Susan: How is support time measured? If a child’s IEP states they will receive classroom support for 30 minutes in reading and 30 minutes in math each day, and there are 5 other SPED students in the class that the SPED teacher is helping, how is the IEP being met? The SPED teacher is only in the classroom for 30 minutes for each subject but she is helping a total of 6 students. Is the school meeting the requirements of the IEP?
When determining the teacher or record for students with IEPs, is it the responsibility of the general education teacher or sped teacher to input grades?
How is this determined?
We are almost two weeks in to the current school year, and the school is blatantly stalling the start of IEP instructional groups. They cut paraeducator hours and staff for IEP students as well. This all over budget and diversity/equity drama at the district level. What legal avenues can I pursue, if any?
Kori, IDEA requires schools to provide students with a disability with a free appropriate public education. If the state education agency, a state hearing officer or court rules that they are not doing this, they should be told to do this regardless of cost. Your state parent training and information project can give you information, and suggestions. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
If a student has services listed as 30 minutes 3xs a week classroom support and 45 minutes 5xs a week pull out to resource room for reading intervention, can a resource teacher come in and pull a small group to a back table and have that count for resource time and classroom support?
Does a student on an IEP have to be pulled out to receive their minutes if they are in in school suspension for the day? Does sending their modified work count as their minutes being met?
Sending modified work does not count as providing direct services. In an in school suspension students are still entitled to services in their IEP.
I agreed! Could you please cite the law section stating that in-school suspension students are still entitled to services in their IEP?
The services in the child’s IEP should provide the child with “A free appropriate public education” (FAPE). Children with IEPs do not lose their rights to a FAPE if they are suspended or expelled from school.
“A free appropriate public education is available to all children with disabilities residing in the State between the ages of 3 and 21 . . . including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school.” (IDEA. Section 1412(a)(1)(A))
“A free appropriate public education must be available to all children residing in the State between the ages of 3 and 21, inclusive, including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school…” (IDEA reg, 34 CFR §300.101 and 34 CFR §300.530(d)
Agreed! Could you cite the section of the law that states your statement?
Can a student have a reading goal, but not have any reading minutes?
For example, this student has not minutes written in for reading support, or minutes written in for Resource room time, but has a reading goal. It makes no sense at all. Who is delivering the services? When or where are they being delivered?
Michelle, IEPs are to indicate the specially designed instruction the child is to receive to meet their goals. If this is not done, then it would seem that the school is not providing FAPE to the student. A complaint to district staff, & the state education agency are options. The state parent training and indormation project is a source of help for parents. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
Michelle, that would not meet the three way alignment for services. They must have in the present level a statement of a effect for the reasoning behind why they need to receive the service, the goal for the service and then the location of the services and who will be giving those services.
Amanda, the law about what must be included in the IEP says NOTHING about a “three way alignment for services.” The IEP has to include the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance from objective observations and/or test data. This is the starting point BEFORE the team can develop the goals and services in the IEP.
In developing an IEP,
“The IEP Team must consider—
(i) The strengths of the child;
(ii) The concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of their child;
(iii) The results of the initial or most recent evaluation of the child; and
(iv) The academic, developmental, and functional needs of the child” (34 CFR 300.324)
I urge all of you who are IEP team members – school staff and parents – to read this clear, well-written article from Pacer:”Understanding the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance“
When a Special education instructional aid goes into the classroom to provide special education services do those minutes count or does it have to be the actual Special education teacher that services the student?
That would depend on the state rules, and what the IEP says.
The answer can vary by state. I suggest you contact your state parent training & information project. They can help you with this. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
How do IEP teams determine SDI for a child? If the child is newly eligible for IDEA services how are the contact service minutes calculated?. Why 30 minutes of reading instruction (5) times per week compared to the child receiving 45 minutes (4) time per week. What factors go into service time?
To answer your question the service time is determined by the whole IEP team including the parents. There are factors taken into consideration such as does the child have multiple disabilities that causes them to be further behind. As far as reading instruction what level is the child on. If the child is in 6th grade but at a 1st grade reading level then he will probably need more services and would get more time. I hope this helps you.
Could you cite the law for required resource and inclusion time?
Teresa, you addressed your question to Marcus who posted on this issue in 2021. suggest you contact your state Parent Training Information center for help.
If a student has 60 minutes of pull-out support for reading each week written into the IEP and it is a shortened week due to holidays do these minutes need to be made up?
A similar question, if a student’s IEP states the student needs and is to be getting say 30 minutes a day of specially designed instruction (SDI) in math, but members of the team acknowledge at the IEP meeting, it’s really 25 minutes after transitioning to and from the special education room, does the school need to make up those 5 missed minutes a day of SDI? A middle school student’s regular ed classes don’t count that transition time as part of class instruction time, certainly they shouldn’t also be counted as part of the SDI minutes the student should be getting??
It is possible that they are meeting the IEP goals or they may not. You can always request to observe your child. I did that. I had to contact the school ahead of time & we came up with a time. I came in & I did not like what I saw. It helped me request another IEP meeting & we came up with better goals. Also if you want a 1:1 tutor for your child you may request an IEP meeting to discuss but you have to put it in the IEP 1:1 tutor or they do not have to do it. They may list “small group”. You need to find out what that means. Apparently it means 6 students in your case. All items must be highly specified in the IEP or they do not have to comply.