Parents Request Modification, School Says Unnecessary

[Brittney M]

Looking for input / experiences navigating IEP placement & curriculum modification:

Right now it feels like we’re not speaking the same language as our school team.

 

A bit about our sweet student:

• FSIQ: 66

• Multiple diagnoses impacting cognitive and adaptive functioning (FASD, ASD L2, IDD)

• Two full educational evaluations completed (school + outside evaluator)
  → Results are nearly identical, indicating validity

• Reading comprehension: ~2nd grade equivalent

• Receptive & expressive vocabulary: both under the 1st percentile

• Numerical operations & computation: under the 1st percentile

• Already retained one grade (our decision, due to her disabilities)

 

Current concerns:

• I first raised concerns about curriculum modification in September

• We now have a full semester of data showing:

• Even with an extensive list of accommodations, the gap between the grade-level curriculum and her actual understanding is astronomical

• Oh, I also homeschooled her for 5 years so I'm pretty intimately aware of her academic abilities.

• • Lack of meaningful progress
  • No transfer of skills ("Can do it" at school but has never been able to demonstrate a glimmer of understanding at home)
  • No testing that demonstrates she can contextualize or apply grade-level material
  • Relative strength in working memory (42nd percentile) Meaning she can immediately echo and imitate in the moment, but nothing is transferring to true understanding.

   

What we’re hearing from the team:

• “I know what this (30-page evaluation) says, but that’s not the student we see in the classroom.”

• “This is absolutely not a kiddo who can’t get a standard diploma.”

• “She socializes with peers, a different placement would be devastating to her.”

 

Our perspective:
Her post–high school goal is to live independently someday. That’s the end target we are working toward.

Right now, she is in 6th grade and:

• Misspells her middle name, doesn't know her birthday

• Does not know her address

• Cannot reliably read a clock

• Has ~1st grade number sense

• Struggles significantly with functional understanding

We strongly feel that keeping her on curriculum that is far beyond her cognitive ability is not providing FAPE, specifically, appropriate education.

 

Real-world examples we’ve used to explain this gap:

• She can read a box of mac and cheese, but doesn’t understand what any of the words mean

• If she’s on a public bus and needs stop 13, seeing stop 12 gives her no understanding of whether she’s one stop away or fifty

• If she needs to leave at 6:10 and the clock says 6:11, she will continue waiting until it shows 6:10

• 
  We fear the team is comfortable “helping her pass along,” and we’ll end up with a high schooler who still has 1st-grade daily living skills, unprepared to meet her own stated goals.

We meet again in a few weeks.

 

Thank you so much for reading and sharing your experiences.

[Carolyn Rowlett]

Wow.  Sounds like you have your ducks in a row, but the school refused to look at the ducks.

One question:  If you homeschooled for 5 years, how long has she been in the public school system?  Around 2 years?

Given that you seem to have the data, here are my suggestions:

1. When you state "lack of meaningful progress" are you talking about IEP goals or gen ed?  If you can point to lack of progress on IEP goals, that is an argument for change - placement, modifications, etc.  (Of course, IEP goals can speak to gen ed progress, such as reading level, but having them in the IEP is best for enforcement of change.)

2. Is the director of special education involved yet?  A lot of times just going up the chain of command will get things addressed.  Send an email to him/her with all background information.  "Up the chain of command" could mean going all the way to the superintendent and school board.

3.  When are post-secondary transition services required (or allowed - sometimes the requirement is 16, but can start as young as 14) in your state?  I would calendar to request a transition evaluation as soon as you can.  That will help to point out all the ways in which she is not prepared for post-secondary life.  If the school does an insufficient one, request an IEE.

4. Reach out to your state department of education (special education division) to see if they have any suggestions.  Also ask when you can request a transition evaluation.  Finally, see if they can refer you to any agencies who do pro bono advocacy.

5. If your state offers mediation or facilitated IEP meetings, request one or both of those.

6. If you can afford one, if the school district keeps dragging their feet, you may need to hire an advocate and/or attorney to force this issue by filing a due process complaint.  Sometimes just the filing brings the school to the table with more flexibility.

[Carolyn Rowlett]

1. It really doesn't matter what the "mindset" was when the goals were created.  It she is not making sufficient progress on them, something needs to change.  Period.  And that change can certainly be modifications or change in placement.

3. Try to reason with the team that at some point they are going to have to teach her time, money, etc. skills, as part of the transition process to post-secondary life, so why not start now?  It's ridiculous that they can't "go back" and teach skills that were never acquired.  If I child with dyslexia never learned how to read and is in 6th grade, the school would have to go back to teach 1st grade skills such as phonological awareness and phonics.   (I would definitely ask your state department of education about this statement.)  Also, modifying the curriculum does not equal "move out of gen ed."  Should she have a lot of pull out minutes?  Yes, absolutely.  But she can still have access to gen ed students by way of lunch, recess, specials, , classroom parties, etc.  You can't use "social needs" as an excuse not to provide FAPE.  This school just doesn't want to deal with her.

Another thing to keep in mind that I forgot to mention in my first reply.  As soon as it is available, move her to a "life skills" math class (which may just mean having all math minutes in the spec ed room and none in gen ed).  She will never be able to keep up with grade level math - nor does she need to; all she needs are "life skills," which honestly are all most people ever need in terms of math.  Don't let her sit in a class in which she is not comprehending.  It's SUCH a waste of time.  She could be learning things like money value and time, which ARE worth spending time on.

 

[Brittney M]

20 hours ago, Carolyn Rowlett said:

Wow.  Sounds like you have your ducks in a row, but the school refused to look at the ducks.

One question:  If you homeschooled for 5 years, how long has she been in the public school system?  Around 2 years?

Given that you seem to have the data, here are my suggestions:

1. When you state "lack of meaningful progress" are you talking about IEP goals or gen ed?  If you can point to lack of progress on IEP goals, that is an argument for change - placement, modifications, etc.  (Of course, IEP goals can speak to gen ed progress, such as reading level, but having them in the IEP is best for enforcement of change.)

2. Is the director of special education involved yet?  A lot of times just going up the chain of command will get things addressed.  Send an email to him/her with all background information.  "Up the chain of command" could mean going all the way to the superintendent and school board.

3.  When are post-secondary transition services required (or allowed - sometimes the requirement is 16, but can start as young as 14) in your state?  I would calendar to request a transition evaluation as soon as you can.  That will help to point out all the ways in which she is not prepared for post-secondary life.  If the school does an insufficient one, request an IEE.

4. Reach out to your state department of education (special education division) to see if they have any suggestions.  Also ask when you can request a transition evaluation.  Finally, see if they can refer you to any agencies who do pro bono advocacy.

5. If your state offers mediation or facilitated IEP meetings, request one or both of those.

6. If you can afford one, if the school district keeps dragging their feet, you may need to hire an advocate and/or attorney to force this issue by filing a due process complaint.  Sometimes just the filing brings the school to the table with more flexibility.

** Trying to reply to you but may have hit the wrong button. Thank you for your response!

I homeschooled her 1st - 5th. She entered 5th grade in January for spring semester. She's now been in public for 2 full semesters. 

1. Both, including IEP goals. Her progress monitoring shows regression on some goals and lack of significant progress on others. However, her goals were created with the mindset of "She can reach 6th grade standards with enough support".. we're now confident we need to move the goalposts so to speak, having completed an outside educational assessment and watching her absorb nothing so far this school year. We have no data from her work, evaluations, observations, her own words.. to continue to support the thinking that she is capable of learning this level of rigor at this time. 

2. No, they are not yet. I will loop them in on my IEP Meeting follow-up email. 

3. Transition services are required in 9th grade or 16yrs old. She's currently 12.5 yrs old and given her FASD dx, takes several years longer than other kids to acquire skills. Her birthday, for example, we've been working on for 6 years. All that to say, 4-5 yrs of transition services will likely be insufficient time for her to acquire all the goals needed to fit her stated goal of living independently. 

We have been told that they cannot "go back" and teach her the 1st-2nd grade skills like time, money value, etc. because they "have to tie it to grade-level standards, anything else would be modifying the curriculum", which they don't feel is appropriate for her because she would be moved out of gen. ed. and is apparently too social to get her cognitive needs met. 
 

[Brittney M]

On 1/13/2026 at 11:28 AM, Carolyn Rowlett said:

Wow.  Sounds like you have your ducks in a row, but the school refused to look at the ducks.

One question:  If you homeschooled for 5 years, how long has she been in the public school system?  Around 2 years?

Given that you seem to have the data, here are my suggestions:

1. When you state "lack of meaningful progress" are you talking about IEP goals or gen ed?  If you can point to lack of progress on IEP goals, that is an argument for change - placement, modifications, etc.  (Of course, IEP goals can speak to gen ed progress, such as reading level, but having them in the IEP is best for enforcement of change.)

2. Is the director of special education involved yet?  A lot of times just going up the chain of command will get things addressed.  Send an email to him/her with all background information.  "Up the chain of command" could mean going all the way to the superintendent and school board.

3.  When are post-secondary transition services required (or allowed - sometimes the requirement is 16, but can start as young as 14) in your state?  I would calendar to request a transition evaluation as soon as you can.  That will help to point out all the ways in which she is not prepared for post-secondary life.  If the school does an insufficient one, request an IEE.

4. Reach out to your state department of education (special education division) to see if they have any suggestions.  Also ask when you can request a transition evaluation.  Finally, see if they can refer you to any agencies who do pro bono advocacy.

5. If your state offers mediation or facilitated IEP meetings, request one or both of those.

6. If you can afford one, if the school district keeps dragging their feet, you may need to hire an advocate and/or attorney to force this issue by filing a due process complaint.  Sometimes just the filing brings the school to the table with more flexibility.

We had another IEP meeting yesterday as I continue to fight for modified curriculum for my intellectually disabled 5th grader. This time, I brought the psychologist that provided the most recent (third) educational assessment. The meeting lasted 3.5hrs and we both left astounded. Below is the summary / follow-up that I have drafted to send the team. I would be so appreciative if you'd read it and tell me what on earth to do next. 

 

I am writing to document the concerns discussed during Zyriel Machovec’s IEP meeting and to request specific actions and documentation as outlined below. 

CONCERNS NOT RESOLVED

Despite comprehensive evaluation data provided to the team, including the December 2, 2025 Educational Assessment by Dr. Dara Delancy, Psy.D., and the January 30, 2026 Written Expression Evaluation by Casey Edwards, M.S., CSP, the IEP team’s position is that modified curriculum is either not necessary or cannot be provided to Zyriel. It was shared that her IQ score does not fall within the range required for modified curriculum. 

Exhaustive data demonstrates that Zyriel’s academic performance is significantly below grade-level expectations:

• Full Scale IQ: 67 (1st percentile) - Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence

• Reading Comprehension: 71 (3rd percentile) - 2nd grade equivalency

• Math Problem Solving: 62 (0.6th percentile) - 1st grade equivalency

• Numerical Operations: 63 (0.7th percentile) - 1st grade equivalency

• Written Expression: 48 (<0.1 percentile) - Very Low range

• Listening Comprehension: 68 (2nd percentile) - Extremely Low range

• Adaptive Behavior Composite: 66 (1st percentile) - Low range

Despite these documented deficits, Zyriel is expected to access 6th-grade curriculum with accommodations only. Our ongoing concern is that she is being provided content that is immediately beyond her comprehension, supported through intensive teacher assistance to complete assignments, continually retaught the same material and then unable to retain or generalize this information. This does not constitute meaningful educational progress and does not provide Zyriel with a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) as required under IDEA. This educational path does not do justice to Zyriel's needs or abilities. 

FORMAL REQUESTS

1. Prior Written Notice (PWN)

I await a Prior Written Notice documenting the decision to keep Zyriel at sixth grade standard curriculum and reasoning, reasonably by February 20, 2026. 

2. Progress Monitoring Documentation

I request copies of all rubrics currently being used to measure Zyriel’s progress monitoring, along with any scripts or instructional supports being utilized. The progress monitoring data appears to reflect “supported” performance rather than independent mastery. This supported data does not accurately represent what Zyriel truly knows and can do independently, which is essential information for appropriate educational planning and measuring meaningful progress toward IEP goals.

3. i-Ready Data and Analysis

I was provided with i-Ready summaries during the meeting. Upon review, I have identified the following concerns:

Mathematics i-Ready Data:

• February 9, 2026: Zyriel spent 40 minutes on “Writing fractions greater than 1 as a mixed number” - 0/4 correct

• January 29-30, 2026: Zyriel spent a combined 52 minutes on “Finding a fraction of a whole number (Parts 1 & 2)” - 2/8 correct

• September 29, 2025: “Tell if a difference is less than or greater than 10 and make a 10 to subtract” - 60% after 2 attempts

I do not see evidence that the program returned to reteach these skills despite inadequate mastery. This raises concerns about whether i-Ready is appropriately responsive to Zyriel’s learning needs and whether skill gaps are being systematically addressed.

ELA i-Ready Data:

I understood during the meeting that each lesson should require approximately 20+ minutes for adequate instruction and practice. Zyriel is spending less than 8 minutes on nearly all ELA lessons, which suggests inadequate time for meaningful learning.

I request digital copies of both the Mathematics and ELA i-Ready summaries, along with an explanation of how lesson completion time and accuracy data are being used to inform instruction and determine whether skills have been mastered.

4. Math180 and Reading180 Programming

The option was presented for Zyriel to participate in Math180 and Reading180 interventions; however, this would require her to forfeit both elective courses. While I recognize these may be valuable interventions given our limited options, I want it documented that requiring a student with multiple disabilities to sacrifice all enrichment, social, and creative opportunities in order to access appropriate academic instruction is inequitable and potentially restrictive. Students should not have to choose between access to grade-level peers in non-academic settings and receiving instruction at their instructional level. This is an obviously unfair option for Zyriel. 

5. Current Grade Data

Zyriel currently has a 70% in ELA, which the team relied upon heavily to justify continuing the 6th grade standards course of action. As I shared during our meeting, grades are not equally weighted in validity as objective, full scale neuropsychological evaluations, of which we have three. Grades can be used to supplement concrete data-based documentation, not to override it. 
From IDEA Section 300.101(c)(1):
Each state must ensure that FAPE is available to any child with a disability who needs special education and related services even if the child has not failed, been retained, or is advancing from grade to grade.

No additional data was provided during this meeting that contradicts the documented academic and adaptive deficits outlined in Zyriel’s three psycho-educational evaluations. The Written Language Evaluation completed by the school psychometrist on January 14, 2026, was consistent with all previous evaluation data, further supporting the need for significantly modified curriculum.

PARENT DECISION REGARDING IEP GOAL

I am requesting removal of the “homework log” goal from Zyriel’s IEP. Zyriel will not be required to complete homework that is inappropriate for her current skill level and does not align with her documented educational needs.

SUMMARY

The evaluation data is unequivocal: Zyriel’s cognitive abilities (1st percentile), academic achievement (ranging from <0.1 percentile to 3rd percentile in core academic areas), and adaptive functioning (1st percentile) indicate that she requires specialized instruction with modified curriculum focused on functional academics and life skills. Providing grade-level content with accommodations has not resulted in meaningful progress and does not meet the standard of FAPE.

During the meeting, it was mentioned that the school “doesn’t have a Tier-3 ELA classroom.” Of course, this is not an acceptable justification under IDEA for denying appropriate services. The lack of an existing program does not negate the school district’s obligation to provide FAPE. Additionally, even if such a classroom existed, placement in a 6th-grade Tier-3 ELA classroom would be inappropriate given Zyriel’s reading comprehension at 2nd-grade equivalency.

It is the district’s obligation is to provide programming appropriate to Zyriel’s documented needs. Unfortunately, I did not hear at yesterday's how the district plans to provide Zyriel with an educational program that is truly appropriate to her abilities and will result in meaningful, measurable learning that is individualized to her future goals.

Please confirm receipt of this email and place a copy inside Zyriel’s IEP. Please also provide a timeline for when the requested documentation will be available.

[Carolyn Rowlett]

I'm sorry the meeting did not go well.  I would strongly urge you to bring an advocate to your next meeting.  (I can't remember what state you're in, but advocates can attend IEP meetings virtually from anywhere in the country.  If you cannot afford one, I would ask your state department of education for information on low-cost or pro bono advocacy services.)  In lieu of or in addition to getting an advocate, I would request a mediation.

Before addressing your draft, some questions.  I'm confused as to what special education instruction and minutes she is receiving in the special education setting for reading, math, and written expression.  The school stated they have no "Tier 3 ELA Classroom."  You're spot on when you state lack of a program, etc., is not a reason to deny services needed.  However, your daughter needs specialized instruction in the spec ed classroom, not Tier 3 interventions - she's way too far behind in reading for that.  The school offered Math180 and Reading180 classes in the gen ed setting, but what is she receiving in terms of specialized instruction in the spec ed setting, which is what she actually needs?!?

Speaking of special education minutes, those minutes are more important than what is considered by i-Ready to be a lesson and that's what you look to for enforcement of the IEP.  How many minutes does the IEP state are to be spent on specialized instruction in reading?  If she is not getting those full minutes (regardless of what instruction they use), it is a violation of the IEP (and something for which a state complaint could be filed).    [Another thing you could ask for is a log of minutes for all specialized instruction received in the spec ed room over the course of the IEP year.  Then match that up with what the IEP requires.]  I personally don't like i-Ready as a form of instruction.  I assume it's online and no one is with her as she completes the lessons?  She needs individualized, intensive instruction, which i-Ready cannot provide.

  Now to address your draft.  Here are my suggested revisions/additions:

1. CONCERNS NOT RESOLVED.  For their "IQ score does not fall within the range required for modified curriculum" argument,  ask them to show you where this is stated in school policy, state law, or federal law.  And how being in the first percentile for IQ doesn't meet this criteria??

2. FORMAL REQUESTS.  Regarding your request for progress monitoring, I would ask for all raw data collection and screeners/assessments used to monitor progress.  But I think the best way to handle this is to make sure the goals are written that she is to achieve them independently without accommodations or support.  Regarding the i-Ready math data, again, I would not focus on i-Ready specifically, but rather what the IEP (goals) states.  If she has goals for all the deficits you list above, she has to meet those regardless of whether a particular instruction allows her to "move on."  If she doesn't have these as goals, ask that they be added.

Lastly, regarding your request for a copy of this email to be placed inside the IEP, I would ask that a copy be placed in your daughter's educational file.  With respect to the IEP, I would review what is currently in the "parent concerns" section and ask that to be replaced with something you draft that is similar to the email, but does not include requests for documents, etc., that would not be appropriate for a "parents concerns" statement.