How do I approach this?

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I need to have a talk with DS8's teacher and probably the director of his non-public school for kids with Aspergers. The result I want is for reading to be taught more intensely (and with a focus on phonics), for them to stop using Scootpad (online learning where DS is just guessing the answers), and for DS's report card to line up with the work he is doing.

DS started at the school last Feb as a first grader, and at report card time in March the teacher said she decided to use a kindergarten-level report card because I had made the comment that "he basically missed most of kindergarten and first grade because they couldn't keep him calm." She started his academics with things like "circle all the pictures that start with g", even though he knew the sounds of all the letters and was able (with much effort) to sound out CVC words. I let it go because I figured the review wouldn't hurt and the first order of business was to get him calm and able to learn. It made sense that the same report card was used at the end of the school year, to show progress.

His fall report card just came home, and it's the same Kindergarten one again! Some of the things he is graded on are:
Language Arts:
* Early reading skills (picture clues, scans left-right, patterns, rhymes, retells stories)
* Is able to print own name legibly
* Is able to print some letters and number legibly
* Displays a positive attitude toward books

Math:
* Is able to count objects
* Recognizes basic geometric shapes
* Understands numerals and the quantity they represent

His reading has progressed to the point where he is able to read most CVC and silent-e words. He knows all his consonant blends, but doesn't know how to decode vowel combos like "oi", "igh", "ough", etc. His fluency is terrible -- reading is slow and painful -- but his comprehension is excellent. I expected a lot more progress in 9 months time. I observed class a couple of times and also asked DS questions about what they are working on, and it appears to all be focused on reading comprehension and sight words, and almost no work on decoding. He is able to write all his letters and compose short sentences (with terrible spelling). (Recent testing showed his copying speed to be 10 letters/min.)

In math, he seems to have mastered adding and subtracting two digit numbers with carrying and borrowing. We used a program called ReflexMath over the summer and he reached 80% fluent with his math facts, but still needs to work on that last 20% (basically 6's through 9's). I don't see any word problems in the homework, so I don't know if they are working on that or not.

I just don't think it's appropriate for a kindergarten report card to be used for all of second grade, especially given the level of work he is doing!

More importantly, there needs to be a big change in his reading instruction in order for him to progress. I've asked the teacher to sit down with me and explain to me how she is teaching reading, but it hasn't happened yet.

We're currently paying privately, but last May we moved to a new school district. They just finished all the testing for his tri-annual IEP (including 10 hours of neuro-psych testing!), and we'll have an IEP meeting in late Dec or early Jan to write his goals and discuss placement. I have to decide whether to push for him to stay at this school, or to try to get him moved to a special day class at a regular school. (Continuing to pay privately is an option if we don't like what the school district offers.) I am happy with what the current school is doing to teach him how to self-regulate and social skills, and DS has a friend there now who he is very attached to (this took over 6 months to happen, so it is a very big deal). I'm worried about the academics here, but also worried we'd lose at least 3 months in adjustment time if we moved him. For now homeschooling is not on the table.

How do I approach this? Should I have a meeting with the teacher alone first, and then have a separate meeting with the director to express my concerns about the academics? Or ask to meet with them both together (in which case I couldn't be as candid to the director)? How do I word things so I'm not in attack mode or telling the teacher what to do? I'm an engineer so I tend to be too blunt and detailed.

There seems to be a pretty big disconnect here, based on my experiences with the lower grades in public school, which may or may not apply.

Based on that experience I will say the following: In the lower grades, (k-1) the focus is more on decoding, and in 2nd it shifts more towards comprehension. So if they are doing more comprehension than decoding that is consistent with my experiences with our son in second grade. We have the opposite issue as you do, so I was more upset that in k-1 they were focusing on decoding skills we already had, and not working on reading comprehension help that was badly needed until we were quite behind.

So, it sounds like he is doing 2nd grade work, but they are using a k report card to try to track decoding goals. I don't know for sure, so that is just a guess. I don't know if that is b/c private schools do not have to use IEPs and that is their way of trying to address it record keeping wise.

I think I would call a conference with just the teacher and just simply say that you noticed that your child's report card appears to be for kinder, and just simply ask why (in addition to finding out how reading is actually being taught.) Those two pieces of information will help you to decide how to proceed.

If you are unable to home school, I would suggest doing as much as you can at home. You may want to introduce your son the the books "The Boxcar Children" or a similar series. When a child's interest is engaged, they often take off quickly on their own. Don't worry about getting it all "right" or in order. He will catch up when and where he needs to.

If your state allows others to home school your child, you may want to look into that. He may get the attention he needs with the flexibility to learn as much as he can.

You may find school officials (public or private) viewing any parental involvement as insulting their "professionalism". The degree will vary based on the individual. However, even the most open seeming teacher has a limit as to what they are willing to tolerate.

Because you like what they are doing with him behaviorally and it is having a positive impact, I agree that I would recommend you do as much as you can at home academically with engaging supplemental material.

The IEP/IDEA process protects the rights of parent involvement. A competent special ed teacher should not feel her professionalism is insulted. She might need to be reminded of the laws.

I would try to work with the teacher, but I would not depend on the outcome. Determine what you feel is needed and make certain that is clearly reflected in his IEP with measurable goals.

I would almost always talk to the teacher first, before involving the director.

I agree - approach the teacher first. Any reasonable teacher will be open to feedback and concerns from parents. Ask for an appointment, discuss the issues, and come to some sort of comprimise - changes in his routine in kindegarten, and perhaps some excercises you can do at home with him. The teacher parent relationship ideally should be a team effort, complimenting each other, and never more so than when children present unique challenges. If you find the teacher isn't open to that kind of interaction, then I would have greater concerns.

DS is not in kindergarten, he's in 2nd grade! The director made a point of emphasizing that the school was going to follow the common core standards, and the report card is not reflective of common core, nor of even a 1st grade curriculum, nor of what they're actually doing in class.

I emailed the teacher, and set up a parent/teacher conference. She seemed defensive -- I had already asked if she would be sending out a progress report for his IEP goals, since it didn't come home with the report card. Her reply was that she had already told me when the IEP progress report would be ready -- and she didn't address my question about whether we could get a new report card or not.

I'm frustrated to say the least. I understand that in a 6 hour day, if you're only spending 3.5 hours on academics, with the rest going toward social skills, PE, etc., that the academics are not going to keep pace with a general ed classroom. But learning to read is such a fundamental, minimum standard, that if my child's reading is not progressing in this classroom, he needs to be taught differently or elsewhere.

Supplementing at home is not a viable strategy, especially for a core skill like reading. He has very limited reserves after school, and it's all going to completing the assigned homework.

Zette,

I hope she gives you the information you need. If you have not thought about it, I would include a question asking what he does on an average day, asking for as many specifics as you can get. It is harder to stonewall someone in person.

Forgive my ignorance of how the US educational system works, but is there a board of governors of some kind you can write to with your concerns as a final option, should all else fail?

Tonyland,

In the U.S our educational system is very decentralized. There is a national organization, but it does not deal with this kind of thing. If her child were in public school, she could go to her state's Department of Education, but it is a whole process, and by that time her kid would be very behind. Her child is in private school, and is therefore independent. She put him there, hoping it was a better environment.

There are people who make the public schools work for them either b/c there kids are not especially square pegs, and/or their particular public school "gets it" and is very accommodating, or b/c they are stuck with it. I had to homeschool mine, b/c they could not deal with mine in public school, they are (mostly) following the law as to what they are allowed to do, and a fight would not be productive.

In a regular public school, no. Since he has an IEP, there is a legal procedure to take the school to mediation and then to court to get them to change their program or pay for a private school. (Kids without an IEP have no legal options. Influence is limited to getting a group of parents to pressure the school administration.)

The school we are paying privately for is one of the special ed ("non-public") schools my child might have ended up at if we had taken our old school district to court. I may have a little more leverage with the director as long as I am paying the bills, but I don't think it's much.

We moved to a new school district, and they just completed a full academic and neuro-psych evaluation. There will be a meeting soon to discuss whether the district will pay for the current school, or place him in a special ed class in one of their schools, I won't know anything about their class options until I am allowed to observe the one they propose. (School districts dont let parents know all of the existing options to prevent "shopping" for the most desirable class.). So in this meeting my advocate and I can argue strongly to stay at the current school or argue strongly to be moved to an unknown class.

I'd shop around if you don't like what this school has to offer. I don't think it's a reasonable expectation for them to completely change how they teach reading. (I do, however, have a strong pro-phonics leaning and think most schools could do with much better programs.) Are there any dyslexia schools near you? These schools often use the Orton-Gillingham method, which would likely better meet your expectations.


As for supplementing at home, you could always do "input-only" things--such as you sounding out words for him while he watches and listens. This would require less effort from an exhausted kid. There are even pretty decent reading shows - such as The Electric Company or LeapFrog.