The end of an IEP / Resource Room

[bnme]

Anyone familiar with declassification of a special education student? I am going through some decision making regarding DS2’s situation and I could really use some ideas/experience/questions to ask that I may be missing.

My 6th grader currently has an IEP for Learning Disability. Backstory – He has had an IEP since kindy for speech and OT, also received services as a preschooler. He was always lagging behind even with services but I initially chalked it up to late development and age (August birthday, not redshirted), coupled with his speech issues. By 3^rd grade he started to really fall behind show signs of frustration, etc. Long story short, he was eventually diagnosed with ADD inattentive type. I was able to get him into Resource Room due to his low grades and scores on educational testing. By 4^th grade we tried meds because he was not improving. He tested out of speech and OT and his IEP classification became Learning Disability (rather than Speech Student). It was then that he really started to blossom and work hard with the RR teachers. Fast forward to 6^th grade in a MS environment with 4 core teachers, he has a 90+average and is doing wonderfully. His writing is still problematic and he needs a lot of help with it, especially critical thinking type questions. It is not reflected in his grades.
The school is looking to remove him from RR for 7^th grade, which seems to be a reasonable option. I have good communication with his teacher and she feels he is really not benefiting that much from being there at this point. Her work is directed more at the kids who are weaker and he is just ‘along for the ride’. I am pretty comfortable with that statement. They have given me 3 options:

1. Declassification, no Resource Room at all in 7^th grade
2. Declassification/transitional, will no longer have IEP but will be on the RR schedule and can check in during his designated period if and when he chooses/needs for the year (7^th grade only).
3. Continue RR with an agreement to reassess at the end of the 1^st making period, with the goal of becoming transitional before YE. He would have to attend RR as normally scheduled during the 1^st marking period. I like this less then option 2 because I feel RR is also stressful schedule-wise in 7^th grade (being pulled out from classes like band, gym, Home & Careers, Technology on a rotating schedule). These type of things do give him a lot of anxiety and worry about what he is missing, etc. So if he is really not benefiting much in RR, it could be ‘hurtful’ in this way.

I have a few issues. Although I think he is ready to leave the RR, I am very leery of having him declassified because I know it will be extremely hard, if not impossible to get him into RR again should he start to struggle again in 7^th grade. It is a big change, although he is already in middle school, he goes from a team-teacher system where all the kids switch together between 4 core teachers, to a traditional junior high schedule (all different teacher/classmates). Option 3 seems to be my only choice because it is the only way he is not automatically losing IEP. I should point out that last year they re-did the educational testing (that got him the Learning Disability designation to begin with) and his scores had improved to average, with some strengths and some weaknesses, but not scores “low enough” that would have landed him in the RR. So in the schools eyes he may already be on borrowed time, especially considering his high grades. I really fear that the stress of change in 7^th grade, coupled with a probably sharp increase in writing demands, will really be a lot for him given his weaknesses.

My other issue is that they are telling me that if he is declassified, he will automatically get his other accommodations (extra time on test, refocus, check for understating) through high school as long as I request in writing to the building principal each year. They say there is no need for a 504 (based on his ADD diagnosis), that if you are on an IEP you don’t switch to 504, just get this declassification document. I have found some stuff on line that seems to validate what they are saying, but will request to see a formal policy regarding this. Some of the things I’ve read seem to refer only to testing accommodations, not the others. Does anyone have any experience with this?

This is very overwhelming and such a big decision. You know how hard it is to go through this with your child and I had such a difficult time with the elementary school initially (my experience with MS admins has been very positive). It was so hard seeing him struggle and his self-esteem crushed. Things have really turned around for him the past 2 years. I am so proud of him and very thankful to the teachers/school because their help has really truly made such a difference. I really don’t want to make the wrong decision now.
Any thoughts appreciated!

[annex]

My experience is different - my elementary school IEP student doesn't have Resource Room but there is a "teacher consultant" aka Special Ed teacher assigned to him. She works with the gen ed teachers to go over the IEP accommodations, and will come into the room and troubleshoot when there are issues. I assumed we have one at middle school level too. Pulling kids out of a gen ed classroom for special ed support whether a resource room class or full-time self-contained room is supposed to be a "last resort" if a child isn't making progress in gen ed. That's a pretty flimsy continuum of services/supports if removal from gen ed is the only option for special ed teacher services in an IEP at your school. I would be annoyed that the only choice given was 5 hours of pullout/week or zero support too. I would push back before I gave up the IEP too in your situation.

[niccig]

Mmmm, I'm not experienced with how things are at middle school or with resource room, so don't know if it's an option to stay on the IEP and have the resource room time be on consult.

Maybe a combination of option 2 and 3 - stay on IEP (option 3) but he checks in (option 2) for a certain period of time, so not being regularly pulled from class. Then if all is going well with the transition to grade 7, he get's reassessed and services are formally discontinued at end for first grading period ???

I will say that pulling out is very difficult on the student as they have to make-up the missed instructional time, so the benefit of the pull-out time has to outweigh the con of missing class time. I know the elementary teachers can help with the missed time more as they see the child all day every day, but it can be more difficult at middle school - have to get notes from someone else etc. If the teacher thinks he isn't getting anything from it, then pulling him is no longer helpful to him, and may be hurting if he's missing important class time.

You don't go to a 504 automatically if no longer on an IEP, it's a different process. It might be worth looking into how that works though, as the "contact the building principal each year" may or may not work depending on the school.

And yay to your DS with all the hard work he's put in!!

[LBW]

I agree with niccig. I'd aim for keeping the IEP but taking out the RR requirement. If that goes well next year, you can consider moving from an IEP to a 504. I'd be very wary of transitioning out of an IEP without a formal 504 in place to safeguard his accommodations.

[annex]

You don't go to a 504 automatically if no longer on an IEP, it's a different process. It might be worth looking into how that works though, as the "contact the building principal each year" may or may not work depending on the school.

I would also look into what documentation you would need for testing accommodations on tests like PSAT, ACT, SAT, etc. My understanding was they would need to be written into an IEP or 504, otherwise those testing agencies won't provide accommodations. It sounds like your child is doing so awesome that college will be an option, so I wouldn't want to lose those accommodations because you had only some unofficial paperwork for accommodations.

[bnme]

Thanks for all the input. Annex, that is interesting about the teacher consult. In my school RR seems to be the standard. We do have 1 inclusion class per grade, but that seems to be reserved for more complicated needs and prohibits the child from playing an instrument (because they also have a skills class during the time the universal music period).
What is strange to me that they won't allow the 'check in if needed' option without declassifying him first. I wonder if I can argue the point more and get them to change their mind. I just think it's unwise to pull him, let him check in, but if things head south it's "too bad, you've been declassified". I think the point that an IEP is supposed to utilize the least restrictive option is a good argument here.

He has had such a great MS experience so far, I hate that I now feel at odds somewhat with the teachers and CSE committee. I have yet to talk to the school psych to get her explanation of the 504 vs declassification document. The teacher did mention that it would be valid for SA, etc. But I really need to see some sort of written policy on this. I will probably wait to call her until next week because I have a bad cold and intermittently lost my voice and have coughing spasms.
If they won’t budge, he will go on an IEP next year with a built in review period. Hopefully the RR teacher will give him a little leeway on attendance there if things are going well, but I am not so sure. I just refuse to drop him entirely without some sort of safety net.
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[niccig]

What is strange to me that they won't allow the 'check in if needed' option without declassifying him first. I wonder if I can argue the point more and get them to change their mind. I just think it's unwise to pull him, let him check in, but if things head south it's "too bad, you've been declassified". I think the point that an IEP is supposed to utilize the least restrictive option is a good argument here.

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I wonder if the "won't allow" is more a school or a district non-official policy about the RR. Having DS on consult is actually less work for the RR teacher as he isn't documenting regular sessions. If your son does fine in a certain time period (maybe 6 months or the whole year) then he can be reassessed and the IEP discontinued. Maybe argue that your not sure how he will handle the transition to 7th with the increased workload/changing teachers etc.

You didn't mention how often he goes to RR. You could also try keeping IEP but reduce time in RR, so he's not missing as much class time for the next year.

[o_mom]

One other point to bring up is that they need to evaluate him in light of the help he is currently getting. It can be hard to account for that, but if he is doing well because of the supports he is getting, that is not the same as no longer needing support. It's like checking someone's vision with their glasses on and saying then saying they no longer need glasses because they passed the test.

I absolutely would request a 504 plan if you are not able to keep the IEP. I would not go with the assurance of "sure we will do it if you just ask".

[egoldber]

I would be very reluctant to lose the IEP before HS. At the very least, as o_mom said, try to keep a 504. Maybe they can just reduce service hours and see how that goes?

[bnme]

Nicci, I do feel that it may not be an official policy. But I also think it will be hard, if not impossible, to justify keeping him on if he does well next year. I have decided that I am doing option 3, to keep him in RR. I need to do more research on keeping him on an IEP if he does well. I do feel being in the small group helps him, even if it is only 40 minutes a day. But I am not so sure the school thinks that is a reason.

Beth, I am not even sure how an IEP works in HS, and what servies they would get. Is your daughter in HS? In MS it seems to be 5 days or nothing. ANd the "check-in if needed" seems only to be offered after they are declassified.

I really need to get some info from parents at my school in this situation.