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I have a 6 year old child who just entered Kindergarten this year. he was in an integrated early childhood center since he turned 3. He now only participates in the general education class for morning start 15 min and closing 15 min along with "Specials" (gym, music, art etc.) Most of his time is spent in the "Centered" classroom. Since the change of schools this year it seems they are starting over academically. His math has been counting objects 1-10 which was mastered over 2 years ago. He has the capacity to count to at least 50 and has counted to 100 before. I get very little input from the General Education teacher but when requested have received "sight" words to work on his reading. My question is should my child be doing the same academic work as typical peers just in a modified setting? How do I get the school to share the normal lesson plans for kindergarten with the Special Education classroom? Communication from the School/School District does not appear to always be shared with the Special Education classroom/teacher.
You've got a number of issues you have identified.
I am inclined to say your child should have access to the same standards/curriculum as his peers, however there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration (learning style, ability level, to name a few). And yes, it would be inappropriate to be working on skills that your son already has (rote counting as he already has AND retained the skill in all environments)
Without knowing more details I would ask you this:
1) Why is your son only in general education for such a limited time? Is he not able to learn from the classroom environment? Are there multiple deficit areas impeding his access to learning in the general education classroom? If so, how are those being addressed (goals? Accomodations?)
2) How is communication addressed through your IEP? Who consults with who and how do you get information sent to you? Communcation log? Email? If it's not addressed through the IEP, get it in there. Consider calling a team meeting to address communication concerns between staff.
3) What curriculum standards is your son being held too? I am assuming he is being held to the same standards and I would ask, in writing, how what they plan is to close any gaps and keep him on the same academic track. You can find the curriculum for your school either on your district website or if not there, ask for it in writing from your counselor and principal. You can also find the Grade Level Expecatations (GLE) on the DESE website (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) http://www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/GLE/
If you need additional support, please contact the MPACT state office at 800-743-7634.
My nephew 15yrs old, was diagnosed with aspergers about 5 yrs ago. He lives in Thayer, MO and attends High school there. We have consistently asked for more services at the school and for an aid for James He spends about 2hours a day in special needs room with about 20
other disabled children. He needs some one on one time to stay on task. After talking with his principal, we were told there is absolutely no way he can have an aid or any more services. He is currently failing school. I believe he is not failing the school is failing him. Any info or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
There are number of issues in this question. Without knowing the specifics about the situation, I would request a complete copy of the child's file from school (sample letters are on our website - www.ptimpact.org)
When was the last time he had full evaluations done? Do they know how to program for him? If not, maybe he needs new evaluations, or the team needs to consider bringing in outside experts (Project Access or an autism provider for example). The fact he is failing school should help in your request for more current evals or outside support coming in.
Every time a request is made of the school by the parent (one-on-one aide, more general education time, etc) and they say "no", the "no" should be given to the parent in writing. This is called a Notice of Action. Once the Notice of Action is given, parents can then request mediation.
There are many additional suggestions, and comments that can be made, but I would need more information. I suggest you contact the MPACT person in your region - Geri Elmer - gelmer@ptimpact.org and have her walk you through the process step by step. In addition, we have trainings throughout Missouri, which are free for families, that would give you a great base of knowledge. The training calender can also be found on our website - www.ptimpact.org
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