It’s Time to Check on Children’s Progress
Parents: It is the middle of the school year. This is a good time to take a very close look at how your children are doing in school. Their report cards should answer these questions:
1. Is my child working up to his/her academic potential?
2. Is my child working on grade level (elementary school)?
3. Does my child have any behavioral problems in school?
If their report cards don’t give you a good picture of your children’s progress or you know that there are problems, schedule conferences with their teachers now if the school doesn’t have midyear conferences. It is better to deal with a problem as soon as you know of its existence. Waiting will not make a problem go away. Plus, the school year is only half over — giving you and teachers plenty of time to turn things around. When there are problems, always ask your children’s teachers how you can help eliminate or improve them.
If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, be sure to check his or her progress and to make sure that the child is receiving all the accommodations that the Special Education Team suggested. Often children with either an IEP or 504 plan are still failing a class, and it turns out they are not getting the required accommodations, such as having the questions read to them or getting a formula sheet for math tests.