If this class is required for graduation and your daughter is in danger of failing, I would definitely be aggressive about getting your daughter help. I would ask to meet with the teacher and your daughter after school or during the teacher’s planning period. If the teacher is not responsive, start cc’ing the assistant principal for your grade level or formally request an IEP meeting to discuss adding needed accommodations.

Anonymous wrote:Ask the teacher what the name of the kit or product is. Or even a very similar product. That’s a completely different question to asking to bring it home.

Or tell your kid to ask one of the smart younger kids what it is. They would probably know.

Ask the teacher what the name of the kit or product is. Or even a very similar product. That’s a completely different question to asking to bring it home.

I’d email the teacher and CC your case manager for the IEP. I’m the email id ask for two things:

1) scaffolding. You can’t ask someone to jump
from step 3 to 47 if they dont know what to do in between. Can the teacher help identify what the missing pieces are and what she needs to do to progress? Offer that some of that can be done at home etc. I think it would be good for everyone to have it articulated where she is and what steps need to happen to complete it.

2) I’d specifically ask teacher would be willing to meet with her at a time different than the AP kids. It’s scary to ask for help especially when juxtaposed against the kids who not only get it, but are excelling. I wonder if a couple of focused sessions after school would do wonders?

^if the teacher has read the IEP

Anonymous wrote:OP, what accommodations are already in place?

The accommodations she definitely utilizes: extra time, breaking tasks down into smaller parts, repetition of instructions with examples/demonstration.

I emailed the teacher to ask if DD can bring the parts home or if we can buy a kit. She responded that while that isn’t possible due to school policy, DD doesn’t have to wait until her robot is finished to start programming; she can join another group that has finished the robot and go from there (I didn’t mention in my OP that DD has a partner who is equally stuck, while the rest of the rest of the class has moved forward). The teacher said that in the meantime, DD will have an incomplete on the robot until she’s able to (hopefully!) finish it during lunch period(s).

Of course, DD is nervous to join a new group for programming, because she anticipates she will have nothing to contribute and will be embarrassed by the whole thing (especially as a senior) but I think it is a reasonable suggestion. She plans to keep going at lunch, but without the teacher’s actual hands-on guidance, I don’t know if she’ll get any further with the robot. I did make it explicitly clear in the email that DD is at a standstill. I don’t know if she has actually read the IEP.

OP, what accommodations are already in place?

Anonymous wrote:OP, With only 20 days to go, you’re not going to get an IEP meeting in time. I’d email the teacher politely stating the problem and ask for the name of the kit. Cc the CM. If you don’t get a reply in a week, copy the email and send it again, this time including the admin. If you don’t get a response in a week, resend the email again, including whoever is over the admin. They do not want a paper trail indicating that they are not following the IEP. The teacher is clearly pulled in multiple directions, and I feel for her, but your daughter needs help at home, and you can’t do that without the kit.

This is good practical advice although I have also found that asking for an IEP meeting can spur immediate action. I also wouldn’t wait a week for a response given the short amount of time.

OP, With only 20 days to go, you’re not going to get an IEP meeting in time. I’d email the teacher politely stating the problem and ask for the name of the kit. Cc the CM. If you don’t get a reply in a week, copy the email and send it again, this time including the admin. If you don’t get a response in a week, resend the email again, including whoever is over the admin. They do not want a paper trail indicating that they are not following the IEP. The teacher is clearly pulled in multiple directions, and I feel for her, but your daughter needs help at home, and you can’t do that without the kit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been through this with my oldest. Not this class in particular, but more like all of them. He did not have the capabilities to do much better than a D final grade for most classes. He had a great IEP and it was being followed. He just lacked the capabilities.

You cannot define success for you child by looking at what other kids do. When a kid is not capable of getting a good grade in a class, success if defined by doing what it takes to meet the graduation requirements. In this case, a D is what it takes. So, if her grade will average out to a D if she fails this semester, then failing this semester will be a success for her because she will meet the graduation requirements.

I think this is good advice. It is 2nd semester senior year. OP's DD will graduate. It is okay to not make a good grade in this class.

I wouldn’t be comfortable trusting this teacher would give a D though. I’d be more proactive.

She doesn’t need a D. Even if she fails this quarter she will get the credit because she has a C the previous quarter. There is no risk. The school would be going crazy if she wasn’t on track to graduate.

She still needs to try and put in some effort. OP, reach out to the teacher and see what you can find out about the assignment and what you can do at home (i.e. buy a robot, etc).