Monday, October 25, 2010

Autumns "Report Card"

This may be boring to most of you, but today I got Autumns IEP, which is an Individualized Education Program. It's basically the students goals and performance objectives that were set at the beginning of the school year, and as the year progresses we get their progress report. It's very detailed, no check pluses or A, B grading system. It's a very thought out, percentage based evaluation. I don't always have time (nor does the teacher) to stop and discuss how Autumn's doing in specifics unless it's a parent teacher conference, and in our last one we discussed Autumns speech delay not the other areas they were working on her with too.

So while many of you may not be interested, I have loads of family not living near me who are always asking about Autumn and how school is going. I also have a few speech pathologist friends who were very informative about these programs when I was debating on getting Autumn tested...so they may also be curious about her progress. (Just a side note- Target Level of Mastery- that's where Autumn needs to be before they consider the goal achieved and then can set a new goal for her to reach. Current Level of Mastery- where she is now compared to where they want her to be by Aug. 2011.) I wanted to do this for my records too:

Goal: By Aug. 2011 Autumn will be expressively identifying 5 colors and 5 shapes
Target Level of Mastery: 90%
Current Level of Mastery: 55%
Teacher Comments: At this time, Autumn is able to receptively identify colors and shapes, but struggles w/expressively identifying them. She is able to identify 5 colors, but 2 shapes.
My comments: I know she knows rectangle, square, and triangle- she points them out all the time, and she says them, so for the teacher to say she struggles to express them is interesting, and that she only knows 2. But I am shocked she knows colors, because I always ask her what color something is and she can't ever tell me the right color, but maybe if I say, "where's the blue one," she will be able to identify it for me.
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Goal: By Aug. 2011 Autumn will follow directions that require one step, two steps, and a series of unrelated sequences of action.
Target Level of Mastery: 80%
Current Level of Mastery: 25%
Teacher Comments: At this time, Autumn is able to follow directions that require one step. Autumn has a tendency to become very distracted. Directions need to be short and to the point. She is working on following more complicated directions.
My Comments: This makes me laugh. It is totally Autumn. She only hears one thing and either she can't process the rest of what you're saying or she just zones you out. We communicate the exact same with our (almost) 2 year old as we do with her. Which isn't an insult to her, she just needs things more simply explained if we want her to do something. One of Weston's strengths is his vocabulary and his ability to communicate, which isn't Autumns strong suit, but she has the upper hand on coordination...poor Weston trips just walking around. It's amazing how different their strong suits are.
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Goal: By August 2011, Autumn will ask and answer a variety of questions about stories told or read aloud.
Target Level of Mastery: 80%
Current Level of Mastery: 0%
Teachers Comments: Autumn does not yet ask and answer questions related to text. Autumn displays significally delayed language skills. She will be tested for speech and language services in order to determine if she qualifies for services in order to help her better express her ideas.
My Comments: She was evaluated today for speech therapy, the teacher told me "unofficially" that she qualifies. While I understand a lot of what Autumn says I can see why others don't. This girl talks non-stop though, and she does ask questions, like "What?", "What are you doing Mom?" But yes, those are generic everyday questions she probably hears all the time. When it comes to asking questions about something specific- she doesn't do that, or when I read her a book and I ask her a question about it she doesn't respond. So while she hasn't made any progress with this goal, luckily now she gets Speech Therapy and has until Aug. to complete the goal.
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Goal: Buy Aug. 2011 Autumn will count up to number 20.
Target Level of Mastery: 80%
Current Level of Mastery: 70%
Teacher Comments: At this time, Autumn is able to count up to number 14.
My comments: This is something I have been working on her with. She can count up to 20, but I think they don't count it when 16 and 17 sound just like 15, so basically she says, "13, 14, 15, 15, 15, 18, 19, 20." She thinks she is saying 16 and 17 because the pattern picks right up where it should with 18, so we are still working on it. This is an easy one to do, and she doesn't even realize when we practice counting we are doing school work. Plus she is only 10% away from completing this goal. :)
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Goal: By Aug. 2011, Autumn will ask to use the restroom w/out reminding or prompting.
Target Level of Mastery: 90%
Current Level of Mastery: 30%
Teachers Comments: Autumn often remembers to use the restroom w/out reminding, but at times she becomes busy and forgets. If her teachers notice that she has not gone during class time they will remind her.
My Comments: I am so proud of Autumn and her "potty going" skills. This girl potty trained like a champ back in July. Since being potty trained (which took 2 days) she has never had an accident. We can travel 3 hours to Drews parents and she will hold it the whole way, or if we run 2 hours worth of errands she never says anything about going potty, but when we're at home she is going to the bathroom all the time. So I consider it a good thing, that while she is "busy and forgets" she doesn't have an accident. She just holds it until she makes the time to go. I realize many other kids who get busy and forget and would just relieve themselves in the middle of what ever their doing, but Autumn's never come home from school in a change of clothes, and I have never had the "joy"  (yet) of being embarrassed by my child having a potty accident when out in public. But yes, if she has to go, I would like her to go. I know holding it isn't good for you. Luckily we are at home most of the time and when we're home she is always going to the bathroom w/out me ever needing to say anything to her about it.
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Goal: By Aug. 2011 Autumn will cover her mouth when coughing or sneezing.
Target Level of Mastery: 85%
Current Level of Mastery: 25%
Teachers Comments: Autumn must still be reminded to cover her hands when she is coughing or sneezing. After she coughs and sneezes she is reminded of what to do she will cover her face in order to show she understands. She is given a model in which to do so.
My Thoughts: Kids are kids, I am glad they are teaching her manners because this is something we practice at home too, but she is a kid. I am glad she shows appropriate gestures after someone shows her what she should be doing after coughing and/or sneezing.

I am proud of the progress she has made and can't wait to see her next "report card" and see what she has continued to improve upon.

1 comment:

Cindy Ardis said...

Wow that was very interesting. Its amazing what they are doing and the attention they give Autumn and I assume each child. I am very proud of her, can't wait to get the next report
-grandma-