Last week I participated in another great IEP for Ben!
Over the many years of doing this annual "thing", I have never had a bad experience. I am grateful for this because I think the experience in other school districts can sometimes be very difficult and full of tension.
But even this year, with a new special ed teacher AND having to think about transition to high school next year, I felt very comfortable with everything that was proposed for Ben in this next 12 mths.
In a nutshell, what will being happening in the next 12 mths is switching from strict academic goals to what academic goals do we need to help with life and job skills? For example, this means math is now calculator focused instead of actually having Ben do the adding, subtracting, etc. Handwriting is switching to typing skills. Reading skills will continue but at a functional level versus trying to obtain a certain grade level of reading. And reading comprehension will be the big push for Ben in order for him to understand work instructions, work emails etc or enjoy a good audio book.
The attitude from his team is very much "We will try this and if it doesn't work, we will make adjustments to make it best for Ben." I love that!
Now having said all that, I will admit I am nervous about high school for both the boys. It is a more independent environment- it is very likely the boys will no longer have a 2 for 1 aide with them all the time.
This means all accomodations in the regular classroom will have to be done by each individual teacher with the help of the HS special ed teacher. This means a LOT more people to work with and make sure everyone is on the same page for EACH boy as an individual. That's a lot to ask of a lot of people. That makes me nervous.
I am also concerned how to determine the line between having the boys spend almost their entire day in the typical classes in HS vs working on life/job skills with the special ed teacher. But I have to trust the team will always be willing to make adjustments as we go along to figure out what is best for the boys.
Now just a few thoughts about the eighth grade year for the boys.
For grades 4K-7th, the boys spent most their time in the special ed room. They would only join their typical peers for art, music, gym, lunch, at in MS homeroom. I really liked this setup because I felt the boys learned best in a smaller more adaptive environment of the special ed room. I wasn't a "have to include" parent. I believe whatever is best for each child is the best approach.
Before I knew about a new teacher taking over, I assumed this would be the plan for 8th grade and the big jump to spending more time in the typical classes would start in HS.
However, the new teacher had the idea that we start working on that transition during eighth grade where the boys would still have the help of their 2 on 1 aide and where the MS school layout is smaller and less intimidating than HS layout.
What I'm finding out is this roll-out transition plan seems like a great idea. However, I think the old way would have had great points too, mainly being one more year with very specialized instruction for almost 6 hours a day. Since both ways have merit, I think our boys would be a good place with either approach.
Being flexible is certainly something you need as a special ed parent!
How cool that our boys are in a situation where both Plan A or Plan B offer them cool opportunities and possibilities. We feel truly blessed by our school system!