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pic reaches more than 10,000 families and educators in nh with direct services the mission of the parent information center of nh is to guide and encourage families in supporting the unique learning potential of their children including those with disabilities we are committed to the premise that pic presents more than 290 training workshops to over 8,000 families and professionals each year pic spearheads nh parent involvement in education month and the annual nh partnerships for education conference pic impacts state and national policies that affect all children including those with disabilities parents make the difference all children can succeed given the right support every child is worth our investment children do best when schools and families work together in partnership as children grow they can take increasing ownership of their education and future the parent information center of nh is a non-profit 501c 3 agency with a variety of grantfunded programs that together carry out our mission and provide our services parent information center on special education provides telephone assistance workshops and information related to special education pic on special education if funded by the us department of education nh state pirc parent information and resource center promotes parent involvement in education through information products training and technical assistance to parents and schools funded by the us department of education ssect supporting successful early childhood transitions supports the transition from early supports and services to preschool special education and child find for toddlers and preschoolers with disabilities ssect is funded by the nh department of education bureau of special education nh connections provides technical assistance workshops and resources links to support family/school 2 partnerships in special education nhc is funded by the nh department of education bureau of special education afc advocates for families of children with disabilities a fee-for-service program that provides in-person consultations and technical assistance to families of children with disabilities mice multi-sensory intervention through consultation and education provides services to children birth-age 3 who have a vision and/or hearing impairment nh family voices library and resources for parents with children with disabilities or special health care needs prevention makes cents focuses on working to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect through school and community-based prevention education and parenting support visit www.picnh.org for more on these programs pic is located at 151a manchester st in concord nh call 603 224-7005 or toll-free nh only 800 947-7005.

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school year issue 2010-2011 contents 4 october is parent involvement in education month 5 six types of parent involvement parents make the difference 6 when parents and teachers talk students make the grade 6 what happens when you are involved in your child s school 7 help your child succeed with homework 7 parent involvement happens every day bullying section 8 is your school in need of improvement 9 cyber bullying 9 nh s new bullying law 10-11 2010-11 calendar of events 12 partnership communication commitment and collaboration 12 nh connections offers parent leadership training 13 executive functioning disorders 13 pic s volunteer advocate program special education section 14 improving family-school partnerships for special education 14 understanding your child s iep 14 tips for successful partnerships in special education 15 an iep meeting from a dad s perspective 15 starting points for nh parents a new online community is launched school readiness section 16 is your child ready for kindergarten 16 ready and writing skills begin early 17 nh pirc s train-the-trainer sessions for the fall 17 family resource centers in nh 17 partnerships for education videos 18 medicaid and schools 18 say what understanding educational jargon published by the parent information center of nh with funding from the us nh depts of education 19 the future of education in nh 3

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i t takes a village to raise a child we may hear this truism often and at the parent information center we put family-school-community partnerships into practice in almost everything we do but it is no less true that parents are a child s first teachers in the long run can make the biggest difference for students and schools that are struggling to make the grade why then are some schools not aggressively engaging parents in the life of the school even when their students and their school as a whole are not measuring up the solution as solutions to all complex challenges tend to be is one that requires a systemic approach to hold only schools accountable is to let parents off the hook it is also to ignore the role that school districts community organizations colleges businesses and even the state government play in the academic and social life of the child parent involvement is first and foremost a cultural phenomenon that is a complex interrelationship of roles habits and expectations that are learned and practiced communally if parents are not involved it is because together we have created a culture where parent involve in the study a new wave of evidence the impact school family and community connections on student achievement researchers anne henderson and karen mapp show that students from families of all different backgrounds and incomes who have involved parents are more likely to celebrate nh parent involvement in education month this october parents have the greatest influence on a child s sense of identity and possibility parents have the proximity and the authority needed to help guide a child towards better choices to monitor the child s activities moods and needs and to help bring the right mix of resources to bear for the child s best possible future when a child needs more than what parents can offer it is most often up to the parent to seek additional support while schools may be struggling under no child left behind it is the title i schools those receiving federal funds for all or a portion of their student population who are economically disadvantaged who must by law have a plan for parent engagement in education see http www.nhpirc.org/titlei.shtml why because research has consistently shown that the degree of parent involvement in a child s education both at home and at school is the biggest single factor for predicting student success we like to think of parent involvement as the hidden in plain sight secret that 4 ment is not valued not understood and not promoted to change this we must operate not only within the context of families and schools which we already do at the parent information center but within the collective cultural context as well earn higher grades and test scores and enroll in higher level programs be promoted pass their classes and earn academic credits attend school regularly have better social skills show improved behavior and adapt well to school graduate and go on to post secondary education this is why we at the parent information center decided to get involved in a statewide promotion of parent involvement in education governor lynch joined us in signing a proclamation setting aside october specifically to celebrate the role of parents and the power of schools and community organizations to partner with parents with the aim of improving academic achievement this october we are asking that every school and every family reflect on how to commit to a stronger relationship with each other to raise smart kids who leave school willing and able to contribute to the community parents really can make the difference many of the articles in this publication describe how and more tips and information can be found at www nhparentsmakethedifference.org.

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the six types of parent involvement the most effective schools seek to work with parents in each of the following ways parenting assist families with parenting skills family support understanding child and adolescent development and setting home conditions to support learning at each age and grade level assist schools in understanding families backgrounds cultures and goals for children communicating communicate with families about school programs and student progress create two-way communication channels between school and home volunteering improve recruitment training activities and schedules to involve families as volunteers and as audiences at the school or in other locations enable educators to work with volunteers who support students and the school learning at home involve families with their children in academic learning at home including homework goal setting and other curriculumrelated activities encourage teachers to design homework that enables students to share and discuss interesting tasks decision making include families as participants in school decisions governance and advocacy activities through school councils or improvement teams committees and parent organizations collaborating with the community coordinate resources and services for families students and the school with community groups including businesses agencies cultural and civic organizations and colleges or universities enable all to contribute service to the community source epstein et al 2002 october events for a listing of parent involvement events happening in october see the calendar on pages 10-11 more events can be found on the calendar at www.picnh.org 55

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when parents and teachers talk students make the grade r esearch shows that the quality of teacher/parent interaction is the factor that contributes most to student achievement here are some key points to keep in mind as a parent make it positive teachers communicate with parents most often when the child misbehaves ask teachers to share positive achievements and your child s progress regularly ask how you can be responsive to the strengths and needs of your child make it practical ask and look for resources to understand the curriculum and nh s grade-level expectations see tinyurl.com/nhgles be specific when communicating concerns with teachers ask for specific suggestions about what you can do to help your child in challenging areas talk with your child about the learning standards and how they are tested make it personal check the school web site for information about staff programs and initiatives communicate in person via e-mail notes and phone calls with any questions concerns or praises ask for information about your child s individual test scores assessment data and samples of work epstein 2002 shares lessons learned on how to effectively communicate with teachers introduce yourself to your child s teachers early in the school year find out what the overall learning expectations are how much homework to expect and how you can reinforce at home the lessons being taught at school if you cannot make a parent-teacher conference reschedule for another date that fits your schedule you can also ask the teacher to meet you in a more convenient place check in with your child s teacher on a regular basis you do not need to wait until you have a concern you can call just to discuss your child s progress or to request that progress reports be sent home when you do not understand a memo school policy or program ask your child s teacher to explain it fill out surveys sent out by the school your ideas and input are important to creating a better school environment for your child visit the school web site regularly to find out more about the school events and staff adapted from the nm working together toolkit www.ped.state.nm.us www.cesdp.nmhu.edu n looking back i realize that both of my parents were involved in my school s pta when i was young many many years ago for me it all started 9 years ago as my daughter mike mooney ashley was entering nh pta president 1st grade chamberlain st school in the rochester school district prior to the start of school in september i met the principal steve leclair and asked what i could do to help as a parent it was quite simple he said be involved yes it takes some time but that time is spent with your child and their school friends throughout the school year there are different activities that require support from parents and teachers to benefit the entire school community no one is asking you to do it all however a little help with family fun festival breakfast with 6 i santa spring fling and teacher staff appreciation week are deserving events the relationships with other parents administrators and teachers continue to develop to this day volunteering to build uncle business or members of local school boards the idea is that those who care about children and children s educational opportunities should support our efforts as nh pta state president i what happens when you are involved in your childs school the president of nh pta speaks out the holiday float for our town parade developed into something greater and far more important that i ever dreamed of today i am the new hampshire state president of the nation s oldest and largest child advocacy association parent teacher association pta www.pta.org pta is celebrating 115 years as a leader for children s rights and new hampshire pta www.nhpta1.org is celebrating our 97th year today nh pta www.nhpta1.org represents 115 schools across the state with 15,000 members what does it take to be a member you might ask anyone can be a member a grandparent aunt have the opportunity to travel to washington dc to represent the children of new hampshire in meetings with our elected officials some of topics that we continue to work on are full funding for idea higher reimbursements and better choices for the school lunch program and family engagement the whole idea is to know what is happening at your child s school by being involved support the people educating the children of new hampshire what you will find is the passion and respect of these important people in our children s lives.

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help your child succeed with homework every parent knows that homework can pose real difficulties for their children but you don t have to be an expert in math or science to help your child be successful with homework your caring and attention can go a long way research shows that if a child is having difficulty with homework parents should pay close attention talk to your child s teachers and expect more requests from teachers for your help make sure your child has a quiet well-lit place to do homework avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions such as people coming and going make sure the materials your child needs such as paper pencils and a dictionary are available ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get them in advance help your child with time management establish a set time each day for doing homework don`t let your child leave homework until just before bedtime think about using a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects especially if the project involves getting together with classmates be positive about homework tell your child how important school is the attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires when your child does homework you do homework show your child that the skills they are learning are related to things you do as an adult if your child is reading you read too if your child is doing math balance your checkbook when your child asks for help provide guidance not answers giving answers means your child will not learn the material too much help teaches your child that when the going gets rough someone will do the work for him or her when the teacher asks that you play a role in homework do it cooperate with the teacher it shows your child that the school and home are a team follow the directions given by the teacher if homework is meant to be done by your child alone stay away too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects homework is a great way for kids to develop independent lifelong learning skills stay informed talk with your child`s teacher make sure you know the purpose of homework and what your child`s class rules are help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework have your child do the hard work first this will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in adapted from u.s department of education office of intergovernmental and interagency affairs educational partnerships and family involvement unit homework tips for parents washington d.c 2003 parent involvement happens every day how can you as a parent be more involved in your child s education it s not as hard as you think there are simple things that parents can do in the course of day-to-day life that can also have a great impact on their children s academic success here are some ideas to consider let your child know that school is important be sure to ask questions about school and homework and set up a quiet place for your child to work read everything that is sent home from school ­ report cards homework assignments school lunch plans vacation and bus schedules show your child that you are well informed encourage your child to read at home set a good example by choosing to read instead of watching a tv program explore ways to interact with your child by sharing facts perceptions and opinions related to things you are reading when your child asks for help with homework provide guidance not answers it s not your job to know your child s classroom material you can help best by asking questions giving encouragement and monitoring their progress you can always call or write a note to the teacher if your child is struggling learn to ask questions and share thoughts that promote critical thinking some good questions might be what is the purpose of that why did that happen what do you think the solution might be is there another way to look at that problem or issue 7

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o child left behind nclb is the name given to the elementary and secondary education act originally established in 1965 when it was reauthorized in 2001 in this new version the law focuses on education reform and asks schools to describe their successes in terms of student achievement nclb is based on the philosophy that all children can learn and that it is the responsibility of parents and educators to find the best ways to help them nclb is a comprehensive law but for this article we will only be focusing on the following three elements school accountability school choice and supplemental educational services although all nh schools are accountable and all students must be tested the policies for choice and supplemental services as well as for other school improvement requirements pertain primarily to schools receiving title i funds federal aid to the socio-economically disadvantaged n see school choice section below if a school misses ayp in that subject for a third year in a row the following year the school must offer free tutoring see supplemental educational services section below if the school continues to miss ayp it must take corrective action which may include changing personnel or curricula consulting outside experts or restructuring during this time school choice and outside tutoring must still be offered 2 school choice school districts are required to notify parents when schools are designated as in need of improvement and to inform them about their options to send their child to another school if the district does not have enough options to offer all students the chance to transfer priority must be given to the lowest achieving low-income students if more than one school is available the local school district must offer more than one choice to eligible students if no schools are available the school must still notify parents that their child s school is in need of improvement and that the child is eligible for choice but that no choices are currently available if it is not possible for a school district to offer choice school districts is your school in need of improvement 1 school accountability nclb requires every state to set high standards for student academic achievement and to increase those standards every year to measure student progress schools in nh must test children in math english science and language arts in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school in nh this is the statewide new england common assessment program necap test to demonstrate that its students are meeting the standard it is not enough for the school as a whole to improve each sub-group of students students with disabilities students who are just learning english and minority students for example must also make enough progress each school must then combine student test scores and show adequate yearly progress ayp towards state-determined targets for each subject tested each year the standards that every school must meet are increased so that by 2014 it is expected that almost all how s your students can meet the school doing standard of proficient or higher because the bar is to see if your school is in raised every year what has need of improvement happened is that more and more schools are finding contact your school themselves missing ayp principal or download the even if their students do just 2010-11 list here as well as or even better http tinyurl.com than in previous years what happens when a nh-sinis-2010-11 school misses ayp a school that misses ayp in the same subject for 2 years in a row is defined as a school in need of improvement beginning the following year at that point the school must offer parents the choice to send their child to another school are allowed to offer more guidance supplemental educational for parents services instead in the first year that a school is in need for more information about of improvement see below no child left behind you can ask your title i director or school principal download nh pirc s if this is an option for your 4-page guide to nclb here child http tinyurl.com parents may also nh-abcsofnclb transfer their child to a nontitle i school if available whether or not that school is in need of improvement the school district must pay for or provide transportation to the new school for nh dept of education guidance see http www.nhpirc.org/files/nhpschoice.pdf 3 supplemental educational services ses under no child left behind low-income parents can get free after-school or weekend tutoring for their children when their school has not met adequate yearly progress goals for three or more years in a row the school or school district must let you know if your children are eligible for this program the notice should give you a list and descriptions of all the accredited tutoring programs near where you live the programs on this list have to be approved by the state if you want supplemental services for your child the school district will make the arrangements at no cost to you if your child does begin a tutoring program the program must work closely with the school and with you to make sure that it is helping your child with the specific difficulties he or she is having in school if the school s level of funding is insufficient to provide ses to each student whose parents request these services the school district must give priority to providing services to the lowest achieving students first for more information visit www.nhpirc.org/nclb.shtml 8 8

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bullying cyber bullying some things never change where and how it happens does ince children and teens have become adept users of media cyber bullying the use of media technology to bully is increasing in traditional bullying an imbalance of power is commonly present in cyber bullying that imbalance may involve possession of potentially damaging information images or video that can be used to inflict harm using computers cell phones or other technology it may simply take the form of repeated messages intended to bother hurt embarrass or intimidate another person in some cases it is combined with face-to-face bullying where someone might be taunted ignored laughed at or physically intimidated messages once put in cyberspace do not go away can be spread within seconds and delivered anonymously making it easier for anyone to bully and harder to be found out children may know that cyber bullying is wrong but still be involved because risks are not apparent to them others do not even understand that that they are bullying or being bullied others get caught up in the culture of it and do it because they can damage can be hurtful long lasting and have legal consequences for perpetrators victim and bystanders alike what can parents and families do most importantly parents must be involved with their children s use of media if you give your child access to technology supervise maintain oversight and authority to purchase or continue or discontinue a form of media/technology keep computers and use of webcams in a central location not in bedrooms have rules and standards which you discuss and agree upon with children children do not understand consequences of at-risk behaviors in this case the power of media its permanence or its potential to inflict harm when it comes to bullying help them understand also that their postings can make them a target for others use the technology with your children especially if you don t understand it this presents opportunities for discussion and teachable moments children need to know you are involved middle school children are at a particularly vulnerable point in development making them at the higher risk at a time when they are trying to separate from parental involvement encourage media literacy and creation of positive messages like publicizing a neighborhood play recording a band or photographing an event encourage them to create an anti bullying slogan or graphic for their social network page be a role model for respectful treatment of others and for positive use of media s new hampshire s new bully law brings hope to students and parents by carol croteau with jennifer rydeen bully free new hampshire o rona zlokower executive director media power youth media power youth offers resources speaking programs trainings on how we can empower nh children to lead safe healthy lives through smart use of media write media@mediapoweryouth.org or visit www.mediapoweryouth.org n june 15th governor john lynch signed into law house bill 1523 the revision to nh s bully law rsa 193-f the revision was drafted by a broad coalition of participants the backbone of the revision is the training and assessment section which mandates that school personnel will be trained annually on their school s anti-bullying policy and procedures additionally nh s department of education has created training opportunities for school staff and faculty on the subject of bullying another major component to the revision is the inclusion of a definition of bullying behavior parents tell us when they report bullying of their child to school officials the situation often turns to blaming the victim the revised law gives school officials a guideline to focus on the bully s behavior institute investigation procedures and measures to protect students from further bullying and retaliation the threat of retaliation is the main reason why targets do not report bullying to their school officials or to their parents in the past students could come home and have some relief from bullying with the advent of texting and social networking however a new form of bullying called cyberbullying has become prevalent although the original draft of house bill 1523 had language that covered cyber-bullying that happened on school property or school-sponsored activities the additional language now includes cyber-bullying happening off school grounds the new law went into effect july 1 2010 within six months school districts must have their new anti-bullying policy and procedures in place by nine months the schools must train their staff faculty regular volunteers and employees under contract to the school of the school s bullying policy and procedure no law will completely eliminate bullying but what this revised law hopes to do is provide schools with a good tool to intervene meaningfully in bullying situations bully free new hampshire is a grassroots organization committed to bully awareness and prevention in nh schools visit www.bullyfreenh.org 9 9

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s pecialeduc at i o n partnership communication commitment and collaboration the power of partnership between parents and schools mrs jeanne saunders director of special education sau41 hollis-brookline dr anat eshed parent partnership with parents and the school community requires the same ingredients as any other relationship the ability to listen understand where each other is coming from take the perspective of others and to share feelings respectfully these ingredients help foster a mutually respectful relationship and trust trust is essential for all involved to openly communicate and feel as though they are being listened to this is the story of our journey warm up your engine ­ building trust in order to achieve collaboration and partnership there needs to be time set aside for getting to know the team players and to understand that we have all experienced a different journey a seed of dedicated parents met several times with our schools administrators for warm up sessions the goal was to establish the commitment needed to start develop sustain and grow a partnership each time we met we had the chance to sit casually introduce ourselves and let each participant say a few things respectfully a we did not talk about goals we did not set agendas to our meetings we let our partnership free form with the exchange of information the exchange was important as it brought up common themes we later used to structure meetings we got started with the understanding that improvements are part of the process first stop ­ partnership is born during the following school year we met four times our goal was to identify several areas of need and interest and start working together the idea was to pick a few topics that would demonstrate the benefits of our partnership to all those involved reinforcing the importance and commitment the goal was sustainability ­ to ensure this new born initiative thrives to help us build and keep momentum here is what we did recognized a need of parents to have a place and time where they can get local information ask questions and provide feedback confidentially we developed a parent support group where parents can get ideas from other parents and learn how to communicate as a member of their child s iep team more effectively we also created a parent networking system via a free google website on the road again ­ growth and consistency now we were ready to increase awareness and participation in our partnership a small group consisting of parents and the special education director worked together over the summer to structure meetings organize workshops and prioritize topics of interest getting the word out and involving everyone to participate requires commitment for this structure we selected topics for discussions and workshops invited speakers organized location and secured dates we plan to take the time at the beginning of year to communicate the importance of working together to all those involved teachers parents administrators next year our discussions will include all schools in our district we communicate in person via global email distribution and via letters home ultimately the goal of any successful partnership is to benefit those involved a successful school community and parent partnership will benefit our children for questions comments and to reach our partnership please email hp2special@gmail.com introducing parent leadership training many parents of children with disabilities want to become more involved in school improvement initiatives but in order for parents to successfully participate as members of these partnership teams they need to understand the overall special education system and how to successfully work with school district personnel the new hampshire connections project is excited to offer the parent leadership in special education training plt this training series is designed to develop and utilize the leadership skills of parents of children with disabilities so that they may assume leadership positions in parent support groups in school improvement activities and to support school personnel parent leaders are an important asset to school districts they can help other parents work with their school district help the community understand the district s special education successes and challenges and support the district at school board meetings parent leaders nurture collaboration among parents and educators and serve as a resource to teachers and administrators to learn more about parent leadership in special education training contact liz macdonald nh connections coordinator at emacdonald@picnh.org or 336-8381 or 866-3111 nh connections is funded by the department of education bureau of special education and is a project of the parent information center 12

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executive functioning disorders by bonnie dunham and charlene mayo the parent information center of nh a n executive functioning disorder can impact a student s academic and functional performance in a number of different ways ann logsdon author of what is executive functioning ­ understanding executive functioning disorders about.com guide 2010 writes executive functioning includes tasks that help us learn new information remember executive function and retrieve information we ve learned in the past and use this information to impulse control solve problems of everyday life flexibility executive functioning allows us to emotional control access information think about solutions and implement those initiation solutions executive functioning working memory disorders often accompany other disabilities such as adhd autism sustained attention spectrum disorders learning metacognition disabilities or developmental delays executive functions and the impact organizational skills of executive dysfunction are shown in the table a comprehensive evaluation including rating scales observations and standardized testing can identify executive function deficits and provide recommendations for supporting the student if appropriate executive functioning skills may be addressed in an individualized education program iep or 504 plan parents and educators should work together to help students develop executive function skills so the child can be more independent some strategies that support the development of executive functioning skills set clear expectations and conduct regular check-ins with a teacher specialist or coach to help the student to learn to self-monitor impact on a person with an executive functioning disorder struggle with poor impulse control tend to get stuck inability to adjust to an unexpected change easily frustrated angry difficulty starting a task forgetful especially with details such as times dates difficulty focusing for long periods of time or when distracted or tired struggle to monitor own behavior or understand its consequences difficulty affecting all areas of self-organization including planning and carrying out and monitoring each step in the plan teach self-talk strategies first i need to do this then self-evaluation this way isn t working i think i know what is going to happen next or i m doing a good job and selfquestioning what do these pictures and graphs tell me modify the environment to minimize distractions or provide nonverbal cues plan ahead have children set out clothes and pack lunch the night before use assistive technology electronic planner timers and web applications use a rewards system the information education and support [pic offers to parents organizations etc is simply not available through any other means their ability to do it in a way that can be understood by a parent already in a stressful situation is very important in my mind nh parent learning these new skills will take lots of practice remember to notice and praise a child s efforts to read this complete article and for resource information visit www.startingpointsfornhparents.org volunteer advocates would you like to become a more effective advocate in the special education process and help other parents the parent information center s volunteer advocates for special education training program va is a free 11-week course designed to teach parents and others the skills to advocate more effectively in the special education process and support other parents to do the same this training program is offered twice a year in various locations across the state for more information on the va training program visit our website at www.nhspecialed.org or contact jennifer cunha va training program facilitator at jcunha@picnh.org or 224-7005 extension 115 13

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understanding yo specialeduc at i o n moultonborough school district partners with nh connections for improving family/school partnerships by lou goscinski director of pupil-personnel services sau #45 or the past two years the moultonborough school district and nh connections have collaborated on a variety of activities to increase family/school partnerships in the moultonborough school district beginning in september of 2008 nh connections and the school district worked cooperatively with parents and teachers to establish a parent support group entitled moultonborough special needs alliance committee snac a major goal of snac is for families and educators to work together to address collaborative goals nh connections played a key role in the development of snac providing a framework from which to build a partnership group as well as mentoring and support of parent leaders this allowed the group to build relationships among group members and the larger school community collaborating around common goals and events helps build partnerships in january of 2009 two premiere viewings of the movie including samuel were held in addition during the winter and spring nh connections the school district and snac partnered to bring three workshops to the lakes region more than 400 students parents educators and community members attended all of these events the community was energized to continue to improve family/school partnerships the collaborative efforts of the school district snac and nh connections skyrocketed during the next school year the lakes region friendship connection program began offering children and youth with disabilities after-school social and recreational opportunities in various community-based settings parents benefit from the group through social networking with other parents it is the partnership between parents the school district and the community that makes this program successful snac continued to hold educational events collaborative education workshops were held allowing everyone to learn about special education and related topics together the major event of the school year was the special screening of the temple grandin movie and panel discussion with four individuals living with asperger syndrome this collaboration between the school district snac nh connections asperger s association of new england and hbo impacted lou with commissioner barry over 100 people we are taking at the 2009 parent involvement the momentum from this event recognition awards into 2010 school year 14 f understanding your child s iep is important in order for you to be an effective member of the iep team it helps to start with reviewing all the information you have about your child including evaluations progress reports report cards medical information etc the information included in these reports and documents will help you identify your child s strengths and needs and better understand the iep next take out your child s iep and begin to review it below are some questions to guide you and help you understand what is in the document you can also discuss these questions with the other members of the iep team if you need more information or have concerns present levels of academic achievement and functional performance does the iep include a statement of how my child s disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum are all academic and functional needs identified and addressed including social emotional and behavioral annual goals/objectives are the goals measurable reasonable and attainable and do they contain short-term objectives tips for building successful school/parent relationships make time to get to know each other recognize the strengths and knowledge of each partner ask for input or feedback regularly keep the lines of communication open share your ideas honestly ask questions and share experiences bring ideas to the discussion be willing to invest time to help out ­ partnership is a give and take attend school events to become more familiar with the programs climate community and staff mrs jeanne saunders director of special education sau41 hollis-brookline and dr anat eshed parent

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our child s iep iep services what types of specialized instruction or services will my child be receiving where will services be provided and who will provide them individually in a group in the classroom direct service or by consultation does the iep include a positive behavioral intervention plan if my child s behavior interferes with learning accommodations/modifications does my child need preferential seating or extended time for tests etc does my child need modifications for class work homework or behavioral expectations monitoring progress how will my child s progress on each goal be measured how and when will i be informed of progress for information about special education workshops and resources please contact the parent information center on special education at 603 224-7005 an iep meeting from a dad s perspective by alex henkel i balanced my notepad on my knees and considered where i could move my feet without falling off the kindergarten-size chair or kicking one of the school staff members arranged in a tight circle to fit into the small room i looked hopefully across the circle at the two women i remembered meeting earlier and then started counting the rest three four five six when i stopped counting i realized that there were thirteen people squeezeing into a converted broom closet i was the only one who wasn t female as i listened politely and looked around the room trying to remember why each person was there i wished i had asked each person to introduce themselves and written down their name and title it was hard to take notes when some of the words were unfamiliar but i tried to write everything down in case i wanted to look up something later i m not even sure what i am doing here i thought being a father involved in the special education process can sometimes make my head spin but since that day i attended my first individual educational plan meeting in my son s primary school i ve figured out what each school staff member does and looked up many unfamiliar terms but the most important thing i ve figured out is why i need to be in that meeting room what did you say dad the special education coordinator looked up at me in surprise since this was the first time i had spoken since the beginning of the meeting they always refer to me as dad if i had to meet with as many different parents as they do i might do the same i said the approach we re discussing may work with many children but i know my son and i d suggest another approach starting points for nh parents an online community for parents of children with disabilities w ith the school year starting the question what did you do over your summer vacation is often asked at the parent information center pic on special education we spent part of our summer putting the finishing touches on our newest website starting points for nh parents starting points is an online community for families of children with disabilities providing opportunities for information networking training and support as they learn share and connect about the educational and developmental needs of their children the various components of the starting points community may be accessed by clicking on the pictures on the home page or through the more traditional option of going through the section links also on the home page starting points for nh parents includes information and resources for parents of children and youth with disabilities visit the because we want starting points for nh site at http startingpointsfornhparents.com ­ parents to be a truly interactive online and community it also includes a forum parent perspectives where community members can catch up on the latest news post information ideas and resources pose look up unfamiliar terms and acronyms in questions and respond to posts by other our glossary members community members can also find out about and register for upcoming comment on articles and rate resources which can help other visitors to the site decide which training opportunities resources they would like to access first participate in online training sessions we invite you to join our starting points get answers to frequently asked questions for nh parents community and look forward about the parent information center the to seeing you there remember to check out website special education parent the pic family of websites which can be accessed at www.picnh.org involvement and more access pic publications including brochures guides sample letters and forms and connect to local state and national resources resource categories include legal national state youth and disability specific 15

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