Standardized Testing time counts towards IEP hours????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean, what do parents want the service providers to do? PARCC is all hands on deck, every special ed staffer, multiple hours a day for 2-4 weeks at a time. There's no choice, no way out of it. It's physically impossible to fit this all in, plus make sure your whole caseload gets their hours, plus attend the 15 middle school IEP transition meetings that are scheduled when there isn't PARCC. Time just doesn't function that way. And there's no help coming to make up missed hours, because the year is ending and the school system thinks their employees can make 2+2=6, and it wasn't just your kid that got missed, it was 40 others. What do you want them to do?

I want my child's IEP implemented as we agreed. If there is a resource issue, the teacher should raise it with her administrators. They should not be bullshitting me that testing counts as service hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, what do parents want the service providers to do? PARCC is all hands on deck, every special ed staffer, multiple hours a day for 2-4 weeks at a time. There's no choice, no way out of it. It's physically impossible to fit this all in, plus make sure your whole caseload gets their hours, plus attend the 15 middle school IEP transition meetings that are scheduled when there isn't PARCC. Time just doesn't function that way. And there's no help coming to make up missed hours, because the year is ending and the school system thinks their employees can make 2+2=6, and it wasn't just your kid that got missed, it was 40 others. What do you want them to do?

I want my child's IEP implemented as we agreed. If there is a resource issue, the teacher should raise it with her administrators. They should not be bullshitting me that testing counts as service hours.

Pardon me while I fall over laughing. What will that accomplish? There are resource issues at every level, every day, all the time. There is no magical extra floating resource teacher or SLP or OT for admin to request be sent out to help the school-based staff make up all their service hours, or a magical supply of test examiners and accommodators that central office can send out to cover testing so these staff can do their regular jobs. Help isn't coming. They'll be told "Sorry, you'll just have to make it work," like they already have been all year with a hundred other issues. Should it be that way, of course not, but it is.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I guess my concerns fall into two parts:

1. I have been told that simply sitting for the PARCC in either the special ed classroom (no scribe, no assistive technology in place) or in the regular classroom would count towards his IEP hours. I find this hard to understand. If his IEP does not address PARCC testing how can they say that they've provided services simply by sitting him down to take the PARCC?

2. We have also been told that during PARCC testing the child will not been seen by the special education department. The test will be administered to the school over the course of A MONTH. The school is understaffed and it's all hands on deck. Had the school mentioned this 2 weeks ago when the IEP was signed I might have been a little less annoyed. Instead I was assured the services would start two weeks ago. It seems highly unlikely that the legally required 17 hours per month will be met if the student can't meet with the special ed teacher until mid May. I think they are trying to say that his hours will be met because the classroom teacher can implement the IEP.

I'm not trying to nit pick. I understand schools have constraints. My background is also in education. However, this school has been giving us the run around for 3 years and this just feels like another slap in the face. It's been a multiyear battle to get the child identified and an IEP in place. Nothing has been easy. We finally got the IEP, were assured services would start two weeks ago, little has happened and apparently little will happen for another month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I guess my concerns fall into two parts:

1. I have been told that simply sitting for the PARCC in either the special ed classroom (no scribe, no assistive technology in place) or in the regular classroom would count towards his IEP hours. I find this hard to understand. If his IEP does not address PARCC testing how can they say that they've provided services simply by sitting him down to take the PARCC?

2. We have also been told that during PARCC testing the child will not been seen by the special education department. The test will be administered to the school over the course of A MONTH. The school is understaffed and it's all hands on deck. Had the school mentioned this 2 weeks ago when the IEP was signed I might have been a little less annoyed. Instead I was assured the services would start two weeks ago. It seems highly unlikely that the legally required 17 hours per month will be met if the student can't meet with the special ed teacher until mid May. I think they are trying to say that his hours will be met because the classroom teacher can implement the IEP.

I'm not trying to nit pick. I understand schools have constraints. My background is also in education. However, this school has been giving us the run around for 3 years and this just feels like another slap in the face. It's been a multiyear battle to get the child identified and an IEP in place. Nothing has been easy. We finally got the IEP, were assured services would start two weeks ago, little has happened and apparently little will happen for another month.

OP - while it may not be able to be fixed for this year, you should take your complaint to the Ombudsperson at OSSE. https://sboe.dc.gov/page/office-of-the-ombudsman-for-public-education

YOu can also file a state complaint. You do not need a lawyer to do this. https://osse.dc.gov/service/specialized-education-state-complaints

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I guess my concerns fall into two parts:

1. I have been told that simply sitting for the PARCC in either the special ed classroom (no scribe, no assistive technology in place) or in the regular classroom would count towards his IEP hours. I find this hard to understand. If his IEP does not address PARCC testing how can they say that they've provided services simply by sitting him down to take the PARCC?

2. We have also been told that during PARCC testing the child will not been seen by the special education department. The test will be administered to the school over the course of A MONTH. The school is understaffed and it's all hands on deck. Had the school mentioned this 2 weeks ago when the IEP was signed I might have been a little less annoyed. Instead I was assured the services would start two weeks ago. It seems highly unlikely that the legally required 17 hours per month will be met if the student can't meet with the special ed teacher until mid May. I think they are trying to say that his hours will be met because the classroom teacher can implement the IEP.

I'm not trying to nit pick. I understand schools have constraints. My background is also in education. However, this school has been giving us the run around for 3 years and this just feels like another slap in the face. It's been a multiyear battle to get the child identified and an IEP in place. Nothing has been easy. We finally got the IEP, were assured services would start two weeks ago, little has happened and apparently little will happen for another month.

What would be your solution? I am a teacher and I hate this time of year because I am also involved in testing for at least a month. 3/5 days per week, I don't see 2 classes of my students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I guess my concerns fall into two parts:

1. I have been told that simply sitting for the PARCC in either the special ed classroom (no scribe, no assistive technology in place) or in the regular classroom would count towards his IEP hours. I find this hard to understand. If his IEP does not address PARCC testing how can they say that they've provided services simply by sitting him down to take the PARCC?

2. We have also been told that during PARCC testing the child will not been seen by the special education department. The test will be administered to the school over the course of A MONTH. The school is understaffed and it's all hands on deck. Had the school mentioned this 2 weeks ago when the IEP was signed I might have been a little less annoyed. Instead I was assured the services would start two weeks ago. It seems highly unlikely that the legally required 17 hours per month will be met if the student can't meet with the special ed teacher until mid May. I think they are trying to say that his hours will be met because the classroom teacher can implement the IEP.

I'm not trying to nit pick. I understand schools have constraints. My background is also in education. However, this school has been giving us the run around for 3 years and this just feels like another slap in the face. It's been a multiyear battle to get the child identified and an IEP in place. Nothing has been easy. We finally got the IEP, were assured services would start two weeks ago, little has happened and apparently little will happen for another month.

I am a special educator, and the parent of a child with special needs, and I'm having trouble imagining how it would be possible for a school to provide specialized instruction on the regular schedule during PARCC. Logistically, I just can't imagine it.

First of all, the special educators need to be involved in PARCC. For one thing, it's all hands on deck. Meeting the requirements for small groups, extended time, breaks, scribing etc . . . means you need every adult involved. Plus, there are kids who simply need the familiarity of their own teacher doing the testing. It's really stressful for some kids and having someone there who has a relationship with them makes a lot of difference.

Secondly, the afternoons during PARCC tend to be so different, that filling in special education hours on the regular schedule doesn't make sense. If a class is having an extended recess, the kid with an IEP who worked harder than anyone else shouldn't be pulled from that. If a class is doing some kind of special project, it may not make sense to pull either.

So, basically, that leaves a special educator with 2 choices.

1) Worry about the letter of the law, and not about what actually benefits kids. So, pull kids in oversized groups, to make up hours. Or pull kids at times that are disruptive, or nonsensical, or punitive.

2) Problem solve to meet the needs of the kids as best as you can. That might mean shorter sessions. It might mean not pulling kids at all if they're class is doing something fun. It might mean prioritizing the kids who, because of regulatory needs or the intensity of their disability simply can't be without.

PARCC testing, or any state testing sucks, and I think there's a strong case for advocating for it to be different. But advocating for something that's impossible, is just going to end up with the school doing something that meets the letter of the law, and isn't in anyone's best interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, what do parents want the service providers to do? PARCC is all hands on deck, every special ed staffer, multiple hours a day for 2-4 weeks at a time. There's no choice, no way out of it. It's physically impossible to fit this all in, plus make sure your whole caseload gets their hours, plus attend the 15 middle school IEP transition meetings that are scheduled when there isn't PARCC. Time just doesn't function that way. And there's no help coming to make up missed hours, because the year is ending and the school system thinks their employees can make 2+2=6, and it wasn't just your kid that got missed, it was 40 others. What do you want them to do?

I want my child's IEP implemented as we agreed. If there is a resource issue, the teacher should raise it with her administrators. They should not be bullshitting me that testing counts as service hours.

Pardon me while I fall over laughing. What will that accomplish? There are resource issues at every level, every day, all the time. There is no magical extra floating resource teacher or SLP or OT for admin to request be sent out to help the school-based staff make up all their service hours, or a magical supply of test examiners and accommodators that central office can send out to cover testing so these staff can do their regular jobs. Help isn't coming. They'll be told "Sorry, you'll just have to make it work," like they already have been all year with a hundred other issues. Should it be that way, of course not, but it is.

So file a complaint. Complain to your union. Talk to an ombudsman. Call a reporter. Whisper to a trusted parent about what's going on so she can file a complaint. As long as you keep up the pretense and spew bullshit, you are complicit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I guess my concerns fall into two parts:

1. I have been told that simply sitting for the PARCC in either the special ed classroom (no scribe, no assistive technology in place) or in the regular classroom would count towards his IEP hours. I find this hard to understand. If his IEP does not address PARCC testing how can they say that they've provided services simply by sitting him down to take the PARCC?

2. We have also been told that during PARCC testing the child will not been seen by the special education department. The test will be administered to the school over the course of A MONTH. The school is understaffed and it's all hands on deck. Had the school mentioned this 2 weeks ago when the IEP was signed I might have been a little less annoyed. Instead I was assured the services would start two weeks ago. It seems highly unlikely that the legally required 17 hours per month will be met if the student can't meet with the special ed teacher until mid May. I think they are trying to say that his hours will be met because the classroom teacher can implement the IEP.

I'm not trying to nit pick. I understand schools have constraints. My background is also in education. However, this school has been giving us the run around for 3 years and this just feels like another slap in the face. It's been a multiyear battle to get the child identified and an IEP in place. Nothing has been easy. We finally got the IEP, were assured services would start two weeks ago, little has happened and apparently little will happen for another month.

I am a special educator, and the parent of a child with special needs, and I'm having trouble imagining how it would be possible for a school to provide specialized instruction on the regular schedule during PARCC. Logistically, I just can't imagine it.

First of all, the special educators need to be involved in PARCC. For one thing, it's all hands on deck. Meeting the requirements for small groups, extended time, breaks, scribing etc . . . means you need every adult involved. Plus, there are kids who simply need the familiarity of their own teacher doing the testing. It's really stressful for some kids and having someone there who has a relationship with them makes a lot of difference.

Secondly, the afternoons during PARCC tend to be so different, that filling in special education hours on the regular schedule doesn't make sense. If a class is having an extended recess, the kid with an IEP who worked harder than anyone else shouldn't be pulled from that. If a class is doing some kind of special project, it may not make sense to pull either.

So, basically, that leaves a special educator with 2 choices.

1) Worry about the letter of the law, and not about what actually benefits kids. So, pull kids in oversized groups, to make up hours. Or pull kids at times that are disruptive, or nonsensical, or punitive.

2) Problem solve to meet the needs of the kids as best as you can. That might mean shorter sessions. It might mean not pulling kids at all if they're class is doing something fun. It might mean prioritizing the kids who, because of regulatory needs or the intensity of their disability simply can't be without.

PARCC testing, or any state testing sucks, and I think there's a strong case for advocating for it to be different. But advocating for something that's impossible, is just going to end up with the school doing something that meets the letter of the law, and isn't in anyone's best interest.

Then *write the damn IEP* to reflect the missing 3-4 weeks for PARCC. Be honest up front.

[Anonymous]

One big problem I have with this is that they are claiming that the PARCC is actually IEP hours instead of just admitting they can't or won't meet the IEP hours.

[Anonymous]

Then *write the damn IEP* to reflect the missing 3-4 weeks for PARCC. Be honest up front.

One big problem I have with this is that they are claiming that the PARCC is actually IEP hours instead of just admitting they can't or won't meet the IEP hours.

I completely agree with both of these. Document that during the period of the PARCC, special ed service will not be provided. Of course, I doubt the school team will want that in writing. I struggle to understand how an entire school district can be on board with stating the PARCC testing counts as service hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Then *write the damn IEP* to reflect the missing 3-4 weeks for PARCC. Be honest up front.

One big problem I have with this is that they are claiming that the PARCC is actually IEP hours instead of just admitting they can't or won't meet the IEP hours.

I completely agree with both of these. Document that during the period of the PARCC, special ed service will not be provided. Of course, I doubt the school team will want that in writing. I struggle to understand how an entire school district can be on board with stating the PARCC testing counts as service hours.

They're basically taking administrative costs out of each IEP. Individually it's probably not a denial of FAPE but as a blanket policy it seems really problematic.

[Anonymous]

IDEA and the regulations do not address missed services. The following is a quote from a letter released by the US Dept of Education, Office of Special Education:

States and local education agencies are required to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them FAPE, consistent with the child's IEP. We encourage public agencies to consider the impact of a provider's absence on the child's progress and performance to determine how to ensure the continued provision of FAPE in order for the child to continue to progress and meet the annual goals in his or her IEP. Whether an interruption in services constitutes a denial of FAPE is an individual determination that must be made on a case-by-case basis.




So, OP, if the missed services result in an inablilty to make progress toward annual goals, they don't need to make them up. I think this would likely only apply to significantly disabled students who are likely excused from state mandated testing anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

IDEA and the regulations do not address missed services. The following is a quote from a letter released by the US Dept of Education, Office of Special Education:

States and local education agencies are required to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them FAPE, consistent with the child's IEP. We encourage public agencies to consider the impact of a provider's absence on the child's progress and performance to determine how to ensure the continued provision of FAPE in order for the child to continue to progress and meet the annual goals in his or her IEP. Whether an interruption in services constitutes a denial of FAPE is an individual determination that must be made on a case-by-case basis.




So, OP, if the missed services result in an inablilty to make progress toward annual goals, they don't need to make them up. I think this would likely only apply to significantly disabled students who are likely excused from state mandated testing anyway.

That quote is describing something different from what I understand to be OP's situation. In OP's situation, they're not saying that services will be missed during PARCC because the special ed team has to be elsewhere. They're claiming that the hours OP's child spends *taking the PARCC test* count towards IEP hours, even though her child is apparently getting NO actual services during that time.

[Anonymous]

My point is that regardless of whether the hours of PARCC testing *should* count as service or not, won't matter under IDEA. PARCC testing is usually 4 mornings. Services not provided during that time, or considered provided in a way that OP doesn't agree with, won't matter for FAPE in the vast majority of cases. So, be annoyed if you want OP, but there isn't anything you can do legally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

IDEA and the regulations do not address missed services. The following is a quote from a letter released by the US Dept of Education, Office of Special Education:

States and local education agencies are required to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them FAPE, consistent with the child's IEP. We encourage public agencies to consider the impact of a provider's absence on the child's progress and performance to determine how to ensure the continued provision of FAPE in order for the child to continue to progress and meet the annual goals in his or her IEP. Whether an interruption in services constitutes a denial of FAPE is an individual determination that must be made on a case-by-case basis.




So, OP, if the missed services result in an inablilty to make progress toward annual goals, they don't need to make them up. I think this would likely only apply to significantly disabled students who are likely excused from state mandated testing anyway.

That quote is describing something different from what I understand to be OP's situation. In OP's situation, they're not saying that services will be missed during PARCC because the special ed team has to be elsewhere. They're claiming that the hours OP's child spends *taking the PARCC test* count towards IEP hours, even though her child is apparently getting NO actual services during that time.

Does OP's child really have no testing accommodations? In my experience that's very rare. Almost every kid who has an IEP gets some kind of accommodations. A student who is testing with accommodations is getting services.

Special education services are there to help student access the same educational program that their grade level peers have. If their grade level peers are testing, then the IEP needs to provide students with whatever they need to participate in the testing. If the peers are getting instruction, then the IEP needs to provide students with instruction.