Does your child's IEP include specific time requirements for supplemental instruction?

[Anonymous]

DC received official an official diagnosis and then, an IEP, last spring.

Our school directed us that the IEP should include specific educational and behavioral goals, but not include anything time-bound, like x hours a week specially focused on x, y, z. When I pressed to include additional goals, I was told that the current goals already warranted 9+ hours/week of supplemental instruction and that anything more wouldn't be inline with keeping DC as mainstreamed as possible. During the second half of last year DC was, in fact, getting 9+hours/week.

Fast forward to this year, and it seems like DC is not yet receiving any interventions after a 1.5 months. I'm approaching the school with my concerns but am worried that I may have been led astray by not including required hours of special instruction.

Does your child's IEP include a minimum hours per week of individual or small group instruction to address their special needs?

[Anonymous]

Yes. Dyslexia, MCPS. 90 minutes of intervention daily, 30 minutes with sped teacher, 30 minutes classroom teacher, 30 minutes para, specifically focusing on reading and a bit on speech.

He started the third week of school, which is typical as per a good friend who taught regular/sped in MCPS for years.

[Anonymous]

Yes in VA. It says x hours per week.

[Anonymous]

IDEA requires that the number of hours of specialized instruction be on the IEP. Sometimes it specifies by subject (reading, writing, math), but never by goal.

Yes, students are required to be in the "least restrictive environment," but that's different for each student. If your child's disability requires more time outside of gen ed, then so be it. You can also get push in hours (where special ed teacher works with the student inside the gen ed classroom).

First the team decides on the goals, based on the present levels. Then services and hours are decided. Not the other way around.

Ask the school to document their denial of your requested goals in a Prior Written Notice, which will require them to put their reasoning on paper. Then you can decide if you want to challenge it.

[Anonymous]

Remember too that more goals doesn’t always mean better.

[Anonymous]

Yes in MD. It's in Section V "Services." Is it individual or small group though? I don't know. I'm not sure what they're doing. It sure isn't working.

[Anonymous]

It has hours for special education which is basically just hours in mainstream team taught. No specific hours for instruction beyond that.