Request for advice from parents of kids with IEPs due to GTLD diagnosis:

[[e-mail]]

Dear moms and dads,

Please let us know how important is it to get a 3rd grade IEP just right now if we are planning to enroll him in a private school for two years and try to get back into the MCPS Middle school GTLD program in the 6th grade?

The last 2 IEP meetings have been quite contentious with us pointing out all the substantial content errors in the IEP (e.g. reporting incorrect educational testing results, etc.), but with no efforts to fix the errors on the school's part.

We would greatly appreciate advice on whether it is worth continuing to see the fight through. i.e. If and when we try to reenter the system in 6th grade, will MCPS take into account the content of third grade IEP. Thank you so much in advance.

[Anonymous]

You have to go through reeligibility for an IEP every three years. We are currently going through this for our 7 yr old which meant all new testing; neuropsych, OT, PT and speech.

Since you are planning to return to public school, I would make sure you keep the IEP bc letting it expire will make it much harder to get a new one when your child returns to public school. You can always rewrite, add new goals, and do any other tweaks anytime you like but don't let that IEP expire.

[Anonymous]

If your child qualifies for an IEP, why wouldn't you fight for it?

Keep the IEP. It is worth the fight regardless and you might find that you get what you need and can save the private school money for college and tutors. College most likely will cost more- an extra year is advised and tutors/editors cost a fair bit of change.

[Anonymous]

GT/LD covers very wide range of strengths and weaknesses and there is a wide range of public and private schools out there. Other than say, Yes, fight for the IEP if your child qualifies for one- there isn't much to say beyond that without knowing more. What type(s) of LD, what magnitude, what are the specific strengths and weaknesses.

In my search, I could not find a private school in the area that could compete with the GT services available at our neighborhood public schools- most especially math. We found it easier to supplement in the LD arena privately and keep our DC in public school where he could get the rigorous math classes. So, DC went to a reading tutor 2-3 times a week for 5 years and we have done quite a bit more at home. He is currently in public HS taking Honors and AP classes and team taught English.

[Anonymous]

If you want to apply for the MS magnet programs at TPMS or Eastern, from private school, you will need an IEP which lists specific test accommodations in order to get those accommodations on the MS magnet entrance exam. If your private school gives you accommodations, but they aren't formalized on an IEP, you may have more difficulty getting testing accommodations.

If you intend to come back to the MS GT/LD program (which is different from the MS magnet programs at TPMS and Eastern), then my understanding is that the MS GT/LD program is NOT an "entry by application" program, but that it is a program for students who are placed there by their IEP team because their homeschool is not able to address their issues. Typically these GT/LD students are capable of doing GT work but need a classroom which has a general ed teacher paired with one or more special ed teachers or para-educators who support the GT/LD students who are mixed i-n with non-LD students all taking the same advanced class together.

So, either way, you should have an IEP.

My question is -- where are you in the IEP process. Did you have an IEP and now you are at an annual or triennial review? Or are you working on getting your first IEP? What specifically is the difficulty -- are they denying you something you want? If so, what is their justification?

Regarding the errors -- did you write a letter requesting the changes or did you just point them out orally? Are you taping the meetings -- if not the fact that you pointed out errors orally just "didn't happen" since there is no evidence of it.

You have a right under FERPA to request corrections to your child's educational record. If the IEP team has included incorrect data anywhere on your child's record (on the IEP or any other educational records), write a letter, cite FERPA, ask for the specific changes, provide the documentation proving you are right, and then ask them to send you either a copy of the updated IEP when they have made the changes or a letter explaining why they are refusing to make the changes.

Basically, every three years MCPS can ask to re-assess to see if your child still qualifies for the IEP. If MCPS wants the re-assessment, they must provide it or if you choose you can provide private assessments you arranged and paid for. So, if you are leaving in 3rd grade, and you are returning in 6th, it is likely that MCPS will try to re-assess and you will have to see if your child still qualifies for an IEP. It will be easier to keep the IEP if you had it in force all those years you were gone. (An object in motion tends to stay in motion.)

Have you considered working with an educational advocate? Our personal experience in MCPS was that no matter how well I knew the law, since I was just a parent, nothing I said counted. As soon as I hired an advocate to say the same things I had been saying, MCPS could no longer maintain its position and my child was designated GT/LD.

[[e-mail]]

Clarification from original posterior:
First I want to thank the parents for their extremely helpful responses. We had never heard of FERPA until now; and taping the meeting is a brilliant idea that I had not thought of. That said, we are directly in the triennial review of the IEP. He has had one since kindergarten.

The main problem is that although I submitted a detailed list of multiple errors in writing during the IEP meeting, the school resubmitted the IEP to me with minimal or incorrect changes and the key errors where not corrected. Here are some of the errors:
-His strengths in writing and reading and 'proficiency ratings' were selectively reported in the current IEP to highlight the ‘average’ to ‘top of low average scores,’ while the significantly low scores and deficits confirmed in the educational testing were excluded

-Despite deficits in phonological processing, blending, decoding, phonological memory, phonological awareness, reading fluency and comprehension of complex sentences, and spelling, Writing conventions etc.he has maintained proficient reading and writing scores, so they are essentially discounting the problem and not listing the findings of the testing

Of course no services are being offered because he is getting "P"s
-So we are wondering if it is worth fighting to set the records straight now or will this 3rd grade IEP become moot if he spends two years in private school and then we request an IEP team meeting to consider entrance into the GTLD middle school.
Would appreciate your thoughts again. Thank you

[Anonymous]

Are you working with an advocate/consultant? Your case is one that screams for one.

[[e-mail]]

Clarification from original poster:
First I want to thank the parents for their extremely helpful responses. We had never heard of FERPA until now; and taping the meeting is a brilliant idea that I had not thought of. That said, we are directly in the triennial review of the IEP. He has had one since kindergarten.

The main problem is that although I submitted a detailed list of multiple errors in writing during the IEP meeting, the school resubmitted the IEP to me with minimal or incorrect changes and the key errors where not corrected. Here are some of the errors:
-His strengths in writing and reading and 'proficiency ratings' were selectively reported in the current IEP to highlight the ‘average’ to ‘top of low average scores,’ while the significantly low scores and deficits confirmed in the educational testing were excluded

-Despite deficits in phonological processing, blending, decoding, phonological memory, phonological awareness, reading fluency and comprehension of complex sentences, and spelling, Writing conventions etc.he has maintained proficient reading and writing scores, so they are essentially discounting the problem and not listing the findings of the testing

Of course no services are being offered because he is getting "P"s
-So we are wondering if it is worth fighting to set the records straight now or will this 3rd grade IEP become moot if he spends two years in private school and then we request an IEP team meeting to consider entrance into the GTLD middle school.
Would appreciate your thoughts again. Thank you

[Anonymous]

op, what type of a private school do you hope to enroll him in? I ask because much depends on that. Are you sure you want to return to public? We have a 2e child we moved from MCPS to a mainstream private. Hope to be helpful to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child qualifies for an IEP, why wouldn't you fight for it?

Keep the IEP. It is worth the fight regardless and you might find that you get what you need and can save the private school money for college and tutors. College most likely will cost more- an extra year is advised and tutors/editors cost a fair bit of change.

This is an important point. Our SN child (now technically an adult) will take at least 5 years to get through college even with the services of the College's "Office of Disability Services", special outside tutoring, and summer courses.