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Normal performing kid referred for "intervention" reading class


SKL
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Asking regarding a KG student, not my kid.  Child is very bright, has minor physical limitations due to mild CP (born at 26wks and had complications).  Just under 6yo, scored 100% on recent sight word test (40 words), reading at typical late KG level, doing well in KG math.  No problems noted on recent report card or daily check-ins with teacher.  Writing is physically difficult, but she gets it done.  Child has a 504 plan related to her physical difficulties.  During pre-K IEP testing, her overall age equivalent was about 1.5 years older than her chronological age IIRC.

 

School sent a letter to mom saying her child was referred for a new reading intervention program.  I should mention that this is a Catholic STEM school.  It is unclear how her child was selected.  Mom is upset because she feels the child is being singled out for reasons unrelated to her reading ability (her physical differences), and also because "why is this the first indication the child isn't doing great in school?"

 

I'm trying to be a voice of reason here, but my mind is going all over on this.  Some thoughts:

 

1.  Does this child need intervention?  Would she benefit from it?

  • Progress as described above sounds fine to me.
  • What the child will miss during "extra help" is unclear.
  • The kids in the intervention class are given additional written work at school & at home; inappropriate IMO especially for a child who struggles to write.
  • But, if she enjoys it it could be a great thing.  Depends on the quality.  My average kid has had good & bad tutors; the bad were a waste of time, but she begged to continue with the good one.
  • Could mom observe a class and then decide if this is of value to her child?

2. Why is this child being referred?

  • Arbitrarily because she has a 504 or is younger than most classmates?
  • Could it be that the 504 is the reason the school got funding for this new program in the first place?
  • The school population is very above average in reading, so "average" seems relatively slow?
  • Speech during reading out loud might not be super awesome?
  • A one-moment-in-time test that the kid blew for unknown reasons (such as meds that alter her mood, or bad ear infection)?
  • Some stupid reason like "well she walks funny so she must be slow"?

Do you moms have any wisdom to share with me here?  If this were your close friend, how would you advise?

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If she is absolutely sure her daughter isn't struggling in reading (and it sounds like she isn't), I would advise my friend to simply say "no." I'd advise her push the school if necessary, too. It sounds like, other than writing, the child is performing very well and above grade level, so if she doesn't NEED the reading intervention, I would find it inappropriate for her to miss anything the other students are doing -- to attend a class she doesn't need.

 

And, yeah, it's inappropriate that this intervention class is heavy on written work and she has a 504 specifically addressing the writing. 

 

Unless (and this is only a maybe) this class is pegged as a reading intervention class, but it actually covers reading and writing. Still inappropriate considering the medical plan and the reasons for the child's writing struggles, but I wonder if the writing is the reason for the referral, not the reading. 

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2. Why is this child being referred?

  • Arbitrarily because she has a 504 or is younger than most classmates?
  • Could it be that the 504 is the reason the school got funding for this new program in the first place?
  • The school population is very above average in reading, so "average" seems relatively slow?
  • Speech during reading out loud might not be super awesome?
  • A one-moment-in-time test that the kid blew for unknown reasons (such as meds that alter her mood, or bad ear infection)?
  • Some stupid reason like "well she walks funny so she must be slow"?

Do you moms have any wisdom to share with me here?  If this were your close friend, how would you advise?

 

The bolded plus the primary grade reading standards under Common Core being developmentally inappropriate IMHO. What used to be considered "1st grade" reading skills are now expected by the end of K.

 

It's insane and all sorts of kids who seem perfectly fine are now getting flagged for "intervention" while at the same time the kids who truly NEED intervention are not getting it because they're going to fail the state standardized tests regardless so the resources are being diverted to the kids "on the bubble".

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My guesses are that maybe there was a reading assessment that tests phonemic awareness, nonsense words and letter sound fluency that flagged her for it and then maybe it would be helpful, she got flagged because she has a 504 plan or maybe there is some sort of writing intervention too and they felt that was something she would benefit from. I would not necessarily dismiss it right off. I would want to know specifically why they flagged her and how the intervention class teaches that is different the the regular class.

Edited by MistyMountain
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It's a Catholic school so they don't even have to follow the 504 plan if they choose not to. Or, perhaps Catholic schools or this Catholic school has a policy of following 504's, but private schools in general can choose to do accommodations however they like.

 

I think you can't know why she was singled out without asking. I agree that it could be a prejudice against her because of the CP, or it could be because she's an average reader in a class with inappropriate expectations, or it could be it was standard for all kids receiving services already to be referred, or it could be she's struggling in some way the teacher sees that isn't covered by the testing but that the teacher thinks will hold her back as she progresses. Basically, you can speculate, but... without more information it seems like it could go on and on forever.

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Like some of the PPs, I'd ask questions. That said, my oldest got to 'informally' see the reading specialist when he was in K, because even though he was reading at K level for comprehension and 1st-2nd grade level for reading words/sentences, his phonics sucked. I ended up using a program for dyslexics in the summer between K and 1st grade (and later as well) to help him with sounding out words. But, he had (still has) a great memory for sight words, so he's never been below grade level for reading (which is why he got to see the reading specialist 'informally' - the teacher said that the school would never formally approved of it, but she agreed he needed it). 

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IME many schools are under so much pressure to make sure that every child is reading at an early age, that many children are being selected for intervention.  My kids went to private kindergarten which was "old fashioned"--half day, no pressure to read, lots of play-learning.  When they went to first grade they were "behind" because they were not reading.  Based on one diagnostic test, DD was selected for intervention. By the time the specialist met with her two weeks later, she said "Why did you refer this child to me, she is ahead in reading"--two weeks later when retesting was done she was reading at the TOP of the class.  DS was not reading when he entered first grade either; he did have intervention for about two or three months--by the end of the year he was reading above grade level.  The next year he scored a perfect score on all of the reading benchmarks.  

 

I can't speak to the particular situation at hand, but in my children's classes, a child would not have been singled out for intervention.  Almost every child in the class had some reason that they were pulled from the classroom each week--reading specialist, speech therapist, behavioral counseling, math tutoring, gifted and talented class, enrichment classes--the list went on and on.  In fact, I felt sorry for the teacher because she never had the full class together and was always being interrupted by one specialist or another.   

 

 

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any or even none of the above.

it's also possible she wasn't fully cooperative due to boredom by the assessment, or just plain tired, when they did the assessment.

 

My friend's dd was referred for reading intervention in kg.  the teachers were very concerned she had no pre-reading skills. she didn't cooperate - she was bored by their assessment.  she'd been reading since she was four.  I know just how well she was reading because I would read out loud to her and 2ds and we had frequent conversations of "M, do you want to read, or do you want me to read?"

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I would definitely be asking some questions. When dd was going for speech therapy once a week at the local public school and they were trying to talk us into enrolling her there (yeah right) they told us that even though she's academically advanced and is completely normal socially, she'd be required to have a one-on-one aide at all times and would be considered a special ed student because she has a genetic diagnosis. Why? Because they get a bunch of extra funding for the special education kids. :glare: It was bizarre.

 

From a quick google, it looks like private schools are able to get some public funding for special education services. Obviously, that might not be the case here, but I'd want to know exactly why my child was placed in that program. Kids with no or very minor SNs getting forced into SE programs so that the school can get more money is a huge pet peeve of mine.

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If the parent does not want the child to receive services, the parent has the right to refuse the service.

 

I teach ESL right now.  Parents have the right to fill out a form and refuse the service.

 

How do students get referred to ESL?  Well, it isn't because they request it.  When a parent comes into the office to enroll a child, there is something called a "language survey form."  If the parent says they speak ANYTHING other than English at home, or if the parent says the child spoke another language, other than English, first, the child is tested for ESL.  It is a difficult test.  If they don't score 4.8 overall, out of 6, they get plopped into ESL.

 

Special Ed students can pretty much never get out.

Students who score a 4.7 qualify

Students who have any learning disability, won't pass

Many English speaking students wouldn't pass based on academic ability

 

So, my guess, is that the student qualified based on something in the past, some test (not just classroom performance), or something.  

 

The parents need to ask specifically HOW the child received this placement and then can either accept it or refuse it.

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When my ds was in K he was offered a reading intervention spot because he was in speech. He tested exactly where he should have in reading. They did sight reading in the classroom and phonics for 30 minutes twice a week with the reading specialist. I let him do it and his reading level soared. I decided that extra reading in K, especially phonics, certainly wouldn't hurt him. I think he missed circle time, or some art in the classroom.

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This isn't your child.  Do you know for a fact that the child is reading above grade level?  I've learned over the years that many parents either exaggerate their kids' abilities or they are honestly clueless about what goes on in the classroom.  I've known parents that have said that the teacher told them their child was the best reader in the class until they realize the class is split into reading groups and their child isn't even in one of the top groups.  I've known parents who insist that their child gets all A's until they see that the honor roll list is printed in the local paper.  I could go on but that being said I can see two scenarios.

 

In many decent to good school systems students "on grade level" are the lowest reading group in each respective class and would would get more of the attention for tutoring and assistance.  Students below level usually have been already singled out and are receiving one on one assistance If this students falls anywhere near that level they may qualify for support programs.  I've never seen any support services offered based on a single test or encounter.

 

In some schools all children that need services are pulled out together in one program so that children aren't randomly pulled out all throughout the day.  Even though this may be a reading program this student might be getting the writing assistance during this time that they need.  This is especially true of private schools that may have limited resources and tutors.

 

I would advise that this parent get further information.  They have a 504 and while that usually involves social and physical accommodations rather than educational that does entitle them additional meetings.  Also, in a public school a parent can request their child's file at any time, I'm not sure about private schools but they can find out.

 

 

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I'm not an expert in teaching reading so take this with a grain of salt. I found the reading tests that they gave ds in ps to be rather worthless. He tested way beyond his grade each year. His teacher said that he was the best reader in class and that he could read at a 6th grade level in first grade. When I brought him home, I gave him reading tests that said he scored 12th+ (in 2nd grade). Yes, he can read anything BUT his comprehension was sorely lacking. It is something he still struggles with. So, I wouldn't write it off. She may still need help and I wish my ds's teachers had noticed his lack of comprehension skills instead of ohhing and ahhing over his phonetic skills.

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I agree, more questions need to be asked.  I think there have been a lot of good suggestions.

 

I also agree that the mom may possibly not be aware of reading struggles the child is having.  How well does this child read out loud?  Not how well do they do on sight word tests but when asked to read sentences out loud do they decode accurately and with fluency for their age/grade?  Do they skip a lot of words?  Guess based on the first letter or first series of letters?  How well do they do with rhyming words?  Can they read non-sense words based on basic phonics?  Has this child even been taught any phonics?

 

Also, could the reading assessment have been mainly writing based and therefore skewed against her since writing is an area of weakness?

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I agree that much more needs to be known, however as a parent with a child with a physical disability but no obviously learning disabilities, I would be hesitant to enroll her in any reading interventions or other such 'pull out' classes.  Although she is one of the most incredible, confident kids I know, reality is she has worked very hard to get there and I wouldn't put her 2 steps back and give kids more ammunition against her if it wasn't absolutely needed.   Kids can be cruel.  

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I have a dyslexic child who has always scored "above grade level" on reading tests. She memorized sight words easily. Her issues showed up in spelling, reading aloud, and when words got longer (dhe couldn't guess as well). She also couldn't read nonsense words. Someone trained in OG-type intervention would've caught her dyslexia much earlier. Regular "reading specialist" teacher kept blowing our concerns off.

 

At any rate, they need more information. If it's a catholic school, they're not fudging numbers for funding. I haven't heard of that often in public schools. If anything, the meager funding they're given doesn't make up for the costs of special education.

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This isn't your child.  Do you know for a fact that the child is reading above grade level?  I've learned over the years that many parents either exaggerate their kids' abilities or they are honestly clueless about what goes on in the classroom.  I've known parents that have said that the teacher told them their child was the best reader in the class until they realize the class is split into reading groups and their child isn't even in one of the top groups.  I've known parents who insist that their child gets all A's until they see that the honor roll list is printed in the local paper.  I could go on but that being said I can see two scenarios.

 

Your question is reasonable, as I've seen that phenomenon too.  Her mom actually texted me a photo of the eval of her phonics /  sight words, where every letter / word was checked and the teacher wrote "WOW!!" in the comments section.  Also I have seen her reading casually at Christmas time.  "Mom, this says to __ from Aunt __."  Nobody's saying this child is the best reader in the school, but from what I'm seeing she is on track for KG level.

 

Some above comments did remind me that there are some tests that show a snapshot which may skew the picture.  Her mom says she's had very bad ear infections lately, so possibly she may have bombed one of those phonemic awareness tests for example.  I don't know whether she is good at reading phonetic nonsense "words."  So maybe it's something like that.

 

I agree that more info is needed.  The mom has asked for the reason for the referral, but has not heard back yet.

 

Edited by SKL
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I agree that much more needs to be known, however as a parent with a child with a physical disability but no obviously learning disabilities, I would be hesitant to enroll her in any reading interventions or other such 'pull out' classes.  Although she is one of the most incredible, confident kids I know, reality is she has worked very hard to get there and I wouldn't put her 2 steps back and give kids more ammunition against her if it wasn't absolutely needed.   Kids can be cruel.  

 

I agree that this can be a concern, depending on the social dynamics at the school.  My kid has been in pull-out tutoring for years, and she loves it.  I've asked every year if she wants to continue or stay in the classroom, and she always opts for the pull-out.  She's very socially aware and I'm sure she'd opt out if there were any social repercussions.  But our school environment may be unusual.

 

This may well be the mom's concern in the OP case.  She is super defensive and seems to jump to the assumption that people are judging her kid based on her differences.  I don't know if that's actually true though.  The child is a social butterfly and reportedly has lots of friends.  She speaks her mind without hesitation.  I really hope kids accept her and treat her like everyone else.  But, I don't know as I'm not there at her school.

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