@auntie or sped specialists?

[curtains]

My teen has had an iep since 3rd grade and is now in 8th. She was in a small "good" school from 1st - 6th. She really thrived.

These past two years since our move she has been in a huge "moderate" school. She has not gotten a tenth of the help and services here but is getting honor role. So I hoped she was navigating it all ok.

Turns out she has no idea any of the math they are teaching and they are pushing her through because she tries so damn hard. She came clean a few weeks ago and begged me to ask for a Math Plus class.

I did. They offered before school help instead. I asked what the hours were and it was 730 -745. I swear I am not lying.

I said no she needs math plus. What kid asks for more math classes? She needs it. So they took away her gym class and gave it to her. (In addition they took away her reading plus and gave her history - which I'm actually ok with but it seemed retaliatory and they didn't run it by me)

Anyway we are a few weeks in to Math Plus and she said it's basically a study hall where you do your homework. There is one overworked teacher that every kid is asking for help to and if she gets his attention she may get one question answered. (Poor guy, sounds like he is run ragged)

Since Sept I spent crazy amounts of time trying to learn new math with her trying to help her understand the basics. I don't even understand the basics.
I just got up from a two hour session with her and it is clear I suck as a teacher.

Help?

[karmasabiotch]

Is there a resource room she can go to for math?

[curtains]

I think that is what Math Plus is

[curtains]

She wants to go after school but they said that was not an option

[balletofangels]

Are the hours in her IEP being met? Does it specify environment, size of group, etc.?

[curtains]

Oct 25, 2014 18:49:57 GMT -5 balletofangels said:

Are the hours in her IEP being met? Does it specify environment, size of group, etc.?

I will look at her iep on Monday. I don't believe anything is specified since when we reviewed it last year it wasn't apparent to me how much she was struggling in math. This year it has really gotten worse.

Eta. Tbh I think the issues with reading comp are coming into play since she can't seem to figure out what they are asking.

[balletofangels]

Oct 25, 2014 18:52:16 GMT -5 curtains said:

Oct 25, 2014 18:49:57 GMT -5 balletofangels said:

Are the hours in her IEP being met? Does it specify environment, size of group, etc.?

I will look at her iep on Monday. I don't believe anything is specified since when we reviewed it last year it wasn't apparent to me how much she was struggling in math. This year it has really gotten worse.

Eta. Tbh I think the issues with reading comp are coming into play since she can't seem to figure out what they are asking.

I'm sure you are well versed in your rights, but I would request a PPT to reevaluate her services and needs. I always worry about "good kids" slipping through the cracks. She is lucky to have you advocating for her.

[hopecounts]

As a team member you have the right to call an IEP meeting and change her IEP at anytime.
Call one ASAP and make the IEP more effective for her whatever that means.
Try to be nice about it (I know how hard you all are working to help her be successful but right now the IEP isn't meeting her needs I would like to reassess the IEP and make the necessary changes to make sure she is getting the most appropriate services) but if the IEP isn't working it isn't working and it needs to be tweaked.

[auntie]

Welcome to my world.

Not really. If there was anything I would change about advocating for DS it would have been to be more forceful around his issues in math.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. It sounds like her IEP should include differentiated instruction in math with "pre-teacing"- in middle school DS had middle school math in a smaller setting with a single teacher who was certified in secondary math and special education.

If she has issues with reading, that could impact how she parses word problems. If she has dyslexia or issues tracking, equations could be especially hard for her. If she has glitches in abstract reasoning (DS has this related to ASD) applications might be harder than solving set up equations.

Is hiring a tutor possible? That's what really made the difference for DS- DH tutored him. (DH does math as a hobby; he hangs out at the Institute for Advanced Studies sometimes). I'd avoid Sylvan or Huntington, but I hear Kumon can be useful.

If you want to do this wintin a school context, you might need to reopen the IEP to address math instruction. Resource support could help. I don't think a study hall is the best approach.

[hopecounts]

Oct 25, 2014 19:22:04 GMT -5 curtains said:

Oct 25, 2014 19:12:36 GMT -5 hopecounts said:

As a team member you have the right to call an IEP meeting and change her IEP at anytime.
Call one ASAP and make the IEP more effective for her whatever that means.
Try to be nice about it (I know how hard you all are working to help her be successful but right now the IEP isn't meeting her needs I would like to reassess the IEP and make the necessary changes to make sure she is getting the most appropriate services) but if the IEP isn't working it isn't working and it needs to be tweaked.

I really appreciate your help. Do you know what can I ask for? It seems like Math Plus is all they offer. She has that.
Do you have ideas of what I can request over and above? She really needs someone to spend time to teach her this stuff in a way she gets. Math Plus is a ton of kids in a room with one teacher. She doesn't have anyone to spend the time with her to get it. I keep trying but I am awful at this.

I don't know what to ask for since it seems like a seriously overwhelmed district.

**would I do better to move to a better area? That seems extreme but possibly a solution?

It depends on what her specific challenges are.
As auntie said if she has reading related difficulties that could be impacting her math and would need a different approach.
If it is Algebra related in that she has trouble following the reciprocity element involved, i.e. 42-x=36 and she has trouble processing the problem to figure out x that might be more focused differently. 

[Deleted]

I've been outside of the world of working with kids with IEPs for several years now, but it sounds like you should ask for an IEP meeting. Hopefully the school will be able to work with you for a better solution.

In addition, can you hire a tutor? Of course the school should be helping meet her needs, but if a kid without an IEP were struggling, I think it'd be reasonable to suggest hiring a tutor. So I see this as something similar.

Revisiting the IEP to get better accommodations plus a tutor might work wonders.

[hopecounts]

Oct 25, 2014 19:46:11 GMT -5 curtains said:

Oct 25, 2014 19:33:40 GMT -5 hopecounts said:

It depends on what her specific challenges are.
As auntie said if she has reading related difficulties that could be impacting her math and would need a different approach.
If it is Algebra related in that she has trouble following the reciprocity element involved, i.e. 42-x=36 and she has trouble processing the problem to figure out x that might be more focused differently. 

It is algebra. I guessed my way through it and did the best I could and they passed me.

Now my kid is doing the same and they are letting her. I guess I was hoping there was a better option.

Times haven't changed as much as I hoped. My kid actually wants to understand it and can't.

It is frustrating

I did that same thing for Geometry until I got an excellent tutor.  
In this case I would push for her to go to a resource room setting for math right now where she will have a specifically trained teacher and smaller class size allowing the teacher to work with her more directly and they will move at a slower pace giving her more time to get the concepts.
I would also if it is possible get a tutor, preferably someone with a great deal of experience or someone with a background in Spec. Ed. 
Since Math is very much a building block subject if she was faking her way through last year she may be struggling even more because her foundation is weak. That said if she is willing to work that hard some extra help should help her make great strides since she is clearly motivated and wants to do well.

[curtains]

I am going to look into some local tutoring resources. They have to be better at this than me.

[balletofangels]

Oct 25, 2014 19:53:24 GMT -5 curtains said:

I am going to look into some local tutoring resources. They have to be better at this than me.

I wouldn't want to discourage you from this, but the school still has the responsibility to educate her appropriately and they can't just drop the ball. If you have the means, I think pursuing both avenues would be beneficial.