EMABARKING ON THE SPECIAL EDUCATION JOURNEY

BY RAJA MARHABA

Special education can be emotional, stressful and a financially burdensome experience. There are many factors that take place when a parent commences the journey of advocating for his/her children. Parents should be prepared and have some knowledge of what an Individual Education Plan (IEP) means. It's easy to say I want an IEP for my child, but does a parent truly know what that entails?

I EPs can be simple or complex. It all depends on the child and the school. The parent must have a clear understanding of what their rights are and what an IEP means. It is important to know that an IEP is a legal contract. The school has an affirmative obligation to provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education under IDEA ACT, Special Education Law sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea. The school must implement the services stipulated in the IEP. If they do not, then they will be in violation of the IEP. The statute of limitations that enable parents to take action against a school for failing to provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education, is two years.

Look for discrepancy with the scoring, report cards, teacher comments throughout the years. For example, on an academic test like the Woodcock Johnson IV, a reading comprehension subtest could have a standard score of 90 in 2021 and in 2022 the same test may have decreased to 80. The parent should ask the IEP team why did the score decline?

BEING PREPARED : DOCUMENTS TO REVIEW

Before an IEP meeting, a parent should prepare by reviewing the following documents (review at least three years' worth of documentation to see if there has been progress or regression based on grades, assessment scoring, teacher comments, standardized school testing, etc.). Most of the documentation that will be reviewed should be similar from year to year. Below is a list of the documentation that needs to be reviewed:

1. THE IEP

2. REPORT CARDS

For example, in the area of reading and language arts, see if the grades decreased or not. Please pay attention to teacher comments on the report cards.

3. STANDARDIZED STATEWIDE TESTING

4. TEACHER COMMENTS

In emails, student agenda book; Read the teacher comments and see if they are similar to past comments or have changed.

5. ASSESMENTS

Private and public. Comprised of many types of testing, such as: psychoeducational or occupational therapy, assistive technology, adapted physical education, speech and language, etc