Wrightslaw

by Wright, Peter W. D.; Wright, Pamela Darr

• ISBN13: 9781892320087
• ISBN10: 1892320088
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Harbor House Law Pr

Summary

Aimed at parents of and advocates for special needs children, explains how to develop a relationship with a school, monitor a child's progress, understand relevant legislation, and document correspondence and conversations.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xiii
From Emotions to Advocacy	p. xiii
Why Advocate?	p. xiv
What You Will Learn	p. xiv
Icons	p. xv
How This Book is Organized	p. xv
A Note to Parents of Section 504 Children	p. xvii
A Note to Special Educators	p. xvii
Getting Started	p. 1
Learning About Advocacy	p. 3
Why Advocate?	p. 4
Different Types of Advocates	p. 4
What Advocates Do	p. 5
The Parent's Journey From Emotions to Advocacy	p. 6
Supplies	p. 7
In Summation	p. 7
Creating Your Master Plan	p. 9
The Need to Plan	p. 9
Elements of a Master Plan	p. 10
Planning for the Future	p. 12
Laura and Steve: Planning	p. 12
Writing Your Master Plan	p. 13
In Summation	p. 16
The Parent as Project Manager	p. 17
Contractors and Project Managers	p. 17
The Special Education Project Manager	p. 17
Tips: Taking Care of Yourself	p. 19
In Summation	p. 20
Advocacy 101	p. 21
Learning the Rules of the Game	p. 23
The Rules	p. 23
Understanding the School	p. 24
Learning About Your School District	p. 25
Rules of the Game	p. 26
In Summation	p. 27
Obstacles to Success	p. 29
Obstacles to Advocacy	p. 29
School Obstacles	p. 30
Parent Obstacles	p. 33
Dealing with Difficult People	p. 34
Warning: Common Emotional Traps	p. 40
Your Relationship with the School	p. 40
In Summation	p. 40
Resolving Parent-School Conflict	p. 41
The Nature of Parent-School Conflict	p. 41
Real Issues: Expense and Control	p. 43
Common Parent-School Problems	p. 44
Tips to Resolve Problems	p. 49
In Summation	p. 51
Emergency, Crisis, Help!	p. 53
Help! Events That Trigger Crises	p. 53
Crisis Management, Step-by-Step	p. 54
Short-Term Solutions	p. 54
Long Term Planning	p. 55
In Summation	p. 57
The Parent as Expert	p. 59
Evaluations and Your Child's Disability	p. 61
Get a Comprehensive Evaluation	p. 61
Finding Evaluators	p. 62
Understanding Test Results	p. 62
Limitations of School Evaluations	p. 64
Learn About the Disability	p. 64
Learn About Effective Educational Practices	p. 65
In Summation	p. 65
The File: Do It Right!	p. 67
Document Management System	p. 67
Gather Information About Your Child	p. 67
Organizing the Master File	p. 68
Create Your List of Documents	p. 70
In Summation	p. 72
Tests and Measurements 101	p. 73
Mike	p. 73
Measuring Growth: Rulers, Yardsticks, and Other Tools	p. 74
Measuring Educational Change: Test Scores	p. 75
Learning About Evaluations	p. 75
Statistics 101	p. 76
The Bell Curve: A Powerful Tool	p. 80
Learning How Test Scores Are Reported	p. 84
In Summation	p. 86
Tests and Measurements 102	p. 87
Katie	p. 87
Learning About Composite Scores	p. 88
Using Pre- and Post-Testing to Measure Progress	p. 89
Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Referenced Tests	p. 90
Test Categories and Descriptions	p. 97
Charting Test Scores	p. 100
Your Homework Assignment	p. 102
In Summation	p. 102
SMART IEPs	p. 103
Learning About SMART IEPs	p. 103
Smart IEP Goals and Objectives	p. 104
Present Levels of Performance	p. 105
Legal Definitions: Goals, Objectives and Benchmarks	p. 106
Measuring and Monitoring the Child's Progress	p. 107
Learning to Write SMART Goals and Objectives	p. 108
The SMART Weight Loss Program	p. 108
Mike Trains for the Fitness Test	p. 112
Kevin Learns to Type	p. 112
Megan Learns to Read	p. 113
Non-Goals: Attitude Statements	p. 113
Non-Goals: States of Being	p. 114
Homework Assignment #1: You Learn to Write Goals	p. 115
Homework Assignment #2: You Learn to Write SMART IEP Goals and Objectives	p. 115
In Summation	p. 116
Special Education Law	p. 117
IDEA--Overview and Legislative Intent	p. 119
Legislative Intent	p. 119
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997	p. 120
In Summation	p. 120
IDEA--Section 1400: Findings and Purposes	p. 121
20 U.S.C. [section] 1400 Congressional Findings and Purpose	p. 121
Wrightslaw Discussion of Findings and Purposes	p. 123
In Summation	p. 124
IDEA--Section 1401: Definitions	p. 125
20 U.S.C. [section] 1401 Definitions	p. 125
Wrightslaw Discussion of Definitions	p. 128
In Summation	p. 130
IDEA--Section 1412: LRE, ESY, Child Find, Private Placement, Assessments	p. 131
20 U.S.C. [section] 1412--State Eligibility	p. 131
Wrightslaw Discussion of Child Find, Least Restrictive Environment, Private Placements, State and District Assessments	p. 134
In Summation	p. 139
IDEA--Section 1414: Evaluations, Eligibility, IEPs and Placement	p. 141
20 U.S.C. [section] 1414(a) Evaluations and Reevaluations	p. 141
Additional Requirements for Evaluations and Reevaluations	p. 143
Wrightslaw Discussion of Evaluations and Eligibility	p. 145
20 U.S.C. [section] 1414(d) Individualized Education Programs	p. 146
Wrightslaw Discussion of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Placement	p. 150
In Summation	p. 152
IDEA--Section 1415: Procedural Safeguards, Due Process, Discipline, etc.	p. 153
20 U.S.C. [section] 1415--Procedural Safeguards	p. 154
Wrightslaw Discussion of Prior Written Notice and Procedural Safeguards Notice	p. 156
20 U.S.C. [section] 1415(e), (f), (g), (h), and (i)--Mediation, Due Process Hearings, Appeals to Court	p. 157
Wrightslaw Discussion of Mediation, Due Process Hearings, Appeals to Court, Attorneys' Fees	p. 161
20 U.S.C. [section] 1415(k) Placement in Alternative Educational Setting	p. 165
Wrightslaw Discussion of Discipline	p. 170
20 U.S.C. [section] 1415 (m) Transfer of Parental Rights at Age of Majority	p. 173
Wrightslaw Discussion of Age of Majority	p. 173
Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act	p. 175
Wrightslaw Discussion of Section 504, ADA and IDEA	p. 176
Section 504, ADA, High Stakes Testing, Statewide Assessments	p. 178
In Summation	p. 184
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act	p. 185
FERPA	p. 185
In Summation	p. 189
Tactics and Strategies	p. 191
The Rules of Adverse Assumptions	p. 193
The Rules of Adverse Assumptions	p. 194
To Avoid Conflict, Prepare for Conflict	p. 197
Proof and Evidence	p. 197
Simple Themes Win Cases	p. 198
In Summation	p. 199
Creating Paper Trails	p. 201
Why Document?	p. 201
Logs, Journals and Calendars	p. 202
How to Use a Problem Report	p. 205
Handling Telephone Calls	p. 206
In Summation	p. 206
How to Write Good Evidence Letters	p. 207
Why You Write Letters	p. 207
Strategies: Writing Good Letters	p. 209
Letter Writing Pitfalls	p. 211
Using Strategies in Letters	p. 212
In Summation	p. 218
Writing the "Letter to the Stranger"	p. 219
The Blame Approach	p. 219
Impact of Angry Letters	p. 220
The Story-Telling Approach	p. 220
Using Persuasive Strategies in Letters	p. 222
Writing "Letters to the Stranger"	p. 223
In Summation	p. 225
Preparing for Meetings: Taking Control	p. 227
You are a Negotiator	p. 227
Five Rules for Successful Problem Solving	p. 228
Preparing for School Meetings	p. 230
Image and Presentation	p. 235
In Summation	p. 235
Meeting Strategies: Maintaining Control	p. 237
School Meeting Anxiety	p. 237
Meeting Strategies	p. 238
Common Meeting Problems	p. 240
Use the Problem-Resolution Worksheet	p. 242
Post-meeting Strategies	p. 245
In Summation	p. 245
In Summation	p. 247
Appendices	p. 249
Appendix A to 34 C.F.R. Part 300	p. 249
Your Rights and Responsibilities Under IDEA	p. 277
Frequently Asked Questions About Special Education, from NICHCY	p. 281
State Departments of Special Education	p. 297
Parent Training Information Centers by State	p. 303
Disabilities Organizations and Information Groups	p. 313
Legal and Advocacy Resources	p. 323
Free Publications	p. 327
Sample Letters to the School	p. 331
Glossary of Special Education and Legal Terms	p. 351
Glossary of Assessment Terms	p. 361
Bibliography	p. 367
Index	p. 369
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