Recording Your Meetings

When parents tape in CA we have to give 24 hour notice - I usually give that notice early on in my child's education and then I send a reminder - that way if I don't get the full 24 hour notice they were already notified years ago.

I have only once or twice needed the tape, but I have often listened to portions over again to remind mself as I don't always remember exactly how things went since it is a very emotional time, I am advocating for my child's life!

Also, if I record, the district records - which is great, since there have been times when I forgot to turn the recorder back on or some other foolishness and they have a record!  I can request it along with my child's educational records!

For me, my iPhone is the best recorder I have ever used.  It picks up sound better than any others I have tried.  I use the app Audio Note and I love it.  I have only recently begun to use it well, which is, to take notes of what happens so I have documented where to find what I may want to hear later.  That way I can go right to the area that includes the recoding that I need to hear again.  Other prefer other recording devices, but you have to find what works best for you.

Questions to Ask Re: Your Child's Reading Program

• If your child is having reading difficulties the district will often try to avoid doing anything tht is research based to help them your child.  By law the programs used must be research based and the shool must collect data in order to know if what they are doing is helping, if it isn't helping the district must change their methods. 

  
  

  When they offer a program we need to ask:

  1. Is this a research based program?

  2. How will it be implemented?

  3. How will data be taken?
  4. Has the research been peer reviewed?
  5. Who did or funded the research? If it was done by the manufacturer or marketer, you wnat to know if ther eis additional research.
  6. What population is the research based on? It should be based on the same group that they are planning to use the program with. IE: If research was with gen ed, may not work with Special ed, ELL won't tell you if it works with Special ed either.
  7. How large was the study group?

  
  

  If the district says they are implementing a reading program we need to ask:

  1. What is the district doing to help my child's reading improve?

  2. Are they using a research based program?

  3. How have they been implementing the program?

  4. Can we look at the data?
  
  

  5. Has the research been peer reviewed?
  6. Who did or funded the research? If it was done by the manufacturer or marketer, you wnat to know if ther eis additional research.
  7. What population is the research based on? It should be based on the same group that they are planning to use the program with. IE: If research was with gen ed, may not work with Special ed, ELL won't tell you if it works with Special ed either.
  8. How large was the study group?

  
  
  

Choosing an Expert

Things to do before signing up for an expert to do your IEE:

Check their CV.  Do they have the proper qualifications?  Do not take anyone's word that they have qualifications, even your attorney.

Find out if they are on the District's list of preferred providers - if they are, you likely don't want to use them.

Get references from other parents - you might be able to use a preferred provider, but be careful, only use them if they come reommended by other parents who have used their reports to get services for their chldren without going to court if possible.

Look at one of their reports - hopefully they have on with private information redacted or you may be able to see a friend's report.


  

Questions to Ask About a BSP - Is it Being Implemented?

• Questions to ask about BSP and implementing it.

  
  1) Ask to see the BSP (many times it can't even be found)

  
  2) Ask for the documentation that shows it was implemented.

  
  3) Ask for the ongoing data collection/progress monitoring.

  
  4) Ask how do we know this is working if we don't have the data?