I am a special education teacher with a child who has an IEP. The IEP team agreed that my child’s progress in Math will be measured with the KeyMath test. When the school last administered the KeyMath test, her scores dropped! The school wasn’t concerned. They said “No change is good.” It is not good news when a child’s test scores drop. […]
An inadequate IEP will make it difficult to consider any child's placement in an organized way. To assist schools and parents, the department has developed and widely distributed a model form that addresses all the required IEP components. Next, each placement option is examined not only as it currently exists, but also as it might be modified. Then, each educational placement option is examined in sequence from least restrictive to most restrictive. While this article was written for New Jersey parents, the basic concepts apply in all states. The second factor listed is from a fifth Circuit Court case against [...]
Progress monitoring can give you and your child’s teacher information that can help your child learn more and learn faster, and help you make better decisions about the type of instruction that will work best with your child. Our children’s progress is being monitored constantly at school, through the steady stream of homework assignments, quizzes, tests, projects, and standardized tests. On first hearing the term “student progress monitoring,” our initial reaction may be “they’re doing this already!” or “more tests?” But do you really know how much your child is learning or progressing? Standardized tests compare your child’s performance with other [...]
Before scheduling an IEP meeting to discuss your concern, do some homework. Your initial concern may not be the primary cause of your child’s difficulty. 1. List each of your concerns. Next, look for data to support your concerns. Talk with the teacher informally if this feels comfortable. 2. Gather your child’s IEP and any assessments. If you aren’t sure you have everything, write a letter asking the school to provide you with copies. The school has 5 days to provide you with the information that you requested. 3. Review the assessments and IEP papers and make sure you understand these documents. [...]
We have been hearing from more parents about issues with schools about their child’s absences. There is a Guidance document on this topic (Temporary Absences of Children with Disabilities) on the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) special education webpage. The Guidance document begins by addressing the recent law that allows students with autism to attend school and also leave for an appointment with a health care professional. (TEC 25.087(b-3)
The Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN) provides Texas students and schools with equitable access to quality online courses and instructors. It is a valuable resource for interactive, collaborative, instructor-led online courses taught by state-certified and appropriately credentialed teachers trained in effective online instruction. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) under the leadership of the commissioner of education, administers the TxVSN, sets standards for and approves TxVSN courses and professional development for online teachers, and has fiscal responsibility for the network. Education Service Center (ESC) Region 10 oversees the day-to-day operations of the TxVSN network. The TxVSN is made up of two components—the [...]
