Reply to Tips for Seeking IEP for Incoming K at MCPS?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We have concerns regarding inattentiveness, memory issues, handwriting issues, reading/letter recognition skills, according to preschool teacher for our 5 year old who will be entering K in the fall.  We have a private neuropsych scheduled but not until November.  I've gotten the paperwork to start the process with MCPS.  Any tips, things I should know, etc would be much appreciated.  This is for a school that feeds into Pyle/Whitman.   [/quote]

OP, it's entirely unclear what you want: 504 plan? IEP? EMT meeting and "intervention" from the teacher.  What "paperwork" and what "process" have you started with MCPS.

We can provide better tips if you are more clear about what your endgame is. [/quote]

I would like an IEP for K and to ensure that he'll get any available and appropriate support for these challenges which I'm guessing may include OT and pull outs for reading.  I suppose other accommodations too.  I'm not familiar with the process.  We were too late for Child Find so need to complete paperwork to request and evaluation by the school. It is called Private/Parochial School Student Referral for Special Education Services.  [/quote]

By "starting the process" for an IEP with MCPS you are essentially asking them to do an assessment, yet you say you have a neuropsych scheduled?  Here is how it works for MCPS -- you ask for an IEP in writing and they have 30 days to set the initial IEP eligibility screening meeting.  Then, if the IEP team (which includes YOU and anyone you want to invite) decides if there is enough evidence to show that there might (not definitely but might) be a need for an IEP.  If so, at the screening meeting, the IEP team decides what kind of assessment is need to make a final determination of eligibility.  What the school tries to get away with as an "assessment" can vary widely from nothing more than informal classroom observation and teacher reports (which would not be a legally adequate assessment) to proper psychoeducational assessment with IQ and full range of achievement testing.  MCPS has 60 days to do the assessment and schedule the final determination meeting.  MCPS must share all materials for the IEP meeting (including the assessment) with you 5 days before the meeting.  If an IEP is determined to be necessary, then the IEP team has another 30 days to write the IEP and meet to finalize it.

The thing is, if you have already scheduled a private neuropsych, then you might want to wait for that to come back and wait to have the IEP meeting until after you can share the neuropsych report.  Often, a team will decide to just take the neuropsych report and use that rather than do their own assessment. (They have a heavy caseload and this makes it easier for them, plus it's usually more comprehensive than what they would do and your neuropsych may do some testing that can't be duplicated for another 6 mos.)  Sometimes, if you present the neuropsych, the eligibility screening and determination meeting can be collapsed into one meeting, because the "assessment" is already done (provided by you).

If your neuropsych isn't scheduled until Nov., it usually takes about 6 weeks to get the written report back, add on the timeline for all the IEP meetings to screen, determine eligibility, write the IEP, etc.  and you won't have an IEP until Feb. at the earliest probably.

Overall, this isn't bad if it helps you get what you want in the end.  You can use the time that DC is in school but doesn't have the IEP yet to document the ways in which her problems are impacting her education, which will help with the IEP.

IME, MCPS is terrible at teaching reading and writing, so if you see problems with letter recognition and other reading or writing related skills, I would plan on finding a private tutor to start with your DD in the spring of K if she doesn't respond well to K instruction.  Better to remediate early, IMO.   Look for people skilled in OG or other explicit phonics-based instruction and handwriting instruction. [/quote]

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