Special Education Action is a 501(c)3 nonprofit publisher covering special education.
Its mission is to ensure parents, educators, and students have the information and tools necessary to fully understand, address, and safeguard the unique needs of all students who require special education.
Recent Articles
More Words on “Just Words”; When the Student has Dyslexia and the School Chooses a Program that the Publisher of the Program Doesn’t Endorse for Dyslexia
Wilson, the publisher of the program “Just Words” has stated that the program is not for children with Dyslexia, and yet Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia (and other school divisions) continues to recommend the program for students who have Dyslexia.
In two previous articles, I shared the article, “When It’s Not Dyslexia”, which appears in Wilson’s “Decoder” Newsletter; a partial IEP transcript, in which a FCPS Dyslexia Resource acknowledges that Wilson does not endorse “Just Words” for students with Dyslexia, and the final decision of a Due Process hearing, in which the hearing officer wrote:
” From the evidence presented at the hearing, I have learned there are several competing methodologies that address learning disabilities associated with dyslexia. But it is clear to this Hearing Officer that JUST WORDS is not one of them.”
If this isn’t enough to convince your school division that “Just Words” isn’t appropriate for your student with Dyslexia, there’s the following, straight from Wilson Reading System Instructor Manual, Steps 1-6.
Language Live, Part Deux; When the Data Collected Doesn’t Belong on IEPs
“I wouldn’t count that”.
~Alicia Kuehn, Curriculum Resource Teacher
Region 1 Point of Contact
Office of Special Education Instruction
Fairfax County Public Schools
This quote refers to data Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) included in IEP Progress reports and in an IEP being developed for the coming year.
Not good.
I share it, and the story behind it (as with the article “If Your Child was Administered the Program Language Live, this Article is for You”), with hope that it will inform other families about data being culled from the program Language Live.
What’s on the IEP PLOP Page—and What Should Actually Be on the IEP PLOP Page?
“The term “individualized education program” or “IEP” means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with this section and that includes—
(I) a statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including . . .”
It doesn’t state that it should include present levels from a year ago or two years ago. It states present levels—as in, where is the student NOW.
And yet . . . There are IEPs that don’t have baseline data at the start of each year to measure progress. They are void of PRESENT levels.
If you happen to have a child in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), there is an IEP page that is actually titled, “Information Related to Present Level of Educational Performance”.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has called out FCPS on its use of the page.
How to Choose a Reading Program that Addresses the Needs of a Student? Clue: Take “Convenience” and “Trust in Colleagues” Off Your List
And let’s imagine that the school division denied that child an evaluation three times between first and sixth grades.
And let’s imagine, too, that the child finally received an IEP and that you went to mediation and that the school division enrolled your child in a year-long reading elective during 7th grade and provided tutoring twice a week, one hour each time, after school, for a chunk of the school year.
And, last—but not least—let’s imagine that you uncovered problems with the implementation of that program
And, let’s imagine that after all this, the school has another program for your child.
What would you do?
The Special-Education-Cholera-Outbreak-John-Snow Connection
With a little imagination, so much can be achieved with a low-cost, high-touch approach.
Do you know Dr. John Snow?
In 1854, a London cholera outbreak erupted, killing over 600 people in just over a week.
It had to be stopped.
But how? (And what does this have to do with special education?)
Dear Silverbrook ES: A Public List of Students Who Take Medicine is Not a Good Idea
Silverbrook Elementary School (SES), in Fairfax Station, Virginia, has a history of sharing personally identifiable information about students, which is a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
On at least two occasions, since 2015, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has provided SES “FERPA/confidentiality training”.
Looks like SES needs more.