Materials to gather for an IEP? Where to get scores - MAP M, MSA, etc.
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Anonymous
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I am starting to write a letter to request an IEP for my child. I'm a bit concerned about "bothering" the teacher with a request for my child's MAP-M and MSA scores. Just checked our records and I can't find all of them.
Any suggestions? Should I ask the school counselor, is there some way to look it up online, or do I need to ask the homeroom teacher? Thanks so much! |
Anonymous
| Why would you need those things to request an evaluation? All you need to say in the letter is "I would like to have a meeting to discuss evaluating my child for special education". The school will then be obligated to gather the scores and convene a meeting. |
Anonymous
| Agree with PP. You do not need to gather data, just request a meeting. You might want to consider meeting with the teacher before requesting a meeting to discuss your concerns and get a feel as to whether the teacher feels like your child warrants an IEP. If the teacher feels that your child does, he/she will help you to get the needed special ed. |
Anonymous
| Usually the teacher would bring that data to the meeting |
Anonymous
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It depends why you want an IEP for your child.
If you want to show that your child is failing academically in one or more subjects, then yes. However, be careful about creating goodwill and navigating the right channels in the right order: first make an appointment to talk to the classroom teacher. Explain your concerns, wait for the teacher suggestions. Then state that you want a meeting to request an IEP, and that you will need all the test scores in your child's file. Then write to ask for an IEP meeting, and reiterate in your letter your request to see your child's tests. It helps if you have outside "proof" of your child's special needs in the form of private evaluations. The school will take you more seriously and you will send the message that you are prepared to fight if need be. For my son's ADD accommodations, I came armed with a thorough evaluation done by a dev. ped. specializing in ADHD. The school was obliged to "verify" this by doing a completely superficial and inane in-house test (not done by a doctor), but the impetus came from the private result I brought to the table. Otherwise it is completely possible they might have brushed me off. As it was, DS was granted an IEP and the necessary services, with which we have been quite happy. |
Anonymous
| I asked my son's teacher for those scores and she had the AP print them out for me. Just give her enough time to do it. |
Anonymous
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Thanks, PP...so it sounds like I need to go to the teacher for these.....The reason I am asking is I've read that there is a 30 day window before the first meeting, and so I want to get my ducks in a row and have EVERYTHING together including my back-up tests, etc. at the time I submit the letter. As we all know, &*&(* happens and you only get one chance at this...
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Anonymous
OP, your first meeting is just to ask for an assessment. This is not "THE" meeting that you think it is. "THE" meeting comes after the assessments are done and the team (you included) are deciding on whether your child qualifies for the IEP. At that meeting you need to be as prepared as possible and be totally on your game. This being said, PP is right - just ask the teacher for the scores you want. No big deal to get them and you will feel better and more prepared if you do. FWIW, if your child is proficient, they don't look much further on the MSAs, MAP M and MAP R scores. Also, from your first post, you seem to be writing a big letter. It's not necessary. Getting this first meeting is as simple as calling the school counselor, expressing some of your concerns and asking for an assessment. Best thing you can do is to get the counselor on your side and buying into your concerns right in the beginning. Good luck. I have two SN kids. I just completed the assessment request meeting (the step where you are) and the assessment review/IEP decision meeting for the second time with one of my kids. First time he didn't qualify. This time he did. Next meeting is setting goals and services. |
Anonymous
I don't agree with the notion that the first meeting isn't "the" meeting. If you can't get thru the 1st IEP eligibility meeting, you don't get to the second IEP determination meeting. I had to fight harder in my IEP eligibility meeting than I did in the final determination. BTW, OP, you have a right under FERPA to any educational record of your child (basically anything with your child's name on it.) Write a letter to the teacher and ask politely for all of the scores you mention as well as any associated benchmarks, basic/proficient/advanced cut scores, percentiles, etc. The school must provide it. I have had teachers refuse (not knowing any better). A second polite letter to the principal, citing the refusal and the FERPA law, has always shaken loose these scores. |
Anonymous
| Definitely go to initial meeting with back-up materials. I had to sit through 6 meetings before the IAT committee agreed to have my child evaluated (test results proved what I was saying all along...dyslexic child). Now I'm fighting to actually get adequate support at the school (but that's another story...for a full year she was "too smart", now the school is setting the bar too low). Good luck! |