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In short, an advocate is part of your support structure. In an educational setting, an advocate is a person you are allowed to have by your side. They can be part of your support team throughout the entire process. This includes meetings, potentially from when a student is 3 years old through 22.
Click here to watch a short video describing advocate background and services.
The best special education advocates have experience in multiple areas of education. Hopefully, they have been special education teachers, trainers, and administrators within the public school system. They understand and can help you decipher:
Special education and 504 laws are federal. So I can provide advocacy services in any state! I meet with you, and with your student’s educational team virtually.
Yes!
First, I provide support for students attending school on a year-round schedule. Parents, you can call me any time of the year, and I will be there to help you secure the services your child is entitled to.
Second, summer months can be an excellent time to get ahead of what you will need to do as the traditional school year starts. Give me a call and I can help you start the next IEP cycle off prepared and confident!
Yes, I provide all of my services virtually!
I can meet with you, and with your student’s educational team virtually at any time. Special education and 504 laws are federal. So I can provide advocacy services in any state or time zone!
I am located in Raleigh North Carolina but can provide advocacy services in any school district or state! I can meet with you, and with your student’s educational team virtually.
The services your child should be receiving are based on the needs listed in their evaluation summary. The goals and services in their IEP (Individualized Education Plan/Program) should reflect those needs and describe supports specific to your child.
Yes, I will review all of your special education paperwork and provide expert feedback on the services and accommodations your child should be receiving.
The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for your child is the educational placement in which your student is most successful. This will look different for each child because each child’s needs are unique. In addition, a student’s needs change as they grow and develop. It is important for a team to constantly monitor progress and update goals to maintain LRE. CLICK HERE to get more detail from my blog on LRE.
Yes I can. I attend all meetings via video conference.
Meetings can be intimidating, emotional, and confusing. You do not have to be alone at the education discussion table. I can attend your student’s IEP team meetings, evaluation meetings, or planning meetings with you, virtually.
I will help to guide the team through the proper steps of a meeting while I assist with describing and supporting your concerns. I will diffuse emotional situations, protect your parental rights, ensure compliance with state and federal law, and help you communicate with teachers effectively. You will understand them, and they will understand you.
Extended School Year, or ESY, is intended for those students who require constant educational support (specifically over long summer and winter breaks) in order for them to retain and maintain skills. Especially those skills and behaviors critical to life and the ability for a child to function as independently as possible.
CLICK HERE to review my blog for further detail.
Before a student is even considered for special education, the school should be documenting:
A student may fail to progress, even with General Education Interventions in place. Once the school reaches this point, a parent/guardian should receive:
Your signature on the Consent for evaluation starts the evaluation process for a student.
Click HERE to read my blog entry with even more detail surrounding the evaluation and qualification process.
Specialists will test your student, and analyze and score the evaluations. They will then summarize their findings. Following this, a meeting will be organized. You will be invited to this meeting. Other attendees will be your student’s IEP Team and will include teachers and administrators
from the school. At this meeting, the specialists will present their evaluations and evaluation outcomes. They should describe what the results mean. This discussion will include comments as to whether or not the testing data indicates a need requiring specially designed instruction. After the assessment data has been discussed, the IEP team will be presented with a series of standard statements and questions. These ensure any final determination has been adequately and appropriately considered.
Want a more in-depth understanding of: the actual evaluation process, the evaluation summary meeting, and the key questions that should be presented prior to final determination? Click HERE to review my blog entry on The Evaluation Summary Meeting
Legally an IEP team consists of you, your student, a special education teacher, a general education teacher, and an LEA (Local Education Agency) representative.
For more on IEP meeting participants and their purpose, you can click HERE to read my blog entry.
Yes. Charter schools are public schools. However, not all charter schools offer all services. The school district will let you know which public schools offer the supports specifically listed as needs on your student’s paperwork.
A student with a disability who does not require specially designed instruction, but requires accommodations to be successful in the school environment, may be eligible for a 504 plan.
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