Stephanie: My daughter reads on a K level in 3rd grade. Her school says she has to be taught using 3rd grade materials so she has access to the curriculum. She is in full time VE and her goals are more appropriate, but I don’t understand this. She is miserable and becoming a behavior problem. Help!
Thank you for your response! I did print and take the letter to a meeting. The response was, “Well, our district policy is…” This is a response I get a lot when I bring up things that seem to contridict information I find from your site. It’s another thing I don’t understand.
Stephanie, the Guidance Letter that Chuck shared is the policy of the US Dept of Education and is based on federal law. The letter focuses on pervasive problems related to low expectations for children with disabilities and the requirements that schools provide the educational assistance each child needs. A school district cannot adopt a position that violates federal law. When a school team cites “district policy” to support their position, you can request a copy of this policy. It’s always best to make this request in writing.
The state may put some extra responsibility on schools for working with struggling readers. (Our state does.) The federal Dept. of Education just issued a letter on this topic. It includes information & resources that you may want to share it with your school. http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/guidance-on-fape-11-17-2015.pdf You can also get information & support from your Parent Training & Information Center. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/