Stacey Hoaglund
ADVOCATE, LIFE COACH, CONSULTANT, SPEAKER, AUTHOR
Category: Advocacy
Category: Advocacy
Ugh! Standardized Tests! Now What?
We are in the height of testing season. It seems like every school I walk into, all I hear is chatter about the FAST, STAR and I-ready. It’s so sad that the education of children has been hijacked by standardized tests. Be that as it may, testing is nothing new; even when I was in
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Mammas Need Reminders Too!
How often do you run around reminding your kids, and your spouse or significant other, of all the things that need to take place within each 24-hour cycle? As moms, we have a tendency to be the person in the home who manages the lives of everyone else who lives under the same roof. For
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Envisioning an Improved Continuum of Services
As many parents are participating in their child’s matriculation meeting at this time of year – transition meeting from preschool to kindergarten, elementary to middle, middle to high – there are a few things to understand about what’s referred to as a “continuum of services”. What’s This All About? Those 3 words basically mean that
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Figuring Out What’s Worth Fighting for
ad·vo·cate [v. ad-vuh-keyt] According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word advocate has been around since the 14th century. The definitions include: 1: one that pleads the cause of another; to plead in favor of 2: one that defends or maintains a cause or proposal 3: one that supports or promotes the interests of another. Advocating can
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Don’t Miss Asking these Questions at Your Matriculation Meeting
As matriculation meetings will be starting soon (they typically begin after Spring Break), it’s important to know and understand your child’s rights to inclusive education. I find that most parents don’t know that the federal law (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) requires that all IEP teams consider a regular education placement EVERY YEAR – not
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Special Education Checklist for Parents
According to IDEA, Special Education is “specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability,” which includes everything from making classroom adaptations to off campus travel training, and everything in between. Parents need to be aware of some of the hallmarks of special education
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How to Track Your Child’s Progress from Home
Did you know that your school is responsible for providing your child with what they need to make educational progress? This means ALL kids, not just those who are on regular standards and spend their day in a regular education classroom setting. Oftentimes, parents hear messages from their school that sound something like, “His disability
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Understanding the Eligibility of ESY
If your child’s annual IEP is in the springtime, chances are good that someone at your meeting will say something like, “Well, while we have you here, let’s take care of ESY.” You might be thinking, “What is that??? More letters that I’m not really sure about.” Since you get that sinking feeling that you’re
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The Often Overlooked Importance of Literacy
Unfortunately, our educational system grossly underestimates the potential of students with disabilities, especially those who don’t verbally communicate. That means that parents must take a very active approach in ensuring that their child has access to proper curriculum that is in line with the way that they process and learn. I’m sure most of you
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YOUR CHILD’S CLASSROOM SCHEDULE SAYS A LOT!
Most parents don’t understand what a child’s classroom (or school) schedule can tell them. Have you ever asked to see yours? Do you understand what it means? Does your child have 2 schedules? – one for special education and one for regular? Don’t freak out if you have no idea what I’m talking about. This
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