Alexa Knoderer

ED 493
2/5/2021
Synthesis of a Parent Meeting

1) Demographic Information
a) Student Age: 13
b) Student Grade: 8th
c) School: Belzer Middle School
d) Strengths: Math, athletic, language arts, girl’s basketball point guard
e) Areas of Growth: assignment completion, self-directedness, and science
and social studies (without double block support)
2) 5 areas of observation of the parent meeting
a) There are so many more options for graduation now then there were when
I went through school. We can create a plan that tailors to the student’s
specific needs and interests. There are many graduation pathways and
concentrations that don’t require students to go to college after high
school in order to get a job.
b) The transition from 8th grade to high school is a challenging one and
requires collaboration from many different parties. I was surprised that
both the middle school TOR and team was able to meet with the parents
to discuss the student’s transition.
c) In general, all students with IEPs take a basic skills development class at
least during freshman year. This is in place of their study halls and allows
them to receive targeted support and work on the skills necessary to be
successful in school.
d) Sometimes parents can be really hard on their children, especially
students that have disabilities. In this case, it didn’t seem like the parent
understood what it is like to be a middle school student and struggle with
ADHD. The student is working extremely hard, but her mom was tearing
her down about all the things she’s not doing. However, I believe that this
parent is doing the best she can and is coming from a place of fear that
their student will not succeed. I am sure this is a common sentiment of
parents.
e) Zoom days are challenging for all students but especially for students with
disabilities. The pandemic and hybrid/virtual is really affecting students’
performance. Many students struggle to engage when they are at home
virtually.
3) 4 reflections of learning about SPED students
a) Maybe this is more about the intersection of being a female middle
schooler with a disability, but from this meeting and getting to know this
 student, I can see that it is really challenging to be confident in yourself. I
don’t think this student sees herself as capable and smart, and some of
that comes from home but also her continued struggles to get good
grades and lack of confidence.
b) Connections to neurotypical peers and extracurricular activities are
essential for student’s feeling like they have a sense of community. These
are lifelines for all students, but especially for students with disabilities
who may not feel as though they have a spot in the classroom or the
learning environment.
c) Student involvement in the case conference and informal conversations is
important. They need to see their teachers and their parents as part of
their educational team and that they want what is best for the student in
the long run. However, this can be difficult if the teacher and the parent
have different ways of approaching children and helping them develop
skills.
d) The transition to high school is daunting especially when students don’t
believe that they are college bound. In Indiana and across the
country/world, we have pushed college so hard on generations of students
rather than helping them develop skills and earn certificates that allow
them to be employed right out of high school as opposed to attending
college where they will accrue debt and may not be as successful. There
is nothing wrong with not going to college, but I think society tells our
students otherwise.
4) 4 reflections of learning about parents of SPED students
a) Parents of students with disabilities have many different approaches to
raising their children. Some have many boundaries while others have
none with their children. Some don’t discipline their children at all and
others are extremely hard on their students. Both act the way they do
because they want them to succeed.
b) There is a fear of many parents of students with disabilities that they will
be ostracized in high school because of having co-taught classes or a
skills development class. I didn’t realize that there was still such a large
stigma about students getting more support to be successful. As a sibling
of a child with a disability, I knew how important connections to school
communities are to ensure that neurotypical students see their peers with
a disability as capable, but I didn’t realize that so many parents are
concerned that their child receiving special education services will cause
them to be bullied. But again, I think this goes back to fear and the fact
that when many parents of secondary students went to school, students
with disabilities were just put in their own room, ostracized by their peers
 and adults in the building, and didn’t participate in all the things that school
has to offer.
c) Parents really want to help their children, but with the new curriculum
parents are struggling to support their students when school and learning
looks so different from when they went to school. Many students with
IEPS receive extra time, but they don’t have the support at home to utilize
that extra time to improve learning. Extra time without support (ie extra
time for homework) requires a level of self-directedness and that students
process content during the school day so they can complete their work on
their own time.
d) I think as educators we can get frustrated with parents and how they
respond to their children, but we don’t always look at all the systems
working against them to be “positive/successful” parents. In Lawrence
Township, we have parents who are working 2, 3 jobs or more just to
support their family. Unfortunately, not all parents have the ability to
support their child in the way we “think they should” because of
capitalistic exploitation of the workforce and inequity in the health care
system. In regards to specifically students with disabilities, I think it is
important to recognize how expensive it is to raise a child, especially one
with a disability, and parents have to work to provide for their child which
means that they don’t always handle things in the way that educators may
think that they should.
5) Describe 4 roles of groups and referral agencies that identify, assess, and
provide services to SPED students
a) The Teacher of Record: this is the teacher who monitors and assesses
student progress on IEP goals. They write the IEP, gather input from
general education teachers, and oftentimes are the ones directly providing
support services to the student.
b) General Education Teacher: This is one of the student’s classroom
teachers (usually in ELA or math) that can speak to the student’s
progression in the general education curriculum. Their feedback and
information can help to decide whether the plan in place is actively
working to help the student access the general education curriculum.
c) High School SPED department chair: This person is invited to transitional
case conferences to help answer any question or concern a parent,
student, or middle school teacher might have about the transition from
middle school to high school. They are able to speak on the services that
can be provided in the high school setting as well as aiding the student in
determining a pathway for graduation that meets their needs and goals.
d) Middle School Department Chair or Administrator: They can speak to what
the constraints of the school and district are with providing services. It
possible that parents could ask for something that the school can’t provide
and the administrator is there to mediate this conversation and aid in
coming to a conclusion that meets the needs of the student and of the
school.