advice needed

[Guest guest]

Hello,

It's time for 's "program review", where we discuss how she is doing and a tentative placement for the fall. I need people's BTDT experience about some of her time being in a resource room vs. a self contained class. We have a meeting next Wednesday and I want to get in my brain what I want to argue for.

Currently she spends 70% of her day in a general ed. Kindergarten and 30% in the self-contained K. This is 2 schools away from our home school, and a pilot program for the self-contained K, with each of the 7 children also having a full slot in the general ed class, where they spend as much of their day as they are ready for. She won't attend this school next year, as it only has this pilot program.

My options for next year are:

Our neighborhood school: The self contained class is not a good fit for her, even for part of her day. It is designated a "medically fragile" school, with a full-time nurse, so a lot of kids with high medical needs are bused there, and the result is that the academic level is not high enough for where is right now.

So, if I want her placement to be "general ed 1st grade, with pull out as needed", the pull-out would be into the resource room (which I don't know much about, but will go visit next week, along with visiting each 1st grade class)

One school away: The self-contained class is a much better fit. She could, like this year, spend a great part of her day in general ed, but her "non-general ed" time would be in this self-contained class instead of in a resource room. They would bus her to this school, which is only 2 miles away.

My thoughts:

I'd like to make a choice that has the best chance of working for several years. I want her to join a community and stay in it, not move from year to year.

will stay in his private school at least 2 more years, but then MAY attend the neighborhood school for one or two years (but it's not very likely). He would not ever attend the school "one over" from us. They would not let him "choice" in.

I don't know a thing about how a resource room works. Is it likely to be more or less one-on-one instruction dealing with specifically what needs? Do your kids find it distracting to have kids of many ages coming and going?

I want to BELONG in the general ed class and not just be a visitor. Does going to a self-contained class for 30% give her a second community to belong to in a way the resource room doesn't, or just pull her away from truly being a part of the general ed class?

I think I'd have an easier time arguing for more time in general ed if her core placement is there, and she would have more in-class modified instruction/assignments and less pull-out to either self-contained or resource room.

Thanks for whatever advice you want to offer!!

Casey, mom to (DS) and , 6