In This Issue . . .

• Events that Trigger Problems
• How to Manage a Crisis
• Help! Is This IEP Goal Correct?
• How to Disagree with the IEP Team
• All About IEPs

Circulation: 82,646
ISSN: 1538-320
November 9, 2010

In a crisis, you feel frightened, confused, guilty, angry, and helpless. Your common sense and good judgment vanish. What should you do? During a crisis, your first response is likely to be a big mistake!

Think. Regroup. Analyze the issues. Gather information. Locate the high ground. Plan a strategy.

In this issue of the Special Ed Advocate, you will learn how to manage a conflict or crisis with the school and long-term planning strategies you can use to weather the storm. Learn what to do if you have a conflict with the IEP team over inappropriate goals.

Please don't hesitate to forward this issue to other friends, families, or colleagues.

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We receive requests for help from parents who are in crisis because the school:

• Refused to consider or include test results and recommendations from a private sector expert in the child’s IEP;
• Refused to change the child’s program and placement, despite recommendations from a private sector professional that the program is not appropriate;
• Refused to provide necessary services because these services are expensive or would establish a precedent. ... more triggers

Parents must think about how to solve the problem and how to prevent a small problem from escalating into a major battle. A crisis is an opportunity. It forces you to face reality and to take the needed steps to change your child's educational situation.

Help! I have pulled my son from the public school. My son reads at 2.5 grade level and they expect him to do 5th grade work. I put him in online school - what else can I do?

Do you have an evaluation that advised this change? Why do you think he will do better?

Don't assume you must do something! Read our article Crisis! Emergency! Help! This article is a "must read" for you and other parents who want to avoid a school crisis.

My daughter's IEP doesn't state the present levels. The annuals goals for reading are so vague. Can you tell me if they will work for a high school freshman?

They will not work unless you have the present levels so that you know where you are starting. Are the goals measurable? Will they show the level of performance has changed? Will they bring your daughter to grade level?

New article! Appropriate Annual Goals by Sue Whitney, Wrightslaw Research Editor. Sue gives you a step by step assignment to determine appropriate reading goals for your child.

In How to Disagree with the IEP Team, Pete Wright answers your questions about IEPs and how to disagree with the IEP team without starting a war. Learn how to deal with an IEP team bully.

What would you do if the school presented you with an IEP that is not appropriate for your child? Read Pete's advice...

You will find clear, concise answers to more than 200 frequently asked questions about IEPs in Wrightslaw: All About IEPs.

We describe legal issues that you may encounter, outline your rights and responsibilities, and explain the law in plain language you can understand.

All About IEPs includes resources and endnotes used as the authority for answers to your questions. If you take the book to a school meeting, you will have the law, regulation, OSEP publication, or commentary to back you up.

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