Reply to What do I need to know for 504 plan meeting at elementary school

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[quote=Anonymous]I would highly recommend professional representation at these meetings.  Been dealing with MCPS for over 6 years in 504 and IEP meetings.  My children were not helped till I brought in an advocate with a Master's in Special Education.  She tutors my kids, provides documentation to the team, speaks the MCPS language, and advocates for my children.  You can also consult an attorney (Michael Eig in Silver Spring is the best) if need be.  Seriously, they will use language even a person with a college background from an Ivy League school could not understand.  You have to know the lingo and understand fully what they are proposing for your child.

For the child in middle school who did well in elementary school but is now having difficulty, he/she may not be getting proper accommodations and you are seeing the academic impact reflected in the grades.  I have a son with ADHD who hit middle school and his grades dropped two letter grades.  Why?  In elementary school, they always gave him extra time.  They always sat him in a corner away from other kids to minimize distractions.  Middle school teachers don't automatically give him the same support.

Another issue would be, does your child need an IEP instead of a 504 so he/she can have access to special ed services (ie. supported classes) to work on goals such as advocacy for his/her accommodations and organizational issues (recording assignments, turning assignments in on time, notebook organized, etc.)?  The supported classes are often team taught (1 general education teacher & 1 special education teacher).  There are also non-special ed. kids in the class so the kids are not segregated from the general population.  The supported classes can be on grade level and even above grade level classes.  Usually, though, for some reason only English and Social Studies classes are supported.  Sometimes Science but never Math.  Don't understand the county's rationale other than limited financial resources.

Seriously consider contacting the place that did your child's testing and see if that person can phone into the meeting, come in person, or recommend an advocate in your area that can represent you.  Remember to give the school notice of who will be accompanying you prior to the meeting.  If you need more time to make arrangements, just ask for the meeting to be rescheduled. [/quote]

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