IEPs According to Dr. Seuss
Author Unknown
Do you like these IEPs?
I do not like these IEP's
I do not like them,
Jeeze Louise .
We test, we check
we plan, we meet
but nothing ever seems
complete.
Would you, could you
like the form?
I do not like the form I see.
Not page 1,
not 2, not 3.
Another change,
a brand new box.
I think we all
Have lost our rocks.
Could you all meet
here or there?
We could not all meet here
or there.
We cannot all fit anywhere.
Not in a room
Not in a hall
There seems to be
no space at all.
Would you, cou
ld you
meet again?
I cannot meet again next week
No lunch, no prep
Please hear me speak.
No, not at dusk
and not at dawn
At 4 p. m. I should be gone.
Could you hear while
all speak out?
Would you write the words
they spout?
I could not hear,
I would not write
This does not need
to be a fight.
Sign here, date there,
Mark this, check that.
Beware the student's ad-vo-cat(e).
You do not like them
so you say
Try it again! Try it again!
and then you may.
If you let me be,
I'll try again and you will see.
Say! I almost like these IEP's
I think I'll write 6003.
And I will practice day and night
Until they say
"You've got it right".
|
|
From Special Education Advisor
Special Education in America has come very far in the 30 plus years since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed. The problem is somewhere along the way the spirit of the law and the practice of the law started to breakdown. The cornerstone of the special education law is the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and decisions about the IEP are decided at an IEP team meeting. The IEP becomes useless if the IEP team meeting goes off task. Unfortunately, instead of a team, often it becomes parents against the school and a massive communication breakdown occurs. There can be a significant lack of trust on both sides. Many times I hear from School personnel, "Why don't parents think we are capable of assessing their children properly?" While on the other side parents think schools are turning them down for eligibility and services due to lack of funds when their children really need help.
So, I say to you today, my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.
I have a dream that one day in all of America's Schools parents of special needs children and educators will be able to sit down together at an IEP team meeting and both sides will be heard. Not just listened to but actually heard. Where crucial discussions and dialogue can once again take place not forgetting the child everyone is trying to help.
I have a dream that one day even the smallest of school districts will not skirt their responsibility. A place where service's for special needs children will not be cut. A place where the teachers no longer fear repercussions from their administrators if they try and help special needs children. Where a teacher is once again allowed to tell a parent they should have their child assessed without whispering it in the shadows.
I have a dream that my son will one day live in a nation where he is not judged by what he can't do but rather be judged by the person he is.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the true meaning of an Individualized Education Program will be realized. Where a child with a disability will be taught based on how they learn. Where every IEP meeting started with a blank piece of paper that would then be designed for that individual child.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day needs will really determine services and not labels. Where a school can admit when they can't provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and will work with the parents to change that. Where America defines FAPE to mean more then granting access to special needs children and giving them a basic floor opportunity.
This is my hope. This is the faith that I ask all of you reading this to have. With this faith we will be able to transform special education into what it needs to become. With this faith we will be able to work together, to struggle together, to stand up together, knowing that one day it will be better for our children.
|
|
School Visit:
I recently had the opportunity to visit Haynes-Inman Education Center in Jamestown. From the moment that I stepped through the door, I knew that I was in a wonderful place. The staff and children were all so incredibly warm and welcoming. After a thorough tour of what is a very well planned out school building (from the color coded hallways to the Serenity Garden), I was able to have some real fun participating in the adaptive physical education class with some truly inspiring people. P.E teacher, Victoria Simmons, really enjoys what she does and has found countless ways to adapt the physical education curriculum for her students and knows how to motivate them beyond imagine. I also had the opportunity to meet a school "celebrity". Thurman Haynes is 96 years old and volunteers at the school,(named, in part, for his granddaughter, Meredith Leigh Haynes) on a daily basis. While I really enjoyed meeting and spending time with the principal, Kevin Carr and his exceptional staff, nothing compared to actually getting on the floor and playing bocce ball with the kids!!
|
|
GCS' Exceptional Children's Update
The McIver Project
Guilford County Schools is in the process of building two new sites for students who are currently attending McIver Education Center. Read more here...
|
|
|
Hello and Happy New Year!
Welcome to the downward slide of the school year....the 2nd semester! The time of year where we begin planning for next year. If you're reading this newsletter, more than likely it's because you have a child that also has an IEP.
This issue is devoted to helping parents prepare to be their child's best advocate. As I've stated in previous newsletters, this too, is a topic that is quite comprehensive, so if you don't see the information that you are looking for or have other questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
~Jacqui Hawkins
hawkinsj68@gmail.com
336-617-0128
|
|
What Is An IEP?
A Primer
Before an IEP can be written, your child must be eligible for special education. A child becomes eligible for special education when the IEP team identifies the child as having a disability and in need of specially designed instruction. The disability must also have an impact on their education.
If you suspect your child has a disability and may need special education, you may submit a written referral for a special education evaluation. School personnel may also submit such a request. The referral should be addressed to the teacher, the principal or the school system's director of education.
To determine eligibility for special education services, special education laws require the child to have an initial evaluation in the areas of concern. The evaluation may include individual assessments, observations, and an interview with the child. The evaluation also guides the IEP team in identifying the disability, developing an IEP and determining the nature and extent of the special education and related services that your child may need.
You must give your consent in writing before the school conducts an evaluation. All decisions about special education are made through the IEP team process. The IEP team includes:
- The parent(s)
- Not less than one special education teacher.
- Not less than one general education teacher.
- A representative of the local school or local school system.
- An individual who can interpret evaluation results.
- Other individuals, at the discretion of the parent or local school system, who have knowledge or expertise.
- The student, if appropriate.
Once a child is identified with a disability, the IEP team, including the parents, develops an IEP for the child. The IEP is a written plan that describes the special education and related service support needed for a child with a disability. The IEP defines the type and amount of services needed and where the services will be delivered. School staff is responsible for the implementation of the IEP.
For More Information on IEPs, here are some recommended links:
A good place to start unravelling the mysteries of the IEP is Wrightslaw.com. The link above will drop you right into the soup, where you'll find articles, law and regulations, tactics and strategies, tips, books, and free publications about IEPs.
Wrightslaw offers us all a Roadmap to IDEA 2004: What You Need to Know About IEPs & IEP Meetings.
National Center for Learning Disabilities
|
2013 Autism Society of North Carolina Annual Conference
Autism Grows Up
The 2013 Autism Society of North Carolina Annual Conference, Autism Grows Up, will be held February 8-9, 2013 at the Hilton University Place Hotel in Charlotte.
The reality is that children with autism become adults with autism. The 2013 conference will focus on preparing for adulthood and all that comes with it: family transitions, living and working in the community, and the goal of independence.
|
|
Psychologist Corner
From Guilford County Schools:
Community Relations Team
Psychologist's Corner - Homework Tips
By: Matt Hoskins, NCSP
It has been a hectic day, the kids have been picked up from school, soccer practice is over, dinner
needs to be made, and there is a pile of laundry that must be washed before tomorrow. In the midst of it all, the last thing you want to engage in is an argument about homework!
Homework is designed to be a form of practice for skills that students have mastered during the school day and it does not need to be a daily struggle. However, particularly for students with disabilities (and their parents), homework can often seem like a monumental obstacle that is near impossible to overcome.
In this installment of the Psychologist's Corner, we will discuss ways to work with your child's teacher to ensure appropriate homework assignments, as well as ways develop routines that will facilitate homework completion.
When to talk with your child's teacher about homework:As a general guideline, a reasonable time expectation to be devoted to homework for anelementary student is ten minutes for each grade level. For example, a reasonable expectationfor a second grader would be around twenty minutes nightly. If your child is consistently spending much more time than this on homework, you may want to discuss adjusting the workload with his or her teacher
Homework is intended to be a form of practice. Your child should rarely say, "I don't know how
to do this" when completing homework assignments. Again, if this is a common issue, discuss the concerns with your child's teacher. The last thing we want is for a student to spend an afternoon practicing a skill incorrectly!
Ways to establish a homework routine:
Find a quiet location in the house where homework will consistently be completed. This may be the kitchen table or a small desk in a bedroom. You may want to elicit insight from your child about a spot he or she would prefer. However, you will have to gauge the appropriateness of the location and determine the potential advantages and disadvantages of each.
Outfit the homework location with the types of supplies that are typically needed. This may include paper, pencils, pens, rulers, markers, scissors, and calculators. If the space is utilized for other purposes (e.g., the dining room table), you may want to keep these supplies in a small bin that can be moved to and from the location.
Establish a clear time for homework to routinely be completed. This time should develop into a habit, and efforts to consistently complete homework at this time should be made (with the understanding that occasional conflicts can prevent this). There is not an overarching time that is more appropriate than another, and your understanding of your child will help inform this
Provide your child with something to look forward to upon completion of homework. For example, in order to gain access to a favorite show, video game, or talking on the telephone or texting, homework should have to be completed first. Additionally, providing your child with brief scheduled breaks and allowing your child choice in the order that assignments are completed may also facilitate completion.
|
Respectfully Submitted,
Jacqui Hawkins
GCC of PTAs EC Inclusiveness Committee Chairperson hawkinsj68@gmail.com
|
|
