Hi, my D is a sophomore in high school who is in a special Ed math class. As a result she automatically needed to be placed in a self contained science class. As of 2 years ago, some genius in our school district decided that Earth Science would be too difficult for these students and waived it, replacing it with an extra year of biology in grade 9, followed by year 2 of bio in grade 10, with the Regents taken in June (we live in NY.) Despite have a grade of 97 all year in bio and high grades last year, her GC is telling her athat she cannot take Chemistry in junior year, or geometry or Algebra 2 junior year after she completes Algebra 1 next month. This is because she is on a slower track for math and science, and apparently once a student is on a specific track, they remain there until graduation. Had I known this could impact her chances of getting into a 4 year college I would have fought it. My question is, will the missing Earth Science and possibly Geometry affect her chances regardless of her high GPA? And isn’t there Geometry on the SAT and ACT? The special Ed chairperson said they will prep them the SAT in their self contained math class in junior year which is something called Algebra 3, which I never heard of.
She’s had two years of biology. She needs one more year of science, and math up to algebra 2. It can be in an integrated class. She’ll also need English, foreign language, and social science/history, integrated or not.
For community college she wouldn’t need these requirements so she will be able to go to college by using the cc to suny/cuny system, even if she doesn’t complete all requirements.
Thank you. The GC has her scheduled to take Marine Biology in junior year. I thought students needed 2 years of a lab science? My D told me they put the special Ed students in that class because they don’t think they can handle Chemistry. It’s an elective. So you’re saying her 2 years of Biology (even though it was really just a 1 year course extended) will meet the science requirement of a 4 year school? I also forgot to mention her Algebra 1 class with Regents was extended to 2 years as well? Will that count as 2 years of math even though it really is 1 course? She also had the foreign language waived due to the fact that she couldn’t grasp it in middle school. I feel bad for her because she wants to go to CUNY Hunter and even with a good GPA and SAT because of how the school has her on this track, I doubt she will be accepted.
No, for math and foreign language it’s level achieved that matters.
That curriculum doesn’t prepare for a 4-year school. However, GPA isn’t everything - rigor of curriculum is important, too. Nowadays, a mix of “regular” and “honors” classes is expected for the best SUNYs/CUNYs.
Students who want to attend CUNY Hunter should have Math up to Algebra 2, Foreign Language up to Level 2 or 3, 3 years of science (isn’t Biology considered a lab science?), 3 years of history/social science (in NYS 2 years of World History and Geography +1 year of US History), 4 years of English. All these classes should be “regular” or “honors” classes.
Can you daughter take Chemistry/regular and start on a foreign language next year? (The easiest would be Italian, if your HS offers it. Next would be French or Spanish - French has harder spelling and pronunciation, but Spanish has harder conjugation and sentence formation.)
If you don’t think she can handle chemistry or foreign language, it may be better for her to attend a CC first, and Hunter after that, because she’ll need a lot of remedial instruction at the college level and CC’s are cheaper. Since she’s in special ed, she may be allowed to attend HS for a 5th year to add to her credentials before she can attend college.
What’s her SAT scores? (She’d need about 1150-1300 new SAT, 1600-1800 old SAT, to have a shot).
Also as a student with an IEP, she is entitled to the education that’s APPROPRIATE for her, not the education that your school finds convenient to give her. From your description, your lovely and well-intended school is breaking the law.
She is covered by means of the IEP by the Americans with Disabilities act. If you feel this is the right move, you have grounds to go to the DOE and change schools or compel your school to place her in the appropriate class. The IEP regulations are federally mandated and are higher than that of the NYC DOE or your school’s principal. They don’t tell you that because they don’t want to make the accommodation. However, that’s against the law.
The IEP is a powerful document. Once you have that document, you actually have more power than the principal of the school. He/she must follow what you dictate on that document. He/she will complain about budget etc. These are genuine concerns. But they are not your concern. That is between the principal and the DOE to find a way to accommodate your child.
- You can call an IEP meeting at any time;
- You can rewrite the IEP to state what constitutes an "appropriate" education;
- You can write into an IEP anything that will genuinely help your child achieve an APPROPRIATE education; college prep is the appropriate education for your child and your school is not accommodating her properly. You can bring into the meeting any representation that you need, attorney, or a psych expert or whatever.
- The DOE and your school must follow this document because it is a federal mandate.
Before you rewrite your IEP, be a little smart about this because schools get touchy. They can make the process difficult before you sit down for the meeting if you announce your intentions ahead of time. Best is if you ask for a meeting with her IEP provider/ counselor and write in that she needs a “four-year college prep program” and all the classes that implies.
They will miraculously find room for her in the classes that she needs, I predict.
BTW I sit on the SLT of a school in NYC. The school makes the decisions about the order of classes. Whatever they tell you about some state or city organization dictating the order of classes, that’s false. The school decides the order and if she had to take the same class two years in a row, that’s the school’s decision, good or bad.
^ the classes (Biology and Algebra) are “extended” classes. They’re not the same class twice, but material presented at slower pace withmore exercises done in class to help students master the material.
It’s important to choose what is appropriate for the child. With 95+ in some subjects, it sounds like the OP’s child should be in an upper level in these subjects. But it’s also important not to overwhelm the child. With a 97 in extended bio, OP’s daughter should be allowed to take Chemistry/regular, but ask the biology teacher whether they feel she can handle Chem non extended (and perhaps take Marine Bio senior year?)
An IEP is not used at the college level. They follow ADA guidelines, and a 504 would be appropriate. Once out of primary/secondary schools, students are protected/offered equal access under federal discrimination regulations/guidelines, not guaranteed the right to an education.
I agree with @dustyfeathers. Schedule a meeting and insist on the courses that won’t limit your child’s college options. And keep taking it up the food chain until you get proper placement for her. If they refuse, you may want to consider homeschooling. (The requirements for homeschoolers in NYS aren’t difficult.) Given their attitude about students with iep’s (they’re all on the same track and not individualized at all), I’d consider homeschooling her either way. But definitely fight for the math and sciences.
I have a kiddo with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, and I’d be pretty upset with people who told her she wasn’t capable of something. What message do you want to send to her? It’s not the one the district is giving her.
You need to look at the course requirements for admission to the colleges. There is NO one size fits all answer here.
However, colleges have admission requirements that they expect students to have when applying. Your student would need need to meet those requirements. Their IEP in HS would have no bearing on these requirements.
You need to target colleges for which your student can meet the requirements.
Some colleges will accept a student wothout these courses, but will exoect the, to take them as ree ideal courses in college. It’s not like you get a “pass” on required for admission courses.
They may have to demonstrate a proficiency in a subject, take the compass test or a remedial class to meet the requirements for base or higher level classes.
Thank you for your responses. The reason that was given to my daughter when she asked the special Ed committee at her review meeting about trying Chemistry and Geometry was “those are difficult subjects”. We both walked out in tears. She does have an IEP. But I feel like up until recently, I’ve unknowingly allowed them to put her in this track, and now it’s going to impede her chances of going to a 4 year school. I’m not in denial about her weaknesses, and math is the main one, but they won’t even give her a chance to try harder classes. She is very aware of where she stands in the tracking system in math (and automatically science, even though she does well in that subject), and it has ruined any self esteem she did have. She knows Geometry and Chemistry are courses that her friends, who are average students are taking, and advocates for herself. She has told the admin as have I on several occasions, that she wants to be out of that track in placed in regular Ed math and science. Now they are telling me she needs to pass the algebra regents with a decent grade to do this. I feel this is fair. I’m just hoping she can do this.
i completely understand-there are plenty of us who had no idea what some class would do to the final tracking…we assume wrongly that guidance has kids best interest at heart–maybe they do, probably they dont. 
but i did want to say that the PSAT/SAT have moved away from a geometry content to be more in alignment with common core. the focus is more algebra based. it might be helpful for planning purposes to have your D take a look at the math section of a practice test and see what she knows and what she doesnt. it will give you a rough idea if there are large gaps in her education and you could then write appropriate related goals or plan on outside tutoring to shore her up.
there is a college for everyone. she’ll find her way, even if it means starting at a community college and transfering.
I agree with dusty feathers. I would consult an advocate or even pay for an hour with a lawyer. Then you can tell the school, with a smile, that your lawyer had this really helpful suggestion…Other resources include the Federal Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights. In our area, the Federation for Children with Special Needs is very helpful.
It may be that your daughter needs a customized curriculum, which your school certainly is not considering. It would seem that their rigid tracks are for the school’s benefit, and it is true that having a track makes scheduling easier. I would strongly recommend using online courses, approved by the school preferably, to fill in gaps in scheduling that might result from changing her classes. And some kids do better with online classes.
Your daughter deserves to do classes at the level that is most challenging for her, without being overwhelming. Her grades would indicate she might do well in a notch above.
Finally, at the college level, she will be able to get accommodations as long as they don’t pose an administrative or financial burden for the school, or substantially change the academic program. That said, there are schools where her self esteem could thrive, such as Landmark, Curry College, New England, many others.
It’s not up to the high school to decide what colleges are appropriate for students and purposely limit their options so that’s the only course open to them. I’ve helped many NYS families get started in homeschooling after they pulled their kids from the system because of situations like this. It ruins the children’s self-esteem.
@momof51019, Help your daughter study for the algebra Regents. To enroll in the next level regular math class, she should only have to meet the minimum passing grade for the Regents (whatever grade the other kids have to earn); pass, not pass “with a decent grade.” Do not let these people ruin your daughter’s self-esteem. My husband was tracked into BOCES in high school (it used to be the lower tier for “slow” kids) and he believed he was “stupid” for 30 years. He’s not, of course, he’s dyslexic. The district can only do that to your daughter if you allow it. Allowing them to track her right into a community college when that’s not what you, or she, wants is a mistake.
Thank you for these suggestions. I’m hoping that she does well enough on the Algebra 1 Regents next month to back me up on fighting them. Is she fails, there’s no point in asking for higher level math classes. The sad part is, in 9th grade she had 95 half the year in Algebra, but after our home was destroyed in a fire 18 months ago, she fell into a depression. Grades fell, along with excessive absences. She has come a long way with treatment, grades are going up but the school is using this as more ammunition to keep her in the “slower” math track.
An IEP gives you power, but the school system can also delay, delay, delay. They have either 30 or 60 days to schedule a meeting after you request one in writing. Then they can request new testing or request to review your testing, another 30 day delay. If you start now, the situation may not be resolved by the start of school next fall.
Do you have current (within the past 3 yrs) testing on your daughter? You should look at the wrightslaw website, it will give you a lot of information of your rights. I think you need to talk to an advocate ASAP.
Also, seriously think about and discuss with your daughter the option of adding a 5th year to HS. It may be to hard on her self esteem, but would also give her more time to learn the material. You could then insist on a 2 yr course for geometry and chemistry.
Thank you. She was already held back in first grade in Catholic school because she couldn’t copy off the board (I think she has dysgraphia, but the high school won’t give her a scribe because they think her writing has improved. I put her in public school in 7th not realizing they were going to track her like this due to math weakness. I know many other kids who are weak in math including one of my other children, and they aren’t tracked like this. Pending how she does on the Algebra regents, I going to proceed with getting her into Algebra 2 in the Fall and Chemistry in senior year. (If she fails Algebra 2 they won’t allow her to take Chemistry)
Momof2boys, I agree with you about the IEP. I just hope she does well on the Algebra regents next month. I feel like if she fails I don’t have a leg to stand on in terms of getting her in the regular math/science track.
I do have current testing. And my D even asked to be retested in math because she was going through a depression when she took the last one. Unfortunately, she still scored low. I still don’t think that gave them the right to put her on a track that isn’t a college prep one. Maybe I’m wrong I don’t know.
@austinmshauri, You response has validated everything I’ve been thinking and feeling on this subject. And yes, being tracked like that has ruined her self esteem were school is concerned. If she passes that algebra exam in a month, I’m going to start to fight them. I’m not a confrontational person and when I’m sitting at a table at these meetings with the Committee on Spec Ed, I feel very intimidated. But yours and other comments here have confirmed what I suspected- they are claiming there doing what’s "best to help my child be successful in school, but in the process they tracked her right into community college. Not that that’s a bad thing, but not what my D or I want.