Beginning of the school year conference in guidance requested by
Ms. Williams to meet with teachers and to discuss her son Dante’s 504 Plan.
When she came back she had Dante’s file in one hand and a soda in
the other. She announced that the other teachers could not make the meeting
but they would be happy to talk to Ms. Williams at another time. Ms. Westerly
began the meeting. “This is Dante’s sophomore year here Lakeside High School.
He has a 504 Plan with some special accommodations.” Ms. Westerly turned
to Ms. Williams with a big smile on her face, took a big gulp of her soda
and said, “I think that everyone here knows Minnie Williams, she works in
the Special Education Department as a classroom assistant. Minnie, why don’t
you explain the 504 to everyone?” “Last year Dante was able to pass his classes and SOL’s, but it was
hard on both of us. I knew it would be important to become involved with
Dante’s school on a daily basis and that was why I got a job here last year."
Looking around at a small group of blank faces did not make things any easier
but she continued. “Dante takes a time release dose of Ritalin in the morning
and that helps him with his concentration during the day. Concentration
is one of his main issues. Dante forgets things and can be very disorganized.
It is very important that he does not fall behind in his assignments. He
does well in classes that are very structured.” At this point she stopped
because she wasn’t sure if she was making any impact on the others. Ms. Westerly, impatient with the meeting already, started to summarize
what Ms. Williams had said. “It sounds like you are concerned about Dante
getting off to a good start this year and you want to ask the teachers if
they can keep you informed regularly about his progress. Is that right Minnie?” “Well, that is true Connie, but I was also hoping to talk about
the classroom accommodations in the 504 Plan.” “Oh that’s right!” she said as she put down the soda and pulled
out the plan. "I have it right here. Let me see. Ok. It says preferential
seating, encourage Dante to use an assignment book, reduced assignments
on math tests and quizzes.” Shrugging her shoulders she continued. ”Chunking
assignments? An extra set of textbooks sent home, clarification of directions,
use of process cards for multi-step processes. and extended time on tests
and quizzes.” Ms. Williams knew that at that point she had the teachers'
attention. She saw their eyes widen when Ms. Westerly mentioned an extra
set of textbooks and the process cards. Ms. Williams said, “I know it’s a long list, but it was written two
years ago when Dante was still in middle school.” Looking at Ms. Westerly
she said, “It was never updated last year. Dante doesn’t need all of those
things anymore. Some of them he won’t use anyway. He’s your typical teenager.
He doesn’t like to draw undue attention to himself. The main things I’m
concerned with are preferential seating, clear directions and the use of
the process cards.” When Ms. Williams had finished Ms. Garble looked at her very quizzically
and asked with a bit of venom in her voice, “What exactly are process cards?
I don’t think I have ever heard of that before.” “Dante used them last year for Algebra with Ms. Collier,” Ms. Williams
said defensively. “They are steps for problems broken down into parts and
written out on note cards.” Immediately Ms. Garble raised her eyebrows and said, “And you want
him to be allowed to use these cards when taking a quiz or a test?” Ms. Williams
nodded. “That’s cheating!” Ms. Garble said in a rather loud voice. That statement took Ms. Williams completely off guard but before
she could say another word Ms. Westerly said, “I agree. I don’t think that
would be fair to the other students.” All of a sudden all Ms. Williams' embarrassment, and nervousness
turned to anger. Trying to keep the anger in check, she shot back, “It is
not cheating! It is a way for Dante to keep the formulas straight in his
head.” “Well, I never heard of it before,” said Ms. Garble. “In my class,
students are expected to memorize the formulas. Ms. Kellogg will be teaching
the entire first semester starting from day one and I’m afraid that Dante
will not be allowed to use any of those cards for quizzes or tests.” Ms. Williams felt tears began well up in her eyes. It was at this
point that Mr. O’Meara finally said something, “I just want to say that the
I’m fine with all the accommodations. I don’t think the cards apply to English,
but it’s not an issue for me.” He made eye contact with Ms. Williams and
smiled. The relief was only temporary as Ms. Westerly said in a very condescending
tone, “I don’t understand why students in advanced level classes expect to
get special treatment. I still don’t think it’s fair.” On the edge of either yelling or crying, Ms. Williams managed to
say that it was in the 504 Plan and Dante had used the cards last
year without a problem. She knew that without those cards Dante
would be lost- he just couldn't concentrate. At this point she decided
to end the meeting. She needed to find Janet Abecrombie, the Math Department
Chair, and discuss this with her. Process Note Cards Click here to return to the Table of Contents.
Mrs. Williams and Alice Chapman, a mother of a boy with a 504 in Dante’s Geometry class, discuss how the school year is going.
“Minnie! Minnie! Come on up here and sit right next to me!” “Hi Alice, I’m coming.” Mrs. Williams makes her way through a
densely packed section of people and finds a seat reserved for her right
next to Alice Chapman. “How is Charles doing? Dante said he was limping at the end of practice
yesterday.” “I really wanted to talk to you about Carl and his Geometry class.
That student teacher, Ms. Kellogg, is just horrible. And Ms. Garble
isn’t much better. How is Dante doing in that class? Are they following
his 504 accommodations?” Ms. Williams let out a loud sigh “Well, to tell you the truth I am
so frustrated about this whole situation. I’m not really sure what to do.
After that horrible meeting in guidance, Janet Abecrombie and I talked about
the process cards. At first she said "no", but after I explained how Dante
used them last year she became more supportive. Ms. Kellogg and Ms.Garble
are a different story. Even with the support of Ms. Abecrobie there have
been a few quizzes and tests when they did not let him use the cards.” Ms. Chapman shook her head knowingly. “I understand your frustration all too well. We asked for preferential
seating because of Carl’s vision problems. They put him in the third row.”
“I know he sits right next to Dante.” “Now how do they expect a boy with severe visual problems to see
the board from the third row? Another thing is that they were supposed to
make a copy of their notes for Carl. That’s still not happening. He’s failing
and I don’t know what to do. He got a 55 on the test they had Wednesday.”
Tears were welling up in Ms. Chapman's eyes. Ms. Williams put down her hot chocolate that was keeping her warm
and reached into her purse for a tissue. “I spoke with Ms. Kellogg yesterday and she told me that the highest
score in the class was a 73. Something is just not right in that
class. I have been talking to her at least three times a week asking
for clarification of assignments. I’m confused about them. I can’t
believe that the rest of the kids aren’t. How are these kids going
to be able to pass an SOL test at the end of the year?" Ms. Chapman’s voice had a lot of anger in it “I have talked to the
principal, Mr. Augustus. He told me he spoke to all of Carl’s teachers about
following the accommodations but I have not seen any changes. We have asked
for Special Education testing. Since they won’t follow a 504, maybe they
will follow an IEP.” “Special Ed testing? I may have to look into that myself.” said Ms. Williams Classroom Accomodation Click here to return to the Table of Contents.
Child Study meeting to discuss special education services has been
requested by Mrs. Williams.
“Ok!” said Mr. Bean, “Let’s get started. Minnie has asked that
we do some testing with Dante to look for some processing problems. He currently
is on a 504 Plan because of Attention Deficit Disorder. And I believe
he is taking Ritalin for that, is that correct?” “Yes. He takes a time-released dose, so he only needs to take it
once a day in the morning. It really helps him focus, but it’s not a cure
all.”answered Ms. Williams. “It also looks like Dante passed all of his classes for the first
quarter," said Mr. Bean. "Minnie, can you tell us why you think there is
a processing problem and maybe what you think special education will be able
to do for Dante if he is found eligible?" Ms. Williams replied, “I am concerned because Dante is working so
hard and he is only just getting by. I talk to his teachers every day to
make sure he has the right assignments. Dante is spending 3-4 hours a night
on homework. He tries to do it himself, but I end up having to work with
him most of the evening. I brought a report from Dr. Dan Huxley. He is
a private psychologist who has been working with Dante on the ADD issues.
He was the one who suggested that I have the school look at processing problems.” “Ok! Thanks! Now let’s go around the table and hear how Dante’s doing
in his classes. Mr. O’Meara, let’s start with you.” “I think Dante is great. He works really hard in class and his
work has been good. I notice some problems with organization and handwriting,
but Ms. Williams seems to spend a lot of time making sure Dante has everything
done. I will say that Dante is very quiet. He never volunteers to speak
and doesn’t like any attention drawn to him.” Mr. Bean looked towards Ms. Garble and Ms. Kellogg and said, “How
about Math?” Ms. Garble started by saying, “Dante doesn’t really stand out in
class. He seems to be doing all right. Ms. Williams spends a lot of time
asking about upcoming assignments” She turned back to Ms. Kellogg and said,
“He seems to be keeping up, don’t you agree?”
At this point Emma Wiggins, the Special Ed Chair, could contain
herself no longer, “Minnie, I haven't heard that Dante’s having any real
problems. We can go ahead with testing, but from the information being discussed
here I don’t think he’ll qualify for services. He already has a 504 with
accommodations.” She turns and looks directly at Ms. Westerly and continues,
“Why don’t you try get someone to make sure the classroom accommodations
he has are being implemented?” The meeting continues. In the end Ms. Williams decides that she
would like to go forward with the testing despite what the committee
has told her. Click here to return to the Table of Contents.
.“Dr. Poppas?” “Dante? Come on in. It’s good to see you. Why don’t you have a seat
in the chair next to the desk. Motioning to the chair she said, “Please sit,
make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink?” “No thank you ma’am. I’m fine.” Dante was very nervous. He was always
shy and hesitant around people he did not know. “Dante, before we start doing the testing I thought we could just
sit and talk for a little bit. Is that all right with you?” “Sure, what do you want to talk about?” “Well, how about we talk about how you are doing in school. What’s
your favorite class?” Looking down.“English.” “Why?”
“What class are you having the most trouble in?” Dante looks down at the floor again. He appears to be very fidgety
and starts to squirm slightly in his seat. “Geometry. We have a student teacher
and I don’t think she knows what she’s doing. I’m really confused in there
and I think most of the rest of the class is too.” “Is the regular teacher helping?” “She tries.” He shrugs his shoulders. “Dante, how do you feel about your mom working here at the school?” He begins looking around the room again. “I know she helps me out
a lot, but it’s kind of embarrassing.” “How does she help you out?” Dante started shifting around in his seat slightly looking pretty
uncomfortable. “She makes sure I have the assignments turned in on time and
she makes cards for me so I can study easier. She does spend a lot of time
at home helping me but I think I can do it myself.” “Do you ever worry about things?" Suddenly, looking up and looking directly at Dr. Poppas for the
first time, Dante says, “Yeah . . . everything.”
Special Education eligibility meeting takes place. Test results
are discussed. Special Education
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English teacher. There was still no sign of Connie Westerly, Dante’s
guidance counselor until 8:50 when Ms. Westerly walked in. “I’m
so sorry, I totally forgot about this meeting. Everyone please
sit down. I’ll be right back.” Off she darted to her office.
Dante play. As she walks up into the stands carrying her hot chocolate
she hears a loud familiar voice calling her. 
Ms. Kellogg is very nervous about speaking in front of all these
teachers. After a brief pause she manages to stammer out a statement,
“Dante . . works really hard. . . I’m going to miss him . . . when
I leave in a couple of weeks.”
Dante takes a while before he answers. While he is thinking he is
looking around the room. Finally he answers without looking at Dr.
Poppas. “I think it’s really interesting. And I like Mr. O’Meara.
He’s pretty cool.”
mild inattention and distractibility in addition to some constriction
due to anxiety. Other than his ADD there is no evidence of an underlying
processing deficit that would suggest a learning disability. Dante
might benefit from involvement in counseling. In math Dante would
do better with fewer problems at a time and breaking more complex
problems down into simpler steps. Advance preparation is likely
to help minimize performance anxiety. Dante benefits from clearly
defined expectations for his performance. If he knows exactly what
is expected of him, he is less likely to worry about meeting expectations
and making a mistake.” 
assignments and so I could keep in touch with Dante’s teachers.
I have really tried to be proactive. I’m just afraid that next year
if he doesn’t get a resource class and I’m not here he might fail.
He really needs someone here at school to do what I have been doing.”
yes.” 