Eliminating Grade Levels in Public Schools

In last Sunday's Parade Magazine I read an article entitled The End of Grade Levels? and found it quite intriguing. The theory is based on the fact that children learn in different ways and at various rates. What takes one student one hour to learn may take another student a full day to grasp.

The practice of placing students in grades according to their age is being changed. Some schools are beginning to place students in classes according to their ability.

This has already been implemented in the Chugach school district in Alaska. In just five years, that district's achievement scores have gone from being the lowest in the state to among the highest. Schools nationwide are beginning to give this new approach a try.

I can definitely see how this approach would benefit my ADHD/LD son. This is the teaching model one school we previously considered for our son used. Although we decided against placing our son in that school, it had nothing to do with their lack of grade levels.

I think my son would excel in an environment that accommodated his learning disabilities. If he were surrounded by other students, regardless of their age, who were having difficulties as well, he would be more comfortable and relaxed. He wouldn't feel like the "dumb one" when he didn't understand a concept that the rest of the class mastered easily. Everyones learning curve would be relatively the same, reducing his anxiety.

I would love to see every school district in the U.S. give parents and students the option... attend a school with grade levels or without. I know that will never happen, but I can dream.

What are your thoughts on this subject? Do you think your child would benefit from this type of classroom environment? Do you see any negatives?

By the way, Parade Magazine has created a poll to see how m any of their readers agree and disagree with the idea of not having grade levels in schools. So far their readers are in favor of it.... 79% for and 21% against.

Learning Disabilities Linked to Early Surgeries

Young children undergoing repeated anesthesia may be at increased risk for learning disabilities, researchers here said.

In a retrospective cohort study, children with two exposures to anesthesia before age 4 were 59% more likely than unexposed children to be diagnosed with learning disabilities (95% CI 6% to 137%) according to Jurajsurgery Sprung, M.D., Ph.D., of the Mayo Clinic, and colleagues reporting online in Anesthesiology.

Youngsters with three or more exposures had a 2.6-fold increased risk of learning disabilities (95% CI 1.6 to 4.2), the researchers found.

I find this study to be especially interesting. My twelve year old son was diagnosed with learning disabilities at the age of six. Prior to that, he had undergone two surgeries. The first surgery was to place tubes in his ears and remove his tonsils. The second was a insert tubes for the second time and to remove his adenoids.

To think that the anesthesia from those surgeries could have possibly contributed to his learning disabilities is mind blowing. The doctors who were trying to help him could have possibly been responsible for his learning difficulties now.

I am anxious for more research to be done on this topic. Had your LD child undergone surgery prior to being diagnosed? Do you think there is a link between the two?

Full story available via: MedPage Today

Elementary Teacher Gives Students the World

They ate with chopsticks in Japan, made piñatas and dove into chips and salsa in
Mexico and threw boomerangs in Australia.

And on Thursday and Friday, Debbie Suhrie's first-grade students ate fruit kabobs as they kicked back at their desks and listened to steel drum music in their Jamaican-themed classroom.


Every six weeks, Suhrie's students pack their bags, prepare their passports and head out for a cultural classroom adventure.

Suhrie, 55, believes in the old saying, "If you can reach them, you can teach them." So she taps into her creativity to figure out how to reach every one of her students.

Now that's what creative teaching is all about! This teacher was nominated for, awarded and certainly earned the Golden Apple Award.

Wouldn't it be amazing if all, or at least many more, teachers went above and beyond the call of duty to teach our children. Think of the possibilities. Countless students could be reached with creative teaching.

Kudos to you, Mrs. Suhrie. You wouldn't want to relocate to Virginia any time soon would you?

You can read the article in its entirety via NewsPress.com.

All teachers have to do is ditch the classroom chair. A growing number are replacing them with exercise stability balls more associated with Pilates classes than schoolroom lectures as an innovative way to improve student posture and attention.

"They're awesome," gushed 10-year-old James Howell, a fourth-grader at Bauder Elementary School whose class switched to purple stability balls in January. "They help you focus, they help you keep your structure. And sometimes you get to bounce on them, get the wiggles out."

I can definitely see how these would benefit all children. Even children that do not have a diagnosed disability get the "wiggles" sometimes. Kudos to this school for thinking outside of the box and for doing whatever is necessary to promote the students' ability to learn.

Do you think these would benefit your child? Should they be required in schools. Or, should children at least have the option to use them if they choose?

You can read the full story via the San Francisco Chronicle website.

Assistive Technology for Children with Learning Disabilities

I came across an article today on the Great Schools website and wanted to share it with it. It's full of information and links about the assistive technology that is out there for children with learning disabilities.

Assistive technology (AT) is available to help individuals with many types of disabilities — from cognitive problems to physical impairment. This article will focus specifically on AT for individuals with learning disabilities (LD).

The use of technology to enhance learning is an effective approach for many children. Additionally, students with LD often experience greater success when they are allowed to use their abilities (strengths) to work around their disabilities (challenges). AT tools combine the best of both of these practices.

This article will introduce parents to the role of AT in helping their children with LD.

You can visit the Great Schools website to read this article in its entirety.

Ransom-Note Ads About Children's Health

In December 2007 an ad agency created a series of advertisements for the Child Study Center at New York University. After only two weeks the ads were pulled due to parental protest. The original goal was to increase awareness of children's mental and neurological disorders.

Advocates for children with autism and for other special-needs children said the ads reinforced negative stereotypes.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think ads like these would promote stereotypical notions of ADHD and other disorders? Or do you think this would have been a novel approach to promote awareness?

You can read the full story on The New York Times website.

Free "Helping Your Child" series

"The Helping Your Child publication series aims to provide parents with the tools and information necessary to help their children succeed in school and life. These booklets feature practical lessons and activities to help their school aged and preschool children master reading, understand the value of homework and develop the skills and values necessary to achieve and grow."

This series is available for free in pdf format. They are super easy to download and are available in full booklet or brochure format. They are all offered in both English and Spanish. New publications as well as archived ones are available as well. The titles offered include:

• Helping Your Child Learn Science
• Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics
• Helping Your Child Become a Reader
• Helping Your Child with Homework
• Helping Your Preschool Child
• Helping Your Child Succeed in School
• Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescents
• Helping Your Child Become a Responsible CitizenHelping Your Child Learn History

You can visit the U.S. Dept. of Education website for downloading instructions.

My ADHD/LD Son is Thriving at his Title 1 School

Prior to moving to Virginia in December 2007, my ADHD/LD son attended a brand new $11 million school. It was state-of-the-art with all of the bells and whistles. Even though the lights turned on automatically when entering a room, the special education services were lacking to say the least. Yes, the school made adequate yearly progress each year, but that did not benefit my son in the least.

He had an IEP, which was rarely followed by his teachers. He saw the resource teacher for two hours each day but continued to stay well below grade level in every subject. He felt like an outsider and was well aware that he was "different."

Since moving to Virginia, his entire school experience has completely changed. The school he attends now is a Title 1 school.....

Please visit Trusera to continue reading this post. :)

Supplemental Educational Services for Your ADHD/LD Child

The following is information taken from the U.S. Dept. of Education website. If your child attends a Title 1 school that is in need of improvement, he may qualify for free tutoring services. Read the following to find out more.

Low-income families can enroll their child in supplemental educational services if their child attends a Title I school that has been designated by the state to be in need of improvement for more than one year. The term "supplemental educational services" refers to free extra academic help, such as tutoring or remedial help, that is provided to students in subjects such as reading, language arts, and math. This extra help can be provided before or after school, on weekends, or in the summer.

Each State Education Agency is required to identify organizations that qualify to provide these services. Districts must make a list available to parents of state-approved supplemental educational services providers in the area and must let parents choose the provider that will best meet the educational needs of the child.

Providers of supplemental educational services may include nonprofit entities, for-profit entities, local educational agencies, public schools, public charter schools, private schools, public or private institutions of higher education, and faith-based organizations. Entities that would like to be included on the list of eligible providers must contact their state education agency and meet the criteria established by the state to be considered for the list of eligible providers.

Supplemental Education Frequently Asked Questions.

Collision of Fourth Grader, by Eric McGehearty

LD Online has a wonderfully inspiring story about Eric McGehearty that is simply a must read for anyone affected by learning disabilities, especially dyslexia.

Eric is an artist who has "profound dyslexia." In the story, Finding Your Voice, he describes what it was like to grow up with this learning disability.

I learned that if having a broken arm wasn't going to stop me in art class, my dyslexia wasn't going to stop me in Life.

Now, as an adult, he is using his artistic abilities to create sculptures and pictures that "show what it's like to have dyslexia and reading challenges."

I promise his story will inspire you!

IEPs as seen by Dr. Seuss

We've all been there... the never ending IEP meeting. The countless pages to sign. The draft, second draft and maybe the final copy. Even though IEP meetings are a necessary form of punishment that we as parents must endure, that doesn't mean we can't find a little smidgen of humor in them, right? As evidence I offer the following.

IEPs by Dr. Seuss

(author unknown)

Do you like these IEPs?

I do not like these IEPs

I do not like them, Geez Louise

We test, we check

We plan, we meet

But nothing ever seems complete.

Would you, could you

like the form?

I do not like the form I see

Not page 1, not 2, not 3

Another change

A brand new box

I think we all

Have lost our rocks.

Could you all meet here or there?

We could not all meet here or there.

We cannot all fit anywhere!

Not in a room.

Not in the hall.

There seems to be no space at all.

Would you, could you meet again?

I cannot meet again next week

No lunch, no prep

Please hear me speak.

No not at dusk. No, not at dawn

At 4 p.m. I should be gone.

Could you hear while all speak out?

Would you write the words they spout?

I could not hear, I would not write

This does not need to be a fight.

Sign here, date there,

Mark this, check that

Beware the student's ad-vo-cat(e).

You do not like them

So you say

Try again, try again!

And you may.

If you will let me be,

I will try again

You'll see.

Say!

I almost like these IEPs!

I think I'll write 6003.

And I will practice day and night

Until they say

"You've got it right!"

Free Webcast Seminar Focuses on Homework

Is school painful for your child and your family?

If you answer "yes" to any of these questions below, Dr. Linda Silbert can help you at her FREE weekly "Let's Talk About School" Tele-Webcast on Tuesday evenings at 9pm EST.

• Does your child struggle in school with reading, writing, or arithmetic?
• Does he need help with homework, study skills, or organizational skills?
• Does she have dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADD/ADHD, or another LD?
• Does he have low self-esteem due to school related issues?
• Do you and your child have problems communicating with each other?

Join her FREE 1-hr. "Let's Talk About Homework,

Topic: Math Made Easy"

Teleseminar-Webcast and Get Answers

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 (5pm PST / 8pm EST)

I thought this would be an excellent opportunity for those ADHD/LD parents whose children are having difficulty in school and with homework. To register for her weekly webcasts, visit her website.