FCPS Middle School Special Ed Small group classes

[Anonymous]

My DC who has Dyslexia, ADHD mostly inattentive and recently diagnosed Autism at 12 is being pushed into small group SPED for 3 of the 4 major subjects. I had thought DC would be in Team taught. DC loves school, is making great strides in Learning, ie doesn't qualify for ESY. DC can be very inattentive in class. DC has no behaviors but doesn't get social nuance especially small talk. DC is really bothered by disruptive kids. DC just wants to be normal and not have other kids know they are getting help. DC doesn't want to be in these classes but their SPED teacher whom they've had for three years, and the 6th grade classroom teacher think this is a good placement. They also are being put into a Literacy class and therefore losing an elective might has made the child angry.

What are these classes really like, there school is not a CSS site. However, are these classes CSS light?

[Anonymous]

What is on the elementary school IEP? Are the services being provided mostly in the general education classroom (push in) or in the small group special education setting (pull out)? What is the child’s current reading level? If your child cannot read on grade level, they will need the literacy class. Middle school is no longer teaching children to read in English class. Does your child comprehend orally presented information?

[Anonymous]

They have mostly push in at the moment, with some pull out to work on encoding more than decoding these days. Reading level is behind maybe a year but measures vary and the child does better with non-fiction, but non-fiction is a preferred interest. They do comprehend material that is orally presented, but attention can be a problem. We have struggled with the right meds because we can't keep weight on the child. Math is approaching grade level. Writing essays or reports is a real struggle. I agree that they probably need the literacy class I'm just pissed that they talked up how they get to pick two electives and then SPED kids don't. This could have been explained to the kids who likely needed this class ahead. Also would be nice if stupid PE could be scraped and those that have to take a SPED elective get another elective instead of PE. So now I get to deal with the mental health fall out. Child crying about not being normal. Also I had no idea on the small group SPED classes ahead of the IEp meeting. I figured team taught was likely and probably needed. DC has enough trouble making friends that they don't need to be exiled. An advocate is out of our price range. We have not been able to do Outside tutoring due to cost and the child just being done at the end of the school day especially as we have needed SACC aftercare.

[Anonymous]

You don’t have to accept all the classes. You can, for example, say that your child isn’t taking literacy. However, there is more to reading than understanding fiction and nonfiction. Kids offered literacy typically have decoding and fluency needs, often with those skills in the 2-3rd grade range. Better to remediate now than have issues in high school.

[Anonymous]

If your child has not passed the SOL and the I-ready score is below a certain percentile, IEP or not, students must be in a literacy elective according to the Virginia Literacy Act. How much support does your child need in the push-in setting? Do they need to additionally scaffold the work? Does he need the support in the push in class to be “right there” or can he work mostly independently once it’s scaffolded, with check ins?

[Anonymous]

I understand your child’s disappointment about the loss of electives and I think that they absolutely should let kids know well ahead of time that this may not be true for them-getting to choose them. There is only so much time in the day. You might ask for only English and math to be self-contained and have team taught for history and science. The self-contained classes may include kids with LD, ED, or ID eligibilities. I’d focus on mental health supports for your kid now and the idea that hate work now will make the coming years easier. It does stink for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Child has passed the reading SOL last year and this year and in 4th grade. I ready has tended to c=vary, such parts are great and other not so much, the teachers have wondered if it's more a test taking issue. Child does need a decent amount of Scaffolding with attention and check-ins to make sure they are on track.

I really don't think LD kids should be placed with ED and ID kids. They are completely differnt things. I feel like with the new Autism designation that 's what pushed Dc to the small group stuff, even though the child has always been in a Gen Ed class that is usually teamed with SPED teachers. Child was screwed over but losing one quarter of first 3/4 of second virtual and two years fighting for an IEP. I'm not sure I should have accepted the Autism piece, as they have masked pretty well, mostly social skills and some odd mannerisms when excited. I have thought about trying to get Science switched to team taught as I think they might do ok there since so much is new to everyone as science stinks in FCPS elementary school. I just felt so blindsided in the transition meeting and my husband couldn't attend even virtually as he had stuff at work and is a Fed trying to hang on.

[Anonymous]

We have a similar situation and are pulling our child out of FCPS and placing in a specialized private school. He was going to be in self-contained classrooms for all of his required classes and the IEP team at his elementary school wanted to pull both electives and place him in the literacy class and the executive function class. After speaking with our advocate and talking with our son, we decided the best way for him to really thrive is to pull out of FCPS and go private. For those who cannot do that, I would consider the placements your team is suggesting. In middle school the class sizes are much larger - we were told 30-36 students per class - and their special ed focused on literacy is in that elective. At least that is what we were told. We just did not like the structure, especially when combined with the fact that the kids at his current school are actively picking on him for being a "SPED" and really making his life hard. Middle school is hard enough and when you add the special ed focus in self-contained classes and loss of electives, we were fairly displeased with the set up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a similar situation and are pulling our child out of FCPS and placing in a specialized private school. He was going to be in self-contained classrooms for all of his required classes and the IEP team at his elementary school wanted to pull both electives and place him in the literacy class and the executive function class. After speaking with our advocate and talking with our son, we decided the best way for him to really thrive is to pull out of FCPS and go private. For those who cannot do that, I would consider the placements your team is suggesting. In middle school the class sizes are much larger - we were told 30-36 students per class - and their special ed focused on literacy is in that elective. At least that is what we were told. We just did not like the structure, especially when combined with the fact that the kids at his current school are actively picking on him for being a "SPED" and really making his life hard. Middle school is hard enough and when you add the special ed focus in self-contained classes and loss of electives, we were fairly displeased with the set up.

We are in a similar situation. Elementary wanted all self contained and we disagreed and put DS in team taught. Team taught goes so fast and I have to be very actively monitoring the IEP compliance. What private school did you put your child in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Child has passed the reading SOL last year and this year and in 4th grade. I ready has tended to c=vary, such parts are great and other not so much, the teachers have wondered if it's more a test taking issue. Child does need a decent amount of Scaffolding with attention and check-ins to make sure they are on track.

I really don't think LD kids should be placed with ED and ID kids. They are completely differnt things. I feel like with the new Autism designation that 's what pushed Dc to the small group stuff, even though the child has always been in a Gen Ed class that is usually teamed with SPED teachers. Child was screwed over but losing one quarter of first 3/4 of second virtual and two years fighting for an IEP. I'm not sure I should have accepted the Autism piece, as they have masked pretty well, mostly social skills and some odd mannerisms when excited. I have thought about trying to get Science switched to team taught as I think they might do ok there since so much is new to everyone as science stinks in FCPS elementary school. I just felt so blindsided in the transition meeting and my husband couldn't attend even virtually as he had stuff at work and is a Fed trying to hang on.

You should get legal advice. They can't push you into a placement you don't want, but most parents are unaware of their rights.

[Anonymous]

OP - the reality is that if your child falls 2 grade levels below, one might not be able to grasp grade level teaching in high school. Your child needs the literacy class. View middle school as three years to bring up his reading, writing and math skills.
- See if you can get a clear breakdown of the reading and writing skills your son is behind on. Ask for suggestion of online sites which might enable you to work with him this summer.

- See if he could start out in a regular science class placement. It would seem that you could always pull back to the smaller class if too much even with the accommodations he needs. I would advocate for this.

- Also check now to be sure the academic goals and materials in the smaller classes are aiming at grade level goals though perhaps at slower pace to be able to take SOLs.

- Find out about MS clubs and sports that might be of interest and point out these are ways to meet new kids.

- Encourage his reading in areas of interest this summer with regular trips to the library and find the time to have him read aloud and talk about what he is reading.

- if you have the health care coverage, perhaps finding a therapist for him to sort out his feelings on having learning differences
might help.

- School may be tough for him so try to help him to find one interest outside he might enjoy to keep up his overall view of himself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - the reality is that if your child falls 2 grade levels below, one might not be able to grasp grade level teaching in high school. Your child needs the literacy class. View middle school as three years to bring up his reading, writing and math skills.
- See if you can get a clear breakdown of the reading and writing skills your son is behind on. Ask for suggestion of online sites which might enable you to work with him this summer.

- See if he could start out in a regular science class placement. It would seem that you could always pull back to the smaller class if too much even with the accommodations he needs. I would advocate for this.

- Also check now to be sure the academic goals and materials in the smaller classes are aiming at grade level goals though perhaps at slower pace to be able to take SOLs.

- Find out about MS clubs and sports that might be of interest and point out these are ways to meet new kids.

- Encourage his reading in areas of interest this summer with regular trips to the library and find the time to have him read aloud and talk about what he is reading.

- if you have the health care coverage, perhaps finding a therapist for him to sort out his feelings on having learning differences
might help.

- School may be tough for him so try to help him to find one interest outside he might enjoy to keep up his overall view of himself.

+1. OP, team taught classes in FCPS are huge and in some cases 50% of the students in the classes have IEPs. If your child needs a lot of scaffolding and individual help it’s unlikely they’ll get it unless they’re in a small group class.