PS life skills programs for borderline kids?- jr high or high school

[Hilltopmom]

I'm wondering if anyone has their borderline iq (but high functioning socially & in daily life) child in a public life skills type program? (Our schools have either mainstream honors level classes or life skills level, nothing at all in between)

 

If so, what does their academic curriculum include? How about the non academic life skills stuff?

 

Does their class go to specials such as art, music, electives? Or is it at a separate location, like a BOCES without a regular high school nearby for electives?

 

How's it going? Pros/ cons?

Thanks

Edited July 4, 2016 by Hilltopmom

[Daria]

In our area, the public school life skills classes are very specifically limited to kids who are assessed based on alternate standards.  Those standards are limited to students with the "most significant cognitive difficulties", a category that does not include kids with borderline IQ.  That language about "most significant cognitive difficulties" comes from federal law, so it may be an issue in other states.

 

At the high school level, our area has a similar split.  There are some "on level" classes, but they are still very rigorous.  Kids with disabilities who are working on regular standards are allowed accommodations, but not modifications, although different IEP teams have different ideas about what that means.  However, there's an enormous split between the "life skills" options and the "diploma track" options in our schools.

 

There 3 different "life skills" options in our district.  The one a child like yours would end up, if you got around the "significant cognitive disabilities" thing would be "Learning for Independence."  The LFI classes are housed in regular public high schools.  They serve a wide range of kids, from kids with mild ID and no complicating factors, to kids who may be non verbal, have significant autism, or other additional complexities.  In most of the programs, the program has several classrooms, and the kids rotate between them in homogenous groups according to perceived ability.  

Our schools run on 7 or 8 period schedules, depending on whether they block schedule.  In my experience, the majority of kids in LFI take 5 classes in the LFI program: English, Math, Science, Social Studies and a "Life Skills" class.  In my experience, the academics in these classes are very stripped down, and expectations are low. They also take an adaptive PE class, which may be combined with a gen ed PE class, and kids are usually included in an arts class of some kind.  There are some kids who are included one or two periods a day in other academic classes.  Usually the kids "audit" the classes, meaning that they don't earn a "real" credit, and all assignments and tests are waived.  Sometimes there is an effort to modify assignments 

The LFI classes also take a lot of field trips, to places like fast food restaurants and the grocery store.   This means that the kids who are included in gen ed classes are out once or twice a week,

In most of the schools I've talked to the kids eat in the general cafeteria, but the kids usually end up segregating themselves in a section of the cafeteria.  There are some social activities that are set up specifically to be included.  For example, many of the schools that host LFI programs (or the Autism or School Community Based program which serves the kids with multiple disabilities) have Best Buddies chapters that are active.  They also have corollary sports, which are sports that are specifically designed to be inclusive.  

 

I have some strong opinions about "Life Skills" classrooms.  I run/teach in a program for kids with ID and Development Disabilities that uses a different model.  However, I wasn't sure if you were looking for experiences or just facts, so I'll leave them out unless you specifically ask.  

[Hilltopmom]

Thank you. I was a special Ed teacher years ago, back when there were different diploma options for kids with different skill levels & I'm just sad that there aren't any now for my child who is really too high for life skills, but not going to be able to get a regular diploma either.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Hilltopmom

[Daria]

Thank you. I was a special Ed teacher years ago, back when there were different diploma options for kids with different skill levels & I'm just sad that there aren't any now for my child who is really too high for life skills, but not going to be able to get a regular diploma either.

 

I agree 100%.  

 

I do think that there are some people who have managed to build more inclusive programs for their kids.  Sometimes I see it go very badly, and sometimes well.

 

There is also a movement gaining traction in certain religious schools to be more inclusive, and to create more options. PM me if you want more details on that front.

[Hilltopmom]

We're in a very rural area, so I don't see anything changing here in time for her.

 

We'll likely just keep trudging through at home using modified & adapted stuff, (this is our first year using actual special Ed materials instead of me adapting homeschool curricula), adding my own life skills aspect & letting her do all the extra curriculars she wants in the community. Plus volunteering, she has a few things she does regularly.

 

Sometimes, it'd be nice to think the grass could be greener at ps.

 

She may, at least, be able to do a vo tech program in 11/12. Won't get her a diploma ( & in our state homeschool diplomas are not recognized), but would get her job skills.

[Heathermomster]

OP, you are better off speaking with your local ps.  Where I live, the high schools and what they offer vary depending upon the school district.  

[imagine.more]

Thank you. I was a special Ed teacher years ago, back when there were different diploma options for kids with different skill levels & I'm just sad that there aren't any now for my child who is really too high for life skills, but not going to be able to get a regular diploma either.

 

We're in the same boat with DD14. She's really not in need of spending hours learning to cook or buy basic items at a store, but she does need explicit instruction in anything and cannot handle a high school curriculum. Especially with the new requirements for Algebra in 8th grade....which is absurd imo to require. 

 

Anyway, we just had a long interview with the public school about their programs and basically here is what we were told. 

 

As a mild ID (her IQ is 69, so very mild) she'd go into the Special Needs class. They keep a small class size (10-15) and have alternative curriculums for the kids to follow in math & language arts. As a high functioning she'd be allowed to do classes in the mainstream if/when she wanted and could handle it. So for example if she was pretty decent in math but not language arts she could take mainstream math and SPED language arts. Because of her functioning skills she'd definitely have the option to do normal electives like PE, Chorus, Art, etc. She would not be required to do a foreign language, just either a focus on art or technology or some other specific focus. In the SPED class she could eat lunch separately or go to the cafeteria. They would spend part of the day focusing on life skills like cooking in their model kitchen, field trips to local businesses, and practicing other life skills stuff. It seems like that would take the place of SS and Science maybe or be an extension of it. 

 

BUT, in our state (Virginia) she could not get a diploma if she cannot pass the SOL (Standards of Learning) graduation tests (DH and I are now joking that the SOL stands for Shit Out of Luck, haha!) So even if she took regular mainstream classes all through with accommodations and got passing grades if she could not pass the SOL test she'd get a "certificate of completion" and not a high school diploma. That was super frustrating to me. And if she takes the SPED classes and all then she almost certainly would not get a diploma. 

 

So I wish I had more personal experience to share but that is what we were told at our high school so maybe it helps give an idea of how some are run. After learning all that we are leaning towards homeschooling with a modified curriculum for high school and awarding her a homeschool diploma so she can put on job applications that she did graduate high school. 

[Ottakee]

Our highschool program is more like imagine.more's.  I have had 3 kids go through it.  One most similar to your dd went to regular ed for classes other than math and language arts.  She even took a modified German 1 class.  She got the extra help but could be mainstreamed for most things.

[Daria]

Our highschool program is more like imagine.more's.  I have had 3 kids go through it.  One most similar to your dd went to regular ed for classes other than math and language arts.  She even took a modified German 1 class.  She got the extra help but could be mainstreamed for most things.

 

Our publc high school has options like that too, but they wouldn't be considered "Life Skills".  Life Skills refers to a specific model of special education.

[Hilltopmom]

Yeah, I already talked to our local school. They've got nothing for her. It's gen Ed with the full grad requirements for a diploma, passing all the state exams.... Or life skills at BOCES, with no diploma at all.

 

Just wondering what other areas are like, because I'm so frustrated with our lack of options.

 

Will likely keep her home till she can do the half day vo tech classes at the end of high school. I think I can continue to put together something more meaningful to her. She'll never get through chemistry or algebra to get a public school diploma or GED.

[Daria]

In our district, the other option for kids whose parents opt for a more inclusive placement, or kids who miss the cut off for "most significant cognitive disabilities", and thus are ineligible for life skills classrooms, is something like this:
 

A kid who has been found eligible for alternative standards, can take regular classes, or co-taught classes, or special education classes where the other kids are diploma track, and work on alternate versions of assignments.  They can progress through (e.g. attend Algebra 1 one year, and Geometry the next), with grading modified according to the IEP.  Because they aren't passing the finals or PARCC, they don't earn "real" credit, and at some point they get a certificate.

 

A kid who has not been found eligible for alternate standards, will take regular classes, or co-taught classes, or special education classes, or likely a combo, but won't be able to move beyond the classes they don't pass.  The decision to give a kid a certificate rather than a diploma can't be made until a child attempts high school for 4 complete years, without success.  Of course, by that time, repeating Algebra 1 4 times has done a number on their self esteem.  

Having said that, our district awards 50% as a minimum score for any assessment a kid "attempts", so some parents, through the use of tutors and homework help are able to carry a child across the finish line of many classes.  If you've got a 50% test average, and high scores on homework assignments (done with a lot of help) and essays and projects, it's often possible to pull off a grade of D.  In that case, the child will move on, although graduation may be problematic due to state assessments.