[blindkid] Specifying a particular school in the IEP

[Mike Freeman]

Doug
I'll have to do a bit of research on this one. However, I have one 
caveat and I write this bearing in mind that you are the best judge of 
what your daughter needs: don't be too swift to knock a bit of 
repitition: especially in math skills, I believe that schools these days 
do not emphasize skill-building sufficiently that students can do them 
without thinking -- which is the skill one is trying to impart. I was in 
gifted programs often all the way through school. But the skill that I 
found most valuable was the skill to invent for myself tasks an 
assignments that *weren't* boring. So if I was assigned to read a 
Shakespeare comedy, I read *all* the comedies;. That's just one example.

I'm not contradicting you: I'm just opining that *some* repitition to 
the point of facility has merit.

I'll inquire of our local School for the Blind Superintendent about what 
one can request on an IEP; he deals with this sort of thing all the 
time. I suspect that it depends upon the rules governing special ed in 
your state. Which means that I'd bet the answer is "no". Andk, 
philosophically-speaking, although parents are and must be fierce 
advocates for the well-being of their children, do you *really* want 
your daughter to go through life knowing that she got into a special 
school *because* of her blindness? Does that not send the wrong message?

Just food for thought and I hope she gets in.

Mike Freeman

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Doug Gottschlich" <doug.gottschlich at gmail.com>
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 10:00 PM
Subject: [blindkid] Specifying a particular school in the IEP


Hi,

My school district (California) has a "Gifted and Talented" magnet 
school
for grades 3 through 8.  We are very interested in getting our daughter 
into
that program when she starts 3rd grade next year, and are wondering if 
we're
allowed to specify a particular school in the IEP.

Of course, she must have the academic ability to get in, or there is no
benefit in her going there.  However, all her teachers expect her to 
easily
pass the entrance exam.  The problem is that there are more students 
that
pass the exam than there are slots at the school.  The slots are filled 
by a
not-so-random lottery from the pool of eligible students that have 
passed
the exam.  (Its not so random because first priority goes to eligible
students whose home school is a"program improvement school" under No 
Child
Left Behind, second priority goes to eligible siblings of current 
students
at the school, and the remaining eligible students get lowest priority.)
Since we are not in a program improvement school, and because our 
daughter
has no siblings, her chances of  getting in through the lottery are 50% 
at
best.

This Gifted and Talented school focuses on "Differentiated Instruction: 
a
change from the traditional pace of the curriculum that eliminates
repetition, relieves students of boredom from work in less challenging
curricular areas, and allows students to use the time that they have 
saved
to to pursue enriching activities".  We firmly believe that this program
would significantly benefit a VI child's education: repetition is very 
time
consuming and unnecessary as she picks things up quickly, and the time 
could
be better spent on the additional VI skills needed.  We'd prefer not to
gamble with odds from the lottery, and want to write this school into 
her
IEP.

I'd love to hear any experiences/insights anyone may have.

Thanks,
Doug Gottschlich
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