DS has been struggling with reading. He is now 9.5 years old. We asked the first grade teacher if he might be dyslexic and she said he was normal for his age. Fast forward to this month, a third grade teacher identified his struggle and suggested a child study team meeting in October. The school offered two times a week with a reading specialist since December. We asked for a full evaluation in March. It was finalized in June. They did not find evidence of dyslexia, but they did categorize him with a learning disability and agreed to an IEP which includes in class services for Reading and Language Arts for the 4 th grade in September. And a summer program in July. This July. We were told of this on Monday. June 16 and they want the IEP signed by Monday a week later, June 23. I think the goals aren't specific enough in terms if milestones and for instance what grade level reading passage or how much of a improvement in reading level. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but DS will feel like he is being punished to have to miss two weeks of sports camps and two weeks of Y camp to do the summer program in the mornings. We have reached out to a specific special ed teacher who could privately tutor him early in the morning each week or twice a week, we are not sure yet on the frequency DS needs.

If we refuse the summer program opportunity ( group lessons by a special ed teacher) Will the school say they can't meet the IEP goals, especially if I make the goals more specific ?

I am going out on a limb, but--Should the school be paying for this tutoring considering the circumstances?


The school won't diagnose him as dyslexic even though he clearly is and I provided copied of his school tests and workbook sheets as evidence. They denied knowing about it prior to the meeting. I have private testing scheduled for later in the summer...it has a long lead time. So I assume we will come back with the psychologist as an advocate along with more definitive testing to revise the IEP in the Sept-Oct timeframe.
I realize that this summer is critical between third and fourth grade. He will sink in science, social studies and math comprehension of reading materials and they did not offer accommodations in terms of auditory textbooks, in class help or reading of those tests or instructions other than for standardized tests.

What would you do? Make him do half of summer school ? Another issue is that as working parents, the camps were like child care so now we would have to figure out how to get him to school at 9 am and out of school at 11:30 am when we both work an hour away. We would have an easier time with tutoring and I think it would be more productive as it would be targeted to him.