Back to School Checklist.  Are you and your child ready for school?

School starts soon.  Are you ready?  It's not too late!  There's plenty you can do to help your child get better results at school this year.  Will you do everything perfectly?  No way!  Nobody's perfect.  Will you get everything in place in a week?  No way!  It takes time.  And there's always more you can do to become an effective advocate for your child at school. 

So think of the checklist below as a way to "take stock" of where you are and where you need to go with your special needs child this year.  Then - pick one or two things you need to do - and get started!

1.      Get organized.  Are your child's records organized and up to date?  Can you find them when you need them?  If not, take some time to get organized.  It will help you learn what you need to learn and you will look like you mean business.  Both are important. And the more organized and prepared you are, the more confidence you will have.  For more information on getting organized, click here: http://www.educationlawadvocates.com/OrganizingFile.shtml.

2.      Review your child's current evaluation.  When did you last review your child's comprehensive school evaluation?  Is your child achieving at grade level in reading?  In math?  What does the evaluation say are your child's biggest challenges?  Do you agree?  Is each major need identified in the evaluation addressed in the IEP?  You need to know what the evaluation says because your child's IEP is based on it.  You can read and understand the important parts of it.  These sources can help:  www.wrightslaw.com (search "evaluations"); From Emotions to Advocacy by Pete and Pam Wright (a wonderful guide for parents of special needs children with two easy-to-read chapters on evaluations); http://www.educationlawadvocates.com/May-2008.shtml, and (http://www.educationlawadvocates.com/December-2007.shtml.  (See  "Understanding the Numbers").

3.      Review the IEPs.  Take a look at this year's and last year's IEPs.  How have they changed?  Does the current IEP accurately describe your child's present levels of performance in all areas of need?  Are the goals measurable?  How often will the school report on his progress?  How will you know if your child is making progress?  (Grades are not enough!).  Does the IEP provide the services your child needs?  An IEP can be a plan for "success" or a plan for "failure."  So which is it?  Here's more information to help you learn about IEPs: http://www.educationlawadvocates.com/May-2008.shtml.  (See "Get Real with the IEP").

4.      Learn the "basics."  You're never going to learn "everything" about your child's condition, special education plans and services, and the law.  But you don't have to!  Focus on the basics.  What don't you know that you think you should know?  Answers are out there - on the web, at parent meetings, in books and videos at the library, in many places.  Join a parents group!  If your child has ADHD, for example, order a book on it from Amazon or get one from the library.  The more you know, the more you can help.  We think the Internet is a great way to get started and to learn more.  For some great web resources for parents of special needs children, click here: http://www.educationlawadvocates.com/WhatsNew.shtml.

5.      Set goals and monitor the results.  If you don't know where you intend to go, how will you know when you get there?  What do you expect your child to be doing in three years?  Five years?  Ten years?  Will she be attending college?  Will he be living independently?  Will she be working full-time in a job she enjoys?  We encourage parents to think about their goals for their child and write them down.  Nothing fancy.  Just write down some goals and when you expect to achieve them on a 3 x 5 card.  Then keep it with you to help keep it "top of mind."  You might be surprised by how it can help.  Do you need a little help with it?  Try "Googling" "goal setting" to get more information.  It's easy!

6.      Document important contacts and meetings.  Any attorney will tell you: If it wasn't written down, it was never said."  So get in the habit of emailing the school whenever something important occurs.  Did you have an important conversation with the principal or a teacher?  Did you have an important meeting at school?  Follow up with an email.  It gives you a chance to thank them.  But, most important, just list out in plain and brief language what was said that was important and what follow-up is needed.  Helps keep everybody on their toes - including you!

7.      Plan and prepare for school meetings.  We always advise parents to go into an IEP meeting with "solutions," not "problems."  Discussion of the "problems" is necessary only to give context to the "solutions."  Of course, you can't know everything.  But think ahead to the meeting.  What needs must be addressed?  What solutions are you seeking for your child?  New services?  Better monitoring?  More information?  How will this help your child move ahead?  We love the meeting preparation advice in the Wrights' book, From Emotions to Advocacy (Chapters 25 and 26).  And, of course, there's information on the Web.  But remember:Preparation is the key to a successful outcome for your child at school.

8.      Develop an attitude and an approach that works.  We advise parents to use the "5 P's":  Be proactive, positive, persistent, prepared and polite.  Okay, that's a mouthful.  But here's the point.  In our view, in most cases, good things come out of good relationships; bad things come out of bad relationships.  Don't you find that to be true in your own family?  At work?  In other areas of your life?  So we think it applies to schools, too.  Focus on what you need to achieve for your child and how to get there.  Keep after it.  Press for what you need.  Be clear and direct.  But be polite!  Most people at the school will respect you for it.  Some won't, but we can't change that.  In the long run, we think this will help you get what your child needs.  Will this guarantee results?  Of course not!  Might you still have to get a lawyer involved despite your best efforts to get what your child needs on your own?  Of course.  But we think this approach will get the best results in most cases. 

Questions?  Need more information?  Contact us. 

Quick Tips:  "Extended School Year" (ESY)

We know what you may be thinking.  "ESY is a summer program.  Summer's over.  Why are you talking about it now?"  Good question!

We are raising it now because we think there are some things you should know about it now.  Later this fall, we plan to come back to it again, in a little more detail.  But here are three "quick tips" on ESY that we hope you will keep in mind:

1.    Did your child lose ground this summer?  Eligibility for ESY is primarily based on whether your child loses so much ground when she's not in school that she cannot easily make it up when school begins again after a break, especially the summer break.  They refer to it as "regression and recoupment."  So did your child lose ground over the summer?  Did he master a basic skill in reading, for example, that he has lost over the summer?  Will it take too long for him to regain that skill this fall?  Be vigilant.  Observe your child.  Ask her questions.  If you suspect a problem, check with the teachers.  Make notes that you can use at an IEP meeting later to argue for services next summer that can keep your child on track.

2.    Changes in ESY regulations.  Remember that the team is required to determine at each IEP meeting whether your child is eligible for ESY services, which includes a consideration based on "reliable sources of information," according to the new Pennsylvania special education regulations, including progress on IEP goals, "reports by parents of negative changes in adaptive behaviors or in other skill areas," and other observations by parents and others.  [Chapter 14.132].  See http://www.pde.state.pa.us/stateboard_ed/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=127165.

3.    Deadlines for ESY decisions.  For students with a severe disability, including autism, severe emotional disturbance, mental retardation, and others, the IEP meeting must be held by February 28 of each year, and the Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP) for that child must be issued by March 31.  For all other disabled children, the IEP and NOREP must be completed in a timely way.  A parent who disagrees with the team's decision on ESYis entitled to an expedited Due Process hearing.  [14.132]. 

Questions?  Comments?  Feel free to call or email us.