We would like to request that our daughter repeat 5th grade. Has anyone had success working with CPS to get this accomplished?
Quick background - it's a new charter school which is holding off on adding a sixth grade next year so her whole class is moving on to other schools. She has an IEP and is in a special ed class for math and reading. Her regular Ed class teaches at 5th grade level and we feel she could use another year to get caught up. We did note this in our annual IEP meeting in December)
As a pediatric specialist and a mother of 5, I would ask a pediatric neuropsychologist if this is a good idea. You can email me at ____@____.com and I will forward it to one of ours. Cut and paste this email and add some more info. I will try and help. We work with CPS and all the school systems a lot attending IEPS, observing etc. Good luck!
If she already has an IEP and she MEETS all the requirements in the IEP you may have a struggle on your hands to get them to retain her. They lose funding if she doesn't meet her IEP goals and if she isn't promoted.
Having said that - you can simply remove her from the IEP, and she would probably fail, right?. What kinds of modifications are detailed in the IEP and without the modifications would she pass? If she had no modifications during the ISAT would she score in, at least, the 20th percentile? My understanding is that if you don't score in at least the 20th percentile, and have less than a C in reading or math the child can't be promoted.
Depending on what the IEP is for, holding her back may not help her. If she has one for a learning disability, for example, she's probably two years or more behind on her current grade. For most of these children, there is no "catching up." Talk with her teachers, and ask them frankly if they even think it's possible and what it would take to get her here. If they can tell you her specific skill deficits, you could research ways to help her either overcome them or to improve a little. How would your daughter feel about it? If she's going to be so upset she doesn't put forth her best effort at repeating the grade, it won't be helpful to her at all.
Best wishes to you as you consider this.
The studies show that holding a child back does not help them. Kids that are held back are more likely to drop out of school My friend held her son back in the 5th grade becasuse she didnt want him to go to the jur high for 6th grade .. It made no differeence.. he is now in all special ed classes and doing fair. he cant wait to quit school. The teacher and the princiapal and the counselor all recommended that he move with his peers.. now he will be 19 and going into 12th grade..
