Weinfeld Education Group?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate to be the dissenting voice here but is your child actually struggling? What is actually difficult for him? You said it was 9 days into the school year and he is at grade level. You do have to show educational impact and I think the school's argument that it's too early for that is actually legitimate.

My child has dyslexia and did not get an IEP for many years and it was only when that led to behaviors such as not doing work. It would be great to get an IEP for your child but I don't think you have provided enough information that your child needs one. MCPS hates parents who come in with their high priced testing and advocates when their child is not actually struggling but has a diagnosis. You can buy a diagnosis anywhere. I'm not saying that's what you did at all but that is their attitude because this happens so often.

Op here. He is struggling. A few points below:
- The entire reason we got an assessment is because of how much he struggled with reading and writing last year- and I saw it up close since he was doing virtual for most of the year. His written comprehension was extremely poor- he freaked out/had breakdowns whenever he had to write a few sentences and gather evidence from the text they had to read. His spelling was atrocious as well as his handwriting.
- The psychologist conducted 24 quantitative tests to make the dyslexia and ADHD diagnoses. The data showed he is below grade level across the board.
- My son has been able to “get by” with coping mechanisms and he received Ps in K and 1 and As and Bs last year. But honestly I don’t think that says too much during distance learning. The teacher even let them redo work if the first attempt was a poor grade.
- His recent MAP reading at the start of 3rd grade was 46th percentile which is below average.
- The school did not factor in his Map-RF data from K-2 in the ineligibility decision which I find really strange given that it focuses on phonics, fluency, reading comprehension, etc. I got them to send us the data a few days after the meeting and it showed a decline since kindergarten. And his most recent Lexile oral reading measure was 295 and 2nd grade reading materials have measures that are 380-550.

You've got to give him a chance to do 3rd grade. You might be surprised at the level of writing of 3rd grade boys - what you describe like "gather evidence from text" is pretty demanding and they don't expect the kids to be writing 5-paragraph essays in 2nd grade.

[Anonymous]

If he's only below grade level on the WJ, why not just pay for a WJ tutor and call it a day? In all seriousness I'd start with tutoring. He will get immediate help and won't have to wait for meetings and legal crap to start getting better. And that psychologist was grossly irresponsible saying he NEEDED an IEP. Only the child's full team can make that determination accurately, not one person your kid only interacted with for a few days tops.

[Anonymous]

I like how this thread has absolutely nothing to do with the Weinfeld group anymore. I didn't see him registered in COPAA anyways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate to be the dissenting voice here but is your child actually struggling? What is actually difficult for him? You said it was 9 days into the school year and he is at grade level. You do have to show educational impact and I think the school's argument that it's too early for that is actually legitimate.

My child has dyslexia and did not get an IEP for many years and it was only when that led to behaviors such as not doing work. It would be great to get an IEP for your child but I don't think you have provided enough information that your child needs one. MCPS hates parents who come in with their high priced testing and advocates when their child is not actually struggling but has a diagnosis. You can buy a diagnosis anywhere. I'm not saying that's what you did at all but that is their attitude because this happens so often.

Op here. He is struggling. A few points below:
- The entire reason we got an assessment is because of how much he struggled with reading and writing last year- and I saw it up close since he was doing virtual for most of the year. His written comprehension was extremely poor- he freaked out/had breakdowns whenever he had to write a few sentences and gather evidence from the text they had to read. His spelling was atrocious as well as his handwriting.
- The psychologist conducted 24 quantitative tests to make the dyslexia and ADHD diagnoses. The data showed he is below grade level across the board.
- My son has been able to “get by” with coping mechanisms and he received Ps in K and 1 and As and Bs last year. But honestly I don’t think that says too much during distance learning. The teacher even let them redo work if the first attempt was a poor grade.
- His recent MAP reading at the start of 3rd grade was 46th percentile which is below average.
- The school did not factor in his Map-RF data from K-2 in the ineligibility decision which I find really strange given that it focuses on phonics, fluency, reading comprehension, etc. I got them to send us the data a few days after the meeting and it showed a decline since kindergarten. And his most recent Lexile oral reading measure was 295 and 2nd grade reading materials have measures that are 380-550.

You've got to give him a chance to do 3rd grade. You might be surprised at the level of writing of 3rd grade boys - what you describe like "gather evidence from text" is pretty demanding and they don't expect the kids to be writing 5-paragraph essays in 2nd grade.

+1. He is struggling because the expectation that a second grader write a 5 paragraph essay is ridiculous. From what you wrote, the best educational consultant in the world is not going get your child an IEP. It’s surprising that your kid even got a 504. Your child is slightly below grade level even from your testing which isn’t surprising with zoom classes. Do you have an anxiety disorder? You need to chill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate to be the dissenting voice here but is your child actually struggling? What is actually difficult for him? You said it was 9 days into the school year and he is at grade level. You do have to show educational impact and I think the school's argument that it's too early for that is actually legitimate.

My child has dyslexia and did not get an IEP for many years and it was only when that led to behaviors such as not doing work. It would be great to get an IEP for your child but I don't think you have provided enough information that your child needs one. MCPS hates parents who come in with their high priced testing and advocates when their child is not actually struggling but has a diagnosis. You can buy a diagnosis anywhere. I'm not saying that's what you did at all but that is their attitude because this happens so often.

Op here. He is struggling. A few points below:
- The entire reason we got an assessment is because of how much he struggled with reading and writing last year- and I saw it up close since he was doing virtual for most of the year. His written comprehension was extremely poor- he freaked out/had breakdowns whenever he had to write a few sentences and gather evidence from the text they had to read. His spelling was atrocious as well as his handwriting.
- The psychologist conducted 24 quantitative tests to make the dyslexia and ADHD diagnoses. The data showed he is below grade level across the board.
- My son has been able to “get by” with coping mechanisms and he received Ps in K and 1 and As and Bs last year. But honestly I don’t think that says too much during distance learning. The teacher even let them redo work if the first attempt was a poor grade.
- His recent MAP reading at the start of 3rd grade was 46th percentile which is below average.
- The school did not factor in his Map-RF data from K-2 in the ineligibility decision which I find really strange given that it focuses on phonics, fluency, reading comprehension, etc. I got them to send us the data a few days after the meeting and it showed a decline since kindergarten. And his most recent Lexile oral reading measure was 295 and 2nd grade reading materials have measures that are 380-550.

You've got to give him a chance to do 3rd grade. You might be surprised at the level of writing of 3rd grade boys - what you describe like "gather evidence from text" is pretty demanding and they don't expect the kids to be writing 5-paragraph essays in 2nd grade.

+1. He is struggling because the expectation that a second grader write a 5 paragraph essay is ridiculous. From what you wrote, the best educational consultant in the world is not going get your child an IEP. It’s surprising that your kid even got a 504. Your child is slightly below grade level even from your testing which isn’t surprising with zoom classes. Do you have an anxiety disorder? You need to chill.

Wow, that is so kind and productive. He got a 504 to provide accommodations for his ADHD and attention/focus issues, which the school noted in the meeting was clear from the classroom observation they did. He has both ADHD and dyslexia. I never said 5 paragraphs. They had to write a few sentences pulling details from the very brief text they had to read and that was extremely hard for him due to the dyslexia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about standardized test scores OP. If your child's teacher reports he's okay on grade level then they are not going to give an IEP. Since last year was virtual they did not see the struggles therefore it makes sense to wait. I don't think you have a case but go ahead and use your money to get an IEP.

Pretty much agree with this. Any good educational consultant is going to be at least $2500 and may not even get eligibility, or the IEP will be so minimal that it won't really do anything. I'd spend your money this year on tutoring and see how the year goes. You can always try again next year.

I often see the debate about where to spend your money. It's worth consideration - tutor or advocate? A good tutor can help you so your child is closer to grade level in which case you may not continue to need a consultant. For some students you may need both an advocate and a tutor. It's all situational.

[Anonymous]

former DCPS teacher and coordinator. OP: the issue you will have is that to truly move the needle, your child will require a systematic, researched-based program. special ed teachers have large caseloads and kids with SLD/dyslexia rarely get OG/LMB or Wilson. I used it faithfully but had to fight for a smaller caseload. you should absolutely fight for an IEP but I echo others who say to get tutoring. It’s sad that it comes to this but it is almost better to spend the thousands that way. hugs. I wish it were easier for you. i would send a letter that you disagree with the findings and want to mediate/appeal. don’t wait.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:former DCPS teacher and coordinator. OP: the issue you will have is that to truly move the needle, your child will require a systematic, researched-based program. special ed teachers have large caseloads and kids with SLD/dyslexia rarely get OG/LMB or Wilson. I used it faithfully but had to fight for a smaller caseload. you should absolutely fight for an IEP but I echo others who say to get tutoring. It’s sad that it comes to this but it is almost better to spend the thousands that way. hugs. I wish it were easier for you. i would send a letter that you disagree with the findings and want to mediate/appeal. don’t wait.

Thank you, appreciate it. Previous posters don’t seem to think my son is struggling enough- or that there’s not enough evidence right now of adverse educational impact. I’m starting to feel a little resigned that appealing will get us anywhere and we should give up on the IEP and just focus on tutoring. I’m disheartened.

[Anonymous]

I would see how he does on the 504 and with some good tutoring. If he's still struggling after a few weeks you can always talk to the team. $50 an hour for tutoring that will immediately benefit him versus a $200 an hour advocate that will drag things out for weeks.

[Anonymous]

It’s a difficult situation to see your child suffering. I think a lot of people here have probably been through a similar situation and it’s hard. Unfortunately we can’t count on the school to do what is best ( identify and remediate) our dyslexic children. For your mental health it is probably best to start with outside tutoring and to not measure his abilities by the traditional benchmarks for NT learners, especially in elementary school. Try to get him on a path where he sees some success with reading ( OG tutoring) and build from there. His timeline for learning is going to be different from a traditional learner. It’s ok, he will get there.
As the above poster stated, even with an IEP , the odds of receiving significant OG instruction is incredibly low. It’s incredibly unfair to these kids. If you have the time and energy consider getting involved with advocacy ( Decoding Dyslexia).

[Anonymous]

There's a difference between a kid having a rough time in school and not performing to his maximum potential and the legal standard for AEP. I don't want you to shoot yourself in the foot. What will you do if the school immediately calls your bluff and tells you to take it to due process? I don't think a drawn out legal battle that would last for half the schoolyear and potentially run into 5 figures is the best way to start off the schoolyear. Wrightslaw and Parent's Place are the gold standard in Maryland for free parent training and legal advice if you want to weigh your options. Wishing you the best OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a difficult situation to see your child suffering. I think a lot of people here have probably been through a similar situation and it’s hard. Unfortunately we can’t count on the school to do what is best ( identify and remediate) our dyslexic children. For your mental health it is probably best to start with outside tutoring and to not measure his abilities by the traditional benchmarks for NT learners, especially in elementary school. Try to get him on a path where he sees some success with reading ( OG tutoring) and build from there. His timeline for learning is going to be different from a traditional learner. It’s ok, he will get there.
As the above poster stated, even with an IEP , the odds of receiving significant OG instruction is incredibly low. It’s incredibly unfair to these kids. If you have the time and energy consider getting involved with advocacy ( Decoding Dyslexia).

OP here. Thanks, this is sound abs thoughtful advice. It’s just upsetting that the school system takes a “wait and fail” approach.

[Anonymous]

The fact that your son was still able to get good grades with testing that doesn't match is a good future sign for his learning capabilities. He sounds bright and like a hard worker, even though it's very stressful at times. Ultimately his teachers want the same thing as you, for him to succeed. I hope the 504 and some tutoring will give him enough of a framework to unlock his true potential. Sending love OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fact that your son was still able to get good grades with testing that doesn't match is a good future sign for his learning capabilities. He sounds bright and like a hard worker, even though it's very stressful at times. Ultimately his teachers want the same thing as you, for him to succeed. I hope the 504 and some tutoring will give him enough of a framework to unlock his true potential. Sending love OP

Or a sign that your school system is giving everyone decent enough grades to avoid looking like they're failing kids. I would appeal the IEP eligibility decision NOW without paying for a lawyer and start looking for a tutor.

[Anonymous]

I know others will feel differently but my best advice given your child's profile is to give up on the IEP for now and use that money towards tutoring. It sounds like you are well off enough to afford tutoring so the sooner you accept that you may be hiring tutors for the rest of your child's schooling the happier you will be. I spent a full year fighting for my child to get the support he needs at school and it was a waste of energy, time, and money. A lot of that money went to Weinfeld. The process left me horribly defeated and did not help my child at all because even after we got very little of what my child needed on paper it was never implemented anyway.

Once I realized my child could do better with outside support instead, the freer I felt. This does not work for every child. Many children need in class supports but from what you've described your child may not.