The reasons that students struggle in school and the things with which they struggle are as varied as the students themselves. Many parents of struggling students immediately ask for a special education evaluation. Parents contact special education because they are aware of the existence of special education and they are hoping that they can get some help for their child.
What many of these parents are really looking for is just someone to help their child be successful in school. While special education is appropriate for some students, it is not appropriate for all students. Special education is a program that provides specially designed instruction designed to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. In order to qualify for special education there must be first, a qualifying disability. The student must also require specialized instruction in order to access the curriculum. Specialized instruction could be a lot of different things. What qualifies as specialized instruction is too much to list in a blog post but it could be Braille, Sign Language, Specialized Academic Instruction, Social Skills or Speech and Language Therapy, among other things.
What if a child has a disability that interferes with a major life function and needs accommodations but not specialized instruction? Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to schools. Most schools refer to a 504 plan. The 504 plan is a listing of accommodations that the student will need in order to access the curriculum and an education. The accommodations that the student will need will depend on the type of disability the child has. If your child is in special education, a 504 plan is not necessary because the accommodations will already be in the IEP (Individualized Education Plan). Some examples of accommodations may be: use of the elevator, preferential seating, frequent breaks, a copy of notes provides, or any other necessary and reasonable accommodation.
Nearly all schools have programs available for students who are struggling but do not have a disability. These programs are commonly referred to as RTI or Response to Intervention. The model of RTI varies from school to school but the spirit remains the same. Students who are having difficulty are identified and referred to a team made up of teachers and/or specialists who determine what the student is struggling with and implement interventions designed to help the student be successful. The interventions may be behavioral or academic. Most interventions are delivered in the regular classroom. If the interventions in the classroom are not successful, the student may be pulled out for more intensive interventions. Once the student has achieved a level of mastery that he/she can be returned to the regular classroom, the intensive interventions are ended and the student is returned to the regular class but may continue to receive classroom interventions if they are necessary. If the pull out intervention is not successful, the student may be referred for an evaluation for special education or a 504 plan to determine whether or not the student may have a disability. Most students who enter RTI do not have disabilities and are successful in the regular classroom after interventions without a referral being made. For most struggling students, RTI should be the first step as it is typically successful. As the parent of a child in RTI, you should be kept informed of the progress your child is making.
If you have concerns about your child's performance in school, the best thing to do is to make an appointment with the teacher to discuss the concerns. This meeting should be a problem solving meeting where the concerns are discussed and ideas are shared. This should be a meeting free of blame or anger, everyone involved is trying to help the student be successful. It is important to be on the same team and open to hearing what the other has to say. You will likely find that the teacher has the same concerns and has already taken steps to help. Many people working together to find the right solution is the best way for a child to find success whatever success looks like for that child.
More Information:
ED.gov IDEA Website
Office of Civil Rights
National Center on Response to Intervention
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