Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember parents: you can request an IEE for free if you don't like the quality of the school evals. You don't have to give a reason why you're requesting it. Just email the principal and copy the central office that you are requesting one. They are free.

My response to this comment was deleted. This board is heavily censored if a teacher shares the other side of the story, which is a shame and does not

benefit anyone.

IEEs are not free. They cost thousands of dollars paid by the school system and tax payors. The intent is so parents have an option if they disagree with school assessments. Most IEES I see, do not follow that intent. Many Parents just want more assessments paid by someone else. Many do abuse the system. Those are facts and stop deleting and censoring school staff.

You’re not being censored, you’re just ridiculous. I responded to you and it was also deleted. Your insistence that greedy special needs parents are taking money away from the school system is wrong, asinine, blame shifting, and again, ridiculous. Most parents are, as the school system prefers, completely clueless and unable to advocate for themselves in the system. The school systems fight tooth and nail to avoid spending money on special education, going so far as to refuse to recognize dyslexia, the most common LD, and refusing to provide evidence based accommodations for it. We all understand there are limited resources and this is the game we are all forced to play. But the idea that the schools are just doing all they can while the mean old parents are robbing them, trying to make them comply with FAPE! Rude! Can’t the dumb kids just take being told they’re dumb and there’s nothing more to do? So tiring! You’re out of it, unfair, and the numbers don’t back you up. You’re a biased person and clearly anti special needs children.

Your comments show your lack of understanding about special education guidelines and law, which are not drafted by schools or teachers.

You say “schools refuse to recognize dyslexia.” You Make no sense, and that’s not accurate. Schools by LAW cannot give a MEDICAL diagnosis. Dyslexia is a medical diagnosis. Schools can’t diagnose other medical diagnosis, like adhd, autism, or anxiety. Schools CAN Do testing and find a child eligible in specific learning disability (for students who have dyslexia, whether family got a medical diagnosis in writing or not).

Yes that is correct that students with low IQS may not qualify for special education. That’s the law!! I didn’t write and neither did your schools teachers. We’re not biased, against you, or anti-special education. Surely there are incompetent teachers (like there is incompetency in every field!). That doesn’t make it ok to come online and tell parents that school staff are all incompetent, don’t care about kids, and are on a mission to not serve children. And I assure you, teachers don’t think it’s a game. You’re out of line. I’m sorry for you that you are at this point.

Hey, as a fellow parent of a slightly below average iq kid, I’d like to discuss actually helpful things rather than your view of the schools. Please stop dominating this thread.

OP, we have found sports to be really helpful. We have also done intensive tutoring although our kid isn’t classically dyslexic and it’s been great. For reading comprehension - a big weakness - we try subtitles and checking in often.

I would suggest getting a private neurophysiological exam done. They will be very specific in your child's strengths and weaknesses and it may help you in knowing how to work with them. Stick with it, OP. You got this. It is a big world with room for everyone. There are many, many people with low iq's living and working in society successfully.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember parents: you can request an IEE for free if you don't like the quality of the school evals. You don't have to give a reason why you're requesting it. Just email the principal and copy the central office that you are requesting one. They are free.

My response to this comment was deleted. This board is heavily censored if a teacher shares the other side of the story, which is a shame and does not benefit anyone.

IEEs are not free. They cost thousands of dollars paid by the school system and tax payors. The intent is so parents have an option if they disagree with school assessments. Most IEES I see, do not follow that intent. Many Parents just want more assessments paid by someone else. Many do abuse the system. Those are facts and stop deleting and censoring school staff.

The fact that you don’t understand or credit why a parent being told by the entity that would be responsible for providing services that there are no appropriate services to be provided, and might want a neutral opinion on the subject, speaks volumes about your general logical abilities. No, I don’t trust the school to tell me my kid is just too low IQ - not low IQ enough for a certificate program! But low enough to get no services beyond meaningless nothings. And neither would you or any parent invested in their child’s life. Luckily for me I have the resources not to be so bound, and can do it all privately. But for those that don’t - they should fight tooth and nail to figure out how their children can be helped. And for many of these people, they’ve spent the money that they have available buying a house in a good school area, paying taxes, and filling in all of the gaps that are not funded. The idea that the school shouldn’t be held to an objective standard is utter crap.

Schools have to follow special education laws. Schools have to use the required to see if children are eligible for special education services. Your schools and teachers did not draft those guidelines- they are from the department of education. I understand your frustration, but it is not your school team’s fault. It’s not because your school team doesn’t care.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember parents: you can request an IEE for free if you don't like the quality of the school evals. You don't have to give a reason why you're requesting it. Just email the principal and copy the central office that you are requesting one. They are free.

My response to this comment was deleted. This board is heavily censored if a teacher shares the other side of the story, which is a shame and does not

benefit anyone.

IEEs are not free. They cost thousands of dollars paid by the school system and tax payors. The intent is so parents have an option if they disagree with school assessments. Most IEES I see, do not follow that intent. Many Parents just want more assessments paid by someone else. Many do abuse the system. Those are facts and stop deleting and censoring school staff.

You’re not being censored, you’re just ridiculous. I responded to you and it was also deleted. Your insistence that greedy special needs parents are taking money away from the school system is wrong, asinine, blame shifting, and again, ridiculous. Most parents are, as the school system prefers, completely clueless and unable to advocate for themselves in the system. The school systems fight tooth and nail to avoid spending money on special education, going so far as to refuse to recognize dyslexia, the most common LD, and refusing to provide evidence based accommodations for it. We all understand there are limited resources and this is the game we are all forced to play. But the idea that the schools are just doing all they can while the mean old parents are robbing them, trying to make them comply with FAPE! Rude! Can’t the dumb kids just take being told they’re dumb and there’s nothing more to do? So tiring! You’re out of it, unfair, and the numbers don’t back you up. You’re a biased person and clearly anti special needs children.

Your comments show your lack of understanding about special education guidelines and law, which are not drafted by schools or teachers.

You say “schools refuse to recognize dyslexia.” You Make no sense, and that’s not accurate. Schools by LAW cannot give a MEDICAL diagnosis. Dyslexia is a medical diagnosis. Schools can’t diagnose other medical diagnosis, like adhd, autism, or anxiety. Schools CAN Do testing and find a child eligible in specific learning disability (for students who have dyslexia, whether family got a medical diagnosis in writing or not).

Yes that is correct that students with low IQS may not qualify for special education. That’s the law!! I didn’t write and neither did your schools teachers. We’re not biased, against you, or anti-special education. Surely there are incompetent teachers (like there is incompetency in every field!). That doesn’t make it ok to come online and tell parents that school staff are all incompetent, don’t care about kids, and are on a mission to not serve children. And I assure you, teachers don’t think it’s a game. You’re out of line. I’m sorry for you that you are at this point.

OP here. I haven't been back in this thread because I've had a lot to digest. I really appreciate everyone's perspectives!

For what it's worth, I don't really think the psychologist who did my daughter's testing was incompetent. We had a follow up conversation last week at her IEP meeting, after I read everyone's comments and talked to my friend who is a pediatrician. The psychologist shared a lot of behavioral information about her which made sense. She was very spacey during testing and that's kind of how she has always been- spacey, and not amazing at understanding the "deeper meanings" of things. Like, when I ask her questions about a movie, she will understand the surface level details but not character motivations or predictions about what may happen next.

She isn't medicated for ADHD right now, but that is something we will be pursuing. The one thing I didn't understand fully is that she doesn't have any learning disabilities. However, the evaluator said (this is from my memory and may not be completely accurate) that her math, reading, and writing abilities are all basically evenly developed and that she is about one grade level below in all areas. She said she assessed specifically for dyslexia and that my daughter doesn't show the markers (which I agree with, as she has decent word reading, it's just understanding the meaning of lengthy paragraphs that is hard). I did ask her to share what she meant by "will always struggle" and she essentially said that it may take her longer to grasp material due to her IQ struggles and her ADHD, but that she certainly has the capacity to learn. At this point, I don't disagree with the assessment and I don't think putting her through more testing would be helpful right now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember parents: you can request an IEE for free if you don't like the quality of the school evals. You don't have to give a reason why you're requesting it. Just email the principal and copy the central office that you are requesting one. They are free.

My response to this comment was deleted. This board is heavily censored if a teacher shares the other side of the story, which is a shame and does not benefit anyone.

IEEs are not free. They cost thousands of dollars paid by the school system and tax payors. The intent is so parents have an option if they disagree with school assessments. Most IEES I see, do not follow that intent. Many Parents just want more assessments paid by someone else. Many do abuse the system. Those are facts and stop deleting and censoring school staff.

The fact that you don’t understand or credit why a parent being told by the entity that would be responsible for providing services that there are no appropriate services to be provided, and might want a neutral opinion on the subject, speaks volumes about your general logical abilities. No, I don’t trust the school to tell me my kid is just too low IQ - not low IQ enough for a certificate program! But low enough to get no services beyond meaningless nothings. And neither would you or any parent invested in their child’s life. Luckily for me I have the resources not to be so bound, and can do it all privately. But for those that don’t - they should fight tooth and nail to figure out how their children can be helped. And for many of these people, they’ve spent the money that they have available buying a house in a good school area, paying taxes, and filling in all of the gaps that are not funded. The idea that the school shouldn’t be held to an objective standard is utter crap.

The school could also choose to spend money making special education options more accessible and appropriate. Heck. Maybe MCPS could recognize dyslexia and provide ASDEC in groups! Then maybe parents wouldn’t have to jump through legal hoops endlessly set up to avoid actually providing anything at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember parents: you can request an IEE for free if you don't like the quality of the school evals. You don't have to give a reason why you're requesting it. Just email the principal and copy the central office that you are requesting one. They are free.

My response to this comment was deleted. This board is heavily censored if a teacher shares the other side of the story, which is a shame and does not

benefit anyone.

IEEs are not free. They cost thousands of dollars paid by the school system and tax payors. The intent is so parents have an option if they disagree with school assessments. Most IEES I see, do not follow that intent. Many Parents just want more assessments paid by someone else. Many do abuse the system. Those are facts and stop deleting and censoring school staff.

You’re not being censored, you’re just ridiculous. I responded to you and it was also deleted. Your insistence that greedy special needs parents are taking money away from the school system is wrong, asinine, blame shifting, and again, ridiculous. Most parents are, as the school system prefers, completely clueless and unable to advocate for themselves in the system. The school systems fight tooth and nail to avoid spending money on special education, going so far as to refuse to recognize dyslexia, the most common LD, and refusing to provide evidence based accommodations for it. We all understand there are limited resources and this is the game we are all forced to play. But the idea that the schools are just doing all they can while the mean old parents are robbing them, trying to make them comply with FAPE! Rude! Can’t the dumb kids just take being told they’re dumb and there’s nothing more to do? So tiring! You’re out of it, unfair, and the numbers don’t back you up. You’re a biased person and clearly anti special needs children.

Anonymous wrote:Remember parents: you can request an IEE for free if you don't like the quality of the school evals. You don't have to give a reason why you're requesting it. Just email the principal and copy the central office that you are requesting one. They are free.

My response to this comment was deleted. This board is heavily censored if a teacher shares the other side of the story, which is a shame and does not benefit anyone.

IEEs are not free. They cost thousands of dollars paid by the school system and tax payors. The intent is so parents have an option if they disagree with school assessments. Most IEES I see, do not follow that intent. Many Parents just want more assessments paid by someone else. Many do abuse the system. Those are facts and stop deleting and censoring school staff.

One of the best students in my T1 law school was always talking about “exceeding my parents expectations.” When he was little he had been diagnosed with an R word we don’t use anymore. Assessing children’s intelligence is notoriously difficult.

To the previous posters who said IQ shouldn't change -- my foster kid tested at 100 in 1st grade, about 88 in 3rd grade (didn't cooperate with testing) and 71 in 5th grade (not yet medicated for ADHD).
I personally think the mid80s reflects what we see.
IReady scores in reading tended to be 23rd percentile pretty consistently in 3rd & 4th grade.
Kid has 'moderate dyslexia' according to neuropsych. With lots of tutoring, reading practice every day, lots of handholding in math (and push in support) kid manages to hang in there. Everything takes longer. I'm frequently surprised by oral vocabulary holes. But even a lower-IQ kid can learn. And there are lots of ways to be successful as an adult, as you've seen in this thread.

OP I think your kid's evals were done sloppily and lazily. If the child has an area they're struggling in, they need to be given services so they're...no longer struggling. That's the whole point of Special Education. The latest legal ruling on IDEA set the standard that a child should be able to make meaningful progress in their areas of need, not the bare minimum. Your school can't have it both ways. She can't be so severe that she'll "always struggle" and yet so mild that she only needs some ADHD accomodations. IEEs and possibly an advocate.

Remember parents: you can request an IEE for free if you don't like the quality of the school evals. You don't have to give a reason why you're requesting it. Just email the principal and copy the central office that you are requesting one. They are free.

School IQ tests aren't even valid after 3 years, because a child's brain is still developing. She doesn't have an intellectual disability, which would be a FSIQ below 70. This is not a lifelong label, or even a diagnosis. She is still able to complete a regular high school diploma. The school psychologist is unable to predict where she'll be intellectually even 5 years from now, and overstepped saying she will always struggle. I would request an IEE, because this all sounds very haphazardly done.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, yes IQ can vary based on tester and of course there is a range where if the IQ is 80 due to standard of error it might fall anywhere from say a little lower to a little higher. Also, the rapport matters. My kid's IQ varied greatly from the county to private. The private tester was peppy, gave more breaks with exercise and he came after a good night's sleep and a big breakfast. At school he was dragged out of PE which he needed and other classes he likes and it felt rushed getting him to the testing room and getting him back. The actual report mixed up his name a few times and percentiles were off. For example if one standard score was say 110 and another was 90 and another was 80, the 80 had a higher percentile than the standard score of 90. I pointed it out and she corrected, but I do wonder if they were his scores.

Also, I took the same approach as another poster-it is not the schools job to make sure my kid got everything he needed. I jumped in as needed to help with studying, executive functioning, etc. We wanted to standard diploma not certificate for the most job prospects and turns out he will be in good shape for a 4 year college.

Agree that my child’s school report was riddled with errors, which makes it hard to trust the accuracy of the report. Were the results hers or were they the results of the child whose name they typed into several of the paragraphs?

I will never know because nobody will admit it, but scores were higher with private tester. Keep in mind conditions were also ideal and my child is sensitive to mood and the tester was cheerful and patient and have more breaks.