Please help. Today is NOREP day 10 for high school student with ASD, ADHD, SLD written expression After meeting #10 this year, an IEE completed in June, with an advocate signed on since December, there are “surprises” in the finalized version. My big issue: “How Progress is Measured” next to the Writing goal. Student work samples has always been included along with their “teach checklist”, “teacher rubric”, etc. In the finalized IEP, they just put Keystone Rubric alone. They had some other rubric in the draft, which I called the advocate about prior to the meeting and told her absolutely no…that his actual work samples had to be included with the rubric for Measuring Progress. She absolutely agreed, I told them at the meeting (with advocate), and they said “ok”, but they only have Keystone Rubric and refuse to add student written work samples. They also added a ridiculous baseline right with the goal that is one paragraph from last October and was not scored properly (which underscores why the actual work must be part of the “measuring progress”. They refuse to remove this “let’s shove a bunch of crap in after the meeting and after the lawyers go over it”. There are a lot of things that I’m not happy about in the IEP, but this is the last straw for me. Once I allow them to implement an IEP without using my kiddos actual written work to measure goal progress, 1) I will never get my hands on his work, and 2) they will check off boxes/rubrics/excel sheets that won’t be accurate (trust me on this) and continue to fail my kiddo forward, and right out of high school:(. Can I file due process where I do not agree to the goal measurement? (Again, for good reason because their data tracking is pitiful). I know this sounds silly, but with literally a meeting a month for 2 kids at this district, where they change goals that we agreed to at a meeting and say “we determined after the meeting”, or “we looked at the data when we were writing it up”, or “we know we agreed but we looked over the data and…”. I know that after the meetings our IEPs go through a million different hands and get “tweaked” “adjusted”, etc., and the final version Always has changes that are easy to overlook, but are important. I’m sure the answer is yes, but are they allowed to change anything they want in the final version? Because plunking in a bs baseline with the writing goal (after 10 meetings), and refusing to keep “student work samples” smells rotten to me. Written expression has been a Big Deal the whole time, so these changes are not haphazard. Also, the NOREP does not state facts in some areas: kiddo got Below Basic on May Algebra Keystones (as I predicted), he had “Needs Support” benchmarks the whole year in Algebra, his IXL (3 assessments this year, last one in May) have him at 3rd grade Geometry, 2nd grade Measurement, and 5th grade in fractions, but they say and wrote on the NOREP refusing to create a math goal because, “rejected because current educational data do not demonstrate the need for separate annual math goal.” The NOREP also does not reflect things I requested and they refused at the meeting including: Adding a goal for planning and revision for Written Expression, changing the “how disability affects student” (they have 2 silly sentences that mean nothing, so I emailed a suggestion and they emailed back 2 minutes later saying no). They have no reason… Please help. I am so frustrated and do not want another IEP to go into effect when I do not agree…..if I do agree with their progress monitoring methodology, then there is no way for me to know what they are doing or how my kiddo is doing. I have seen and dealt with disappearing writing goals for years and know that without the actual work, they can and will say anything:(

Yes, requesting a PWN is always a good idea. But it doesn't always solve the problem. Have you requested an IEP meeting with the new school district IEP team? I would do that and discuss the change in the IEP, how it would affect your daughter, and how she wasn't doing anything wrong to have it taken away from her. If you have it, I would bring data (provider recommendations, examples of meltdowns if her own iPad is taken away, etc.) showing why insisting on a school-issued iPad would create a barrier to her education. Stick to data and her legal rights. If still unresolved after the meeting, definitely request a PWN with a detailed explanation of why your request was denied.

Yes, I do, though maybe not in the way you're thinking. The present levels stuff I have is for teachers who contribute to IEPs. https://dontiepalone.com/iep-bundle-teachers/ I have lots of sample Present Levels statements, goals, accommodations, and other IEP examples in those IEP Toolkits (now sold as a bundle). I also have several articles on Present Levels. https://adayinourshoes.com/present-levels-iep/ One thing I would caution against is trying to make the Present Levels "strongly worded." Instead, make them specific, objective, and data-driven. A statement backed by data is much harder for a team to dismiss than one that's simply written with stronger language. For example, instead of saying your son has "major executive functioning challenges" or "severe work avoidance," I'd want the IEP to describe exactly what that looks like. How often does he initiate work independently? How many assignments are incomplete? How many prompts does he require? What happens when supports are removed? What is the educational impact? https://adayinourshoes.com/task-avoidance-task-initiation/ https://adayinourshoes.com/teaching-task-initiation/ For students who are cognitively strong, schools often spend a lot of time describing their strengths while minimizing how their disability affects their ability to access their education. "He's very bright" or "He's capable of grade-level work" doesn't tell the team why he's not making meaningful progress. The Present Levels should clearly explain how his executive functioning, emotional regulation, anxiety, or work-avoidant behaviors affect his ability to complete work, participate in class, make progress toward goals, and access the curriculum. That's the information that drives appropriate goals, accommodations, and services. Since you mentioned that his therapeutic school tends to downplay his needs, I'd also compare his progress reports to the actual data. Do the grades, missing assignments, behavior logs, teacher emails, or other documentation tell the same story? If not, that's something I would absolutely raise at the IEP meeting and ask the team to explain. And one last tip: whenever you see phrases like "needs occasional prompting," "sometimes struggles," or "making progress," ask for the data behind those statements. How much prompting? How often? What data shows he's making progress? Vague language is one of the biggest red flags I see in Present Levels. The more specific and measurable they are, the better the rest of the IEP will be.

Posting for a reader: Do you have templates or examples of specific and strongly worded Present Levels statements for highly cognitive teens who face social, emotional, and major executive functioning challenges? My son's therapeutic school tends to downplay his needs in his IEP and progress reports. While he has significant potential, his progress has been severely limited by massive work-avoidant behaviors. Any resources you could share to help ensure his IEP accurately reflects and addresses his challenges would be greatly appreciated.

First, I'm so sorry this happened to your son. No child should be afraid to get on the van just to get to school. And yes, I can tell you that the same thing happened to my son years ago. So yes, it absolutely can be done. In our particular case, it escalated quickly. The other boy decided that he just did not like my child (both have profound autism) and then it culminated in the other boy actually breaking Kevin's seizure helmet. I was seeing red, believe me. A few thoughts: The school district cannot simply shrug and say, "Well, the transportation company hasn't figured it out yet." The district is ultimately responsible for ensuring your child receives transportation safely if transportation is part of his educational program. Contracting with a private transportation company doesn't transfer that responsibility. If they promised you last year that your son would be on a different van, I would immediately put everything in writing (if you haven't already). I'd send an email to the special education director, transportation director, and your son's case manager. Include inyour email: The assault that occurred last year. The other dangerous behaviors you witnessed or were told about. The district's assurance that your son would be assigned to a different van this school year. That, as of today, they have not implemented that solution. That you are requesting written confirmation of the transportation plan before school begins. I would also state plainly that your son cannot safely ride with the student who assaulted him and that you are requesting transportation that allows him to access his education safely. Mention the possibilities of what could happen if this is not fixed (serious injury, school refusal). Keep everything in email/writing. (You know that's one of my favorite pieces of advice.) Would I hire an attorney today? Probably not as my very first step. I'd first create a solid paper trail showing that you've notified the district of the safety concern and given them an opportunity to fix it. If they refuse, ignore you, or insist he ride anyway despite the documented safety concerns, then it may be time to consult a special education attorney or advocate in your state. One other question: Is transportation listed as a related service on your son's IEP? If so, that strengthens your position because the district has an obligation to provide that service in a manner that is safe and appropriate. Don't let anyone minimize this by calling it "a transportation issue." Your son cannot benefit from his education if he's terrified to get on the van every day. I'd start with the paper trail. If they still refuse to act, then we can talk about the next escalation steps.

Posting for a reader: I have a question regarding the transportation for my son that his local public school provides. Last year at the end of the school year my son was attacked by another student on the same van. The student also pulled another child’s hair and also grabbed the van driver’s arm while driving. The other child goes to the same private school as my son but is a student in another school district, but the same county as we live in. The school is not in our county it is about 48 miles each way. The public schools have a contract with a local company to provide bus and van services. So they do not have the transportation hired directly. I was told that last year that by this coming school year they would put our son on a different van so that he would not need to be scared every time he got onto the van going to or from school. I am now being told that as of today they still have not resolved it van situation for this coming school year. I am not going to put my son in danger going to or from school anymore. I need some advice as to what my rights are. Should I contact a lawyer to get this problem resolved or what can I do.