SLD in math calculation that needs support not replacement

[WM2025EHS]

I have a question. I teach high school, mostly resource math and ELA. I have an IEP meeting coming up where it got pretty contentious at last year's meeting. The student has a SLD in math calculations. Mom wants the student to be able to use a calculator for everything. I pushed back, saying we want to grow her skills. The team decided that we would leave the use of a calculator in the IEP as an accommodation, but only for non-basic calculation problems. (Because I want her to practice those basic calculations.) She also has an accommodation to use a student-completed multiplication chart. Her skills have benefited from this. However, she is a distance learner this year, so I have no new data suggesting her skills are continuing to benefit, nor do I have a way to monitor whether she's using a calculator for every problem.

 

Do you have any suggestions as to how to approach this to help mom feel like we're all on the same team instead of adversaries?

[Lisa Lightner]

I think it helps to remember that some people really do need a calculator their whole lives...and that’s okay. What matters is maximizing her skills and independence, wherever that line is for her.

I’d frame the discussion around data, not opinion: what progress you’ve seen so far, what’s unknown right now with distance learning, and how to gather new information. That keeps the focus on supporting the student, not debating the tool.

[Carolyn Rowlett]

I agree with Lisa regarding the use of a calculator.  Many people need a calculator in their daily lives, and the vast majority use it whether they actually "need" it or not.  With her being in high school, at this point you are readying her for life beyond high school, which for her may be life with a calculator.

Having said that, it is important that she know the concepts behind math calculation problems (as opposed to just rote memory).  For instance, that 24 is 4 groups of 6 or 2 groups of 12 or 3 groups of 8.

I'm a little confused as to why no data is available because of distance learning.  Believe me, I understand the difficulty with distance learning, but isn't there a way to work with her remotely and verbally ask her her multiplication facts (i.e., flash cards)?  Or have her complete a worksheet that she holds up and shows you?  I assume she is getting specialized instruction minutes in math pursuant to her IEP, so can't data be collected during those sessions?