Thursday, February 21, 2013

Accommodations

When my oldest daughter was in kindergarten, she had a hard time remembering her school lunch code.  When you are in line, and you are 5 years old, it is daunting knowing that you will have to remember that number and punch it in all by yourself!  Yes, the lunch ladies are always helping with that, but my first thought was to make her an accommodation.  As a former teacher, I like accommodations that are invisible.  What I mean is that it helps the student without others noticing, so it's "no big deal".  So I embroidered her a fabric bracelet with her lunch number on it.  She wore it to school on days when she was buying lunch.  She thought it was cool, and all she had to do when punching in that number was look at her wrist.  Problem solved.  No embarrassment, or toe-tapping by kids who were starving in line.

When your child is having difficulty in school, the first thing you hope is happening is that the teacher is making accommodations for your child.  By "making accommodations" I mean that the teacher is finding ways to help your child complete a task to keep them on track with the pace of the lesson, and make it meaningful at the same time.

Believe me, teachers are constantly making accommodations {informally} all day, every day, as they teach.  It's being done "on the fly", and in more formal, thought out ways as well.  Think of it this way~when the eye doctor says you can't see that well, they give you the prescription to go get glasses, right?  So you put on the glasses, you see better, and just get on with life, right?  That's what accommodations can do for your child in school.  What makes them meaningful is when they are thoughtfully decided upon for your child's specific needs. 

Not every kid is going to need the same accommodation in order to be a successful learner.
If your child has an IEP, you are going to make sure that your child has specific accommodations noted in their IEP, as part of the document.  Yes, it should be in writing.  If it is just something you decide on verbally with the teacher, and that teacher leaves the class, or the child goes on to the next grade to a new teacher, you are running the risk of having the next teacher just guess at what is most helpful for your child.  Don't start over when you know what is working.  No one wants to re-invent the wheel, for God's sake, and the more time without the help you child needs in class, the more time they are frustrated, and possibly embarrassed.  They work hard enough to keep up. 

You probably already know lots of things that help your child at home...
  • Does your child need larger print when reading text?
  • Do you repeat directions frequently when you need your child to do something around the house {well, more than you normally would....}?
  • Do you use picture clue reminders at home for routine tasks?
These are all accommodations, and can be transferred to the school environment.

In Delaware, we have the state test {DCAS}, starting in 3rd grade.  It's important to understand, as a parent, if your child does not currently have specific accommodations in the classroom setting, your child may not be successful with the accommodations you might come up with to be used during the state test {check out page 8 of this document from the State of DE website}.  They should be very used to the help they receive in school~if you throw something brand new at them during the state test, it could throw them for a loop.  You don't want that for your kid, believe me.

So, to be clear...
  • Yes, the accommodations for the state test should match up with the accommodations listed in your child's IEP {which are usually listed on each goal page}. 
  • And, yes, they are checked off on separate pages in a different area in the IEP {the "Student With Disability Form" is 4 pages long} so there will be multiple places in the document where accommodations will be noted.

They could be as simple as, "extended time for taking the test", or " intermittent prompting to remain on task".  Whatever it is, make sure your child is comfortable with the help, and it is meaningful.

That's all we really want, right?  We just want them to get the help they need to be successful in school and in life.  That's all the teachers want too.  And if you need help navigating through this, then ask!  I'm sure the teacher will accommodate you.

Have a great day.

{Jenn}

PS~I realize you are all not living in Delaware...the best thing to do is to go to your state Department of Education website, and look for links pertinent to your needs, if that doesn't help, ask me and I will see what I can dig up for you :)

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