Tips for Parents:

Parent Teacher Conferences

 
Getting the most out of parent teacher conferences with Board Certified Educational Therapist Bonnie Terry. She talks about how parents should prepare for parent teacher conferences to get the most out of the conference. When you prepare as a parent for parent teacher conferences you help set your child up for a better school year. Taking the time to prepare lets your child’s teacher know that you are an aware parent that is caring and concerned about your child whether they are doing great and making all a’s or if they are struggling. There are some specific things you can do to create a partnership feeling with the teacher so that your child has a terrific school year.

Parents Checklist for Parent Teacher Conferences:

Here is the quick down and dirty list of what you need to let the teacher know during parent teacher conferences:
1. if your child has allergies or frequent ear infections
2. if you suspect any learning problems
3. how much time it has been taking your child to do their homework
4. If your child is under a 504 or an IEP, give the teacher a copy of the 504 or IEP
5. show the teacher samples of homework-
i) an assignment that was very hard
ii) an assignment the really enjoyed doing

Parent Teacher Conferences Tip 1

What are some things you want to tell your child’s teacher during your parent teacher conferences that will help your child learn easier?
If your child has allergies, has frequent ear infections or had them in the past, if you suspect there might be a learning problem, and how much time it is taking your child to do their homework – whether it is done very quickly or it takes a long time is important. If your child is completing their work correctly and quickly they may not be challenged enough. If they are taking a long time there may be a learning problem hindering there ability to complete the work in a reasonable amount of time. Again, parent teacher conferences give you the parent the opportunity to have these kinds of discussions with your child’s teacher.

Parent Teacher Conferences Tip 2

Why do you need to tell the teacher if your child has allergies or has had or has frequent ear infections during your parent teacher conferences?
When your child has allergies or ear infections their ears are often plugged up and then they aren’t hearing the instruction as clearly as they should, so teachers need to be aware of that – teachers can check to be sure they understood the instruction. Your child may need preferential seating to help out with this too. If your child had frequent ear infections when they were in the primary grades they may have missed out on some critical instruction regarding reading such as phonics. Their ability to speak clearly, spell, and sound out words may have been compromised by the plugged up ears. Sometimes children even need speech therapy as well as tubes in their ears to correct the loss of instruction they had during this time.

Parent Teacher Conference Tip 3

Why is it important to tell the teacher how much time your child is spending on homework – does that have anything to do with a possible learning problem?

The time element will help the teacher to gage how your child does their work independently. The time element also is an indicator of possible learning problems as is whether your child likes reading or math – you can do an informal assessment with our Learning Disability Screening Tool to see if there might be an actual learning problem happening.

Parent Teacher Conferences Tip 4

What is a 504 and an IEP? Doesn’t the teacher already have a copy of your child’s 504 or IEP?

They are both legal documents to help your child. The 504 is done for accommodations or modifications within the classroom. An IEP is an Individualized Education Plan when your child needs additional help through a resource class or a special day class. Your child’s teacher typically knows if your child is under a 504 or an IEP, but that doesn’t mean they have had a chance to read it to see what is in it. Remember, these are both legal documents that need to be complied with, so when you had the teacher a copy during your parent teacher conferences it lets them know you are aware and it gives them easy access to the document. you do not want to create an adversarial relationship with your child’s teacher but you do want to ensure cooperation and a partnership with them. Parent teacher conferences are a perfect opportunity for you to set that relationship up for the rest of the school year.

Parent Teacher Conferences Tip 5

Why should you bring in some of your child’s homework to show the teacher during your parent teacher conferences?
Obviously your child’s teacher has seen their work before, but they don’t have your feedback then and they don’t see how your child is doing the work when they are not in a classroom situation. So, you want to bring in an assignment your child really enjoyed or found interesting as well as one that was very difficult so the teacher can get an idea of how your child is learning at home – when they are independently doing the work. When the teacher knows this, he or she can and usually does adjust their teaching accordingly. If a lot of students struggled on a particular type of assignment, they can re-teach the concept in a different manner. If your child is the only one or one of just a few, the teacher can make some slight changes for your child or those few to be sure they understand the concept.

Remember, you want to have separate folders for each of your children that contains work samples and the checklist of items you want to discuss when you go to their parent teacher conferences.

Hi Bonnie,

We spoke with the principal at my son’s school this morning. The talk went well and he seemed very concerned about our son. But, the bottom line is, the school is reluctant to give my son 504 because it will stick with him for life (though they offered today if we really really want one). They are going to test him soon for gifted so that we can include additional accommodations in an IEP or 504 if necessary. What is my next step? Should I go ahead with a 504 Plan?

Candi

Having a 504 Plan in place is not a stigma, it is protection and accommodations for your son that will help him learn with greater ease. What is wrong with that? If the school needs to implement specific accommodations to help your son that is what needs to be done. The beauty of it is that it will carry him from one year to the next but can be changed and adjusted as your sons needs change. It will ensure that attention is brought to his learning needs. If at a later date – which may be a year or years down the line and he no longer needs them, fine, you don’t have to have him covered by a 504 at that point.

Here is an informal comprehensive learning difficulty/disability screening tool you can do as a parent and get a great picture of the underlying causes of your kids learning problems available. This tool actually helps you to understand why your child struggles, which may be accerbated by his ADHD. There is usually some underlying cause that may not be enough for the schools testing to show that there is a specific learning disability, but it is still actually interferring with their learning with ease.

For example, each of my own kids tested to be gifted, but they each had an area that made learning harder than it needed to be. Once we understood what that or those areas were, learning became easier for them.

Hope this helps,

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for the FREE teaching & homework tips!

Bonnie Terry

I just came across this article on preparing for an IEP and wanted to share it with you.

As a parent, do you approach IEP meetings with fear and dread? If so, here are some suggestions to help you feel more at ease and able to participate as a full member of the team that plans your child’s special education program.

Before the Meeting:

• Build a positive relationship with at least one person on the IEP team, such as the classroom teacher, principal, or school psychologist, before the meeting. Such a relationship will help you feel more comfortable and know someone else hears your point of view.
• Plan ahead and put your thoughts down on paper, so you won’t forget to mention what’s important to you during the meeting. Complete the IEP Planning Form before the meeting. Know the purpose and format of the IEP meeting and who will be there ahead of time. That way you won’t be surprised by the number of people around the table or the process being followed. IDEA 2004 contains new provisions that you should be aware of, including who can be excused from IEP meetings, and alternative ways to hold IEP team meetings.
• If you wish to share the results of a private evaluation with the IEP team, send copies of the reports to the team ahead of time so they can be familiar with the data before the meeting, rather than take valuable time during the meeting to review them. In some cases parents may feel that sharing this report (or particular aspects of the report) will not be of benefit to the IEP process; it’s your choice whether to do so.
• Review current reports, last year’s IEP (if applicable), and Parents’ Rights and Responsibilities sent to you annually.

For more, go to: Tips for a Successful IEP Meeting

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When preparing to attend your child’s IEP meeting, it is important to have a complete understanding of your child’s learning problems. One way to do this is to use an informal assessment tool. With it you gain the understanding of what the specific problems are and how they impact learning in the classroom. It empowers you to speak knowledgebly about your child’s struggles.

Hope this is helpful,

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

I received an email today where a parent stated “I think that if you have a choice that you should definitely do the IEP because it make the school more accountable and you have to be included in the review.”

Actually, both a 504 and an IEP are legal documents and must be complied with, and as a parent you must be involved in either meeting and you need to sign off on the plan. Since they are both legal documents, both 504′s and IEP’s hold the schools accountable.

An IEP is more encompassing than a 504 plan. If your child is under an IEP, in addition to specific measurable goals and extra services with a specialist, there are usually specific accommodations written regarding the child’s time spent within their regular classroom. These are things like extra time to do the assignment, modified assignments, planners, or recording answers to tests on tape recorders if writing is a problem. In effect, the accommodations that are written into an IEP are what a 504 plan would have. (The IEP should have anything in it they would put in a 504 plan + the goals and time with a resource specialist or other service provider).

A 504 is typically used for students that do not qualify for an IEP because there is no significant discrepancy between the IQ and performance of the student, BUT the student is struggling in the classroom.

The following paragraph is an excerpt from the book From Emotions to Advocacy, written by Pam Wright and Pete Wright

To be eligible for protections under Section 504, the child must have a physical or mental impairment. This impairment must substantially limit at least one major life activity. Major life activities include walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, writing, performing math calculations, working, caring for oneself, and performing manual tasks. The key is whether the child has an “impairment” that “substantially limits … one or more … major life activities.”

I usually suggest to parents that they not sign off on the plan at that meeting and say something to the effect, “we’ve talked about a lot of details today, it is a lot to absorb. I would like to go over them with my husband/spouse/ significant other or if you are both there – we need to go over them and review them.”

You may see some ‘jaws’ drop, but this will help you to be sure you are getting what you need. This does give you time to really look over the document and be sure it contains everything you need for your child. And, sometimes you realize you really need an additional service. Sometimes the additional service or accommodation is added without a problem because the school needs to get the IEP or 504 completed in a timely manner.

To help you have a better understanding of your child’s difficulties and the underlying causes of them, you will want to use a parent friendly informal LD dyslexia assessment tool.

Hope this is helpful.

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

My daughter has learning disabilities (visual and auditory processing problems, ADHD, reading and math learning disabilities, sensory integration problems, etc.).  She will be going into the 9th grade this fall.  She has been in public school up through 7th grade and was in special ed programs there.  I pulled her out to homeschool her last year (her 8th grade year), and I really feel like she has been promoted to new grade levels just to promote her every year.  I am at a loss as to what to do with her for 9th grade.  We of course want the best for her but she is lacking in SO many areas.  How will this program help?  Do I use it in conjunction with another homeschool program?  I can’t imagine this is all I would use for 9th grade schooling.  What would you recommend?  If you can help point me in the right direction, I would truly appreciate it.  Thank you, and have a blessed night!

..• ´¨¨))  -:¦:-        Patter -:¦:-
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Patter,
The core program I would suggest you use is the Making Spelling Sense, Five Minutes to Better Reading Skills, and Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills. With those you will be working on not only her reading, spelling, and writing skills, but also the underlying causes of the problems (the visual and auditory processing problems.) You will need to add content material: a reader and social studies/history book, math book, and English book.

Each day you start off with addressing the underlying cause of the learning disabilities – the visual and auditory processing skills. Using the Making Spelling Sense and Five Minutes to Better Reading Skills does this. Then you would have her read a selection from a reader. There are many high interest low vocabulary readers available. (Making Spelling Sense addresses the auditory processing problems. Five Minutes to Better Reading Skills addresses the visual processing problems.)

After reading from the reader, you pull out the Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills and your daughter takes notes from what she has read. Then I would do an English page.

Then I would play The Comprehension Zone and/or The Sentence Zone. They work on reading comprehension and English grammar.

For math I would use the Math Zone for calculation practice and the BT Easy Math Reference Guide as the core information regarding math (how to add, subtract, multiply, & divide, calculating with fractions, decimals, and percents, and how to do word problems). You will need to get additional math workbook/s for actual problems for her for fractions, decimals, percents, and algebra. There are some great ones out there that would be great for her to use.

After math I would have her do history and science, using the forms from Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills to help her get more out of the books.

Remember, the books and games I’ve mentioned are multi-level and can be used year after year, even with a 9th grader. Each activity takes just a few minutes so they are perfect to use with ADHD students. I created all of them from my work with learning disabilities – those with visual and auditory processing problems.

Hope this is helpful.

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET