Should a child be pulled out of resource room after being reevaluated and then declassified at the HS level?

Answer 1

It depends on lots of things- how much service is the child getting? How long has the child gotten it? How was it they qualified in the first place?

Reevaluations are required to determine whether or not children continue to meet the criteria for special education. With No Child Left Behind, it may not be as dependent on assessment data (testing) as it has in the past. There is now a method called Response to Intervention that may have been used to determine (in)eligibility. It's a tough decision no matter what method you use, but I firmly believe it should be discussed each time. We plan reevals a year in advance, so if the team suspects a child no longer qualifies (I always tell parents if I suspect it's a possiblity) we can plan for it. We are able to monitor for a while to determine what is truly the best direction.

It is a team decision, in any case, and I hope you were involved in the decision making. One of the benefits is that if your child really doesn't need the extra help, he'll have full time exposure to the regular education curriculum. If your child seems to depend on the resource room help, try to encourage independence and good study skills. Reinforce that he or she is able to perform at their capacity (which may mean grades aren't great, mind you).

Answer 2

Yes. The whole point of special education is to get the child into the least restrictive environment. Every three years a child should be retested to determine how she is doing and the results help determine if she still needs the same service, more services or less. If the testing and the information provided by her teachers determine that she can succeed in regular education without supports then she should be pulled out of resource. If the parent or child does not agree then they can find an independent organization/person to test her. If the outcome of the independent tester is the same as the school then the parents are responsible for the costs and nothing changes. If the testing is different then the school will pay for the testing and hold another IEP meeting.

Answer 3

Yes. A child has to be classified as a child with a disability in order to receive special services (e.g. resource room). Once a child is declassified she is no longer eligible to receive these services and has to be placed back into regular education classes. However, there are often supports given in the regular education setting e.g. pulled out into a small group for basic skills assistance, peer tutoring, extra tutoring (this will depend largely on the state the child resides in and the school district). If you are not happy with your child being placed back into the regular education setting, you should talk with the team who made the decision (of which you are part) and ask for clarification or suggestions as to how to get her more assistance. If you really don't agree with the findings that the child can no longer receive special services, then you should ask (in writing) for an independent evaluation. The resource room can sound like a great option, but often children are exposed to more depth of curriculum and a more challenging learning environment when they are placed back into the mainstream setting. Furthermore, federal laws legislate that children must be placed in the least restrictive environment and can only receive special services if they qualify for them under several stringent classification categories. Hope this helps.

Mel, School Psychologist

Answer 4

Every three years the child is re-evaluated to determine if the child needs to conitinue special services. If the tests given determine that the child does not qualify for services, by numbers, then... there are a few things that can be done at the school district level.

1. The Child can be placed on moniter services. This means the child is placed in general education courses, however, the case manager follows their progress by communicating almost daily or weekly to make sure the child is passing the general education courses. If the child cannot pass without modifications or accomodations, then, the team can reconvene at the end of a grading period. At this point the IEP is to be rewritten that the child will stay in the general education program with appropriate accomodations. However, if the child is passing classes then that should be enough to drop the special service programs and modifications. (A notice of action should be written letting the child be released from special services)

2. IF the results of the testing program determine that the child does not qualify for special services anymore, but the team feels that placing the child in general education programs is not the best place for this child (It can be devastating having to go from classes of 10 to classes of 30) Then, the child can still qualify for services through "professional judgement".

However, once a child is released from special services, they cannot use the resource room. It is against the law to service students who do not qualify.
Another thing to think about, if you can keep this label a little longer, colleges are obligated to serve special needs teens. They have to provide accomodations.
As a parent of a child who was re-evaluated, and was told that he did not qualify I sat down with the team and stated why I felt he needed a little more time. (He is in 5th grade) My reasoning included that he is being successful because of the small group ratio. I did not think that he would be as likely to participate in a larger group, because he has not had that much experience in the larger group, and he is afraid of failure. 2. He was just reading on grade level for the first time, and he was feeling successful,he was just beginning to like school. We needed to nurture this a little longer. 3. I suggested a class at a time per grading period, so we could moniter his progress without modifications being made.

Leaving the security of a resource room is hard. (as a resource teacher, also, it's hard to kick the baby birds out of the nest) But if you are not happy with the decision that the team makes... stand up and speak your mind. As a teacher I would rather have an involved parent, then one who lets others make decisions for their child. Good luck and Happy Holidays.

Answer 5

I f th estudent should not be considered as having a disability, then yes, they are not entitled to the special sercvices.

But you may wish to ask some hard questions. First of all, if the student is not disabled, why was he/she classified as such in the first place?

You also need to check on three things: Who did the re-evaluation? What were their qualifications? And what was the reason for the change?

I'm not suggesting you be "suspicious," per se. But don't take things for granted. Children are sometimes categorized incorrectly as having a disability--but there are also situations in which the reverse is true. Bear in mind that if there is a legitimate need, the school is required to provide for the student's special needs by law--its not an "option" they can decline to do.

Answer 6

Special Education is actually two laws - IDEA and Section 504. IDEA has very specific qualification guidelines, and if the child is "de-qualified," they would no longer be eligible for spec. ed. services such as resource room help. However, Section 504 is easier to qualify for, and a student could receive resource help under it. Be aware that in California, Resource teachers are often pressured to lower their caseloads and demit students, even though those students may still need help. I recommend two websites to help you further: www.ldonline.org and www.schwablearning.org. Good luck!

Answer 7

if the evaluations are accurate. this should not be based upon one evaluation either. this should be many. the child can still be placed back in the resource room for certain subjects they have problems with. the more socialization and education in the gen ed room the better i think. there's a lot of information i do not know about this child as well. so i can't really give you a certain answer.

Answer 8

I guess it would depend on if the child was evaluated accurately. If they do not have a need for the resources then they should go back to mainstream classes. If you are concerned that the child will not function in mainstream classes or that a much needed service for the child will be lost by this declassification, then you will need to appeal the decision.

Answer 9

it is a numbers game...if a student does not fall into a category that requires outside intervention then technically they need to be removed to open up space for students who do qualify for the intervention...sometimes this is a double edged sword...the student is doing better because they recieved extra/outside help, so their grades went up...however, now that they are asked to do the work themselves w/o additional services they sometimes experience a slide...I have seen it this year with my 8th Grader, he was in a 12:1:1 inclusion class last year and achieved excellent grades...his reward? mainstreamed into the worst class in the school and is now so far behind he may not graduate...