lillian: The teacher said that next year they start preparing the kids for the FCAT from day one. The FCAT is huge in Florida. For 3rd graders, the test is made up of Math & Reading. Those are my son's weakest subjects. She feels that he will find it too overwhelming since he has a hard enough time with regular math tests. She is also worried about his maturity level. He's born in July & he's one of the youngest in his class. The cutoff here is August. When the kids are turning 8, he has just turned 7 so he's like a year behind. He has to take the FCAT to get a regular diploma. His IEP says he will participate in state exams. He can get accommodations, but they aren't much for the FCAT.
IMac: I don't know any other parents who are going to be affected. I started writing my own letters regarding how this will affect my son to the above mentioned people. I may even consider writing to our local paper also.
lillian: The teacher said that 3rd grade is very demanding since they are preparing the kids for the FCAT. He has a very difficult time taking math tests. He shuts down & needs alot of assistance from his para & teachers just to get through a test. In Florida, the FCAT is huge. The 2 components of the exam are Reading & Math. Those are his weakest subjects. If you fail it, you are retained anyway. She also said that it would help with maturity which I agree with her. He is born in July & he's one of the youngest kids in his class. When kids are turning 8, he just turned 7. As far as giving him an alternate test, he will not be able to get a regular diploma.
IMac: I don't know other parents who are going to be affected by this, so I've only started to write letters to the Superintendent & the Chief from the Bureau of Exceptional Education & Student Services. (Florida Dept. Of Education) I also thought about writing to our local newspaper also.
My son is an exceptional student in 2nd grade. He has been an ESE student since Pre-K. He has ADHD, ODD, Tourette's Syndrome & a Speech & Language Impairment. I just found out via our local newspaper that our school district plans on laying off 40 paraprofessionals. My son has had a one-on-one para since pre-k. His IEP states that he is unable to successfully complete classroom assignments independently, he needs extra support & assistance in order to be successful & he is unable to maintain verbal & physical control on an independent basis. It also states that his behavioral therapist will be involved in developing a "back out" plan regarding the consistent adult assistance. His teacher has even contacted me about possible retaining him due to his lack of test taking skills in Math. (3rd graders have to take the FCAT in Florida) This change will affect my son's academics & may even cause regression in his behavior. I am planning on writing a letter to our Superintendent & the Chief, Bureau of Exceptional Education & Student Services. Who else should I write to? What else should I try to do to stop this from affecting my child? I'm in desperate need of any advice to help me address this situation.
Thanks!
If a one-on-one aide is written into your son's IEP, it would be a violation of his educational rights to remove that aide.
IMac: The layoffs will be at all the schools, not just my son's. I don't know how many paraprofessionals are even employed by the district, but 40 are going. We don't know who & from where yet.
SmallMom: It's not written as a one-on-one aide on the IEP. It reads the way I wrote it in the post.