My 7th grade daughter is in an advanced academic program. The proposed IEP accommodations allow her to turn in homework late, with a penalty. We are transition planning for college now.
The school says they cannot make the accommodation for late homework because this would affect Carnegie credits.
Because she has so many after school appointments for medical care and physical therapy, we need accommodations for homework flexibility.
Should we write a 504 plan for these accommodations?
There is no need to write a separate Section 504 Plan. You should be able to include all needed accommodations in your daughter’s IEP.
Create a Health Care Plan
Get a full list of the accommodations and interventions that your daughter needs in the course of the day from your doctor. Put these together in the form of a medical management plan or health care plan. Use this plan as the basis of accommodating your daughter in school.
You can use the model plan the American Diabetes Association has online. Change the plan to reflect your daughter’s needs. Check the model plan for accommodations provided without penalty.
Copy the Word version into your computer. Modify the plan to suit your situation.
You already know what the accommodations and interventions are. Use the model form and modify it as best you can. Then ask your doctor what you have left out.
Once the doctor has reviewed it for accuracy and completeness, have him sign the plan. Deliver a copy to the school nurse and the principal.
Recommended Accommodations
Some medical management plans and health care plans include a broad range of accommodations.
Look at all the items that can be included in a thorough 504 plan.
You will see that the model plan states accommodations provided without penalty. Your daughter’s plan should be adapted to her specific medical condition and needs.
Get the School Team Onboard
The school team probably does not understand all that you are doing after school to help your daughter succeed in an advanced program.
If time is no longer available after school, due to increased time needed for homework, then what you have done after school, you will now need to do during school hours.
Once the team understands what they are required to do, and they can see what you are doing after school, they should be more receptive to adjusting homework accommodations.
If the school is unwilling to provide the required accommodations you may need to file a civil rights complaint.
Although the actual complaint is easy to file, I recommend that you contact an attorney who represents parents in special education matters. Ask the attorney to draft the complaint because the important part of the complaint is the resolution.
You may not ask for enough.
Re: Carnegie Credits
Basically the “Carnegie” unit defines the number of contact hours a high school student should have with a teacher. It is a measure of time the student has studied a subject.
Ask the school for their documentation about Carnegie credits limiting disability accommodations. That just does not exist.
It will be interesting to see what they provide.
Tags: Accommodations · Advanced Placement Programs · Carnegie Credits · Health Care Plans · Homework · Medical Management Plans · Transition plan2 Comments
2 responses so far ↓
Can a student’s 504 accommodation plan have accommodations listed “as needed”? There are some accommodations that are helpful for a student, but not utilized by the student every day or for every assignment. Considering that the plan is in place to meet the needs of the student and should be least restrictive, is it proper to have some accoms. listed as needed? For example: oral read assignments, accommodated test, etc. Some teachers feel that there are some accommodations that the student may always need, but there are some accommodations that the student occasionally needs to be successful. What’s the correct thing to do here?
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