Parent Advocates 4 Struggling Students Inc. - "We are parents of struggling students. Our clients are parents of children whose academic results are not consistent with their potential. Often disappointed by an education system that seems to have low expectations and, disillusioned by the lack of accountability, our clients are seeking a roadmap to guide them in their advocacy journey." pass for kids, pass 4 kids, parent advocates 4 struggling students, parent advocate 4 struggling students, parent advocates for struggling students, parent advocate for struggling students, pass, pass kids, kids pass, pass 4, pass for, struggling student, struggling students, advocates 4, advocates for, advocate for advocate 4, 4 struggling students, for struggling students, 4 kids
Case Study Number 2
Wendy's Story
Wendy is a bright and funny girl who loves school and adores her grade 2 teacher. Her teacher finds Wendy’s inability to focus for any length of time frustrating as it requires extra work to refocus, re-teach and guide Wendy throughout the day. Wendy’s marks and her teacher’s feedback led her parents to ask the school to have Wendy assessed for a Learning Disability through the school board. The school refused to do so however, until Wendy’s parents had her tested for ADHD. Angry and frustrated, Wendy’s parent’s began researching Wendy’s rights, their rights as parents, and what exactly the school’s responsibilities were. They discovered through conversations with Parent Advocates 4 Struggling Students Inc. (PASS) that the school could not force them to have Wendy tested for ADHD before providing services and programs for her.
Wendy’s parents are involved and great “Do It Yourself” believers. They attended PASS’ Needs Statement workshop which provided them with the basics for writing a comprehensive document to summarize their daughter’s learning style and needs. The statement also details the accommodations required within the classroom that will enable Wendy to become a successful learner.
Wendy’s parents took the Needs Statement to every school/teacher meeting so they could properly negotiate her services and programs. Each teacher was given a copy to refer to when planning their class lessons. Wendy’s Needs Statement will “drive” her identification and placement by the school board’s Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) later this year. It will also steer the development of her Individual Education Plan (IEP) which will outline her learning needs in the classroom.
Wendy’s parents plan to attend PASS’ “preparedness” workshops which are designed to guide parents through the maze of special education, focusing on the stages of the school board’s processes.
Wendy has made progress this year. Her parents are closely monitoring her success term by term and have sought resources outside of the school to strengthen her learning weaknesses. They also recognize the gaps in their own knowledge of the education process and the fact that they need to learn the proper advocacy skills. They are hoping to close these gaps with the completion of PASS’ 4 step advocacy course some time in the New Year.
