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TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL YEAR

BY RICHARD SELZNICK, PH.D.

It's already August and you can't believe the summer has gone by as quickly as it has. Are you wondering whether you've done enough of the traditional summer activities before the

summer is over? Are you experiencing the pit in your stomach, knowing the new school year is starting again? Are you wondering what this new year will be like, if last year wasn't so great?

It's already August and you can't believe the summer has gone by as quickly as it has. Are you wondering whether you've done

H enough of the traditional summer activities before the summer is over? Are you experiencing the pit in your stomach, knowing the new

LEAD AND THEY WILL FOLLOW: STARTING OFF THE SCHOOL YEAR RIGHT

DON'T WAIT AROUND

In the early grades especially, but even for middle school, it's all about the foundational skills. If your child is on the struggling side of the road, chances are there are "Swiss cheese holes" in the foundational skills of reading, writing and mathematics.

You know your child better than anyone. If you think your child needs help, then seek it out. 99% of the time parents are on the money with their concerns. Don't wait around for the school to tell you that your child is showing weakness. If you can, seek tutoring.

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TARGETING

If you are seeking tutoring, make sure you know very specifically what the

goals are and what the emphasis will be. A good tutor will be establishing goals based on the diagnostic information available, and you should be able to get very clear, specific targeted goals. For example, a good goal for a beginning reader (or struggling reader) who is in an early stage of development might be for the child to "master short vowel sounds in consonant-vowel-consonant words, within a six month period."

504 PLANS: WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO

Many kids have 504 Plans. 504 Plans are usually generated for kids who have been diagnosed with ADHD. (There are other reasons a 504 is developed, but for now let's leave it at that.) My impression is that people think a 504 will do much more than it really does. The 504 Plan is meant to level the playing field a bit, for kids identified as having a disability, such

as ADHD. A few reasonable accommodations, such as not penalizing a child for spelling, having directions repeated and offering time extension are examples of ones that may be helpful. The 504 accommodations provide some level of support, but are not offering the direct remediation or interventions that so often is needed.

SET THE TONE