Doing Your Homework
by Suzanne Whitney, Research Editor, Wrightslaw.com

Reading

Can the School Terminate My Child's Eligibility for Special Ed? Evaluations, IQ Scores, and Grades - If the school's criteria for determining a child's eligibility for special education are IQ scores and grades, this is incorrect and inappropriate. Sue explains how eligibility decisions must be made and other legal requirements for determining if a child is or is not eligible for special education.

Struggling with Dyslexia AND French 101. Sue Whitney, Research Editor at Wrightslaw, answers a parent's question about dyslexia and studying a foreign language. Sue explores a number of issues that must be considered for a child with a reading disability.

Reading Fluency - How Can I Get a Program That Works? Sue provides advice about how you can get appropriate reading instruction that will meet your child's needs. She offers a plan to obtain the knowledge you need to be an effective, educated member of your child's IEP team.

Why Use Research Based Reading Programs? Sue explains the reasoning behind the requirements in NCLB for research based programs and answers more questions about reading and research based reading programs.

Are Any Schools Using Research to Improve Reading? Jimmy Kilpatrick, publisher of EducationNews, asks: "Do you know of any school in the nation that has adopted and used successfully the NIH research in reading?" Sue Whitney explains how things are changing and why.

Preventing Reading Difficulties and Reading Failure: Early Intervention and Prevention - Sue responds to a teacher's request for information about research on teaching children; includes a comprehensive list of free publications, articles, research - and a free video.

Genes & Dyslexia: A Simple Test to Identify Dyslexic Children at Birth is Less Than One Year Away - The ease with which we can learn to read is governed by our biological make-up. A genetic test for dyslexia should be available within a year or less. Pediatricians will be able to accurately identify children with dyslexia at birth.

How Can I Get a Trained Certified Reading Teacher? "I want my daughter to receive instruction from a certified, trained instructor who can bring her up to grade level. What can I do?"

Mom Needs Help: Child Can't Read - "My son cannot read. The teachers and principal at his school are wonderful. They want my son to have an aide during the day. The school board will not approve this. As a single mother of three children and a college student myself, I feel like I am being ignored."

Getting Help for Children with Reading Problems - You have to ensure that your child learns to read, with or without help from the school. If you wait until you convince the school, you will miss the window of opportunity your son has to learn to read fluently.

Reading Recovery & IEP Problems  - Unless you have an independent evaluation that tells you that Reading Recovery is appropriate for your child, do not invest time in the program just because it is available, or just to see if it will work.

Research-Based Reading Instruction - Are there experts in this field? Is there a way to find tutors for children with reading problems and independent evaluators? Is there an organization that can answer questions that educators, school board members, and parents have about effective reading instruction? -- Yes to all these questions.

Teaching a Child to Read: Special Ed or Reading First? - Is my son prohibited from being in Reading First because he's in special ed?

What Are the Criteria for Remedial Reading Programs? This article defines three reasons for reading failure, six qualities of effective reading programs, requirements for research based reading programs - and the price children pay when we do not teach them to read. Sue also describes the federal model reading program (90 minutes of instruction, 5 days a week) with frequent objective assessments, and provides you with questions you should ask about your child's reading program.

My Child is Making Progress - WHY Would the School Switch Reading Programs? Sue discusses the puzzling question of switching from one reading program to another program that is not interchageable and how making the change will require starting at a lower level in order to fill in gaps.

Advocacy Strategies

Can the School Retain an Honor Student Because of Health Needs? Sue recommends requesting eligibility under IDEA and explains why. She also provides a sample letter to request an eligibility meeting.

What Type of Training is Required to Become an Advocate? Sue Whitney, explains what you need to learn to become an advocate and where you can get training. You'll also find a reading and resource list.

Parent Volunteers are NOT a Substitute for Trained Teachers - Answers to a parent's questions about volunteers in the classroom. Sue explains the need for formal accommodation and treatment plans for students with disabilities that are implemented by trained teachers, NOT parent volunteers.

Teacher Says, "I Don't Care if He Has an IEP," - Mother Asks for Help - Background of the story; two questions; excellent advice about IEPs, IEP meetings, goals and accommodations, and one-on-one paraprofessionals from Suzanne Whitney.

Our School Says the IEP has Expired: Now What? IEPs do not expire. An IEP remains in effect until a new one is written or you agree that an IEP for specialized instruction and related services is no longer needed.

Behavior Problems and Discipline: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know - Learn about the child's right to a free appropriate education, the role of the IEP team, functional behavior assessments, behavior intervention plans, and alternative educational settings.

Behavior Problems: It Isn't Okay Just to Teach the Easy Kids - Sometimes schools discipline - even suspend or expel - students with disabilities for behavior caused by their disabilities. What should a parent do after the principal unilaterally moved her child from one class to another? Sue provides advice about how to deal with this "teacher problem" and how to avoid similar problems in the future.

How Can I File a Section 504 Complaint? - A parent is distressed when his child is dismissed from a sports team. Sue offers a plan to deal with the immediate crisis, provides information about how to get an appropriate 504 Plan - and to ensure that the school implements the plan.

Must Colleges Waive Course Requirements for Students with Disabilities? Should We File a Section 504 Complaint? In this article, Sue answers this question, "My son's disability diagnosis prevents higher math and the Disability Services office at his college denied a waiver for a higher math class requirement. How do we file a Section 504 complaint against the school?"

How to Organize a Successful Parent Group - In response to a parent's request for advice, Sue explains how to develop a communication network, build a simple website, publicize events, team up with other groups, and more. "The key to success is to empower others by providing quality information."

Child's Test Scores Dropping, School Doesn't Care - What Can I Do? - Although it is normal to feel angry and frustrated when your child needs help, this won't help your son in the long run. If you focus on who is to blame, you are likely to burn out before you . . ."

Your Child's IEP & Progress in the General Curriculum - Your child's IEP should be based on information from current evaluations (present levels of educational performance) and your state's curriculum and standards .

Making the Transition from School to Work - Parents need to start thinking about transition to adulthood when their children are toddlers. Schools do not need to address this issue until the child is 16.

Model Section 504 Plans - You can download excellent model 504 plans and health plans from the American Diabetes Association site. These forms can be modified to cover other medical problems. Tip: Consult with your child's pediatrician to make sure the plan is complete and covers all your child's health needs.

Most Powerful Advocacy Tool in IDEA 2004: Your State Advisory Panel - Sue Whitney explains why your state advisory panel is a powerful tool for change, and asks you to get involved.

Child Has Health Problems, School Reports Him Truant - Sue Whitney explains, "You need to take steps to document that your child's absences were due to illness. You also need to prevent this from happening again. Here is your plan . . .". This article includes links to sample Section 504 and medical plans.

What Can I Ask the School to Do? - Advice for parents who have questions about what they can ask the school to do and how to prepare for meetings. Learn about IEPs, research-based reading programs, retention, and other thorny issues.

What Can One Person Do? (Do YOU have a free hour?) - Realistically, what can one person do? Isn't it expensive and time consuming to make any changes? Don't you have to know a lot before you can teach others? Don't you need a base to start from? I don't think so . . .