Today's EPTA Update post was submitted by educational consultant Adrienne Oliveira. Ms. Oliveira is an American Special Education Advocate living in Portugal. She was a Special Education teacher for 10 years, and her goal is to help American families whose children may have specific learning disabilities. For more information, you can visit Ms. Oliveira's website at www.advocateiep.com or contact her via email at [email protected].
Good Morning! I wanted to share another tip about organization with you all. A lot of times parents ask me, "what more can I do?" "I don't know the school content, they are in tutoring, and how can I help my child more?" The BIGGEST thing almost all kids struggle with is organization. I say this because most kids, across the board, struggle with writing down their daily assignments and due dates. They have no idea what their homework is and when things are due. They don't know if they left their work in the classroom or locker. What YOU can do is keep a planner at home. Teach them how to log onto to their school's blackboard to track each class' calendar every single day (this is key, a daily habit). Have them write down their assignments in their planner as well as due dates. Email or call the teacher if you are unclear. It's totally fine to contact teachers. Have them continue to do this with another planner in their backpack (because you know it will get lost) and encourage them with small praise or rewards for writing down and bringing home assignments. Cross off assignments as they are completed for a sense of accomplishment. It does take a lot of time and effort, but this is something I have seen kids struggle with in both special and general education on all grade levels as a teacher. What valuable life lessons they will learn about organization with your help outside the classroom!
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Today's EPTA Update post was submitted by educational consultant Adrienne Oliveira. Ms. Oliveira is an American Special Education Advocate living in Portugal. She was a Special Education teacher for 10 years, and her goal is to help American families whose children may have specific learning disabilities. For more information, you can visit Ms. Oliveira's website at www.advocateiep.com or contact her via email at [email protected].
I have had a few people reach out to me asking about transition meetings. This terminology is used very loosely. Even in my career, I attended so-called “transition meetings” for children leaving elementary school and entering middle school. Yet, what really is a transition meeting? Transition meetings are for students who already have an IEP. The transition plan is a separate document included in the IEP and must be completed by the time the child turns 16. At one school district I taught for, we held the transition plan and meeting when the child was in 8th grade going to 9th grade (high school) and the transition plan will continue to be included in the IEP moving forward. The purpose of the transition plan is to help prepare your child for their future after high school whether that may be college or a job. Your child is involved in this process completing surveys and questionnaires to help determine areas of interests and strengths. The main goals in the transition plan include:
Once the goals are established possible services may include:
These services and goals may change every year until your child graduates from high school and are important to help your child prepare for life after high school. Your child, along with the IEP team will work together on these goals every year until graduation. I hope this clarifies what “transition meetings” are. If the term is used in another way, it is just an IEP meeting and make sure someone is capturing the notes during your meetings! If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. Adrienne Oliveira Educational Consultant [email protected] Today's EPTA Update post was submitted by educational consultant Adrienne Oliveira. Ms. Oliveira is an American Special Education Advocate living in Portugal. She was a Special Education teacher for 10 years, and her goal is to help American families whose children may have specific learning disabilities. For more information, you can visit Ms. Oliveira's website at www.advocateiep.com or contact her via email at [email protected].
Throughout my career, many people have used the term 504 and IEP interchangeably, almost as if they are the same. They are not. Though they both can help your child learn better in school, I wanted to take this time to share with you some key differences. 504 Plans 504 plans offer accommodations (i.e. extended time, filled in notes, breaks etc…) to students in the general education classroom. These students need accommodations to help them access the curriculum. 504 plans are a civil rights law (section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act) that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. A parent can call a 504 meeting at any time (to the principal) if they feel that their child needs accommodations in the classroom. The 504 team consists of the child (if they are old enough), parents, teacher(s), administrator and school counselor. Usually, a doctor’s note describing the disability and 2-3 accommodations that the child needs will be discussed. The team usually meets annually and revisits the accommodations every year to determine if they need to be changed or if the plan is no longer needed. IEPs Unlike a 504 plan, an IEP (Individuated Education Program) is part of a federal law (IDEA, or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) that requires schools to provide special education services. To qualify for an IEP you must first demonstrate that the disability falls in one (or more) of the following 13 categories:
If your child falls into one of these categories the disability must also be “adversely affected” in the general education classroom. Just having the disability won’t necessarily qualify you for an IEP. Your child is usually failing or struggling even with interventions in the general education classroom. Your child's disability is impacting them from learning. You can request an IEP evaluation at any time (written letter) to the school. Your child will undergo testing in academic and psychological evaluations to determine areas of weakness. If your child does demonstrate such, the team will write goals, based on your child’s needs and accommodations in the classroom that should help them be successful. The IEP team consists of teachers, parents, administrator, psychologist and any specialists that were called (i.e. speech and language pathologist). An IEP meeting will be held every year to talk about progress on goals. Every three years (triennial) your child will be evaluated to see if they still qualify for Special Education Services. Conclusion This is just an overview of the differences between IEPs and 504 Plans. There is not one that is “better” than the other. They are both in place to help your child succeed in school. I wish you all a fantastic school year and please don’t hesitate to contact me with further questions. Adrienne Oliveira Educational Consultant [email protected] |