Special Ed Advocate Newsletter, April 21, 2004 (Issue 257)

At Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills you need navigate the confusing world of special education. This issue of The Special Ed Advocate is one of a series about IEPs.

Highlights: How to write IEP goals & objectives; how to get an IEP revised; who is responsible for providing an appropriate program?; Wrightslaw books - easy on tight budgets; frequently asked questions about IEPs; teaching reading - special Ed or Reading First?; IEP caselaw; Wrightslaw programs in MD, AL, FL, WA, CA; Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities.

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1. Game Plan: How to Write IEP Goals and Objectives

Diane writes, "Help! I need good IEP goals and objectives!"

"I know my son's IEP is inadequate - the only goal is 'Commitment to academic success.' I need to find good measurable IEP goals and objectives. Can you point me to a source or site that has a model of a well-written IEP?"

Mary writes, "Help! I need good IEP goals and objectives!"

"I am a new special education teacher. I need to find some good IEP goals and objectives - I do not have enough experience with this. Can you point me in the right direction?"

Parents, teachers, school administrators - everyone seems to be confused about how to write measurable IEP goals and objectives. Why are IEP goals and objectives so difficult? What makes the IEP process so confusing?

Read Game Plan: How to Write IEP Goals and Objectives.

Be sure to download and read Your Child's IEP: Practical and Legal Guidance for Parents - this comprehensive article will answer many questions of your about IEPs.

Learn more about IEPs

2. How Can I Get My Child's IEP Revised?

"My child isn’t making progress under the current IEP. I asked that the IEP team meet to revise the IEP. I was told that I cannot ask that the IEP be changed because I signed agreement a few months ago. Is this true?"

What do you think? What do the law and regulations say about revising IEPs?

Read How Can I Get My Child's IEP Revised?

Advocacy Information & Strategies - You will find hundreds of articles, newsletters, Qs & As, in the Advocacy Libraries. Visit the Law Library for special Ed law and caselaw.

For information about other issues, from autism and ADD to zero tolerance, please visit our Topics Page.

3. Who is Responsible for Providing an Appropriate IEP?

"My child has made little or no progress in special education. The school says I agreed to their IEPs so I cannot complain. Is this right? Who is responsible for providing an appropriate education?"

What do you think? Is the school responsible for providing an appropriate education? Or, is the parent who signed the IEP responsible?

Read Who is Responsible for Providing an Appropriate IEP?

Read more Frequently Asked Questions about special education - accommodations, behavior & discipline, confidentiality & privacy, mediation & due process, IEPs, evaluations & testing, NCLB, reading, retention, and strategies to resolve disagreements between parents & schools.

4. Wrightslaw Books - Good Prices, Easy on Tight Budgets

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, Standard Edition - $29.95

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, Deluxe Edition with Legal Companion CD-ROM - $39.95

Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy - The Special Education Survival Guide - $19.95 - $10 Off

Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind with NCLB CD ROM - $29.95

Understanding Learning Disabilities: Parent Guide and Workbook - $24.95

Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives (Bateman & Linden) - $24.95

Why Johnny Doesn't Behave: Twenty Tips for Measurable BIPs (Bateman and Golly) - $34.95

Internet Orders l Mail, Fax, Phone Orders l Discounts l

Scratch-n-Dent Special Ed Law, From Emotions to Advocacy and No Child Left Behind - $9.95 each - Limited quantities available. Order Now

Discounts & Exam Copies

50% Discount on Bulk Purchases of Wrightslaw Books -The Advocacy Challenge Discount is a 50% discount on bulk purchases of Wrightslaw books.

Exam Copies - Teachers in colleges and universities around the country use Wrightslaw books in education, special education and special education law courses. Learn more

5. Frequently Asked Questions About IEPs

If you are a new parent or a seasoned special ed veteran, we think you will learn something new in Frequently Asked Questions About IEPs. This article includes 14 Qs & As about IEP issues:

My child is eligible - what happens next?
What is an IEP?
Who develops my child's IEP?
What can I do to prepare for the IEP meeting?
What are related services? What is assistive technology?
How is placement decided? What options do I have?
Can my child's IEP be changed?

Frequently Asked Questions about IEPs. Learn more about IEPs

6. Teaching a Child to Read: Special Ed or Reading First?

A mom writes, "My child is in 2nd grade and receives special education for reading. He just got a progress report with an F in reading even though he gets this extra help in special ed."

"We asked about putting him in the Reading First program. We were told he couldn't be in special Ed and Reading First. Is my child prohibited from being in Reading First because he's in special Ed?"

What do you think? Are children who receive special education be excluded from Reading First?

In Teaching a Child to Read: Special Ed or Reading First, Sue Heath answers questions, provides strategies for getting help, and recommends a plan of action.

"The F in reading is telling both you and the school that the current reading program is not meeting your son's needs. He needs to learn to read." Read article

Learn more about Reading and Research-Based Instruction. Read more Doing Your Homework columns.

7. IEP Caselaw: Kanawha v. Michael M.

In Kanawha v. Michael M., the Court analyzes "appropriate" in the context of the U. S. Supreme Court decision in 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)

For more cases about IEPs, go to the IEP Page and scroll down to the Caselaw section - or visit the Caselaw Library.

8. Wrightslaw Advocacy Training Programs: MD, AL, FL, WA, CA

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.

Annapolis, MD Boot Camp - April 30 & May 1, 2004

Birmingham, AL - May 25, 2004 - FREE to Alabama parents who sign up early!

Orlando, FL - Keynote Speaker at Family Cafe - May 29-30, 2004

Seattle, WA - 1 day training at Autism Society of America National Conference - July 7, 2004

Sacramento, CA Boot Camp - 1st Boot Camp on West Coast! - July 17-18, 2004

Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Training Programs focus on four areas: special education laws, rights & responsibilities; how to use the bell curve to measure progress & regression; SMART IEPs; and tactics & strategies for effective advocacy.

We hope you will join us for a Wrightslaw Advocacy Training Program!

If you are interested in bringing Pete and Pam Wright to your community, please read our FAQs about Seminars. (We are scheduling programs for 2005-2006.)