School mentioning self contained class room?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have experience with MCPS middle school GTLD program at Odessa Shannon (Brooke Lee)? How about the Bridge program at Briggs Chaney?

[Anonymous]

I am going to assume your child is currently in 1st grade at a charter like Cap City or a Montessori as opposed to a language immersion charter. (basing this on part of your post)

I wish I had some magic words to offer as we were at a school like that and in retrospect the school based assessment totally missed it and we are many years down the road and have always been trying to figure out what road we were supposed to be on.

If I was to do it all over I would get a private evaluation. Spending the money here would have helped get the right supports in the classroom early on. I know you are working on this - so that is a great 1st start.

Next you need to understand the whole IEP process - what the different parts of the document are supposed to represent and how to use it to support your child's learning needs. This video was incredibly helpful for me: https://youtu.be/q2XlAWcMAUk

This is a solid resource:
https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/IDEA-Parent-Guide1.pdf

I advised earlier to stay at your current school. We left because we felt that our local DCPS would be a better place to support our child's learning needs. What we did not understand when we did that was that when our local school could not provide for my child's learning needs, we got kicked into the broader DCPS system. There is a teacher who posted here who shared her + experience. That is the exception.

Example - Hearst Self Contained classroom was not adequately staffed and families needed to sue DC to get teachers with the right expertise in the classrooms. If this is what DCPS does at Hearst - imagine what it does in other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am going to assume your child is currently in 1st grade at a charter like Cap City or a Montessori as opposed to a language immersion charter. (basing this on part of your post)

I wish I had some magic words to offer as we were at a school like that and in retrospect the school based assessment totally missed it and we are many years down the road and have always been trying to figure out what road we were supposed to be on.

If I was to do it all over I would get a private evaluation. Spending the money here would have helped get the right supports in the classroom early on. I know you are working on this - so that is a great 1st start.

Next you need to understand the whole IEP process - what the different parts of the document are supposed to represent and how to use it to support your child's learning needs. This video was incredibly helpful for me: https://youtu.be/q2XlAWcMAUk

This is a solid resource:
https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/IDEA-Parent-Guide1.pdf

I advised earlier to stay at your current school. We left because we felt that our local DCPS would be a better place to support our child's learning needs. What we did not understand when we did that was that when our local school could not provide for my child's learning needs, we got kicked into the broader DCPS system. There is a teacher who posted here who shared her + experience. That is the exception.

Example - Hearst Self Contained classroom was not adequately staffed and families needed to sue DC to get teachers with the right expertise in the classrooms. If this is what DCPS does at Hearst - imagine what it does in other schools.

I’m a different poster but I want people to understand. It was not a teacher with the right expertise. It was LITERALLY A TEACHER. There was no teacher in the classroom. It was being run by the paras.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am going to assume your child is currently in 1st grade at a charter like Cap City or a Montessori as opposed to a language immersion charter. (basing this on part of your post)

I wish I had some magic words to offer as we were at a school like that and in retrospect the school based assessment totally missed it and we are many years down the road and have always been trying to figure out what road we were supposed to be on.

If I was to do it all over I would get a private evaluation. Spending the money here would have helped get the right supports in the classroom early on. I know you are working on this - so that is a great 1st start.

Next you need to understand the whole IEP process - what the different parts of the document are supposed to represent and how to use it to support your child's learning needs. This video was incredibly helpful for me: https://youtu.be/q2XlAWcMAUk

This is a solid resource:
https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/IDEA-Parent-Guide1.pdf

I advised earlier to stay at your current school. We left because we felt that our local DCPS would be a better place to support our child's learning needs. What we did not understand when we did that was that when our local school could not provide for my child's learning needs, we got kicked into the broader DCPS system. There is a teacher who posted here who shared her + experience. That is the exception.

Example - Hearst Self Contained classroom was not adequately staffed and families needed to sue DC to get teachers with the right expertise in the classrooms. If this is what DCPS does at Hearst - imagine what it does in other schools.

Same thing happened at Murch but the parents didn’t sue

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going to assume your child is currently in 1st grade at a charter like Cap City or a Montessori as opposed to a language immersion charter. (basing this on part of your post)

I wish I had some magic words to offer as we were at a school like that and in retrospect the school based assessment totally missed it and we are many years down the road and have always been trying to figure out what road we were supposed to be on.

If I was to do it all over I would get a private evaluation. Spending the money here would have helped get the right supports in the classroom early on. I know you are working on this - so that is a great 1st start.

Next you need to understand the whole IEP process - what the different parts of the document are supposed to represent and how to use it to support your child's learning needs. This video was incredibly helpful for me: https://youtu.be/q2XlAWcMAUk

This is a solid resource:
https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/IDEA-Parent-Guide1.pdf

I advised earlier to stay at your current school. We left because we felt that our local DCPS would be a better place to support our child's learning needs. What we did not understand when we did that was that when our local school could not provide for my child's learning needs, we got kicked into the broader DCPS system. There is a teacher who posted here who shared her + experience. That is the exception.

Example - Hearst Self Contained classroom was not adequately staffed and families needed to sue DC to get teachers with the right expertise in the classrooms. If this is what DCPS does at Hearst - imagine what it does in other schools.

I’m a different poster but I want people to understand. It was not a teacher with the right expertise. It was LITERALLY A TEACHER. There was no teacher in the classroom. It was being run by the paras.

Thank you for clarifying - I had only heard about the case through bits and pieces.
I get so angry that DCPS does this again and again and again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am going to assume your child is currently in 1st grade at a charter like Cap City or a Montessori as opposed to a language immersion charter. (basing this on part of your post)

I wish I had some magic words to offer as we were at a school like that and in retrospect the school based assessment totally missed it and we are many years down the road and have always been trying to figure out what road we were supposed to be on.

If I was to do it all over I would get a private evaluation. Spending the money here would have helped get the right supports in the classroom early on. I know you are working on this - so that is a great 1st start.

Next you need to understand the whole IEP process - what the different parts of the document are supposed to represent and how to use it to support your child's learning needs. This video was incredibly helpful for me: https://youtu.be/q2XlAWcMAUk

This is a solid resource:
https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/IDEA-Parent-Guide1.pdf

I advised earlier to stay at your current school. We left because we felt that our local DCPS would be a better place to support our child's learning needs. What we did not understand when we did that was that when our local school could not provide for my child's learning needs, we got kicked into the broader DCPS system. There is a teacher who posted here who shared her + experience. That is the exception.

Example - Hearst Self Contained classroom was not adequately staffed and families needed to sue DC to get teachers with the right expertise in the classrooms. If this is what DCPS does at Hearst - imagine what it does in other schools.

Uh I wouldn’t use Hearst as an example. Most non title 1 schools actually have the worst self contained classrooms, likely because admin has no clue what to do and teachers who teach in non title 1 school expect a certain kind of student and environment. I teach in a CES classroom and I have heard some pretty messed up things about that school and sped.

[Anonymous]

If you need legal advice on this - see page 23 of this deck for organizations:
https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/Office%20of%20Dispute%20Resolution%20Special%20Education%20Due%20Process%20Hearings%20%20A%20Guide%20for%20District%20of%20Columbia%20Parents.pdf

[Anonymous]

I am in the same position and need to make a decision for my 6 year old. what concerns me is the behavior issue that resinte in self contained classrooms. in my disctrict they will move the misbehaved child in their as well. I am not okay with this.

[Anonymous]

All good points you made OP. You are the most. important member of the IEP team. You do not have to sign on to self contained. The school should prioritize the least restrictove environment and if your child is making progress then there is no reason to give up on the current plan.

[Anonymous]

I've seen kids move back into Gen Ed when transitioning to middle school.

[Anonymous]

I would start a new thread. This thread is two years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am in the same position and need to make a decision for my 6 year old. what concerns me is the behavior issue that resinte in self contained classrooms. in my disctrict they will move the misbehaved child in their as well. I am not okay with this.

Suggest that you start a new thread--people read the OP and respond, which might not help you 2 years later (you could always link this one in your new OP as a thought). (I am not in DCPS and don't have a response, sorry).