Post by teacherabc on Dec 8, 2014 22:11:36 GMT -5
I am the teacher who is periodically on here.
I have a student, a tenth grader, who does NOT have an IEP. I don't know him from last year because he transferred from a parochial school. He is failing most of his classes pretty badly and I am the SPED teacher in his English and History classes. He obviously knows what's going on, and understands everything. This is pretty clear from his oral participation, which is spot on. However, he wasn't turning in written work. He started coming to me after school and he began getting some of the shorter written work done. I noticed that even then, even though he would have the right answers, he used the fewest words possible. In English, he hasn't turned in an essay in all semester long. In Global (although I didn't see it), he turned in something. I spoke to him at length one day and he said that he did part of the essay but couldn't finish it in the time allotted. He said that he doesn't know what to right when he sits down to write. He said that in 9th grade in his parochial school, he only had to write one or two essays each semester and was never able to finish any of them. After this, I got him to turn in something on an English essay but it was still incomplete.
Today, he had to write an in class essay. It was torture watching him write, and I suspect it was even more torture for him to write. First, he sat there looking at the paper for 20 minutes. Literally. He then wrote one sentence and then stopped again. He started again 5 minutes later. This process continued. At the end of 54 minutes, he came out with two paragraphs, with lots of cross outs. At some point I spoke to him and he said he didn't know what to write. Now, this is a kid who knows the book he was writing about. But the writing process is pure torture. Later this week, this will happen again. He has to continue this essay tomorrow in class. In Global, there is an in class essay on Thursday. He is on the border of passing both classes but since my coteacher in Global will not allow kids without an IEP to use more than one class period, I suspect that he will get a failing grade on the essay.
I spoke to his dad this evening. We spoke about the fact that if his son cannot write an essay in a certain amount of time, that he may have trouble on the Regents exam. Dad asked if there was any way of getting him extra time. So then I explained the process of an IEP.
Normally, the process of getting an IEP in our school is first bringing him up at our meeting. I kind of circumvented that, partially because dad asked and partially because do it that way is guaranteed to slow up things--the focus is always on current students with IEPs, not ones who might become ones. In addition, the student is thought of by many (including our Principal) as lazy. I also don't know, honestly, if he will qualify for an IEP; certainly, he has significant problems in writing. He is a little, but not abnormally, slow in reading. But whether he will be at the standard to qualify for an IEP, I am not sure. Perhaps a 504 would be more likely. Any feedback?
I have a student, a tenth grader, who does NOT have an IEP. I don't know him from last year because he transferred from a parochial school. He is failing most of his classes pretty badly and I am the SPED teacher in his English and History classes. He obviously knows what's going on, and understands everything. This is pretty clear from his oral participation, which is spot on. However, he wasn't turning in written work. He started coming to me after school and he began getting some of the shorter written work done. I noticed that even then, even though he would have the right answers, he used the fewest words possible. In English, he hasn't turned in an essay in all semester long. In Global (although I didn't see it), he turned in something. I spoke to him at length one day and he said that he did part of the essay but couldn't finish it in the time allotted. He said that he doesn't know what to right when he sits down to write. He said that in 9th grade in his parochial school, he only had to write one or two essays each semester and was never able to finish any of them. After this, I got him to turn in something on an English essay but it was still incomplete.
Today, he had to write an in class essay. It was torture watching him write, and I suspect it was even more torture for him to write. First, he sat there looking at the paper for 20 minutes. Literally. He then wrote one sentence and then stopped again. He started again 5 minutes later. This process continued. At the end of 54 minutes, he came out with two paragraphs, with lots of cross outs. At some point I spoke to him and he said he didn't know what to write. Now, this is a kid who knows the book he was writing about. But the writing process is pure torture. Later this week, this will happen again. He has to continue this essay tomorrow in class. In Global, there is an in class essay on Thursday. He is on the border of passing both classes but since my coteacher in Global will not allow kids without an IEP to use more than one class period, I suspect that he will get a failing grade on the essay.
I spoke to his dad this evening. We spoke about the fact that if his son cannot write an essay in a certain amount of time, that he may have trouble on the Regents exam. Dad asked if there was any way of getting him extra time. So then I explained the process of an IEP.
Normally, the process of getting an IEP in our school is first bringing him up at our meeting. I kind of circumvented that, partially because dad asked and partially because do it that way is guaranteed to slow up things--the focus is always on current students with IEPs, not ones who might become ones. In addition, the student is thought of by many (including our Principal) as lazy. I also don't know, honestly, if he will qualify for an IEP; certainly, he has significant problems in writing. He is a little, but not abnormally, slow in reading. But whether he will be at the standard to qualify for an IEP, I am not sure. Perhaps a 504 would be more likely. Any feedback?