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Special Education: How to remove barriers to enhance learning. (1- What…

- - - - After having collected evidences with teachers, administrators and professionals at school, the LRC contacts the parents to ask them for a proper evaluation in order to define a specific IEP.
      - 4- PARENTS MIGHT REPLY:
        
        "YES, we accept and understand that our kid is experiencing different levels of academic/emotional/social difficulties and we will provide a professional evaluation as soon as possible in order to support his learning".
        
        The student is then enrolled in the LRC and a specific IEP (called LSP, Learning Support Plan at our school) is created. It reports the diagnosis resulted from the professional evaluation and it defines accommodations, weak points and strengths of the student. The LRC sets specific meeting times (up to 4 hours per week) with the student during the school day to develop study and organisational skills.
        
        A meeting with the student's parents, all teachers, the case manager and at least one administrator is set to confront strategies and techniques. This meeting is usually very helpful if it's lead with honesty and constructiveness.
        
        The case manager is always available to support and offer insightful advice on the situation. Meetings for updates are held if necessary.
        
        Strategies to help a struggling student might include:
        
        Extended time on tests and quizzes.
        
        5-minute movement break allowed every 45 minutes.
        
        Differentiated assessments (IE: oral vs written) when possible.
        
        Access to the use of laptop for written work.
        
        Preferential seating: access to good role models, in the front of the class.
        
        Encourage the use of graphic organizers (e.g. mind maps, outlines, planning strategies, organizational tools) and an
        agenda to help the student develop effective study skills.
        
        Reduce homework assignments (e.g. every other problem/most important information) if they are to be completed in the same time frame as peers, or allow for extended time.
        
        Break longer assignments down into smaller sequential steps and develop a timeline for completion of each step.
        
        Where possible, access to teacher notes or to peer note taking. Alternatively, allow the student to use devices to take a photo of information displayed on the board.
        
        Develop a study routine that will break study time into smaller units spread over multiple sessions. (e.g. study for 30-45 min, take a 5-10 minute study break and then resume for another 30-45 min).
        
        Create a specific study area with designated spaces and labels for items, assignments, completed work etc., and few visual and auditory distractions.
        
        Vary study time by alternating high-and-low-interest tasks.
        
        "NO, we do not think our kid is experiencing different levels of difficulties, he/she is just tired lately (for example...). I therefore reject these assumptions".
        
        The LRC tries to convince the parents. In the meantime, a "temporary" IEP is created: it's only a group of general accommodations based on diagnosis' assumptions. However no meetings are held or any step is taken until the parents accept the evidences from LRC.
        
        If the LRC convinces the parents to let their kid join the LRC, then the procedure for the "YES parents" happen (see above).
        
        If the denial persist and the student's struggles continue, the LRC might, as extreme solution, demand an evaluation as condition for the student's re-enrolment.
        
        There might be, of course, milder approaches to the topic for both options! Those are delicate situations and could vary from family to family according to ethnic/racial background, social implications and several considerations. TIME is also a very important factor to remember: things usually change over time and the persistency of either one or the other opinion could change.