencies and needs Y help. The school then must provide the services to meet that. BUT, if they are laying off teachers, then it's going to be hard for the school system to adhere to the IEP.

I would ask a lot of questions tomorrow.

Good luck.

 

[jel0511]

My son has an IEP and is only removed from class for reading and writing. He receives no additional in class support. He first had to be referred to the child study team at our school, and they had to make recommendations first. After these were implemented, we had to wait 2 months to see if any improvement was made BEFORE testing was ordered. This all started around Nov of last school year and testing wasn't completed until Aug!!!! You're running up against the end of school and with all of the cuts, you might not get anything accomplished until next year. I know our district is cutting back on summer staffing, due to all the cuts. Most schools don't like to immediately go to testing without trying various techniques before. Also, a "few months behind" isn't usually eligible for an IEP and resource room support. DS was 2 YEARS behind, he's making great progress, but still not there yet. Talk to your teacher and principal to see what services you'd be eligible for.

 

[Deb in IA]

A student has to meet criteria for an IEP to be written. Usually, it means being diagnosed with a specific learning disability.

If your child doesn't not qualify for an IEP, you can still request 504 accomodations.

Good luck.

 

[Nicolepa]

A student has to meet criteria for an IEP to be written. Usually, it means being diagnosed with a specific learning disability.

If your child doesn't not qualify for an IEP, you can still request 504 accomodations.

Good luck.

A 504 is typically used for a medical problem that requires special accomodations. My son has a 504 because of a hearing loss. Even though he was behind in school (by probably a year), his 504 only addresses issues/accomodations directly related to his hearing loss.

OP, unless your child has a diagnosed medical condition or learning disability it does not sound like your child would be a canidate for an IEP or 504. Of course every school district/state is different so I would ask your specific district what their requirements are.

 

[INDISMOM]

No not tested yet.I have a meeting with her teacher tomorrow.I'm going to talk to her about it then. I just want to have all my ducks in a row.

Thanks so much.I have been googling but it is all so confusing. I knew I would get so much clear in fo on here.

Her main things are Reading adn Sight words. The thing with the sight words are mind blowing.She can get big words like "Together" but can't get "and" "the" words like that. Her teacher is great (she has had her for 2 years 1st and 2nd grade) She has come a long way.But with all the cuts I'm scared for her now.

That sounds just like my daughter. We just went through in Jan/Feb the process and she now has her IEP in place. Reading and sight words are a BIG problem with her. She is in 3rd grade, and the delay was noticed at the end of 1st grade. She was tested for vision issues and we did about a year of vision therapy to help her with tracking and coordination. We thought that might help, and it did, but not enough to bring her to where she needed to be -- ALSO her reading recovery teacher and I were the ones who really pushed for this to be done. We were the 2 people working with her on a daily basis and saw that not a lot of progress was being made.

With the ISTEP (Indiana Standardized test) the beginning of March, we needed to get something in place for her to have part of the test read to her AND give her extra time.

It started off with me meeting with her teacher, the IEP coordinator at her school, the reading recovery teacher who had been working with her, and the psychologist for our area group.

After that the psychologist spent time testing my daughter and writing up a report that she had to present to all of the psychologists for the school system. Based on the report all of the psychologists worked together to determine: 1. If she needed the IEP and 2. What would then be included in the IEP.

Once that was established, we had a meeting with all of the people in the first meeting and also the special education teacher that would be assisting my daughter. In this meeting I got the results of her testing and also was told what would be put in place to help her. So far, all has been well and she is doing much better with everything.

 

[matt98378]

This is for Texas, but is an excellent resource and may be able to provide some guidance. It even has the forms for letters, etc.

advocacyinc.org/PDF/IDEAManual2007_Engcolor.pdf

 

[daughtersrus]

My dd7 has been labeled "at risk" Her teacher and I have been making great progress with her. She is only behind by a few months now. But now with all the cuts in NJ schools.I'm scared to death she is going to fall through the cracks. All the in class support aides were giving their pink slips today.So no more aides int he class room for us.

So I'm trying to find out what is involved with getting an IEP.Can you get IEP for just a learning delay? If so where do I start? Told by a aide today to do on my own.

Thanks in advance.

Here is a link to the Parental Rights document for the state of New Jersey. It should help you quite a bit. For example, it says that parents can make the referral. When they do, the school district has 20 calendar days to hold a meeting to decide if evals will be done.


http://www.state.nj.us/education/specialed/form/prise/prise.pdf


Let me know if there is anything else that I can help with.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

There are two different models for qualification used by most states. The most common appears to be the discrepancy model:

-Under the discrepancy model a student's aptitutde (IQ) scores and achievement (how well they are performing) are compared. A student qualifies as learning disabled if their achievement scores are at least two standard deviations under their aptitutde (IQ) scores. This means that a child with an IQ of 80 who is behind in class but whose achievement scores fall within the expected range given his IQ would not qualify.

-Response to Intervention: Children who are falling behind are identified and interventions are started. The interventions must be research based (so there must be studies showing those interventions work.) There is a specific progression through the interventions that must be followed. Our district uses a 3-tier system. Tier 1 is your average kid who is falling behind, tier 2 is where you start getting into kids with learning disabilities who need more intense interventions, and tier 3 are your lowest level learners who are typically in a self contained classroom. If a child fails to make progress on a lower tier, testing is done and an IEP is considered. The great thing about this model is that the kid is receiving interventions in the mean time.

The other major way a kid can qualify is Other Health Impairment. ADHD falls under this category.

If you request it, there are federal and state guidelines that the school must follow concerning testing. The school doesn't have to test, but there are some hoops they have to go through to explain why. You can also choose to test your child on your own and bring that information to the school.

You need to ask them to test your child. I'll be honest, based on your description it sounds like she is right on the line and there is a good chance she will not qualify. But it's certainly worth a shot!

 

[tasha99]

There are two different models for qualification used by most states. The most common appears to be the discrepancy model:

-Under the discrepancy model a student's aptitutde (IQ) scores and achievement (how well they are performing) are compared. A student qualifies as learning disabled if their achievement scores are at least two standard deviations under their aptitutde (IQ) scores. This means that a child with an IQ of 80 who is behind in class but whose achievement scores fall within the expected range given his IQ would not qualify.

-Response to Intervention: Children who are falling behind are identified and interventions are started. The interventions must be research based (so there must be studies showing those interventions work.) There is a specific progression through the interventions that must be followed. Our district uses a 3-tier system. Tier 1 is your average kid who is falling behind, tier 2 is where you start getting into kids with learning disabilities who need more intense interventions, and tier 3 are your lowest level learners who are typically in a self contained classroom. If a child fails to make progress on a lower tier, testing is done and an IEP is considered. The great thing about this model is that the kid is receiving interventions in the mean time.

The other major way a kid can qualify is Other Health Impairment. ADHD falls under this category.

If you request it, there are federal and state guidelines that the school must follow concerning testing. The school doesn't have to test, but there are some hoops they have to go through to explain why. You can also choose to test your child on your own and bring that information to the school.

You need to ask them to test your child. I'll be honest, based on your description it sounds like she is right on the line and there is a good chance she will not qualify. But it's certainly worth a shot!

I'm in grad school at the University of Oregon, and though I'm in speech, I take a lot of special ed classes as well. The discrepancy model is pretty frowned upon, at least by my teachers--so of course that's what they do out in the real world. Here in Oregon, I know you can get early intervention if you're 1.5 SD's below the mean in two areas, or 2 SD's in one (not discrepancy, but just scoring low on a standardized test) Not quite sure what the requirements are for kids over 5 though.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I'm in grad school at the University of Oregon, and though I'm in speech, I take a lot of special ed classes as well. The discrepancy model is pretty frowned upon, at least by my teachers--so of course that's what they do out in the real world. Here in Oregon, I know you can get early intervention if you're 1.5 SD's below the mean in two areas, or 2 SD's in one (not discrepancy, but just scoring low on a standardized test) Not quite sure what the requirements are for kids over 5 though.

Many states are making the transition to RTI (Response to Intervention) for that reason, but it is slow going.

There i also some wiggle room with "professional discretion." One of my students should not technically qualify for my room or an MR diagnosis, it is something like a one or two point difference. But he was qualified under "professional discretion" because he was so close the threshold.

 

[mlynn]

Thanks for all the input.You all are great.
Meeting was change until Friday 230.So I will be writing all this down and Getting my questions ready.

I know its a long shot but all they can say to me is no right.If that happens I will just have to keep busting my butt to keep her moving ahead.(like I have been doing since she was labeled "at risk" at the end of Kinders)

All these cuts have me scared!!! They cut 27 in class teachers aides yesterday between 3Elem in my district.

 

[MM27]

I teach 4th grade in NJ. You can thank our governor for all these cuts, because he doesn't think too highly of public education. My district used to jump to testing right away if parents initiated the desire to help the child. I've quiety encouraged parents to write a letter if they were in agreement that the child needed assistance. Now that is not the case. Even with parent requests, children need to go through the Intervention and Referral Services (I&RS). It's a long process. We just found out in my district that we are going to have major cuts as well. It's unfortunate because the kids are going to suffer.

 

[Val]

A great place to start to educate yourself on federal requirements/laws is http://wrightslaw.com/. It is an incredible resource regarding your rights, responsibilities, and how to navigate in the system.

Your child doesn't always have to be "behind". My DD12 has moderate bilateral hearing loss and her speech is behind a tiny bit (take those hearing aids out and she really has trouble with expressive language!). She is a straight A student in grade 6, but has an IEP to ensure that she receives the speech/teacher-of-the-deaf and language resources she needs. For example, phonics are not her strength, to say the least, so spelling on written tests/assignments is not counted against her UNLESS it is a spelling assignment or she has the chance to edit and correct. She also uses an FM system, with the teachers wearing microphones which then send their voices to her hearing aids. We have her on an IEP rather than a 504 plan to ensure that she is doing well.

The Wright's law site has lots of info for beginning the process, managing the process, and helping you fight. Even in good districts you have to show that you know the rules, or they may try and cut corners- budgets are tight everywhere, and even good teachers/administrators cut if they think they can and it won't be noticed.

Good luck navigating the system. The "system" can really suck....but if you look past the system you find good teachers and support staff who are trying their best and have your child's best interest in their heart. Don't let the "system" beat you......its bureaucracy at its best/worst. Remember those caring staff members....they are the ones who get you through the darkest hours. If it were not for exceptional teachers and support staff, my DD12 would NOT be a high-honor roll student, and for their efforts we are eternally grateful.

 

[mlynn]

I teach 4th grade in NJ. You can thank our governor for all these cuts, because he doesn't think too highly of public education. My district used to jump to testing right away if parents initiated the desire to help the child. I've quiety encouraged parents to write a letter if they were in agreement that the child needed assistance. Now that is not the case. Even with parent requests, children need to go through the Intervention and Referral Services (I&RS). It's a long process. We just found out in my district that we are going to have major cuts as well. It's unfortunate because the kids are going to suffer.

I don't know what he is thinking or lack of thinking.He needs to give the money back so the kids don't suffer!!!

 

[mlynn]

A great place to start to educate yourself on federal requirements/laws is http://wrightslaw.com/. It is an incredible resource regarding your rights, responsibilities, and how to navigate in the system.

Your child doesn't always have to be "behind". My DD12 has moderate bilateral hearing loss and her speech is behind a tiny bit (take those hearing aids out and she really has trouble with expressive language!). She is a straight A student in grade 6, but has an IEP to ensure that she receives the speech/teacher-of-the-deaf and language resources she needs. For example, phonics are not her strength, to say the least, so spelling on written tests/assignments is not counted against her UNLESS it is a spelling assignment or she has the chance to edit and correct. She also uses an FM system, with the teachers wearing microphones which then send their voices to her hearing aids. We have her on an IEP rather than a 504 plan to ensure that she is doing well.

The Wright's law site has lots of info for beginning the process, managing the process, and helping you fight. Even in good districts you have to show that you know the rules, or they may try and cut corners- budgets are tight everywhere, and even good teachers/administrators cut if they think they can and it won't be noticed.

Good luck navigating the system. The "system" can really suck....but if you look past the system you find good teachers and support staff who are trying their best and have your child's best interest in their heart. Don't let the "system" beat you......its bureaucracy at its best/worst. Remember those caring staff members....they are the ones who get you through the darkest hours. If it were not for exceptional teachers and support staff, my DD12 would NOT be a high-honor roll student, and for their efforts we are eternally grateful.

Thank you I will be going over all this. THANK YOU!!!!

 

[mlynn]

Met with my dd teacher.(She is the best) She told me that she has made so much progress with her that she doesn't think she will be able to get an IEP. She will still be a little behind starting 3rdgrade.But told me that she may be able to get one atthe end of 3rd if she doesn't progress like she did for her.My dd had this teacher since 1st grade. She was "looped" with the kids.So she was dd 2nd grade teacher too.She told me it is all her fault that she won't be able to get the IEP because she able to get her to get so far this past year.(my dd5 will have her next year for 1st and hopefully 2nd too if they don't cut the looping too) She will be giving me lots of stuff to do with her over the summer that will keep her up to date.(Since they cut the summer program for at risk kids)She also making sure my dd is putting into a 3rd grade class with in class support (special ed teacher in the room as well as the Reg.Teacher.)PRAY they don't cut that.

Thanks Everybody for all your help.I will be keeping my eye on everything next year to see what my next step will be.