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At
Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information
and skills you need to navigate the confusing world of special education.
This issue is the first in a series about IEPs. When you master this
information, you will be prepared for the next IEP meeting! Highlights: What is your IEP IQ? - take our quiz and find out; frequently asked questions about IEPs; practical and legal guidance about your child's IEP; facts about retention; caselaw about IEPs; editor's choice - good books about IEPs; advocacy training schedule. The Special Ed Advocate newsletter is free - please forward this issue or the subscription link to your friends and colleagues so they can learn about special education law and advocacy too. We appreciate your help! Do you
want to learn more about special education advocacy? Learn how you
can start
a FETA Study Group. We added
new subjects to our Free
Newsletter Flyer - which has grown to two pages. We hope you will
print and distribute the new
2 page Free Newsletters Flyer 1. What is Your IEP IQ? To be an effective advocate for a child with special educational needs, you need to know the law. You also need to know how to use the law without starting battles that no one wins. Most parents and teachers get information about the law from training sessions, articles, advice on listservs, and informal discussions with others. Your knowledge can rise no higher than your source! As a
parent or teacher, you must learn to find answers to your questions
by reading the law. Test your knowledge - take our
IEP Quiz. 2 Your Child's IEP: Practical & Legal Guidance for Parents Your
Child's IEP is one of the top articles on Wrightslaw. This comprehensive
article describes IEPs and the IEP process, including:
Your Child's IEP: Practical and Legal Guidance for Parents is the second most popular article on Wrightslaw: https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/iep_guidance.html 3. Frequently Asked Questions About IEPs If
you are a 'new parent,' this article will answer important questions.
And if you are a seasoned veteran, we think you will learn something
new in Frequently
Asked Questions About IEPs. The article includes 14 Qs &
As: 4. Help! The School Wants to Retain My Child - What Should I Do? Peggy writes, "The school wants to retain my child. They say if he is promoted, he will flounder in a class with 24 children and one teacher and will not get any additional help. Should I let them retain him? Should I push to have him promoted and placed in a regular education class? They say they know what's best for him." Wrightslaw
replies: "It sounds like the school gave you information about
your options in a way that ensured you would make the "right"
decision (from the school's perspective). Remember
- you can request an IEP meeting at any time. It's not to late to
change plans for next year. The resources in this article should help.
5. Good Case About IEPs: Kanawha v. Michael M. In Kanawha v. Michael M., the Court analyzes "appropriate" in the context of Rowley, discusses educational benefit, and provides guidelines about whether an IEP is appropriate. Kanawha v. Michael M is one of Pete's favorite cases "not because it has great precedence, but because it does an excellent job of describing difficulties in the legal definition of 'appropriate' and how to use ''appropriate' in developing an IEP." Decision (22 pages in pdf): https://www.wrightslaw.com/law/caselaw/WV_kanawha_michaelm_00_04.pdf For more cases about IEPs, go to the IEP Page and scroll down to the Caselaw section: https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.index.htm 6. Editor's Choice: Good Books About IEPs The heart of your child's special education program is the Individualized Education Program (IEP). These books will teach you how to write IEP goals and objectives that target your child's problems. * Measuring Educational Results by Robert Mager * "Where
can I learn to write good IEP goals and objectives?" In the best selling
book on this subject, Robert Mager teaches you how to write clear
measurable IEP goals and objectives. Teaches
you to identify, select, and write educational objectives. You learn
how to describe the performances you expect to achieve, identify the
conditions under which you expect the performance to occur, and set
criteria for acceptable performance. 7. Wrightslaw Advocacy Training: May & June 2002 Knowledge is power. When you have information and skills, you will be a more effective advocate for your child. Our role is to help you gain knowledge so you can negotiate with the school on your child's behalf. On May 2, we hit the road with advocacy training programs in Oklahoma City, Sacramento, and Chicago. In June, we travel to Orlando. We hope you will join us! https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/ok.02.htm May
11: Sacramento, CA. May
25-26: Chicago, IL at International Rett Syndrome Conference For
more information about these events and programs that will be held
over the next few months, please check our Seminars
& Training page: 8. Subscription & Contact Info The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education legal and advocacy issues, cases, tactics and strategy, and Internet resources. Subscribers receive announcements and "alerts" about new cases, events, and special offers on Wrightslaw books. To
subscribe. Read back issues of Special
Ed Advocate. Wrightslaw
& The Special Ed Advocate
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