Stacey Hoaglund
ADVOCATE, LIFE COACH, CONSULTANT, SPEAKER, AUTHOR
Tag: school
Tag: school
5 Tips for Ending the School Year on a Positive Note
It’s hard to believe that the school year is gone already. For some parents, there’s still another week or so, and for others, the year is done and gone. Are you ready? Is your IEP ready? If your child is changing schools, have you visited the new school? Do you know what to expect? Hoping
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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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Never Underestimate the Power of Extracurricular Activities
It’s that time of year when many parents begin thinking about the summer and how to plan out extracurricular activities. Plus, being that March is Developmental Disabilities Month and April is Autism Awareness Month, you’re sure to see a lot more activities going on than you would normally. This can make it tough to decide
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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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Not All Accommodations Are Allowed on Standardized Tests
Each year when you have your child’s annual IEP meeting, there’s a place that you need to sign that you understand that not all accommodations that your child might have on their IEP are allowable during standardized testing. Did you know that? This reminds me of Procedural Safeguards. Every year you sign a paper that
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A Dozen Red Flags of a Hot Mess IEP Meeting :o
For many parents, the annual IEP meeting is something that incites a great sense of overwhelm, frustration and doom. This is probably one of the reasons that tons of parents don’t even show up. Most of you might find this really hard to believe (because you’re passionately involved in your child’s education), but it’s true,
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Explaining Specially Designed Instruction
According to the Council for Exceptional Children, “specially designed instruction (SDI) is instruction that is tailored to a particular student. It addresses their Individualized Program (IEP) goals; accounts for their disability; provides modifications or adaptations to content; and encourages access to the general education curriculum. SDI is defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as
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