IEP support/FCPS

[Anonymous]

My child has had an IEP since 1st grade and is currently a freshman in HS and doing fairly well but still needs support of sorts. They find the team taught classes disruptive and not helpful (support teacher focuses mostly on kids with behavior issues); loud and disruptive classroom environment. Can we push to get them out of team taught classes but to still get support? I understand the Service hours will decrease and that's fine. Schools seems to be propositioning that if we join regular classes then we have to drop IEP goals which makes no sense. Should we push back on this?

[Anonymous]

OP, if they are not in team taught classes, when would they get support? Are you suggesting that the Gen Ed teacher provide the IEP support (which they can't do) or that the support be received in a special ed elective?

They need to be in a class with a special ed teacher in order to be receiving special ed support. They can (and should) receive accommodations from any teacher, but special ed hours require a special ed teacher.

[Anonymous]

No. Your choices are general education with support pushing in (team taught) or increased support in a self-contained class where just a special education teacher is teaching a smaller group of students who all have IEPs.

What you’re asking for is for your child to be in a general education class with no support but then have access to a special education teacher for one on one extra instruction? That’s not happening. For starters, when exactly would this happen? Which class would they not attend? Second, you’re increasing the intensity of support. You’re actually moving your child to a more restrictive setting when it’s just your child and the special education teacher. You’re asking for private tutoring during the school day. FCPS is bound to propose the least restrictive environment. Team-taught is the least-restrictive based on your child’s needs and goals.

[Anonymous]

You’ve got to be more specific. What
Goals are they wanting to drop and if they are not, how can they be met.

And you’ve got to focus on lack of achievement. Your post reads like your kid wants to move because he doesn’t like the environment. Achievement is the goal and if he likes the intervention, that’s awesome but if not I suspect they won’t care so long as he’s successful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’ve got to be more specific. What
Goals are they wanting to drop and if they are not, how can they be met.

And you’ve got to focus on lack of achievement. Your post reads like your kid wants to move because he doesn’t like the environment. Achievement is the goal and if he likes the intervention, that’s awesome but if not I suspect they won’t care so long as he’s successful.

FCPS is responding to OP’s request to change. It is about the kid not liking the team taught environment. FCPS would be fine moving the kid out of team taught and into a gen ed class as long as any goals in that specific content area are dropped. That makes sense. They cannot move the kid out of the team taught class and still be on the hook to provide services for a goal in that area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ve got to be more specific. What
Goals are they wanting to drop and if they are not, how can they be met.

And you’ve got to focus on lack of achievement. Your post reads like your kid wants to move because he doesn’t like the environment. Achievement is the goal and if he likes the intervention, that’s awesome but if not I suspect they won’t care so long as he’s successful.

FCPS is responding to OP’s request to change. It is about the kid not liking the team taught environment. FCPS would be fine moving the kid out of team taught and into a gen ed class as long as any goals in that specific content area are dropped. That makes sense. They cannot move the kid out of the team taught class and still be on the hook to provide services for a goal in that area.

I agree with you. I was just pointing out to OP what she sounds like because it makes a difference. She can ask for it to be removed and then lose the corresponding goals. But she wants something in substitution, which would require lack of progress or success and what she expressed sounded like dislike.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My kid has writing and comprehension goals. FCPS wants to change both those goals and keep them in a Team Taught class for English, Math, History and Science (speaking for next year). We feel that the goals should and can be changed (no issue there) but kid can stay in ONE Team Taught class (History) and be moved to non team taught for Science and English. History works on both the comprehension and the writing skills. Kid doesn't need to be in ALL team taught classes for those goals to be met. However, case manager should ensure that those skills continue to be worked on in English and Science (by checking in with teachers).

[Anonymous]

Ok so you’re looking for the regular classroom teachers to be doing the interventions that are currently being done in the team taught classes? Can you define them?

I’ve gone the route of not having team taught classes and using case manager check ins. (Team taught didn’t fit into the schedule). All the case manager does is send you a report. So then you know if your kid is passing, missing assignments etc. It puts the problems in front of your face weekly but it doesn’t solve them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok so you’re looking for the regular classroom teachers to be doing the interventions that are currently being done in the team taught classes? Can you define them?

I’ve gone the route of not having team taught classes and using case manager check ins. (Team taught didn’t fit into the schedule). All the case manager does is send you a report. So then you know if your kid is passing, missing assignments etc. It puts the problems in front of your face weekly but it doesn’t solve them.

But team taught isn't solving the problems either because TT teachers focus mostly on the kids with behavior issues. My kid has more nuanced comprehension, dyslexia related LDs and they're being vastly overlooked in TT because they understand assignments, turn in assignments on time, don't misbehave. What are my options?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My kid has writing and comprehension goals. FCPS wants to change both those goals and keep them in a Team Taught class for English, Math, History and Science (speaking for next year). We feel that the goals should and can be changed (no issue there) but kid can stay in ONE Team Taught class (History) and be moved to non team taught for Science and English. History works on both the comprehension and the writing skills. Kid doesn't need to be in ALL team taught classes for those goals to be met. However, case manager should ensure that those skills continue to be worked on in English and Science (by checking in with teachers).

So you want general education teachers delivering specialized instruction in English and Science to meet IEP goals. Yeah, no. That’s not how this works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My kid has writing and comprehension goals. FCPS wants to change both those goals and keep them in a Team Taught class for English, Math, History and Science (speaking for next year). We feel that the goals should and can be changed (no issue there) but kid can stay in ONE Team Taught class (History) and be moved to non team taught for Science and English. History works on both the comprehension and the writing skills. Kid doesn't need to be in ALL team taught classes for those goals to be met. However, case manager should ensure that those skills continue to be worked on in English and Science (by checking in with teachers).

So you want general education teachers delivering specialized instruction in English and Science to meet IEP goals. Yeah, no. That’s not how this works.

OMG. Let is rest. No one is asking more from teachers. Relax. Just want to know what options I have for my kid who is NOT benefitting from Team Taught classrooms.

[Anonymous]

It’s very tough because the behavior is an issue in some team taught classes. I would address that part of the problem with the IEP team. If your child’s education is being adversely affected by other kids’ behavior, then your child is not receiving a free and appropriate public education. You need to try to be specific with what kind of behavior is impacting the classroom setting, what it looks like, how often, etc. All the details you can gather. Then approach the administration with this information. There are behavior supports that can be put in place for the teacher to get help, through Behavior Intervention Services, but someone has to call them in.

You need to have specific data.

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind that come senior year, very few courses will even be available as team taught. My kid is taking mostly electives since his school doesn't offer team taught for anything other than 12th grade English. Building confidence through taking some classes without those supports may open some doors in later grades so your kid can take more academic classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My kid has writing and comprehension goals. FCPS wants to change both those goals and keep them in a Team Taught class for English, Math, History and Science (speaking for next year). We feel that the goals should and can be changed (no issue there) but kid can stay in ONE Team Taught class (History) and be moved to non team taught for Science and English. History works on both the comprehension and the writing skills. Kid doesn't need to be in ALL team taught classes for those goals to be met. However, case manager should ensure that those skills continue to be worked on in English and Science (by checking in with teachers).

So you want general education teachers delivering specialized instruction in English and Science to meet IEP goals. Yeah, no. That’s not how this works.

OMG. Let is rest. No one is asking more from teachers. Relax. Just want to know what options I have for my kid who is NOT benefitting from Team Taught classrooms.

Are the other gen ed sections also teamed, just with ESOL instead of special ed support? Also, they may be telling you (without telling you) that other teachers are more disorganized, etc and that it would be a poor fit. That happened to us a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

OP, your best bet is private tutors.