Today was
a great day in our family. Grady got her middle school acceptance
letter. And she was accepted by her 1st choice.
This may
not mean much to anyone who lives outside of NYC, but as a resident of our
great city, the public school middle school process is on par with the college
application process. It is long, arduous and full of highs &
lows.
Grady has
always been hardworking, determined and goal-orientated, but she's always
struggled in school. She had a private tutor since 3rd grade, after-school
homework help, test prep and tons of online help and still
struggled. No matter how hard she worked, she always fell short on
something. It was so frustrating to see your child work so hard and then be
disappointed by the results. This is a kid who has NEVER been late for school
and only missed 1 day since kindergarten, so it wasn't as if she wasn't turning
up and ready to work.
After
exhausting every resource possible, we had Grady tested to determine if she had
any learning difficulties. The test was administered at the Cornell Child
Development Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital. After testing her
cognitive and developmental skills, Grady was diagnosed with a learning
difference. While some parents may not welcome this news, we were so happy to
finally have a name to what she was experiencing and excited by what we
could do to help her learn in a way that benefited her most. We
proceeded to get Grady an IEP, an Individualized
Education Program (IEP).
An
IEP defines the individualized objectives of a child who has been found with a
disability, as defined by federal regulations. The IEP is intended to help
children reach educational goals more easily than they otherwise would. In
all cases the IEP must be tailored to the individual student's needs as
identified by the IEP evaluation process, and must especially help teachers and
related service providers understand the student's disability and how the
disability affects the learning process. The IEP describes how the student
learns, how the student best demonstrates that learning and what teachers and
service providers will do to help the student learn more effectively.
Developing an IEP requires assessing students in all areas related to the known
disabilities, simultaneously considering ability to access the general
curriculum, considering how the disability affects the student’s learning, forming
goals and objectives that correspond to the needs of the student, and choosing
a placement in the least restrictive environment possible for the student.
In
4th grade, Grady began her IEP, in a general education, mainstream classes with two
teachers. One teacher handles the general education while another teacher
gives specialized assistance when needed. Otherwise, Grady interacts and
participate in the class activities with everyone else. Grady gets extra test
time, can have the questions read to her and can test in a separate room,
with others who need a more specialized plan. As she was diagnosed with
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Grady also began take Concerta, which is
a prescription product, approved for the treatment of (ADD) as
part of a total treatment program that may include counseling or other
therapies. Concerta, coupled with the IEP and the two-teacher classroom,
made such a difference in her learning that it was shocking.
We always knew that she was smart; we just had to help her find a way to
tap into that smartness. 4th grade was a huge success for her.
She
continued her success in 5th grade, working with her strengths and improving on
her weaknesses. She participates in group discussions, something
she never felt comfortable enough to do, had loads of friends (sometimes
too many), and is even a mediator in her school. A mediator is an
elected position, in which 5th graders help others in the class navigate their
disputes or disagreements. She has made strides to last a lifetime.
I tip my hat off to Grady and wish her
continued success, strength in her struggles and much love. May 6th grade
continue to nurture her love of learning.
