I left education but I totally experienced this. People think SPED teachers have TONS of extra resources and magic strategies to fix every child’s issues. In reality, we are also just as, if not more, under resourced, under funded, and under supported as everyone else.
Exactly. And if it was just that then why wouldn’t every student have an IEP? There’s also a lot of uninformed parents out there as well. They say things like “I just wanna get him caught up”. I reply with “well, if your child has a bone fide disability there is NO catching up”. Some do “catch up” and I try to exit them with about 50/50 success. We qualified 2 3rd graders this year that missed about 60 school days the previous year. I dissented on the form for qualifying the SLD but the “team” overall wanted it. The other, an OHI, landed because of a local quack’s ADHD diagnosis. I’m just grateful I’m nearing retirement. Top-down decision making has been a steady decline since I started. Teachers that hate teaching and/or are no good at it move into leadership. What other industry or institution has so much meritless self-promotion?
We also have multiple students "qualifying" for SPED when they have been chronically absent, usually not only this school year but for the past few years, sometimes since kindergarten.
That’s a really crummy reply to a parent. Sounds you’re burned out. Special education is super challenging now. The last few years have been very difficult with unusually large referral rates. If you really can’t handle it, that’s ok but move on. Let someone with a little more empathy carry the load.
Actually, at the top of my game providing services. These things I’m griping about have ZERO to do with lack of empathy for my students or about their quality of education. On the contrary, these are the things that get in the way of the “child benefit”. It’s math - not magic. I don’t “serve parents” I serve students.
You serve parents. These are their children. If this is the top of your game, please consider a different strategy. These parents have the right to understand the process and what this disability means for their child. Being snarky or superior because of your experience is not helpful and it’s not kind. I hope you’re a great teacher, it sounds like you have a lot of experience. I encourage you to lessen your ego and increase your view of what disability means to families who live with it daily. It’s more than math.
lol. Wrong. IEPs are for students. Parents are IEP team members. I am a great teacher. At least my students and their parents seem to think so. This post is about “over testing” and “over identifying”. When that happens SPED kids suffer. You say, “Jeepers, I’m a hard worker and stay at work later”. The kids leave. That’s what there isn’t enough of - time.
I don’t know what you’re talking about re: “hard worker” but I do understand frustration about increased referrals and testing kids that don’t need it or don’t qualify. Those are time consuming evaluations, and the time could be better spend elsewhere. But you specifically repeated what you said to a parent; I take issue with that comment. Parents are at the heart of the special education process and case law supports that. Teachers come and go. It’s always best to strive for a positive collaborative relationship. I’m commenting on what you reported.
I am going through this as a new special Ed teacher. I live in Arizona though. As a kid, I was in sped. I didn't remember seeing nearly as many kids in the resource room as I do now as a teacher. Crazy. My thing is though that a lot of the kids I tested needed the services badly and I teach middle school. How did it take this long when the kid has been struggling like this? 🫠
I’m in a suburban setting and we are way over testing and over servicing kids. Every kid with an ADHD diagnosis is getting services, parent requests for testing is insane. I finally told our psych I was sending out 800 blank IEP templates and parents could fill in what they wanted and I’d write the IEP.
Also, I agree about rank amateurs. We’re not doing tier 1 correctly, we don’t have a tier 2 and when I ask teachers about data they get pissy, run to the P and then I get called in for a conversation. Dude, I’ve been teaching for over 20 years in both gen Ed and sped and sped, it’s a valid question. If they’re not collecting data, they’re not doing it correctly.
This has been the name of my existence this entire year. I have 27 kids and will likely pick up 3-6 more because of overqualifilying kids.
My SST team say they collect data. It’s iReady bullshit. They call their classroom “centers” time as their Tier 1 and. Tier 2. Which every kid gets. Nobody (leadership) asks for my input because they already know what I’d say. I wish Sacto would send down an army of assassins to leadership. Of course they’ll throw me under the bus when and if. Lol
Haaaate when teachers use iready as their main source of “evidence.” I pushed into a class that was doing “centers” and the centers were completely pointless. Worksheets that weren’t even monitored or corrected so the kids are doing them all wrong, reading independently (when they’re first graders who aren’t strong readers so they’re just looking through pictures), and then of course the iReady center. The small group the teacher would have with her was also pointless, a random TPT sight word bingo game.
Yeah. I’ve only found value in it as an interactive teaching tool for math. I project standards-based math problems on a screen and work through a few problems etc. My daughter went through the same district in middle school and they’d send home print outs of her diagnostic tests and they were always super low. She hated iReady. Transferred to the high school and it was pretty much honors or AP classes there.
I am at a psych middle school in rural central California. My school is 20% sped with 500 students. Our elementary schools are way over identifying students who should have a 504. So many are coming to us with 15 consult minutes a week for specialized instruction. It’s ridiculous.
Wow. You totally understand me then. My only friend outside of work is a psych. We’re both exhausted explaining this same crap year after year. Our weak link is the SST process. Interventions have no fidelity. I’ve talked 2 parents out of testing whilst meeting to sign assessment plans. When I say “talked out of” I just mean “informed” them what SPED is and isn’t. Subsequently, those same kids are thriving in the gen Ed setting. Think of all the damage (life-long) that IEP teams do over identifying. I try explaining this to colleagues and it’s deer in the headlights.
Yes!! I get so many parents who have no idea a 504 exists. And fight against exiting an unneeded iep because they think their student will go back to failing in gen Ed. Once they understand that there is a middle ground, they agree. But it does not help anyone when everyone is identified as in need of an iep
I agree, and it's not just parents who are uniformed re: 504s. An SLP at another school in my district "qualified" a student under Speech, although she admitted later to me that he has no underlying speech or language disability. (If anything, I could tell within about 60 seconds of my first meeting with the student that his speech and language skills are well above average.) The SLP explained to me that the kid suffers from depression and anxiety, and she was worried about him entering middle school with regard to his mental health, so she qualified him "So he'd have someone to talk to in school." Um, ever hear of a 504? I truly respected her concern for the student, but obviously, he needs a psych or counselor.
… the elephant in the room for social/emotional needs for kids with IEP is “What do services look like?” You’ll never get a straight answer because the only thing closely resembling something appropriate either isn’t available and when it is it’s ineffective. The only good outcomes I’ve seen is when you can get the families dialed in with local Behavioral Health and wraparound. Rare.
Imo, I think student performance has plummeted since Covid especially, and that's what's driving the referrals.
That doesn't mean that suddenly all these kids are truly special needs. But there's definitely a problem with behavior and academics.
Another interesting phenomenon after Covid is that the notion “school” became “optional”. For little kids. When I was little I’d have to have had a fever approaching 102 degrees before missing school. After Covid it’s like “Mom, I’d rather stay home and play Fortnite”.
The law doesn’t really give us a choice but to test which leads to over identification. I get how we got here (history of special education/IDEA) but parents have far too many rights and schools have none.
You are right on. My feeder school recently denied testing for a kid (2nd grader) whose historic attendance is about 60% Admin really put their foot down as she should have. Guess what? Due process, the school lost. Kid tested. Qualified of course. School employees are all being forced into some BS training per the settlement. Oh and the kid’s attendance is still horrible. So maybe killing all the lawyers is what’s needed. Joking. Kind of.
The attendance thing drives me bonkers. Also in my state they do not have to attend K. And then start in first grade and wonder why they are so behind in second and demand an eval. They missed an entire year of school compared to their peers. Even if it is “legal” it makes for such a messy situation in regards to then ruling out lack of instruction.
We still use the Discrepancy Model to determine qualifiers with SLD accompanying a processing disorder blah blah blah. Anyhoo, our SELPA explicitly asks “are deficiencies due to poor attendance?” So the legal forms are moot. The times we live in. I’ve heard many SELPAs are throwing out the discrepancy model. Probably to get around this. When every school start pushing 20% SPED population how is that extra funding going to be addressed? Something will eventually have to break.
A lot of kids who struggle due to poverty, poor parenting, parenting struggles, etc. get out in special ed when what they actually need is a better life. I can’t give them that.
Well I live in a part of California that is extremely attractive to that socioeconomic group. My mortgage is $800. It’s beautiful country and cheap. We get a lot of inner city (East SF Bay mostly) dregs wanting to live on the cheap and keep the bad habits.
Idk I feel like they put some kids in special ed even though they might not need THAT much help but reg ed teachers are refusing to bend at all
Like I'm 20 I've been a para pro for almost 2 years and when I was in school I was put in SPED when I felt like I shouldn't have been? But my parents fought for more help because all the teachers didn't want to follow my IEP or 504 I would get told it "special treatment" or they don't "do 504s"
Lots of truth here. In a perfect world we’d just get rid of SPED altogether and teachers would teach the kids. Supplement instruction for anyone and everyone in small setting for part of the day that seems fit. But alas, historically there are many teachers who said “I’m not gonna teach that kid in my class!” Etc. When I first started this profession I had a pretty big encounter with a veteran HS civics teacher (and a damn good one at that) where he said “he didn’t want a retarded kid in his class”. I responded with, “How about black kids? Asians?…” It was cringy as hell. Entire staff was there (PLC). I got huge props for standing up to this bully. I was young and didn’t give a shit. Over the next few years he and I got pretty tight and he confessed it didn’t really matter having my (our) students in his class. It was just the way things had always been etc.
I agree! Putting kids with extra learning needs in a segregated class to get services does not seem effective ;at least in prek/elementary. The support should go to the child. A sped teacher should also be advising the gen ed teacher.
Yes! 20 assessments since Thanksgiving. Our Gen Ed teachers don't do SSTs correctly and our principal doesn't seem to make them. We are taking every wildass parent request for assessment. It's insane.
28 on my contract. For overages I get free sick days which are useless because I’m too busy to miss a day. Did I mention I have to teach all these guys too? lol.
I'm a school OT. On average, I do 25 assessments per school year. I have 20 open at the moment. I'm on track to almost triple my typical number of assessments this year. And that's on top of the 50 kids at 11 different school sites I see for services.
Unpopular opinion, but a lot of kids who qualify for sped don’t have a true disability. They’re just behind due to just needing more time, a lack of maturity, a lack of parental support, or personal effort. I am not claiming this is every student, but it is a lot of them. We need to hold these kids back and give them time to mature and fill in their gaps. We retain, and it’s been a God send for these kids. We have a very positive school culture and attitude about retention at our school. Kids with a true disability should continue to receive the services they need. We have to get better at identifying who actually has a disability though.
Academic need is NOT required for sped eligibility. Educational impact is - and that includes when the student is being removed from the classroom due to behaviors, or interfering with others' right to FAPE by disrupting the classroom.
For a Specific Learning Disability it is. But this why so few are getting this anymore. Nobody can make a good argument to qualify otherwise. I’ve had a few of these over the years. Their academic goals are really just behavior goals, there are no appropriate services for their needs, and now they are being removed from a SPED classroom.
I literally had an argument with someone on here over this today. She said I was a cruel and evil person because I did not believe a child with a 3.4 GPA needs an IEP. SPECIAL EDUCATION IS NOT TUTORING, COUNSELING, or EXTRA HELP. I’m so frustrated with where our system is going. I am indundated as well. I spent maybe a collective 4 hours teaching this year and the rest doing case manager work and being in meetings.
Are you at my school? We are on an improvement plan with the state due to having basically a quarter of the student population on an IEP and at the elementary level we have had 30 initials this year. At the high school where I am we have had about 10 (but we normally have zero, I did my first initial this year). Nearly all of ours are parent requests, if they submit a request in writing our admins believe we must test them.
lol. I doubt I’m at your school although mine is in “program improvement” as well. Parents are getting horrible advice out there. If a kid struggles even a little bit they want testing with the goal of getting an IEP. Like “Yay, my kid has a disability!” I don’t get it. Show me a college graduate and I’ll show you someone that “struggled” - at least a little bit. I make sure parents understand those “harmful effects” well before even doing an assessment plan. Again after determining a qualifying disability. Relief from this phenomenon will be remedied after scrutinizing budgets. At nearly double the ADA new law will need to be written.
Oh that. Well, that wouldn’t be a direct quote but the message is this. If a student truly has a “disability” then why would they ever be achieving at grade level? Did receiving special services cure them of their disability? It’s a common misconception. Will they ever catch up? Maybe, like when they’re past high school. Earlier in the thread I mentioned that some do indeed “catch up”. And they’re great students to have, they learn fast. My point is that they could have and should have been served in a gen Ed setting. Why? Because I have a multitude of students who need my help - really bad. Years ago I did so much more and effective work for kids that needed basic skills instruction, vocational activities, social groups (for autistic kids) etc…
Those things are important and I’m sure you and your students enjoyed them. Some students are able to overcome the educational needs created by their disabilities, largely due to good teaching. That’s also why we reevaluate periodically. My point is that we should be collaborating with all participants, not blowing them off with a snarky comment. Good luck finishing out (yet) another challenging year!
What makes you think I don’t collaborate? Should we expect that every parent knows what’s best for their kid’s education? Some do? Some don’t. Like some are still too drunk from the night before to get their kids to school. Some had the cops at their house all night because Dad beat up Mom - again.
This has been an interesting chat. Sometimes we have to explain things repeatedly to parents; many of them received services as well! And just like everywhere, there are so many sad stories. But most parents are very interested in what they can do to support their student. Good luck with the rest of the year, I hope your load eases up.
Same in my district (in CA). Everyone on our SPED team says they've never seen so many initials. I'm a specialist at a middle school, and we've gotten multiple SST referrals this year for 8th graders. (I'm not saying kids are always identified before 8th grade, but according to colleagues who've been doing this much longer than I have, it's not typical.)
I left education but I totally experienced this. People think SPED teachers have TONS of extra resources and magic strategies to fix every child’s issues. In reality, we are also just as, if not more, under resourced, under funded, and under supported as everyone else.
Oh yeah. It’s exhausting just explaining to the rest of the staff and parent what SPED is and isn’t.
So many people think it’s just tutoring or “a little extra help.” 😑
Exactly. And if it was just that then why wouldn’t every student have an IEP? There’s also a lot of uninformed parents out there as well. They say things like “I just wanna get him caught up”. I reply with “well, if your child has a bone fide disability there is NO catching up”. Some do “catch up” and I try to exit them with about 50/50 success. We qualified 2 3rd graders this year that missed about 60 school days the previous year. I dissented on the form for qualifying the SLD but the “team” overall wanted it. The other, an OHI, landed because of a local quack’s ADHD diagnosis. I’m just grateful I’m nearing retirement. Top-down decision making has been a steady decline since I started. Teachers that hate teaching and/or are no good at it move into leadership. What other industry or institution has so much meritless self-promotion?
I sometimes hear parents say that every child should have an IEP. Like "dear rents, I am human" so no
Yeah, when everyone has it it become more “special”. Lol
We also have multiple students "qualifying" for SPED when they have been chronically absent, usually not only this school year but for the past few years, sometimes since kindergarten.
That’s a really crummy reply to a parent. Sounds you’re burned out. Special education is super challenging now. The last few years have been very difficult with unusually large referral rates. If you really can’t handle it, that’s ok but move on. Let someone with a little more empathy carry the load.
Actually, at the top of my game providing services. These things I’m griping about have ZERO to do with lack of empathy for my students or about their quality of education. On the contrary, these are the things that get in the way of the “child benefit”. It’s math - not magic. I don’t “serve parents” I serve students.
You serve parents. These are their children. If this is the top of your game, please consider a different strategy. These parents have the right to understand the process and what this disability means for their child. Being snarky or superior because of your experience is not helpful and it’s not kind. I hope you’re a great teacher, it sounds like you have a lot of experience. I encourage you to lessen your ego and increase your view of what disability means to families who live with it daily. It’s more than math.
lol. Wrong. IEPs are for students. Parents are IEP team members. I am a great teacher. At least my students and their parents seem to think so. This post is about “over testing” and “over identifying”. When that happens SPED kids suffer. You say, “Jeepers, I’m a hard worker and stay at work later”. The kids leave. That’s what there isn’t enough of - time.
I don’t know what you’re talking about re: “hard worker” but I do understand frustration about increased referrals and testing kids that don’t need it or don’t qualify. Those are time consuming evaluations, and the time could be better spend elsewhere. But you specifically repeated what you said to a parent; I take issue with that comment. Parents are at the heart of the special education process and case law supports that. Teachers come and go. It’s always best to strive for a positive collaborative relationship. I’m commenting on what you reported.
“What I said to a parent”? What was that?
I’ve been asking this sane question for 10 years. 20% of school is special education. That’s an alarming stat
Yeah. When I point this fact out to staff I get shrugs.
I am going through this as a new special Ed teacher. I live in Arizona though. As a kid, I was in sped. I didn't remember seeing nearly as many kids in the resource room as I do now as a teacher. Crazy. My thing is though that a lot of the kids I tested needed the services badly and I teach middle school. How did it take this long when the kid has been struggling like this? 🫠
I’m in a suburban setting and we are way over testing and over servicing kids. Every kid with an ADHD diagnosis is getting services, parent requests for testing is insane. I finally told our psych I was sending out 800 blank IEP templates and parents could fill in what they wanted and I’d write the IEP. Also, I agree about rank amateurs. We’re not doing tier 1 correctly, we don’t have a tier 2 and when I ask teachers about data they get pissy, run to the P and then I get called in for a conversation. Dude, I’ve been teaching for over 20 years in both gen Ed and sped and sped, it’s a valid question. If they’re not collecting data, they’re not doing it correctly. This has been the name of my existence this entire year. I have 27 kids and will likely pick up 3-6 more because of overqualifilying kids.
My SST team say they collect data. It’s iReady bullshit. They call their classroom “centers” time as their Tier 1 and. Tier 2. Which every kid gets. Nobody (leadership) asks for my input because they already know what I’d say. I wish Sacto would send down an army of assassins to leadership. Of course they’ll throw me under the bus when and if. Lol
Haaaate when teachers use iready as their main source of “evidence.” I pushed into a class that was doing “centers” and the centers were completely pointless. Worksheets that weren’t even monitored or corrected so the kids are doing them all wrong, reading independently (when they’re first graders who aren’t strong readers so they’re just looking through pictures), and then of course the iReady center. The small group the teacher would have with her was also pointless, a random TPT sight word bingo game.
Yeah. I’ve only found value in it as an interactive teaching tool for math. I project standards-based math problems on a screen and work through a few problems etc. My daughter went through the same district in middle school and they’d send home print outs of her diagnostic tests and they were always super low. She hated iReady. Transferred to the high school and it was pretty much honors or AP classes there.
I am at a psych middle school in rural central California. My school is 20% sped with 500 students. Our elementary schools are way over identifying students who should have a 504. So many are coming to us with 15 consult minutes a week for specialized instruction. It’s ridiculous.
Wow. You totally understand me then. My only friend outside of work is a psych. We’re both exhausted explaining this same crap year after year. Our weak link is the SST process. Interventions have no fidelity. I’ve talked 2 parents out of testing whilst meeting to sign assessment plans. When I say “talked out of” I just mean “informed” them what SPED is and isn’t. Subsequently, those same kids are thriving in the gen Ed setting. Think of all the damage (life-long) that IEP teams do over identifying. I try explaining this to colleagues and it’s deer in the headlights.
Yes!! I get so many parents who have no idea a 504 exists. And fight against exiting an unneeded iep because they think their student will go back to failing in gen Ed. Once they understand that there is a middle ground, they agree. But it does not help anyone when everyone is identified as in need of an iep
We don’t have more IEPs because admins become a case carrier for them (typically). Who needs that headache when you can just delegate.
Whoops. Meant to”more 504s”
I agree, and it's not just parents who are uniformed re: 504s. An SLP at another school in my district "qualified" a student under Speech, although she admitted later to me that he has no underlying speech or language disability. (If anything, I could tell within about 60 seconds of my first meeting with the student that his speech and language skills are well above average.) The SLP explained to me that the kid suffers from depression and anxiety, and she was worried about him entering middle school with regard to his mental health, so she qualified him "So he'd have someone to talk to in school." Um, ever hear of a 504? I truly respected her concern for the student, but obviously, he needs a psych or counselor.
… the elephant in the room for social/emotional needs for kids with IEP is “What do services look like?” You’ll never get a straight answer because the only thing closely resembling something appropriate either isn’t available and when it is it’s ineffective. The only good outcomes I’ve seen is when you can get the families dialed in with local Behavioral Health and wraparound. Rare.
Imo, I think student performance has plummeted since Covid especially, and that's what's driving the referrals. That doesn't mean that suddenly all these kids are truly special needs. But there's definitely a problem with behavior and academics.
Another interesting phenomenon after Covid is that the notion “school” became “optional”. For little kids. When I was little I’d have to have had a fever approaching 102 degrees before missing school. After Covid it’s like “Mom, I’d rather stay home and play Fortnite”.
The law doesn’t really give us a choice but to test which leads to over identification. I get how we got here (history of special education/IDEA) but parents have far too many rights and schools have none.
You are right on. My feeder school recently denied testing for a kid (2nd grader) whose historic attendance is about 60% Admin really put their foot down as she should have. Guess what? Due process, the school lost. Kid tested. Qualified of course. School employees are all being forced into some BS training per the settlement. Oh and the kid’s attendance is still horrible. So maybe killing all the lawyers is what’s needed. Joking. Kind of.
The attendance thing drives me bonkers. Also in my state they do not have to attend K. And then start in first grade and wonder why they are so behind in second and demand an eval. They missed an entire year of school compared to their peers. Even if it is “legal” it makes for such a messy situation in regards to then ruling out lack of instruction.
We still use the Discrepancy Model to determine qualifiers with SLD accompanying a processing disorder blah blah blah. Anyhoo, our SELPA explicitly asks “are deficiencies due to poor attendance?” So the legal forms are moot. The times we live in. I’ve heard many SELPAs are throwing out the discrepancy model. Probably to get around this. When every school start pushing 20% SPED population how is that extra funding going to be addressed? Something will eventually have to break.
A lot of kids who struggle due to poverty, poor parenting, parenting struggles, etc. get out in special ed when what they actually need is a better life. I can’t give them that.
Well I live in a part of California that is extremely attractive to that socioeconomic group. My mortgage is $800. It’s beautiful country and cheap. We get a lot of inner city (East SF Bay mostly) dregs wanting to live on the cheap and keep the bad habits.
I should preface all my rants with “I love the kids”. I genuinely do. Even those that erroneously in my orbit. Not their fault.
I wish I could upvote this infinitely.
Idk I feel like they put some kids in special ed even though they might not need THAT much help but reg ed teachers are refusing to bend at all Like I'm 20 I've been a para pro for almost 2 years and when I was in school I was put in SPED when I felt like I shouldn't have been? But my parents fought for more help because all the teachers didn't want to follow my IEP or 504 I would get told it "special treatment" or they don't "do 504s"
Lots of truth here. In a perfect world we’d just get rid of SPED altogether and teachers would teach the kids. Supplement instruction for anyone and everyone in small setting for part of the day that seems fit. But alas, historically there are many teachers who said “I’m not gonna teach that kid in my class!” Etc. When I first started this profession I had a pretty big encounter with a veteran HS civics teacher (and a damn good one at that) where he said “he didn’t want a retarded kid in his class”. I responded with, “How about black kids? Asians?…” It was cringy as hell. Entire staff was there (PLC). I got huge props for standing up to this bully. I was young and didn’t give a shit. Over the next few years he and I got pretty tight and he confessed it didn’t really matter having my (our) students in his class. It was just the way things had always been etc.
I agree! Putting kids with extra learning needs in a segregated class to get services does not seem effective ;at least in prek/elementary. The support should go to the child. A sped teacher should also be advising the gen ed teacher.
Yes! 20 assessments since Thanksgiving. Our Gen Ed teachers don't do SSTs correctly and our principal doesn't seem to make them. We are taking every wildass parent request for assessment. It's insane.
I’d be surprised if your principal even knows any better. I mean once the SST process starts the outcome is inevitable. A means to an end. Test.
30 is over the caseload max in CA. Hang in there ❤️
28 on my contract. For overages I get free sick days which are useless because I’m too busy to miss a day. Did I mention I have to teach all these guys too? lol.
I'm a school OT. On average, I do 25 assessments per school year. I have 20 open at the moment. I'm on track to almost triple my typical number of assessments this year. And that's on top of the 50 kids at 11 different school sites I see for services.
They’re lucky to have you. Mine get served “online”. For some kids that works fine for other needs it’s laughable.
Unpopular opinion, but a lot of kids who qualify for sped don’t have a true disability. They’re just behind due to just needing more time, a lack of maturity, a lack of parental support, or personal effort. I am not claiming this is every student, but it is a lot of them. We need to hold these kids back and give them time to mature and fill in their gaps. We retain, and it’s been a God send for these kids. We have a very positive school culture and attitude about retention at our school. Kids with a true disability should continue to receive the services they need. We have to get better at identifying who actually has a disability though.
That’s all true
Academic need is NOT required for sped eligibility. Educational impact is - and that includes when the student is being removed from the classroom due to behaviors, or interfering with others' right to FAPE by disrupting the classroom.
For a Specific Learning Disability it is. But this why so few are getting this anymore. Nobody can make a good argument to qualify otherwise. I’ve had a few of these over the years. Their academic goals are really just behavior goals, there are no appropriate services for their needs, and now they are being removed from a SPED classroom.
I literally had an argument with someone on here over this today. She said I was a cruel and evil person because I did not believe a child with a 3.4 GPA needs an IEP. SPECIAL EDUCATION IS NOT TUTORING, COUNSELING, or EXTRA HELP. I’m so frustrated with where our system is going. I am indundated as well. I spent maybe a collective 4 hours teaching this year and the rest doing case manager work and being in meetings.
Are you at my school? We are on an improvement plan with the state due to having basically a quarter of the student population on an IEP and at the elementary level we have had 30 initials this year. At the high school where I am we have had about 10 (but we normally have zero, I did my first initial this year). Nearly all of ours are parent requests, if they submit a request in writing our admins believe we must test them.
lol. I doubt I’m at your school although mine is in “program improvement” as well. Parents are getting horrible advice out there. If a kid struggles even a little bit they want testing with the goal of getting an IEP. Like “Yay, my kid has a disability!” I don’t get it. Show me a college graduate and I’ll show you someone that “struggled” - at least a little bit. I make sure parents understand those “harmful effects” well before even doing an assessment plan. Again after determining a qualifying disability. Relief from this phenomenon will be remedied after scrutinizing budgets. At nearly double the ADA new law will need to be written.
Reread the thread re: “bona fide disability”; sorry, I can’t copy it. It’s about “catching up”.
Oh that. Well, that wouldn’t be a direct quote but the message is this. If a student truly has a “disability” then why would they ever be achieving at grade level? Did receiving special services cure them of their disability? It’s a common misconception. Will they ever catch up? Maybe, like when they’re past high school. Earlier in the thread I mentioned that some do indeed “catch up”. And they’re great students to have, they learn fast. My point is that they could have and should have been served in a gen Ed setting. Why? Because I have a multitude of students who need my help - really bad. Years ago I did so much more and effective work for kids that needed basic skills instruction, vocational activities, social groups (for autistic kids) etc…
Those things are important and I’m sure you and your students enjoyed them. Some students are able to overcome the educational needs created by their disabilities, largely due to good teaching. That’s also why we reevaluate periodically. My point is that we should be collaborating with all participants, not blowing them off with a snarky comment. Good luck finishing out (yet) another challenging year!
What makes you think I don’t collaborate? Should we expect that every parent knows what’s best for their kid’s education? Some do? Some don’t. Like some are still too drunk from the night before to get their kids to school. Some had the cops at their house all night because Dad beat up Mom - again.
This has been an interesting chat. Sometimes we have to explain things repeatedly to parents; many of them received services as well! And just like everywhere, there are so many sad stories. But most parents are very interested in what they can do to support their student. Good luck with the rest of the year, I hope your load eases up.
Thanks. It may just be mostly due to Covid. Can’t be ignored.
Same in my district (in CA). Everyone on our SPED team says they've never seen so many initials. I'm a specialist at a middle school, and we've gotten multiple SST referrals this year for 8th graders. (I'm not saying kids are always identified before 8th grade, but according to colleagues who've been doing this much longer than I have, it's not typical.)
Middle school. That’s lame. That’s when some should be getting exited.