jennifer-roberts There are certain realities that really agitate me especially in the public education system. One of these consistent irritants is public-school students who have an individualized education plan or IEP but may not necessarily need one.
As a mom and a community educator, I pay attention to what is going in my school district and in my children’s schools. I inquire daily about my children’s experiences and I attend school board meetings. I pay attention to what is written on paper as “This is who we are and what we do” and compare it to what my children and other students share that is happening inside the school buildings.
I often wonder that if our public schools were run differently, if the number of students receiving special education services would decrease. I happen to think that the answer would be “Yes.”
Essentially, an IEP is a learning plan that is created by an educational team consisting of a case manager/special education teacher, classroom teacher and the student’s parents. The IEP is prepared for students with a qualifying disability that interferes with his/her ability to learn in a traditional classroom setting. The accurate execution of the leaning planning is protected by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which according to the American Psychological Association, “ensures that all children with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and individual living.”
According to www.edpost.com, “There are lots of rules about what must be in an IEP. For example, IEPs must include narratives that describe your child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (based on evaluations conducted by specialists); list goals for the coming year; quantify how much of the school day your child will spend with typical children and how many minutes a week your child will spend in therapies (occupational, speech, physical, psychological, social, etc.). Your child’s IEP will even include how he or she will get back and forth to school, if and how a medication will be administered, and whether he or she will participate in afterschool activities. It’s a long document!”
Diagnosed conditions like ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and dyspraxia among others, can make a student eligible for an IEP in the public education system. Students with IEPS are identified as special education students or students receiving special education services and counted among the school’s special education population which can come with its own set of social, emotional and academic challenges.
There is a wide range of qualifying factors and ways that IEPs are implemented. For instance, some students have IEPS and are in dedicated, special education classrooms all day whereas other students remain in a general education classroom setting to receive services. Other students remain in the general education setting and are “pulled out” during certain times of the day or on certain days to access special education services. Some students receive a combination of services.
One middle school student, who I will call Samantha, currently receives special education services in one of Virginia’s largest school districts with a student population of nearly 90,000 students. Samantha has been receiving special education services because of her ADHD diagnosis which she received when she was six years old. Currently, Samantha has an IEP with accommodations that entitle her to:
- Tests being read aloud to her by teachers
- Access to the audio features on computerized tests
- Specific verbal prompts by teachers such as “keep going and stay focused”
- Access to a calculator and other arithmetic tools when needed in math
- Small group testing for classroom and standardized testing
- Access to an alternative workspace such as the library if needed
- Chunking of long-term assignments/projects if needed
- Copies of notes provided when notes are given in class
- Extended time to complete lengthy assignments
- Abbreviated assignments as needed
As a parent and an advocate for all children, I think these accommodations are absolutely absurd. Everything on Samantha’s list is completely doable in a general education setting if our public schools were run in a child-focused way that served the individual needs of each student. I do not believe that a student should have to qualify for any of these services or have a qualifying condition to make them eligible for services. These services should be available to every single student who needs them. Samantha’s list makes me wonder how many other students have similar stories.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit a local, private school. I was beyond impressed at the low student/teacher ratio and the student-focused school culture. There were no IEPs because the school was run in such a way that every student had a built-in individual education plan by design. I remember the school’s founder telling me that whatever the students needed, that’s what they did. The director recalled a story of a student who needed a color-coded computer keyboard to do his/her work. “We ordered the keyboard,” the director said very matter of factly.
This school serves elementary and middle school students. Its website says that it “is designed for bright children who benefit and thrive in small classes, with an individualized and flexible approach to learning, some social facilitation, and lots of physical activity built into the school curriculum. Our belief is that integrating movement into the school day helps enhance academic performance, improve physical ability, build self-esteem, and prepare children to better meet life’s challenges.”
Whoa! Sign me up! This sounds wonderful. Wouldn’t most, if not all, children benefit from this type of learning environment? But not so fast. Not so fast, there are conditions. There is a non-refundable application fee of $100.00 and the annual tuition is $32,800. Yikes! Those numbers alone make this option unattainable for thousands of children who would benefit not to mention that parents must provide transportation.
So where does that leave us as a community? Sadly, the only affordable and accessible alternative for students who have learning challenges or need support is to be placed in a special education program and given an IEP. This option doesn’t sit well with me at all and I am committed to doing better for all of our students.
While I am aware that some students require services that extend beyond what a classroom teacher is reasonably able to offer, I do not think small group instruction, integrated physical activity or access to a calculator fall in this category if we are prioritizing equitable education for all students.
We as a community must actively prioritize equitable education for all students. We must work together to identify and invest in effective ways to teach all children that does not involve placing so many of them in labeled categories. We must create options that give families access to a quality education that strives to meet their student’s individual needs and doesn’t cost them $32,800.
