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Do you want your son helped now? Or do you want "satisfaction" 6 years from now when your son is 23 and the lawyers and courts have finally exhausted the legal process and you are out $50,000 in legal bills. Most teachers belong to unions or professional associations (in non-union states) that, as part of their dues, will provide liability insurance against litigation and will hire private attorneys for teachers. Do you really want every aspect of your life and parenting choices put under the microscope by a teacher's aggressive private defense attorney (who will be separate from the school district's attorneys) going through the discovery process in a lawsuit, and running up your legal bills at the same time?
There are better and easier ways to help your son than suing everyone in sight.
Reading is not the content is science, social studies, or math, it is a means to get to the content in those subjects.
If you can't PROCESS what you read, in order to understand the content of what you are reading...how does that work? How does one get to the "means" of the "content"?
If you can't PROCESS what you read, in order to understand the content of what you are reading...how does that work? How does one get to the "means" of the "content"?
Please look at what I was responding to.... a comment about having materials read to the student being considered an accommodation in every subject with the exception of Reading (a portion of Language Arts), where is considered a modification.
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Originally Posted by Oldhag1
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frostnip
Interesting. In Alaska, TTS and other forms of having materials read aloud is considered an accommodation in all content areas EXCEPT reading, where's it's considered a modification and would result in a course being "asterisk'd" on that student's transcript.
That is appropriate because reading is the content in Reading. Reading is not the content is science, social studies, or math, it is a means to get to the content in those subjects.
If a student can’t use reading as a means to get to the content in any content area other than Reading, because they can’t process written text, then they are given an accommodation that does allow them to access the content, such as being read to or use of audio tapes. If they have to be read to or use audio tapes in Reading it is a modification of the content because part of the content is reading. In other words, being read to does not change the curriculum or interfere with reaching benchmarks in Science, Social Studies, or Math. Being read to in Reading is eliminating one or more strands or benchmarks in Reading, thus altering the curriculum.
No change in curriculum = accommodation
Change in curriculum = modification
Modifications are not supposed to be addressed by 504’s, but there has been a slow slide towards ignoring the distinction.
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Sorry, I think you are deliberately ignoring my point. Let's say the standard is (for example), knowledge of a Shakespearean tragedy. An accommodation would be a different way to gain knowledge and express knowledge of that play; a modification would be changing the literature to Dr. Seuss.
And no I'm not asking for him to be excused from oral reading. I am asking for him to be excused from oral reading in front of his peers.
If I am defensive it is because I think the conversation about 504 vs, IEP has pretty much derailed this thread. Whatever it is that he has or doesn't have or should have, his teacher isn't following it.
The state standards for high school are not to "gain knowledge and express knowledge of that play". You are confusing class objectives vs state standards. They are not the same thing.
And yes whether it is a 504 or IEP is relevant. You are asking for modifications at the IEP level, and he should have an IEP for that. Not only does he get the resources needed for that, the school and the teacher get additional resources as well. Additionally, if it really is about "fair" then it is only fair that his transcript note that he had SpEd modification for his English class. You are ok with his transcript noting he received a modification of the curriculum correct?
If you can't PROCESS what you read, in order to understand the content of what you are reading...how does that work? How does one get to the "means" of the "content"?
I have a student with that issue, and he reads the sections of the text, article, whatever and records himself. Then he listens to the recordings and absorbs the material that way.
He is in 10th grade, not 9th. He cannot copy accurately from the board because he has dysgraphia and dyslexia. The physical mechanics of writing do not come together for him, and the brain activity that is involved in writing is somehow faulty (for lack of a better word).
We have met with the counselor, and the assistant principals, many times. My son advocates for himself very nicely. He spoke beautifully at this year's 504 meeting about why writing does not help him learn, and also how writing interferes with his learning and with his ability to demonstrate his knowledge.
The teacher should have been offering his accommodations all year long, like his other teachers have been.
It was never up to my son to get his accommodations in place. Furthermore, even though I asked in writing on my son's behalf, the teacher deliberately ignored our requests for accommodations to be honored--accommodations that have been put in place by this school well over a year ago.
Based on the modifications you are asking for, he should have an IEP. An IEP triggers SpEd services which allows the ENGLISH teacher (the one having the problem meeting the curriculum under those modifications) which allows her to modify the curriculum and gets her and your son resources they do not currently have.
It has been pointed out to you over and over again, that the modifications you are requesting modify the CURRICULUM for an English class and do not for other classes. You refuse to acknowledge this for some reason.
You also refuse to acknowledge that you are asking for MODIFICATIONS of his English class, not accommodations. That is the crux of the issue.
Based on the modifications you are asking for, he should have an IEP. An IEP triggers SpEd services which allows the ENGLISH teacher (the one having the problem meeting the curriculum under those modifications) which allows her to modify the curriculum and gets her and your son resources they do not currently have.
It has been pointed out to you over and over again, that the modifications you are requesting modify the CURRICULUM for an English class and do not for other classes. You refuse to acknowledge this for some reason.
You also refuse to acknowledge that you are asking for MODIFICATIONS of his English class, not accommodations. That is the crux of the issue.
There is no need to yell at me.
It is the school who placed him on a 504 and it is the state who used "oral examinations" and "audio books" as examples of accommodations on the 504.
It is the school who placed him on a 504 and it is the state who used "oral examinations" and "audio books" as examples of accommodations on the 504.
So please get off your huffy bike.
I think most people realize that schools and teachers are not singular entities.
And I emphasized the word MODIFICATION because you refuse to acknowledge that for an English class, unlike the other content areas, the modifications you are asking for are MODIFICATIONS to the state standards. For example, not testing him on his reading ability (a state standard) is a reasonable modification, but it should state that he had a modified curriculum in his transcript. Likewise, with spelling, another state standard, modifying another standard again. The reason this designations exist, is not just so your son gets the resources your son needs but that the teacher and the school get the assistance they need as well. When your son gets an actual IEP, the appropriate plan for his LDs, than his teacher will literally be legally allowed to modify the state mandated curriculum you are asking them to modify.
Moderator - Lehigh Valley, NEPA, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Education and Colleges and Universities.
When I post in bold red, that is Moderator action and per the TOS can be discussed only via Direct Message.
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