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Post by camismom on Nov 12, 2003 10:51:26 GMT -5
My daughter got her Progress Report yesterday. She had A's and B's in everything except Advanced Language Arts. In this class she made an F! Cami was always a straight A student in elementary, and made all A's and B's on her first Progress Report and Report Card. Her grade on her report card in this class was an 88. Well, in four and a half weeks it fell to a 60, yet I never received ANY notification from her teacher that she was having trouble and her grade was falling. The bad grade was a result of incomplete work. This being an Advanced class they are given an extensive amount of writing assignments and writing is very difficult for her, therefore she is falling behind and not completing them. I understand she will receive bad marks if she doesn't finish all the work, but why hasn't the teacher notified me there was a problem?  I can't help if I don't know there is anything wrong. On two seperate occasions since the beginning of school I have sent email to all of her teachers asking how she was doing, etc. I received responses from all of them but this one. AARRGGHH!! Anyway, I sent her another this morning letting her know I was not pleased with the fact that she never contacted me and copied it to the 6th grade counselor and Asst. Principal. I requested she be moved to a regular English class (they get a lot less writing assignments there) or we get a 504 in motion. Yet again, the education system lets me down.  Take care all! -------------------------------- Christy |
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Post by dansmommy on Nov 12, 2003 12:30:13 GMT -5
Christy -- Sorry she and you had to go through that. I'm already worried about middle school and ds is in third grade! It's hard too when you have a high-skills kid who you want to have the opportunities presented by advanced classes but still having to deal with the disability. Does she type? Some people get a portable keyboard as an accommodation so the child doesn't have to do so much writing. Christie
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Post by camismom on Nov 12, 2003 12:36:17 GMT -5
Right now her typing is as slow as her writing  , but she is taking a keyboarding class this nine weeks for her elective class so I'm hoping she'll get better and work up some speed. I asked Cami though if they could do that (type instead of write) and she said she didn't think so. So again, if they aren't willing to move her to the "regular" class so she won't have as much writing assignments, then I'll approach the 504 and make that be one of the adjustments. Thanks for the input!! ;D |
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Post by homebody67 on Nov 12, 2003 12:58:32 GMT -5
Hi! Just my opinion, but I would request a conference with the teacher and the counselor. The counselor's presence is a good idea, because then the teacher would be accountable to someone besides you. I would ask for weekly reports, and modification of some sort in the writing assignments. (Maybe breaking them down into smaller sections for her would be less intimidating) If he refuses to comply, have it added to the 504....then he has to comply. If the requested provisions seem to help, add them to the 504 for next year. Requesting weekly progress reports through the 504 is the ONLY way I could get teachers to comply. One time last year, I realized I hadn't seen a progress report in a month, so I called and talked to the teacher only to find out that my son was missing 22 assignments! In only one class!  And this teacher saw nothing that would indicate a call home? Give me a break! Also, get this teachers email address (If he won't give it to you, call the main office) and nag the you-know-what out of him. Resend the email 20 times until you get a reply. (save it so you don't have to retype) I'd hate to see your daughter bored to tears in a slower class because this one teacher wants to be a dolt! Good luck, Terri P.S. Another option might be a tape recorder. She could dictate the writing assignment into a tape, then you could transcribe it for her?? |
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Post by Linda on Nov 12, 2003 14:49:20 GMT -5
Christy...Been right where you are now..I totally understand.... TEXTThey should have notified you she was having a hard time  but you are on top of it now......let me know how it goes :-*and remember you are not alone  |
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Post by camismom on Nov 12, 2003 15:02:43 GMT -5
Thanks Linda! I am nervously awaiting a response to my email. ;D Will let you know when and if I get one.
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Post by adhdtimes4 on Nov 12, 2003 16:09:55 GMT -5
Homebody touched on this, but I'll stick my nose in it...Are you positive you want her out of the advanced class? In our experience, the peer group in those classes provide good discussion, good competition, and (usually!) better behavior than in the 'regular' classroom. Since she's made good grades so far, she may also need the enrichment that she'll get there from the teacher. With a 504 plan in place, accomodations can be written for your daughter so she can benefit from the program without her ADHD getting in the way.
Remember, as your child gets older, it often gets harder and harder to get the school to write a 504.
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Post by eaccae on Nov 12, 2003 17:06:57 GMT -5
I agree with homebody and adhdtimes 4 - she was placed in the advanced class because she has a strength there. I think keeping her in there but having accomodations written may make more sense. Taking her out of the class may mean she has less writing but she may be too advanced for the other class bringing on other problems like boredom etc. I would let it sit in your brain - talk to the teacher and the school and see what can be done. On the other hand - if the teacher is going to be a problem all year then maybe it is for the best.
It may be that the teacher doesn't complete understand the situation. Or she could be one of those teachers that doesn't understand that children can often be advanced and still have problems that need accomodations. Either way - talking to the school and the teacher before making your decision is your best bet - and give you a better read on the situation.
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Post by sierra on Nov 17, 2003 12:30:27 GMT -5
Hope she can get her typing speed up quick. The best way to do it is practice. See if you can get her to do more of her homework on the computer.
L'il Sprout has been typing nearly anything that could be typed since near the end of 4th grade. Now he's in 6th grade. Sometimes he needs help with formatting but he types about 35 wpm. He still needs parental proof reading but he is much more articulate when he types instead of writes. He'll put in more detail. His thoughts are better developed.
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Post by camismom on Nov 18, 2003 8:57:26 GMT -5
Well, I did finally speak to the teacher and have spoken to the 6th grade asst. principal twice. Though the teacher was a little condescending , we did get some things cleared up. She agreed to make a few accomadations for Cami in the future if she is having trouble completing certain assignments in class. The Asst. Principal was very helpful and concerned and is going to get the 504 started when the 6th grade counselor returns from a training class she's at now. We are going to move her into the regular class, although I know some of you advised against it or disagree. This is something Cami adamantly wants, she is genuinely fearfull she won't be able to meet the demands of this Honors class. She has so much else to worry with and life is hard enough on her already, I felt I should back her on this and not cause her any more undue stress. Thanks for all the feedback. Have a good day! |
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