4 Step Plan to Advocate for Accommodations to be Followed

Does your child have an IEP but you are still receiving negative feedback from the school? This may be due to accommodations not being properly implemented. Ensuring that accommodations are consistently followed requires setting habits among school staff. When creating a habit, we need to start small.  Prioritize the accommodation that will have the greatest impact on your child’s educational experience.

Step 1: Identify the Issue

• Determine the primary concern: Is it academic struggles, falling behind, or frequent behavior-related calls from the school?

• Gather feedback from the school, such as:

• Assessment results

• Teacher notes

• Lack of progress

• Grades

• Behavioral incidents

• Difficulty completing independent work

Step 2: Focus on the Most Impactful Accommodation

• Identify the specific challenge your child is facing and match it with a corresponding accommodation.

• Example: If your child is struggling to complete independent work, it may be due to unclear expectations or instructions. A possible solution could be providing a visual checklist of instructions or having a teacher check in at the beginning of independent work time.

Step 3: Communicate Clearly with the School

• Clearly express the accommodation you want to be implemented and its intended impact.

• Example: “My child is struggling with completing independent work due to unclear expectations. Ensuring a teacher check-in at the beginning of independent work time would help address this issue.”

Step 4: Establish Accountability Measures

• Create a system to track and ensure the accommodation is being consistently applied.

• Examples of tracking methods:

• Teacher marks a check in the student’s planner after checking in

• Teacher maintains a tally of check-ins with the student

• Teachers sign off to confirm their understanding and implementation of the accommodation

By following these steps, you can help ensure that your child receives the necessary support and that accommodations are implemented effectively to foster academic success.