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A glance at how a student's IEP can be working well, but then become dysfunctional due to a school, grade, or team change.
I am often involved in situations where a student with a learning disability is failing school. I ask the student what their goals are. They say they want to graduate high school and get a job. Firstly, these are not lofty goals. Secondly, they should not feel unattainable. However, it is very common for a frustrated teen and their parents to feel defeated due to a poorly administered IEP.
In these situations, an advocate may be able to present a new perspective. A professional advocate is usually external to the student’s immediate family and current IEP team. A professional advocate also understands how to paint a fresh picture of a student. This can allow or push an IEP team to re-evaluate their previous thinking.
CJ was presented to me as a junior in high school. He had been diagnosed with a learning disability in reading and math, ADHD, and an anxiety and depression disorder. His Mom was at the end of her rope. She contacted me saying that her son’s accommodations were not being followed and that the goals on his IEP remained the same year after year. CJ’s Mom had tried to speak up in IEP meetings but seemed not to be heard or listened to.
The members of CJ’s IEP team often spoke about the many “challenges” with CJ. However, the overriding issue was CJ’s reported performance and attendance. CJ was not passing his classes. CJ’s mom saw this as a direct result of defined IEP accommodations and modifications not being followed. Regardless, the school was indicating that CJ had to attend high school for an extra year in order to graduate. CJ was spiraling, and his mom felt helpless, frustrated, and angry.
CJ was successful in elementary and middle school. The smaller, lower-stakes environments were accommodating and insulating. But then, over his 3 years of high school, and higher-stakes credit requirements, CJ started slipping through the cracks. As his grades began to fail, CJ withdrew more and more. He began attending classes less frequently and then stopped attending school altogether on most days.
CJ’s mom went to the IEP team for help and guidance on multiple occasions. She asked for their assistance in getting CJ back into school and passing classes. However, the IEP team simply restated the same thing every time. “Your child has to show up for school so we can teach him”. The assistant principal defined CJ as lazy. His teachers felt he was capable of learning and producing work, but was unmotivated to do so.
At every meeting, the blame for failure was placed on CJ. And, the onus to improve was squarely placed on the shoulders of CJ and his mom. Not on the school. Is this right, NO. But is it common? Unfortunately yes.
CJ’s Mom and I gathered CJ’s paperwork. This included:
– Old IEP documents
– Previous evaluations
– Doctors’ diagnoses
– Current special education documents
As I read these I realized a few things:
After concluding my review, and explaining my findings to CJ’s mom, we agreed I would start attending CJ’s IEP meetings.
The IEP team drew a bleak and inaccurate picture of CJ. This is not uncommon. The team became focused on behavior and became blind to the cause of that behavior. More importantly, they became blind to their shortcomings contributing to the breakdown of CJ’s IEP. The team drew a picture of CJ as a manipulative, lazy, unmotivated, junior in high school, who was capable of doing work but chose not to.
However, there is a reality that the IEP team wasn’t seeing. CJ was functioning on a cognitive level far below his peers. His reading comprehension scores were near negligible. He was understanding less than half of what he read. In math, he was unable to count coins, tell elapsed time, or measure. His failing grades (even in his special education classes) were evidence that his IEP was not working for him.
Let’s paint a new picture of CJ. I use all of the data, past, and present to do this. CJ’s mom and I speak to the administration, teachers, and counselor, present at the IEP meeting. I describe CJ as I see him.
CJ is an amazing person, full of aspirations, wants, and needs. He is polite and thoughtful. He is prone to distraction, withdrawing, and shutting down. CJ wants to be like every other kid. He does not want to stand out. He wants friends. He wants the high school experience. He wants, and is fully capable of , finding a job. He desires to be a successful part of the community.
I required the team to walk in CJ’s shoes with an example.
CJ gets to school for first period. He is asked to read a paragraph out load. When he reads aloud he is able to do so fluently and with emotion. However, CJ actually understands less than 50% of what he is reading. Many teachers assume a good reader is a good comprehender. This is not true.There are then instructions on the board for an in-class exercise pertaining to the paragraph CJ read aloud. CJ does not complete the exercise. The teacher assumes he is lazy. However, when given an assignment on-paper or on-line, or written on the board, CJ is already at a huge disadvantage. Failure has now already begun for him, triggering a spiral of anxiety.
CJ heads to second period, math. He has been asked more than once to retake Algebra classes that he continued to fail. Today, CJ is again taught to push specific buttons of the calculator to produce a number, then chastised for not showing his work. He is embarrassed. Depression sets in, and he decides he should just leave the school when 2nd period ends. All this has happened, and it isn’t even lunch time yet.
Remember, CJ does not comprehend over 50% of what he reads. This includes instructions, test questions, teacher emails, and his own IEP.
The resolution is to, strongly and doggedly, guide the IEP team to rewrite CJ’s IEP.
I was present over several IEP meetings with CJ’s mom and the team was able to construct appropriate, attainable and measurable goals for him. His accommodations were strengthened and reinforced with descriptive language. Teachers were able to discuss how these accommodations could take place in their classrooms and when and how to use modified grades. A larger discussion was requested and begun with administration concerning failing grades in classes where CJ’s accommodations and modifications were not used.
The end result for CJ was:
It is unfortunate that I can share many stories like CJ’s. However, I am passionate about ensuring that all students receive Free and Appropriate Public Education as is their right. And, that parents are adequately supported in advocating for their child. If you would like to discuss how I could support you, please get in touch.
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