Wow – sorry that’s happening!

Here is a link to the CA Board of Ed, parents’ rights for students with disabilities. I can tell you, having previously lived there, how hard you’re going to have to fight this is going to depend on your district. You may have quite the fight ahead of you.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/fp/index.asp

The school could have any number of reasons for wanting her to continue, my guess is it could have something to do with the NCLB regs. Algebra requires a lot of abstract reasoning skills, something that your daughter just may not have yet. If she’s still working on mastery with multiplication and division, she may not have a strong grasp of variables, fractions, percentages, ratios, or decimals – all of which are necessary for success in algebra.

Here’s a link that explains most likely why they are pushing her into Algebra – CA has determined that all students, including disabled students, are fully able to grasp algebraic coursework and need it in order to graduate. They have apparently decided that remedial coursework for disabled students is a hindrance rather than a benefit to them, so it isn’t to be offered. However, it does state that disabled kids are to be taught in alternate ways – making algebra more concrete with manipulatives, calculators, activities, etc. to make it more accessible to them. This is a requirement, according to the site. Your daughter should have the right to an IEP that allows her to take the class in an alternate way.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/fp/algebra1.asp

Hopefully it will be an easier road, but from what you’ve said, they haven’t been terribly helpful. Hopefully this info will help!

If you live in the US and he attends a public school, submit a written request to the principal to have your son evaluated for special education. It will cost you nothing but time to meet, set things in motion, and return for results. This will require interventions in his area of difficulty, but within 90 days you should have some answers as to his ability versus his achievement. He could very well be learning disabled in math, but there would have been signs of math difficulties before the 9th grade math problem. In my state LD math students do not have to take algebra, but continue with technical math. Algebra is otherwise a requirement for graduation. He’s pretty young now at 15 to have done acid when he was “young”. However, drugs, legal or otherwise, affect the body. Some have long-lasting effects. Chances are he just killed off a few thousand brain cells. However, the brain typically rewires in some cases, and it would be unlikely to have just impacted the right side of his brain where math is stored. If he has had some head trauma in that area it could have impacted math. I’ve dealt with a case for the past two years in which a young fellow responds just like a traumatic brain injured case although his family cannot recall any event. It wiped out his reading & writing and he also processes what he hears very slowly, but he is astounding at math and athletics.

I had the same trouble with the school here in Virginia. The teachers and special ed administrators just want to push the students through the system so they look good on state testing. They have no doubt given up on your child and won’t spend the time or money if they can simply push her through the system with D’s and graduate her.

As a last ditch effort, call the state dept of education and ask to speak to someone in the special ed complaints office. If you disagree with the school’s most recent evaluation, ask for an Independent Evaluation (school has to pay for it). Write a letter to the school requesting an IEP meeting to discuss your concerns & inform them that you plan to record the meeting for your records! This will sometimes make them behave a little better. Keep records of everything! Try to get notes from counselors, doctors, anyone of authority to take with you as evidence that your child needs the services that you have requested. In the end, you may not get anywhere unless you hire an advocate or a lawyer.

May I suggest another option? Have you thought about Home Schooling? You know what is best for your child and you can provide it at home.

Search for homeschool support groups near you. Experienced members can explain the laws and requirements for you. And try this site for curriculum: www.time4learning.com .

My niece loves it. And I feel so much better, knowing that she is getting what she needs instead of what the school wants. It’s so liberating!!

Best of Luck!

When I went from junior high school to high school, I was tested and out of something like 600 questions only missed 4. So I was place in intermediate algebra. To say nothing of the fact that the four problems I missed were all math, I was frightened out of my mind. It was like the algebra teacher was speaking a different language. The schools do their best but they need our input. I was in a foster home and really had no one to stand up for me. Simply tell the school that you appreciate their efforts but you would like to work with them in better planning her schedule. Tell them you want her to master multiplication and division first. What can they say? She is your child and no one knows her like you do nor does anyone have a greater vested interest in her than you do. Don’t be afraid to ask them to change things for her. Once she has confidence in lower math, she’ll do great! I daresay she’ll even master algebra, at a latter date.

My son missed half of his 1st grade year but I thought it would be to embarrassing to go back into 1st grade the next year so I talked to the principal, Tena Petix (who totally rock by the way) and she was very understanding and let him try 2nd grade and he did fine.

Do not sign or approve the IEP.

First go through the counseling dept, then the director of special ed and then the school district superintendent.

If none of that helps, show up with an attorney who specializes in special ed problems.

Good luck . This can be a very long road but you are your daughters best advocate.

you need to look at your daughter’s IEP. there should be at least one math goal, and benchmarks on how she should reach that goal. IF they are not following the goals in her IEP, then you can file for due process. it is a federal violation if a school district does not follow a child’s IEP.

you should already have a copy of her IEP from her last IEP meeting, if not, go to the school and ask for one. they MUST provide you with it. also, the school MUST provide you with a list of your rights as a parent. you can look through your IEP meeting papers… if you don’t have them, ask the school for them. they legally HAVE TO give you a copy.

another thing, if you do not like her placement, you have a right to ask for an IEP meeting. they need to grant it to you. in this IEP meeting you can discuss her math goals and her placement in a math class.

you can also request and one-on-one aid or tutor for her in her IEP meeting. if they agree to it – MAKE SURE IT IS WRITTEN IN THE IEP. in fact – MAKE SURE ALL CHANGES THEY AGREE TO GET WRITTEN IN THE IEP. if changes are not made, or if they are, but the district does not follow them – file for due process. they WILL BE held accountable if they do not follow what is in the IEP. your state board of education will be able to tell you how to go about getting the paper work and filing due process.

ONE MORE THING – RECORD EVERYTHING.

keep a journal that notes dates and times that you talk to the school. note what you requested of them and when the comply – or if they don’t comply. write it all down – this will be what helps you significantly during a due process hearing.

GOOD LUCK!! i’m sorry they are treating your daughter unfairly. hope i could be of some help.

Ask for her school to do a child study case. Tell them you would like her to be on a 504 or IEP plan. If you don’t get any luck in her school, go to the downtown schoolboard.

Some insight:

You nor anyone else can force a child to do anything

There is no such thing as teaching, a teacher simply sets up an environment where there is an opportunity to learn from experience through activities and conceptual concepts to ponder.

I teach music. I will teach you things you do not know and cannot understand tills weeks and months and years down the road. If I do my job well you will get something out of it, learn something and be inspired.

It is quite ok to teach over your head and plant seeds that may blossom.

it seems so unfair for both yourself and your daughter to be in this position. Perhaps you could ask the school for an ‘individual education plan’ which would cater for your child needs, taking into account problem areas where assistance should be given at school (and advice for helping at home) but also highlighting tasks that she excels at. Hope this is of help and best of luck!

sue i did and now im take a good match class