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Post by hope4all on Sept 16, 2019 13:42:48 GMT -5
Hello and good afternoon everyone. I am now typing from my phone. Please excuse typos. My DS is in 9th grade and attends a small private independent school which provides an individualized program for each student. However not a formal IEP.
Next year I would like him to go to a public high school. I contacted the person in charge of special instruction at my local school district. She said eligibility would have to be done in the school district in which he attend school. Not the district in which he resides. Guess what, the districts in which he attend school told me just the opposite. He would have to get eligibility done in his home district in which he resides.
Does anyone know the rules on this unique situation?
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Post by healthy11 on Sept 16, 2019 21:48:10 GMT -5
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Post by hope4all on Sept 16, 2019 23:10:05 GMT -5
healthy11 thank you . I do live in Il.
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Post by eoffg on Sept 17, 2019 5:31:25 GMT -5
Here's a link to a publication by the US Dept of Education, from back in 2011. Specifically have a look at pages 7 and 11. www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/speced/privateschools/idea.pdfUntil 2011, the eligibility would be conducted by the LEA that the child resides in. But they changed this, to LEA that the private school is in. Which was a sensible change. Though your situation is different, where he will change to the public school next year. What you could do, is have the Assessments done now, by the LEA in your private schools area. Then when he moves to the public school. The Assessments could be presented to the public school. As well as the IEP that was developed.
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Post by healthy11 on Sept 17, 2019 8:00:57 GMT -5
Thank you, eoffg. My son had been attending a private school when I requested a special ed evaluation, but because the private school was within my local public school district, there was no question who was responsible for testing him. I've heard people say that because of budgetary restraints, public school districts where parents don't reside and don't pay taxes tend to be less willing to test private school students. In hope4all's case, because her son used to attend a public school and received special education services before, I'm hoping they won't deny the evaluation.
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Post by hope4all on Sept 17, 2019 9:17:20 GMT -5
Thanks for all the info provided. I will cross my fingers and hope for the best. I do want an IEP to be in place when he starts school. I can't imagine him being successful with out one.
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Post by healthy11 on Sept 17, 2019 23:06:39 GMT -5
Unfortunately, even if your son is found eligible for special ed services, an IEP written by a different public school district, particularly for a private school student, may not reflect the same services available in the local public school district where you live and plan to enroll your son next year. I'll be a positive step if you can at least obtain current evaluation results (which should be based on standardized tests) even if the services offered now aren't everything you feel he needs.
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Post by hope4all on Sept 18, 2019 7:45:16 GMT -5
Healthy 11, the perso in charge of special education instruction at our (residential) home district said, the district in which he attend school would write an ISP (individualized service plan). ISP is for students in private school. Then when he's enrolled in our home school district they would write an IEP. That is assuming he is found eligible by the district in which he attends school. Type this on my phone. Please excuse any typos.
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Post by healthy11 on Sept 18, 2019 20:04:29 GMT -5
It sounds encouraging, and you're doing as much as you can to coordinate your son's current school and future school district so that he continues to reach his potential! He may not realize it or say thank you, but he's fortunate to have you as such a caring parent.
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Post by hope4all on Sept 19, 2019 19:35:42 GMT -5
Healthy 11 , thank you for your kind words. My son is 14yrs old now and very seldom says thank you to me for anything. Actually he said, "Mom what are you trying to do now"!🙄
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Post by healthy11 on Sept 22, 2019 14:03:09 GMT -5
Trust me, you're NOT the only one who gets that type of response (many parents of neurotypical teens experience a lack of appreciation, too!) My son is now in his late 20's, and FINALLY (although not frequently) says "thanks" occasionally.
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Post by hope4all on Sept 23, 2019 19:54:27 GMT -5
Thanks Healthy, I know I'm Not alone Kids🙄
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Post by hope4all on Nov 15, 2019 10:36:03 GMT -5
Good Morning, just wanted to give everyone an update on our situation.
I decided not to pursue having the public school test him for eligibility. Since we are now considering Catholic High Schools. The entrance exams for Catholic High Schools are Dec. 7th. I am having the test done privately. I am sitting in the waiting room right now. DS just went in to start testing.
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Post by healthy11 on Nov 15, 2019 16:57:12 GMT -5
Hope4all, I realize that some people feel uncomfortable talking about religious-affiliated private education, but they probably don't realize that in the Chicago area (where I know you live) there are a number of excellent Catholic High Schools, and NOT all of the students who attend those schools are Catholic.
The Catholic High School that my son went to offered very good services to students who had special needs and required accommodation plans. As a Freshman, I remember they had a Center with certified special ed instructors, who provided small-group "Learning Strategies" classes in place of a regular study hall. They also offered opportunities to take tests in quiet areas, with extended time, to have tests read orally, to use a computer instead of handwriting answers, etc., depending on the needs of each student. They even offered "differentiated" 1st semester Freshman English and Math classes for students who might have been overwhelmed going straight into demanding college prep courses.
In my son's case, by the time he was an upperclassman (Jr./Sr.) the only accommodation he used was extended time for taking tests that required essay-type written responses. I believe that his high school has now converted to iPad usage, and they no longer have textbooks or many "pencil to paper" requirements. (I don't know if ALL of the Catholic High Schools in the Chicago area are as technologically advanced, but you should be able to ask at your son's prospective school.)
Honestly, the fact that my son qualified for, and used extended time for test-taking during high school, was probably the factor that helped him the most when it came time to request accommodations for the ACT/SAT college tests. (He was initially denied extended time, but we appealed, and his high school counselor was able to verify that he needed it.) I do hope that things work out well for your son, too, as he enters the next stage of his education!
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Post by hope4all on Nov 15, 2019 19:02:49 GMT -5
healthy 11, all the high schools that we are considering give accomodations. Daily Resource Room, with a teacher. Test given in a small group or individually, extra time on test.
ALL the high schools we looked at use a device of some type.
Because my son currently attends a Catholic school that gived accommodations based on need (not identified disability) he did not have an official IEP or 504 plan. So this is why I got private testing done asap.
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Post by healthy11 on Jan 13, 2020 12:10:50 GMT -5
Hope4all, when will you receive the test results? Please do keep us posted.
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Post by hope4all on Mar 7, 2022 17:30:50 GMT -5
The test results were a hot mess.
Just want to say hello, The Catholic School DS went to turned out to be a little over his head. Also mot enough support and e-learning was a disaster for him. (Still Is). He is now has an IEP. Thanks to the catholic for giving him an 504 plan. Getting an IEP in public school was easy. He is doing ok.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 18, 2022 13:59:58 GMT -5
Hope4all, I've heard from parents (as well as some teachers) of "neurotypical" kids who also feel that e-learning has been overwhelming for their students, so I'm not surprised to hear that it's been very difficult for your son. Add in a transition to high school, even without Covid, and I can understand why it's been even more challenging. I'm glad he's doing okay.
If I'm correct, your son is now nearing the end of his Sophomore year. Does he participate in any kind of extracurricular activities? My son took awhile to find a "peer group" that he felt comfortable with, and in his case it was by joining the "Tech Crew" for drama productions...he enjoyed building/painting sets, and doing audio-visual tasks. I'm thrilled to say that even now, my son keeps in touch with some of those friends, and they're all starting to get married/have children...time flies! If you asked me 10 years ago, I would never have imagined that he'd be "adulting" so well. Hang in there!!
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Post by hope4all on Mar 23, 2022 12:30:01 GMT -5
Thanks Healthy 11 ,he is not involved in any school extra curricular activities. However he has friends in the neighborhood and participates in sports through the church. He also belongs to two different church youth groups. Physically and socially DS is able to keep up with his non disabled peers. He tells me that it is difficult to make friends in school because he is in the “SPED” classes. He is unhappy in this program and would like to move up a level. It would still be a special education program. He started in the higher level program and liked it better. He was moved down because of grades.
His grades are still poor. In my opinion it is not due to the content being to difficult but his out right refusal to self advocate. Also difficulty in turning in homework. In my opinion the trouble lies in having so many different teachers and classes and not knowing which assignments he should do. Or how or where to turn it in. He is getting an A+ in Resource he is eager to do his work and the resource teacher ( I assume) helps him turn it in electronically. Some teachers use an app so students can turn work in electronically others expect the paper to be turned in during class. If DS gets his accommodations for a quiz or test he gets an A or B. No accommodations F+ (he will score about 50%). He only gets accommodations if I email the teacher and ask for them on his behalf. That is only after he has failed a test and I ask if he may retake it. A couple teachers are no longer responding to my emails :-(.
His IEP is coming up soon. I am going to ask for him to be moved up a level, given 2 resource periods a day and a 1 on ! aid.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 26, 2022 23:30:34 GMT -5
I'm glad to hear that your son has friends to do things with. I'm disappointed to hear that his high school has rigid levels that students have to follow. (In my son's case, he was placed in lower level English classes due to his dyslexia, but was allowed to take advanced classes in subjects that he was stronger in...and in the classes he liked, he was more willing to do the homework!) Since your son has an IEP, doesn't he have an assigned "case manager," or is the resource teacher supposed to be his representative? I realize the ideal situation would be for your son to advocate for himself, but many kids take awhile to see the benefits of doing it and learning what to ask for. My son didn't do it until he was in his later teens. For now, I'm wondering if you could ask his resource teacher to email his other instructors about test retakes, rather than contacting them yourself? Or is that what you hope a 1 on 1 aide can assist with? When my son was in school, the only students who had 1:1 aides were truly unable to function on their own, not students who needed reminders to turn in work. I suppose 2 resource periods a day could provide more opportunity for your son to do his homework in a supervised setting, but would it still allow your son to take enough required credit classes for graduation? He sounds capable of earning a regular diploma, not just some kind of "certificate of completion." Has your son talked about what he'd like to do after high school? www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=010500050K14-16 www.wrightslaw.com/blog/certificate-instead-of-a-diploma-is-this-ok/
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Post by hope4all on Mar 28, 2022 16:44:49 GMT -5
Healthy 11 the school does not have rigid levels the students has to follow. The school just feels the lower level is where he needs to be. The problem with DS is he scored poorly on both Individualized Educational Assessments given to him by the school and the one I had done. According to these assessments he is functioning at a 1st and 2nd grade level. However he read books such as “Tuesdays with Morrie”. Read it fluently and understood it. He received A’s in Algebra in 8th grade. They also use his poor grades to bump him down a level. What DS is capable of doing depends on the day and who’s asking? In third grade he had his teacher convinced he could not do single digit subtraction. When he knew how to do single digit subtraction in kdg. Only I and his jr high teachers know he is capable of doing so much more than he is doing at the present time. His low grades are because he does not get his accommodations on his test and does not turn in homework.
I rethought asking for an 1 on 1 aide. If he had 2 resource periods he would have to take a summer school class. DS does have an assigned case manager. After. High School DS would like to do welding. He took a welding class last semester and did well with the hands on parts of the class. He did not ask for accommodations for written test. The welding teacher contacted me and asked how he could help him with the written test. He said he did not care if the accommodations were on his IEP. He just wanted to know what to do to help him pass the final. DS is also good a drawing. I think he would like jewelry making. The school can give him lots of experiences in arts and trades.
I think DS freezes up or shuts down around unfamiliar adults. This causes his poor results on his assessments.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 29, 2022 8:25:27 GMT -5
It's wonderful that the school offers good arts and trades classes. FWIW, my son didn't get exposure to welding while he was in school, however he took a class on his own at a community college, and does it now as a "hobby." Some schools offer certifications in welding. morainevalley.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2018-2019/Catalog/Career-Programs/Welding ; you might want to check to see what they require for student enrollment in those classes. The fact that your son's high school welding teacher recognizes he's capable in that field is great. I wonder if the teacher has connections to area businesses (auto repair shops, metal fabrication companies, etc.) that are willing to hire kids right out of high school, and do some on-the-job training? It couldn't hurt to ask, especially since the guy sounds like he's willing to talk to parents. www.aws.org/education/page/home
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Post by hope4all on Mar 29, 2022 14:10:57 GMT -5
Thanks Healthy 11, I will check into it.
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