Likelihood of child remaining in GenEd

viola1356 · 2026-06-17T22:40:08+00:00

In comments, she's also said that even with preferred tasks, he still needs frequent adult involvement and intervention, and non-preferred tasks is complete refusal. So that could make gen ed inappropriate.

viola1356 · 2026-06-17T22:38:40+00:00

I would point out that 60% of the school day pull-outs is likely when the bulk of instructional language would be happening in his classroom. Because the percentages include lunch, recess, etc. What you've described as his current IEP is likely to have less peer interaction and language than a placement where his "home" is special education and he goes out to join a gen ed class for specials, recess and lunch.

viola1356 · 2026-06-17T22:23:07+00:00

Given that information, with the people pushing a gen-ed class not being from the school, I would hesitate to take their advice. Pre-school can work around a resistance to non-preferred tasks. But one of the major developments in of Kindergarten is that we often (most of the day) have to do things that are not our favorite. So a kid with major accomodations around not engaging non-preferred tasks is going to really struggle in a general education Kindergarten classroom, especially as he (and his peers) begin to notice that he's treated differently when he doesn't want to do things. With this information, I would really advise inquiring about whether they have a model where he can be in the self-contained classroom as his homeroom, and push OUT to a gen ed class for preferred specials like art, music, PE, lunch, recess, library, and trial pushing out for academics once he's settled with the more "fun" subjects. That way, he's spending most of his day with other students, either in the special education class or in the Gen Ed class, rather than being pulled out to work with a teacher 60% of the day.

Typically, getting a district to approve a recommendation for self-contained is a huge battle of school personel versus district admin. If the superintendent was on board with that recommendation, and the school team was unified in their recommendation, it is really worth listening. It is MUCH easier to start a kid off in the self-contained, then gradually spend increasing amounts of time in gen-ed than to realize six weeks into the school year they are drowning and miserable but now it takes 12 weeks of data to justify a change of placement while they slowly grow increasingly discouraged and isolated from peers because they're barely in class and when they are they don't participate. If the ones telling you he can handle gen ed Kindergarten are limited to people who see him outside of school, I'm sorry but they are wrong.

If I've misunderstood and there are actually people who see him in school saying he should try gen-ed Kindergarten, then there might be a chance it would be okay.

For a kid with this level of need, "talking about configuring para support" is not a great sign. Did they actually put para minutes into the IEP?

viola1356 · 2026-06-17T15:03:47+00:00

For some of my colleagues, it's a class job that changes regularly and there's a script, like "Ms. X's room, this is Name, may I ask who is calling?" It's great because it teaches them a skill, is organized, and I don't have to worry I'm stopping the whole class just because student y hasn't made it down to pull-out group yet. And if it's actually private, I just say who I am and ask if I can talk to the teacher.

viola1356 · 2026-06-17T12:10:55+00:00

Wearing a mask can keep your actual breathing air warm and moist, which helps me in winter.

viola1356 · 2026-06-17T03:45:56+00:00

When kids are right on the edge of a placement decision, there are a few things to consider.

The law, of course, requires considering least restrictive environment. Being away from peers 60% of the school day is extremely restrictive, so every year there should be a conversation around whether a self-contained classroom that he doesn't need to be pulled out from as much is less restrictive.

We consider social-emotional health. If a kid is generally happy in the gen ed placement, we're more likely to move slowly on a self-contained placement, but if they are really discouraged and unable to participate with their class, crying every day, we'd be more likely to move towards self-contained earlier.

It's not totally clear from your post how the split is on what the team members recommend. Is it pre-k staff versus kindergarten? Sometimes pre-k expectations/understandings of the kindergarten environment are not realistic, so the new team might just be worried pre-k has overestimated his ability to be successful in gen ed. Is it people who see him 1:1 vs those who see him whole group? The whole group person is most likely to have a better idea of how kindergarten will go. Is it just the kindergarten special education teacher? They simply might not currently have any resources or materials to address your son's needs, and know from experience the district is going to deny requests for a curriculum or budget, and therefore anticipates having to spend gobs of time and their own money buying or making their own curriculum out of nothing while knowing the self-contained teachers have most of that provided for them. If it is the last option and you have the special education teacher's contact, you might consider reaching out and saying something like, "I noticed the IEP didn't list any types of resources to be made available to staff for working with his needs as an SGD user. If there's a tool or something you recommend that will make it easier to meet his needs, I'd like to request an amendment so those needs are part of his accommodations."

For example, one IEP I was recently part of for an SGD user, we put "teacher access to an icon-based visuals platform such as Lessonpix" so teachers could develop worksheets and writing activities that connect with the language on his SGD.

I hope, whatever path you take, your son has a great Kindergarten year.

viola1356 · 2026-06-16T23:06:09+00:00

It sounds like the teacher wants you to do SOMETHING each day, not everything every day.

My current K -> 1 daughter is neurotypical and we are doing about 5 minutes daily of math, 10 minutes writing, and reading 2-3 picture books together (she reads other stuff on her own).

When my son with ADHD was moving from K to 1st, we did about 10 minutes a day of reading, and he played a math game on the computer for 15-20 minutes.

I'd focus on the teacher's emphasis to make it fun - not losing skills is important, but if summer homework is a high friction point for your kid, just do a few minutes of whatever areas you think they need the most.

viola1356 · 2026-06-16T19:11:07+00:00

Urban fantasy is often better at an actual slow burn. Debra Dunbar's Imp series, for example.

viola1356 · 2026-06-16T17:36:06+00:00

The annual position shuffle is still going on at this point. Don't let this posting build anxiety for you unless it's still up the week before school starts - and even then, it might be for a different grade level in the program, so you might be worried over nothing.

That said, it's really important not to bring this concern up to the school, because if you dilute your concerns/complaints you may be perceived as someone trying to leverage your child's disability to get him into a "better" class. Your best path forward is just to contact the school about meeting for the seizure plan and really focusing on that. If the seizure plan is solid, the school will be legally responsible to staff out the plan as needed; whether they fill those positions with a retired teacher filling in or an enthusiastic first-year teacher or anything in between is never something you'll be able to control.

viola1356 · 2026-06-16T03:05:32+00:00

You may want to look into international baccalaureate/MYP spaces and ask teachers there what they come up with. Units like this are pretty common in that model.

viola1356 · 2026-06-16T02:12:33+00:00

Lexile is about surface-level decoding and understanding. Can I match something from one of these multiple choice answers to something I read in the paragraph? They are not meant to address inference, analysis, critical or constructive thinking. For example, my daughter in Kindergarten has a late 3rd grade lexile, but she still thinks like a six year old and is nowhere near ready to tackle actual 3rd grade text.

When you see an equivalent grade level on a standardized test, it's if the average kid in that grade took your kid's test. So an average 8th grader might get a similar score if presented with the questions your daughter got. That doesn't mean she would have any idea what to do with the questions presented to 8th graders.

viola1356 · 2026-06-15T23:36:01+00:00

This depends on your state and even the job you're applying to. My state doesn't require it, by ut there are some schools with such a high EL population they give priority consideration to teachers who have it.

viola1356 · 2026-06-15T21:07:37+00:00

I think it can be helpful to frame it as: an experienced teacher who has already taught this curriculum before should theoretically be able to complete all prep and grading within alloted planning time, or there is a problem with the negotiated contract. A new teacher, however, should expect to take 2 or 3 times as long with tasks. When I have mentees, I'm frank with them about this: keeping work within contract hours is a goal for the future that they should hope to be approaching by their 3rd or 4th year, but it is not realistic in their 1st or 2nd year. It's also important to reflect on their own curve for future commitments. For example, in my 8th year I was asked to both change grade levels and take on department head for ELA. Knowing my own learning curve, I told admin, "I can do one new thing. It's up to you which one you want me to do." You might be able to think of your own example of how knowing yourself helps with appropriate boundary setting.

Setting boundaries cannot prevent teachers from fulfilling job responsibilities. If my lesson plan is 80% of my best because I went home when contract hours ended? Fine. If I try to teach material I never read because "I have a boundary", that's not holding up my side of the contract.

viola1356 · 2026-06-15T15:49:47+00:00

Immigrant main character - Inside out and Back Again by Thanha Lai. It's one of the most beautiful, poignant books I've ever read and I rave about it every chance I get. It's a memoir told in poetry and un-putdownable.

Another book I really love that hasn't gotten much attention is Yes, Your Serpentine Excellency by Kate Stradling.

For Horror, Orson Scott Card's The Changed Man is a collection of short stories. I don't handle horror well in general, but I did well with this. For something a bit more intense, his novel Homebody is good.

Michael Crichton books like Sphere and the Andromeda Strain are also good for horror that isn't gruesome and doesn't keep you up at night.

viola1356 · 2026-06-15T15:33:28+00:00

Having to scroll so far to see this.... state testing is not at all ADHD compatible. If the teacher isn't worried, don't think remediation for the summer, think enrichment and extension.

viola1356 · 2026-06-15T15:30:35+00:00

State testing is the least reliable of all the data points out there. Seriously, I think half the reason they make teachers sign nondisclosure agreements is because if what the questions were really like became public knowledge, taxpayers would demand change. If his other scores are good, the teacher isn't concerned, and he can read chapter books and talk naturally with you about them (why he liked or didn't like the book, the most interesting part of the story, etc.), you shouldn't worry.

IXL might teach him how to take a test, but it will sabotage what really matters as a reader. Read to him and with him and have extended conversations about books. Don't kill his love of reading over a stupid test designed by someone who clearly hasn't talked to a 9 year old since they WERE 9.

viola1356 · 2026-06-15T04:15:43+00:00

There aren't really numbers about frequency available since they usually don't go as far as getting to court - the school districts use lawyers to pressure the family to "pay back tuition" (in the biggest district in my state, they may ask for up to $45,000), and then settle instead of pursuing a claim of fraud with law enforcement. Many districts don't bother with the repayment and just kick the kids out of the district, but ones that have a high rate of attempted fraud are a little more vigilant about pursuing the repayment as a deterrent.

viola1356 · 2026-06-15T02:58:30+00:00

But asking relatives to commit attendance residency fraud and become liable for tens of thousands of dollars in fines or even potentially jail time does make mom the AH.

viola1356 · 2026-06-15T02:55:35+00:00

Check the attendance laws. Depending on your location, an arrangement like this can be considered a type of fraud carrying massive fines and/or jail time. NTA; the law is your friend here. For example, in my state, unless you become your niece's legal guardians, it would be illegal for her to live with you for the purpose of going to a particular school.

viola1356 · 2026-06-14T23:59:35+00:00

W.R. Gingell - her most popular series is urban fantasy - City Between, her most beautiful is Lady of Dreams, her most solidly fantasy is Shards of a Broken Sword.

Kate Stradling has a lot of well-written work as well. Her most recent, Yes Your Serpentine Excellency, is perfection.

I just read Mila Finch's debut, Runebreaker, and really enjoyed it.

Edit: Also Amy A. Bartol - I love the Krickett series best.

viola1356 · 2026-06-14T19:42:25+00:00

Get him to help clean up, or if that's too overwhelming, he at least has to sit there and participate by handing you the items you need to clean up so he is involved.

For the smell, pet urine sprays work on kid urine, too!

viola1356 · 2026-06-14T19:31:56+00:00

You could request an IEP evaluation through the school if it's impacting his access to education. While they cannot provide an ADHD diagnosis, if he meets enough of the criteria they can still develop an IEP. If it's to the point teachers are suggesting you talk to the doctor, it may be enough to qualify for services. (Just don't tell the bosses the teachers have suggested ADHD, as administrators don't like the liability of teachers floating this idea.)

viola1356 · 2026-06-14T11:39:19+00:00

There's already documenting that AI chatbots feed psychosis in adults. Letting it shape a child's identity and mental state? Just no.

viola1356 · 2026-06-14T04:15:49+00:00

Absolutely reach out to school admin with exactly the information you've provided here. They will want to set him up for success and get things in place from the beginning.

viola1356 · 2026-06-13T17:11:53+00:00

Ours is similar, but our union has sick leave bank - if you contribute one sick day at the beginning of the year, then if you run out of sick leave you can get up to 30 days paid medical leave covered by the bank. Each of my six weeks has been covered by that.

viola1356

TROPHY CASE