First Day of School

August 30, 2000

Oh Gail, I hope Ted has a great day today too. I sent my guy Ry off for his

first day of middle school. He seemed happy, was hard waking him up at 6:30!

Then I took my other two to school at 8:45. My youngest starts 1st grade

today. We walked to school ( gets bused earlier because he's in the

middle school) and after leaving my other two at the school doors I turned to

walk home and cried the whole way! My nest is finally empty and it breaks my

heart. Sigh.

Jackie, Mom to 12ds, 10, and Bradley 6

August 30, 2000

If you go all the way to the comments, there is a discussion of choosing

methodologies.

Judi

§300.26 Special education.

(a) General.

(1) As used in this part, the term special education means specially

designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of

a child with a disability, including-

(i) Instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and

institutions, and in other settings; and

(ii) Instruction in physical education.

(2) The term includes each of the following, if it meets the requirements of

paragraph (a)(1) of this section:

(i) Speech-language pathology services, or any other related service, if the

service is considered special education rather than a related service under

State standards;

(ii) Travel training; and

(iii) Vocational education.

( Individual terms defined. The terms in this definition are defined as

follows:

(1) At no cost means that all specially-designed instruction is provided

without charge, but does not preclude incidental fees that are normally

charged to nondisabled students or their parents as a part of the regular

education program.

(2) Physical education-

(i) Means the development of-

(A) Physical and motor fitness;

( Fundamental motor skills and patterns; and

(including intramural and lifetime sports); and

(ii) Includes special physical education, adapted physical education,

movement education, and motor development.

(3) Specially-designed instruction means adapting, as appropriate to the

needs of an eligible child under this part, the content, methodology, or

delivery of instruction-

(i) To address the unique needs of the child that result from the child's

disability; and

(ii) To ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that he or

she can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public

agency that apply to all children.

(4) Travel training means providing instruction, as appropriate, to children

with significant cognitive disabilities, and any other children with

disabilities who require this instruction, to enable them to-

(i) Develop an awareness of the environment in which they live; and

(ii) Learn the skills necessary to move effectively and safely from place to

place within that environment (e.g., in school, in the home, at work, and in

the community).

(5) Vocational education means organized educational programs that are

directly related to the preparation of individuals for paid or unpaid

employment, or for additional preparation for a career requiring other than

a baccalaureate or advanced degree.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(25))

Analysis of Comments, Discussions and Changes from Attachment

1[NL][PARA]Comment: Some commenters requested that, in implementing the IEP

for disabled students in school-funded placements outside of the school

district, the cost of trips, phone calls, and other expenses incurred by

parents should be covered. Some commenters stated that they are not

reimbursed for official long-distance phone calls made regarding their

child's needs or for trips to attend special IEP meetings. According to a

commenter, onedistrict will pay for the cost of driving the student to

school, but not for the cost of the return trip of the parents.

[PARA]Several commenters requested that the definition of " physical

education " in proposed §300.24((2)(ii) be amended to change " adaptive " to

" adapted, " because the term was used in the original regulations, and no

rationale has been provided for changing it. [PARA]Some commenters expressed

support for the definition of " specially designed instruction " as written,

while other commenters expressed support with modification. Other commenters

took exception to the definition, characterizing it as overly prescriptive.

Other commenters recommended dropping the reference to methodology, citing

case law and the legislative history in support of their view that

methodology should not be included in this definition. [PARA]A few

commenters stated that the definition of " vocational education " in proposed

§300.24(a)(3) was not complete, and requested that it be amended to comply

with the definition in the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology

Education Act. Other commenters objected to including " vocational education "

within the definition of " special education, " asserting that there is no

statutory authority to do so. Other commenters recommended that some minor

modifications be made to the current definition. [PARA]A few commenters

requested that the regulations clarify the difference between accommodations

that do not change the content of the curriculum and modifications that do

change it. Other commenters requested that access to the general curriculum

be to the maximum extent appropriate for the child. A few commenters

recommended adding clarifying language to accommodate the distinction

between providing disabled students with a meaningful opportunity to meet

the standards and actually meeting the standards, and stated that the Act

recognizes this distinction by referencing involvement and progress in the

general curriculum. Some commenters supported the note to proposed §300.24

(that a related services provider may be a provider of specially designed

instruction if State law permits). Other commenters stated that the note

should be deleted to eliminate the possibility that individuals may

interpret it to mean that the term " child with a disability, " as defined

under proposed §300.7, might include children who need only a related

service. [PARA]Discussion: It is not necessary to revise the definition of

" at no cost " under paragraph ((1) of this section, since that definition

already addresses the comment relating to the cost of trips, phone calls,

and other expenses incurred by parents of disabled children when those

children are placed outside the school district by a public agency. If the

school district places the child, and the IEP team determines that the costs

of phone calls and trips are relevant to the student's receipt of FAPE, the

public agency placing the child would be expected to pay for such

expenses.[PARA]Paragraph ((2) concerning " physical education " should be

amended to substitute the word " adapted " for the word " adaptive, " since this

is the term that was in the original regulations.[PARA]With regard to the

definition of " specially designed instruction, " some changes should be made.

The committee reports to Pub. L. 105-17 make clear that specific day-to-day

adjustments in instructional methods and approaches are not normally the

sort of change that would require action by an IEP team. Requiring an IEP to

include such a level of detail would be overly-prescriptive, impose

considerable unnecessary administrative burden, and quite possibly be seen

as encouraging disputes and litigation about rather small and unimportant

changes in instruction. There is, however, a reasonable distinction to be

drawn between a mode of instruction, such as cued speech, which would be the

basis for the goals, objectives, and other elements of an individual

student's IEP and should be reflected in that student's IEP, and a

day-to-day teaching approach, i.e., a lesson plan, which would not be

intended to be included in a student's IEP. [PARA]Case law recognizes that

instructional methodology can be an important consideration in the context

of what constitutes an appropriate education for a child with a disability.

At the same time, these courts have indicated that they will not substitute

a parentally-preferred methodology for sound educational programs developed

by school personnel in accordance with the procedural requirements of the

IDEA to meet the educational needs of an individual child with a disability.

[PARA]In light of the legislative history and case law, it is clear that in

developing an individualized education there are circumstances in which the

particular teaching methodology that will be used is an integral part of

what is " individualized " about a student's education and, in those

circumstances will need to be discussed at the IEP meeting and incorporated

into the student's IEP. For example, for a child with a learning disability

who has not learned to read using traditional instructional methods, an

appropriate education may require some other instructional strategy.

[PARA]Other students' IEPs may not need to address the instructional method

to be used because specificity about methodology is not necessary to enable

those students to receive an appropriate education. There is nothing in the

definition of " specially designed instruction " that would require

instructional methodology to be addressed in the IEPs of students who do not

need a particular instructional methodology in order to receive educational

benefit. In all cases, whether methodology would be addressed in an IEP

would be an IEP team decision.[PARA]Other changes to the definition of

" specially designed instruction " are not needed. The distinction between

accommodations that change the general curriculum and those that do not, as

one commenter requests, would be difficult to make because of the

individualized nature of these determinations. Regardless of the reasons for

the accommodation or modification, it must be provided if necessary to

address the special educational needs of an individual student. [PARA]The

words " maximum extent appropriate " should not follow the reference to

participation in the general curriculum, because such a qualification would

conflict with the Act's IEP requirements and the unequivocal emphasis on

involvement and progress of students with disabilities in the general

curriculum, regardless of the nature or significance of the disability.

[PARA]The term " vocational education " in paragraph ((5) should not be

amended to conform to the definition in the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and

Applied Technology Education Act. The definition of " vocational education "

in the proposed regulations should be retained in these final regulations

since it reflects the definition of that term contained in the original

regulations for this program published in 1977. While the regulatory

definition includes all of the activities in the Perkins Act definition, the

substitution of the definition from the Perkins Act would be too limiting

since that definition would not encompass those activities included in the

current definition. The inclusion of " vocational education " in the

definition of " special education " is needed to ensure that students with

disabilities receive appropriate, individually-designed vocational

educational services to facilitate transition from school to post-school

activities.[PARA]In light of the general decision not to use notes in these

final regulations, the note following this section of the NPRM should be

removed. The removal of this note, however, should not be construed as

altering eligibility requirements under these regulations -- namely (1) a

child is an eligible child with a disability under Part B if the child has a

covered impairment and requires special education by reason of the

impairment; and (2) a child with a disability can receive a related service

only if that service is required to assist the child to benefit from special

education. However, consistent with §300.26(a)(2), any related service that

is considered special education rather than a related service under State

standards may be considered as special education. A provision has been added

under the definition of " child with a disability " to reflect this concept.

[PARA]Changes: Paragraph (a)(2) has been amended to add travel training to

the elements contained in the definition of " special education, " and a

separate definition of travel training has been added to paragraph ((4) as

discussed in this attachment under §300.24. Paragraph ((2) concerning

physical education has been revised to substitute the word " adapted " for the

word " adaptive. " Paragraph ((3) has been revised to make clear that

adaptations to instruction, in the form of specially designed instruction,

are made as appropriate to the needs of the child. The note following this

section of the NPRM has been removed, and the substance of the note is

reflected in the above discussion.

...\..\idearegsmain.htmBack to Previous Page Browse Web-Enhanced Full

Regulations

* The Search-Enhanced Regulations are divided into individual sections to

produce more accurate search results and better print results. For full

viewing and easier navigation of the regulations, please use the

Web-enhanced version.[PARA]These Final Regulations were taken from the

Federal Register. They were formatted by Education Development Center, Inc.

for the IDEA Practices Web site, a service of the OSEP-funded ASPIIRE and

ILIAD IDEA Partnership Projects at The Council for Exceptional Children.

Every attempt has been made to faithfully reproduce the original content of

the Regulations.

August 30, 2000

<<Caty was so excited this morning. All smiles and giggling >>

Hi ,

I love hearing this! Ted went to school this morning and

he was very excited also! I hope he has a good day.

I really had to restrain myself from writing them a note.

I was afraid that I might set a wrong tone by wanting them

to do this and that. I just hope they do what they are supposed

to. I sent Ted with his very own little photo album book called

" All About Me " by Ted Boughton. Ted also loves to take

pictures and this book full of those little tiny 1 in. instant photos

of what he did this summer. I hope to hear all the updates

on school and will be sure to give you all one!

Gail, mom to Ted (9) who now says his age when asked very

well!

August 30, 2000

gail

great to hear that ted has a wonderful time with school. he must be so proud

to tell everyone his age.

alec has had 3 great days, other then in the cafeteria. the para goes with

his class and is new to the school. i am sure that alec is testing her big

time.! i am hoping that the good behavior during the rest of the day,is not

a honeymoon period.

danielle, alec's big sister had a little more difficulty adjusting to the

first day of middle school. she told me that she was not going back. ( just

like she said after the first day of Kindergarten). well, after day 3, she

is enjoying it much more. she has 2 really tough teachers and the other 4

are good.

lori

March 7, 2005

In a message dated 3/7/2005 10:20:32 PM Eastern Standard Time,

cindysue@... writes:

> ,

>

> You'll get to the point that you will love seeing that little yellow bus in

> the morning and love that time when you have the house to yourself! Don't

> be surprised if the teacher gives you the boot - Joshie may adjust better if

> he doesn't see you.

>

-- riding the bus makes the whole separation thing easier too. The

" separation trauma " happens curbside and by the child is at school he/she is

raring to

go. (if you don't believe it, secretly follow the bus and spy from behind a

tree).

- Becky

aka one who has been there (lol)

March 7, 2005

In a message dated 3/7/2005 10:20:32 PM Eastern Standard Time,

cindysue@... writes:

> ,

>

> You'll get to the point that you will love seeing that little yellow bus in

> the morning and love that time when you have the house to yourself! Don't

> be surprised if the teacher gives you the boot - Joshie may adjust better if

> he doesn't see you.

>

-- riding the bus makes the whole separation thing easier too. The

" separation trauma " happens curbside and by the child is at school he/she is

raring to

go. (if you don't believe it, secretly follow the bus and spy from behind a

tree).

- Becky

aka one who has been there (lol)

March 7, 2005

,

You'll get to the point that you will love seeing that little yellow bus in

the morning and love that time when you have the house to yourself! Don't

be surprised if the teacher gives you the boot - Joshie may adjust better if

he doesn't see you.

Word Fixations

>

> Hi

>

> One of 's word fixations right now is " In a minute. " When we pass

by Kristi on the way to another room, she will say hold out her arm and say

" My king " for me and " My Queen " for . has been fixed on calling

me " Captain " and " Fatherboard. "

>

> On words they couldn't pronounce when they were little, Kristi's

kwaw-kwaw (wash cloth), 's nay-nay (rain) and 's " the sheep's in

the meadow, the cows in the corns " stand out as memorable fixations.

>

> We have enjoyed reading all of your kids word fixations and am glad

somebody started this one!

>

> Dad to , Kristi, (all three Down syndrome) and (Cri

du chat)

> Husband to C. in Mo.

> Uncle Daddy to and in Calif. (both Down syndrome)

>

> ---

> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.

> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

> Version: 6.0.859 / Virus Database: 585 - Release Date: 02/14/2005

>

March 7, 2005

,

You'll get to the point that you will love seeing that little yellow bus in

the morning and love that time when you have the house to yourself! Don't

be surprised if the teacher gives you the boot - Joshie may adjust better if

he doesn't see you.

Word Fixations

>

> Hi

>

> One of 's word fixations right now is " In a minute. " When we pass

by Kristi on the way to another room, she will say hold out her arm and say

" My king " for me and " My Queen " for . has been fixed on calling

me " Captain " and " Fatherboard. "

>

> On words they couldn't pronounce when they were little, Kristi's

kwaw-kwaw (wash cloth), 's nay-nay (rain) and 's " the sheep's in

the meadow, the cows in the corns " stand out as memorable fixations.

>

> We have enjoyed reading all of your kids word fixations and am glad

somebody started this one!

>

> Dad to , Kristi, (all three Down syndrome) and (Cri

du chat)

> Husband to C. in Mo.

> Uncle Daddy to and in Calif. (both Down syndrome)

>

> ---

> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.

> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

> Version: 6.0.859 / Virus Database: 585 - Release Date: 02/14/2005

>

March 7, 2005

Though if and when you get the boot, don't be afraid to peek in the

windows for a few minutes so that he can't see you (but you can see

what's going on)..... and don't worry about what anyone else walking

around the school thinks either :-)

I agree with ....... it doesn't take long for the bus to be a great

thing! Now, a few years after got on the first bus at age 3,

I'm putting all of them onto the regular bus to the same school..... yeah!

, mom to (9), (7 DS), and (5)

wrote:

>,

>

>You'll get to the point that you will love seeing that little yellow bus in

>the morning and love that time when you have the house to yourself! Don't

>be surprised if the teacher gives you the boot - Joshie may adjust better if

>he doesn't see you.

>

> Word Fixations

>>

>> Hi

>>

>> One of 's word fixations right now is " In a minute. " When we pass

>>

>by Kristi on the way to another room, she will say hold out her arm and say

> " My king " for me and " My Queen " for . has been fixed on calling

>me " Captain " and " Fatherboard. "

>

>> On words they couldn't pronounce when they were little, Kristi's

>>

>kwaw-kwaw (wash cloth), 's nay-nay (rain) and 's " the sheep's in

>the meadow, the cows in the corns " stand out as memorable fixations.

>

>> We have enjoyed reading all of your kids word fixations and am glad

>>

>somebody started this one!

>

>>

>> Dad to , Kristi, (all three Down syndrome) and (Cri

>>

>du chat)

>

>> Husband to C. in Mo.

>> Uncle Daddy to and in Calif. (both Down syndrome)

>>

>> ---

>> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.

>> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

>> Version: 6.0.859 / Virus Database: 585 - Release Date: 02/14/2005

>>

March 7, 2005

Though if and when you get the boot, don't be afraid to peek in the

windows for a few minutes so that he can't see you (but you can see

what's going on)..... and don't worry about what anyone else walking

around the school thinks either :-)

I agree with ....... it doesn't take long for the bus to be a great

thing! Now, a few years after got on the first bus at age 3,

I'm putting all of them onto the regular bus to the same school..... yeah!

, mom to (9), (7 DS), and (5)

wrote:

>,

>

>You'll get to the point that you will love seeing that little yellow bus in

>the morning and love that time when you have the house to yourself! Don't

>be surprised if the teacher gives you the boot - Joshie may adjust better if

>he doesn't see you.

>

> Word Fixations

>>

>> Hi

>>

>> One of 's word fixations right now is " In a minute. " When we pass

>>

>by Kristi on the way to another room, she will say hold out her arm and say

> " My king " for me and " My Queen " for . has been fixed on calling

>me " Captain " and " Fatherboard. "

>

>> On words they couldn't pronounce when they were little, Kristi's

>>

>kwaw-kwaw (wash cloth), 's nay-nay (rain) and 's " the sheep's in

>the meadow, the cows in the corns " stand out as memorable fixations.

>

>> We have enjoyed reading all of your kids word fixations and am glad

>>

>somebody started this one!

>

>>

>> Dad to , Kristi, (all three Down syndrome) and (Cri

>>

>du chat)

>

>> Husband to C. in Mo.

>> Uncle Daddy to and in Calif. (both Down syndrome)

>>

>> ---

>> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.

>> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

>> Version: 6.0.859 / Virus Database: 585 - Release Date: 02/14/2005

>>

March 7, 2005

Not at allo. I gelt the same way two years ago when my little guy started

nursery school at three. But it was the best thing for him. I did my

homework before and made sure I knew who he was with, etc and he has been in

the

same school for two years. next year we are going to a different school to

give

him a different learning approach so he has one more year before kindy. I

can feel for you but he will do fine!!

Lioee

March 7, 2005

Not at allo. I gelt the same way two years ago when my little guy started

nursery school at three. But it was the best thing for him. I did my

homework before and made sure I knew who he was with, etc and he has been in

the

same school for two years. next year we are going to a different school to

give

him a different learning approach so he has one more year before kindy. I

can feel for you but he will do fine!!

Lioee

March 7, 2005

In a message dated 3/7/2005 10:20:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

cindysue@... writes:

Don't

be surprised if the teacher gives you the boot - Joshie may adjust better if

he doesn't see you.

i loved our first week because it was an abbreviated day and all the mom's

stayed in the big hall and were allowed to watch and wait. Actually the moms

are allowed in at anytime they weant but there is no need. It gives me a

comforting feeling knowing I can walk in at any moment unannounced.

Loree

March 7, 2005

In a message dated 3/7/2005 10:20:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

cindysue@... writes:

Don't

be surprised if the teacher gives you the boot - Joshie may adjust better if

he doesn't see you.

i loved our first week because it was an abbreviated day and all the mom's

stayed in the big hall and were allowed to watch and wait. Actually the moms

are allowed in at anytime they weant but there is no need. It gives me a

comforting feeling knowing I can walk in at any moment unannounced.

Loree

March 7, 2005

Hi all--I am fairly new but I love this post. Joshie will do great! He will

enjoy it so much--the trouble is--we will miss them more than they miss us.

I remember getting on the bus when he was 3--he turned and looked at

me out the window crying and yelling mommy--mommy! I cried all the way back to

the house. The teacher sent a note home saying that he did great that day!

The next day he screams and cries getting on the bus--and again a note comes

home saying he did great. So I went to the preschool and waited to see him.

Without him seeing me of course. And there he got of the bus like he was the

biggest kid in town. Not crying at all. So yes, the seperation at the bus is

alot better than at the school---besides I figured him out. He cried getting

on the bus for 3 months! But as soon as the bus was out of sight from our

farm the bus driver said that he would stop crying and have alot of fun on the

way to school. He was just crying to make me feel guilty!

March 7, 2005