For special-needs kids in Chicago, IEP process starts early
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Monday, February 21, 2011
Gillian Marchenko spends time with her daughter Evangeline.
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For Gillian Marchenko, sending her daughters off to preschool means more than picking out their outfits. It involves hours of meetings with administrators, teachers and outside therapists. And it means that Marchenko, a mother of four who lives on Chicago's North Side, has found herself on the front lines of their education.
Two of Marchenko's three daughters have Down syndrome-Polina, 3, and Evangeline, 4.
Marchenko's daughters are among the more than 37,000 children between ages 3 and 5 who receive special education services in Illinois. The number of children served statewide has grown since 2004, when about 34,900 students received special education. However, the number of 6- to 21-year-olds receiving services has declined in recent years.
The Illinois State Board of Education attributes the increase to disabilities being identified at younger ages, including in infants, as well as increased cooperation among Head Start, pre-kindergarten and child care programs.
Mandated under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, an Individualized Education Program (IEP)provides detailed and personalized curriculum for students with special needs.
Rebecca Benson-Bates' daughter, Samantha, is one of those children. At 4, Samantha, who has Down syndrome, currently attends preschool. The easy part, Benson-Bates says, was enrolling her daughter in school. After that, she faced piles of paperwork and meetings.
"They ask, 'what is the goal you want to reach for the child? What achievements in three, six or nine months?'" Benson-Bates says.
These goals form the bones of the education plan, and they're often referenced during the school year. Samantha's goals are designed to prepare her for kindergarten.
One of Samantha's goals, her mother says, was to be able to take off her coat and hang her backpack on a peg every morning. She has achieved that, her mother says, and her future goals include pedaling a tricycle, threading beads on a string and answering questions that use the word "who."
But creating goals requires hands-on work with schools, and sometimes disagreements occur.
For Marchenko, this happened when the school wanted Polly, who is nonverbal, to learn a picture system to communicate with teachers. However, Polly already knew more than 90 signs in American Sign Language. Marchenko didn't want to confuse her by switching to a new system.
"They were telling me this is the way we do it, regardless of how your child is, because that's the way it's always been set up," she says. Marchenko pushed back, and the goals were eventually rewritten.
The possibility of major disagreement is one reason Marchenko always brings someone to support her to school meetings, whether it's her husband or the girls' therapist.
Still, she stays positive and focuses on cooperation.
Diane Kush, the principal of Chicago's Stuart G. Ferst School, a therapeutic day school for severely disabled elementary and high school students, says she's familiar with the tension between parents and schools over IEPs.
She says parents sometimes want to set goals for their children that are not realistic for their current abilities.
"There's a lot of things in between the dream of a child, the reality of the child and the potential of the child," she says. "I think all parents and schools operate somewhere in those three things."
Our picks
Good ReminderBy Andrew Blok on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 It's a good reminder for parents to remember that they know what is good for their childs education as well as the teacher. In the case of learning sign language vs. picture messages it didn't make sense to switch from something the child already has a basic understanding of to something he or she has never encountered before. In this case I think that the parent was right in pushing back against the educator. Parents do have to realize that their child's educators do have their best interest in mind and do have a good understanding of what a special needs child needs in terms of education and care. There must be a balance of give and take between the child's parent and educator. Both must understand that the other wants the same for the child and both must use and trust the others knowledge and expertise cooncerning the child. |
InterdependingBy Adam Perez on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thanks for the article, it is always good to have a look inside to see how the education system and the parents of children (with our without special needs) are communicating and interacting. It becomes a wonderful thing when educators and parents can collaborate well on writing up these IEPs. When you think about it, the IEP is a really important document that outlines the goals for a child's education, and when we write IEPs, we are deciding what a child will learn - that's a big deal! That's why it is such a good and beautiful thing for the parents to be involved in this process and can communicate with the educators about their child. And for these IEPs to really work, it takes some interdependence. The educators need to rely on the parents to know about the child's history and needs, and the parents need to rely on the educators to know what is the best approach to the continuing education of their children (with some grey area in between, of course). I hope that the cooperation between parents and teachers continues to be a fruitful interaction as they respect what the other has to bring to the table when they are considering the life and education of a child. |
The parent's roleBy Nate Hill on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thanks so much for sharing this article! Looking at this from my current standpoint as a future teacher it is discouraging to hear these types of stories in which the school district would rather take the easy way out as opposed to doing what is best for the child. I think the parent in almost all cases will know what is best for their child. My sister has special needs and I will always remember how upset and stressed my mom could get out the IEP meetings that she had to go through each year. At times my mom had to fight just to get the school to do the necessary things to help my sister succeed. In the long run my mom's determination to get the best for my sister helped her to progress more and more each year. I think it is imperative that the parents of these students are involved in the setting of goals for their children. |
IEPBy Carly Lerner on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 It was very interesting to hear that "enrolling her daughter was easy" but the piles of paperwork and meetings was the hard part. I think it's clear that both the parents and teachers want what is best for the child, but it's also important to unite to help the child. If it becomes a battle between parents and teachers, then not only is it more stress on the parents and teachers, but the child suffers. Working together to celebrate what the child can and will do will help the child to be most sucessful. |
IEP ProblemsBy John Baty on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you very much for this article. It’s both interesting and serves a good purpose for future teachers like us to hear a parent’s point of view of the IEP process. Hearing stories of what some parents struggle through with the IEP process makes us more empathetic towards the parents, and in my opinion will make me relate a little better and look at the whole thing from a better point of view. Overall we are there for the student though and that’s one thing I think we have to keep in mind. Something I found that was interesting was that the time to find realistic goals for the child takes a longer time than reading the actual IEP. Thank you again for this article, it was very helpful to see the point of view from the parent’s eyes. |
Real Life ApplicationsBy Elizabeth Holman on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you very much for posting this article. So often we study what an IEP meeting is like and learn that there is so much work that goes with it, but hearing first hand accounts really put everything into perspective. As teachers and possible future parents we need to really remember what is best for the child. Even though a system may be in place, it may not be best for the individual student. All children learn differently and so I do not believe that there can be a blanket system to cover all students. IEP is an individual plan and should be attended to as such. I also really respect the parents for how much work and time they put into giving their children appropriate and meaningful educations. As a future educator I think it is very important to also promote that. |
IEP'sBy Teresa Ebbers on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you so much for posting this article. Without it I would have been in the dark. I did not know that there could be so much tension between teachers and parents. Once I would have gotten into IEP's I would have realized this but now I know much earlier. It helps me as a future teacher to understand where the parents are coming from and from this I hopefully can help the future parents of my future students. It will hopefully help me realize what needs to be done in a IEP. This article has also helped me realize more about the IEP process. |
Parents PrespectiveBy Chelsea Konyndyk on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you so much for this article. This article really got me thinking about what it is like for a parent to go through an IEP. I thought it was interesting about the disagreements and when Marchenko said, "They were telling me this is the way we do it, regardless of how your child is, because that's the way it's always been set up," I sort of cringed at that because that really isn't how it should be run because it is about the student not a rule or system book. That was a big eye opener for me that disagreements happen like this. Thanks for posting this and giving us an opportunity to see it from a parents perspective. |
IEP articleBy Nora Nassar on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you for sharing this article with me. It bettered my understanding of where the parents are coming from as of IEP concerns. Parents have every right to have a say in what goals their child has to make. The teacher doesn’t always have a good understanding of what is good for the child and that can be an advantage for having the parents present. I myself have experience being in a family where IEP’s are always in our everyday discussions. My brother and sister both have muscular dystrophy, and just the other day was my brother’s IEP review and reading through the article allowed me to understand how much effort is put in making goals and achievements for a student. My brother was having a problem and made it his mission to get this problem solved. He was able to convince the IEP team to remove the problem and had good reasons for wanting the problem solved. IEP are important and parents are important even though they are the ones that may be fulfilling the goals being achieved. Thanks again it was nice reading this article. |
IEP articleBy Nora Nassar on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you for sharing this article with me. It bettered my understanding of where the parents are coming from as of IEP concerns. Parents have every right to have a say in what goals their child has to make. The teacher doesn’t always have a good understanding of what is good for the child and that can be an advantage for having the parents present. I myself have experience being in a family where IEP’s are always in our everyday discussions. My brother and sister both have muscular dystrophy, and just the other day was my brother’s IEP review and reading through the article allowed me to understand how much effort is put in making goals and achievements for a student. My brother was having a problem and made it his mission to get this problem solved. He was able to convince the IEP team to remove the problem and had good reasons for wanting the problem solved. IEP are important and parents are important even though they are the ones that may be fulfilling the goals being achieved. Thanks again it was nice reading this article. |
Understanding IEPs more clearlyBy Corinne Beezhold on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thanks for sharing a personal account of the IEP process! Before I began taking my current special education class, I had never heard of the term IEP before. As a future teacher, it's a term I need to be familiar with since it's something I will face as part of my job. It’s very helpful to read excerpts of real-life accounts like this so I can have both a better understanding of what to expect as well as a sensitivity towards people who have to undergo this process. In terms of this article specifically, I certainly think it was a smart idea for Marchenko to bring someone to support her to the IEP meetings so that she was not run over by the school. At the same time, I think it’s important that she was required to run her goals for her daughter off of the school. Basically, I think it’s very important that the school and parents work together to create IEP goals. With this sort of set-up, balanced, realistic, and personal goals can be created. Even though it seems like it can be a pain when disagreements arise, it appears that these conflicts eventually produce a goal that is balanced between the dreams, the reality, and the potential of the child (like the article mentions). |
New PerspectiveBy Danielle DeVries on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Your article put many of my own thoughts and questions into words. Learning about IEP’s has been interesting. We have mainly been learning about them through a teacher’s perspective, and have been made aware that the meetings are difficult for teachers, but I have wondered what it would be like to be a parent in an IEP meeting. It completely makes sense that they are hard for parents as well as teachers; dare I say even harder for parents perhaps. Hearing Gillian Marchenko’s story with her daughters opened my eyes for how IEP meetings are not easy for anyone involved; I will definitely keep this in mind in my potential IEP meetings with parents. Thank you for giving me this insight! |
IEP ExperiencesBy Lindsay Slager on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 I really appreciate your article! Too often, as students, we become accustomed to hearing about these experiences orally but never really get the chance to hear about a real-life IEP meeting. I must admit, it's discouraging to hear that IEPs often become so complicated and difficult. I think teachers and parents get too caught up in the paper work and details of these goals. Instead, teachers should be focusing on the students' needs. After all, the students' success should be the goal of everything done at school. As a future teacher, I hope to keep this idea in mind. Students' needs should be put first to ensure their success. While disagreements are sure to arise, it is necessary to remember the reason for the IEP meeting in the first place. Only then will any real progress be made. |
Learning from the Parent'sBy Kimberly Dolce on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you for posting this article to let me review a parent's concern with her child's IEP. I appreciate reading other people's perspective about this important subject that affect's their child's academic future. Going through the IEP process can be very frustrating and can take a long time, but determing what goals have to be set in order for a child to accomplish the goal is extremley important. I believe the parent's saying about what should be on the IEP is very important, and can be overwhelming for them. Thank you for posting this article to help students who are becoming educators understand what the parent's feelings are about in their child's IEP. Educators are there for all the students, and if a successful IEP is put together, the child will become more successful with all the goals that were set. |
Parents FirstBy Vanessa Noonan on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 This article really let me view the IEP process in a more personal light. I feel that it's extremely important to involve the parents in the IEP process. Parents should also have a final say in everything (as long as what they say is realistic) because the parents live with their children all day long when the children are not in school. While it is the school's job to work on goals, the parent may see how well a student is doing on his or her goals in the home. I was very surprised when Marchenko's daughter's school wanted Polly to learn the picture system even though she was already communicating well with Sign Language. This confused me because if Polly is already communicating effectively, then why is her going urging her to learn a brand new system when she is already doing well with another one? Thank you for posting this article. I'm glad that I am able to see how the IEP process affects the parents directly instead of just the children and school personel. |
Better UnderstandingBy Maureen Lambert on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thanks so much for this article! I really appreciate hearing what life is like from this perspective. Because I am an education student, I will encounter IEPs during my career and this article has helped me to understand the feelings and experiences of the parents going through this process. The IEP tips are also a great resource for parents who are just starting the process of educating their special needs child. From reading this article, I hope to approach these situations in a better way by being understanding supportive of parents and students going through this tough situation. |
IEPBy Shurouq Abdallah on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you for posting this article. This article talks about the IEP. It also talks about how much time parents and teachers put into making an IEP that will help benefit their students. I myself had an IEP during my middle school and through high school. The teachers and my parents worked very hard on filling a lot of paper work so I can have a great education. The IEP helped me become the student I am today. This article helped me better understand how much time teachers put into working with parents to develop an IEP plan for their students so their students can become successful throughout their life. |
Real Life LearningBy Andrew Hoekstra on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you for putting this article out there for us to read and discuss. This is important for anyone to read who wants to know what parents and families with students with disabilities have to go through. This is necessary for us as future educators to read and understand these real life situations. I have come to know what an IEP all includes and what goes on behind the scenes. The IEP is something that we need to understand totally. This needs to be something that we can work with other educators, parents, doctors, therapists, and etc. Thank you for putting real life situations that deal with IEPs out there for people and future educators to read and discuss. With this opportunity, we can learn to better understand and make better IEPs for the future generations. |
IEP DifficultiesBy Allison Bouma on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 This article is dealing with a familiar topic for me because of my brother with autism. I have been to many IEP meetings with him and know the difficulty and tension that there can been when trying to determine what goals are fitting for him over the course of the following year. I have noticed that it is especially difficult when all his different therapists and teachers are trying to come up with some common goals. The article also reminded me of an IEP I had the opportunity to look at while I was teacher aiding. The child was four years old and had about 12 goals that he was supposed to work on over the next few months.This makes me of what is said in the article, that "parents sometimes want to set goals for their children that are not realistic for their current abilities." I think that for IEP goals it is best to start with the basics that you can build off of. |
Hard WorkBy Holli Moote on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 One thing that this article mentioned briefly that really made me think was when it referenced how much work an IEP is, even for a parent. The parent, when trying to get a plan together, is faced with meetings and paperwork, these can be time consuming and difficult for some parents to work into already busy lives. Then when there is an issue it can be even more overwhelming for the parent. I think that what is important to remember as a teacher is that a though everyone may have the student’s best interest at heart, there may be disagreements. What is important to remember in the disagreements is that everyone needs to work together and come to an agreement, without disregarding the hard work that everyone is doing. I think that realizing that everyone is working hard, and making the extra effort can make it easier to understand each other and work together more effectively. |
"Difficulty with IEP's"By Neil Krooswyk on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you for this article. It is interesting and purposeful for us future teachers to hear what the IEP process is like for the parents; both the positive goals and difficult meetings. Hearing stories of difficulty and struggle from parents make the IEP process more realistic for teachers and brings the process full circle, which causes me as a teacher to be empathetic towards the parents. Making goals in the IEP is clearly a difficult process for both the teachers and parents as both sides have different goals for the student. I found it interest when reading that IEP takes a long time and finding realistic goals takes even more time. Thanks again for this article presenting a side of the IEP that is usually not heard. |
"Eye-opening Experiences"By Lisa Trepton on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you for posting this article. It was very eye-opening to read about real issues with IEP's. This article put what I've learned from a textbook into a real life situation. This article also shows how much time parents and teachers put into IEP's all for the benefit of the child. Rebecca Benson-Bates mentioned the piles of paperwork and meetings that she attended in order for her daughter to attend school. Parents sacrifice a lot for their children. This article is very helpful for education students, like myself, to get a better understanding of how teachers work with parents. Thank you for posting this article and allowing us a glimpse and what teaching entails. |
Parents versus teachersBy Anneke Delport on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you for posting this article, it was very helpful to hear about the problems that could arise between parents and teachers when creating IEP's. I am new when it comes to IEP's so it helps to learn about the process by hearing real-life stories where people had to deal with problems concerning them. I especially liked how Marchenko fought for her child in her IEP meeting by not letting the school change the way that her daughter Polly communicates. I understand that schools might have systems already put into place, but those systems might come in the way of a student reaching his/her potential, as in the case of Polly. I know that parents might have unrealistic goals for their children too sometimes, but I also see the importance in having parents at the IEP meetings to advocate for their child and make sure that the school gives their very best for the student and not just what is the easiest for them. So thank you very much for showing the parent's side to IEP's and not just the teacher's side, it helps a future teacher like me understand where parents are coming from when they set certain goals for their children that might not make sense at the time. |
voices of pre-service teachersBy professor pete post on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Thank you so much for this article and the IEP tips. I am a professor or special education that began writing IEPs for my students back in the 1970's and now I work to prepare future teachers to learn about the process - a big piece of which is including the parents. This week I hope to have my students in SPED 216 at Trinity Christian College post a brief reflection on what they've read here. Thank you for that opportunity. |
Schools and Parents
By Joshua Pollema on Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Thank you for posting this article. It really put what we have been talking in class about into a real life situation. Parents and school teachers need to work together to create goals for kids that receive special education. This article just goes to show that the teachers care about the child too. They want what is best for the child, just like the parent does. Unfortunately there can be disagreements about goals and IEP's. But if everyone involved remains positive and ready for cooperation, the goals will beneficial to the child. This really shed light no the IEP process. Thank you for showing future educators what this process will be like.