I have a dilemma.
To give you some background: I work in a district that does not have a special day class. Our special education kids are either given RSP services in the "Learning Center" or if they are very low may be sent to the county classroom off site. The school I am primarily at is a 2nd and 3rd grade school (yes every 2nd & 3rd grader in the whole town). Right now our school only has four IEP students, two HH and two ID.
Let me give you a scenerio... a kid is referred by their teacher for help because they are low and way behind in her class. Let's say they are reading at a level 2 when they should be at a level 16-18. The teacher would like them to be assessed. A COST meeting is called (Coordination Of Team Services) to discuss options for this kid before we talk about assessment. The team decides to progress monitor weekly using DIBELS to gain more data since the student is already receiving two periods of learning center assistance and wants to see if the student is improving.
The next COST meeting comes up (two months later) and the student has gone from reading one word per minute to fifteen words per minute with scores showing that he is making progress but in no way will he meet what he should meet for his grade level. This is where I hit my wall. Normally, this child would be assessed right? They are not making enough progress to meet grade level expectations. This child could possibly be assessed for SLD or ID. However, since the district does not have a special day option, he is already receiving the max period of learning center time, he is too low for "reading lab" since that is reserved for students at level 10-12, teacher is not referring him for tutoring because "it won't benefit him" ... what else is there?
What can I do for him? I feel like there are no other services I can even provide for him.
Being a school psychologist does not make us superheroes, contrary to popular belief. We can not perform brain surgery and bring the kid back "all fixed". Yet, I feel like I need to do something else... being an intern makes me feel even less powerful and I don't feel like I have any right to revamp any programming since I will be gone next year and anything I try to change will be lost anyways.
Help Please? Or have I done everything I can do? I know not all kids are mean't to be rocket scientists... society has jobs that do not require as much thinking as others. Right now I just feel like I am helpless and I do not like to feel that way.
Fellow school psych here. I'm on my first official year of the job. I have to break it to you hun...feeling helpless is part of the job. In your situation it sounds to me like the primary problem is your system. (What state do you work in?) It seems to me that you've done everything you can do. It's unfortunate that we have so few resources to help these kids. We got into this job to help kids and much of the time (at least for me) we are fairly helpless. Also, if you don't plan to stay at this place after your internship you really shouldn't waste your time trying to make systems change. That is a very heavy endeavor to take on and that kind of change could take years. Just remember that you have to find good in the small things. You aren't going to be able to rescue all the kids, but you can make them smile everyday and make them feel like someone out there cares about them and believes in them. It may not seem like much, but it's sometimes all we can do. And those little things are often the things they remember later in life.
ReplyDeleteBeing a rural farming community (seriously a one street town) our district does not have the resources it needs to be successful in helping children like this. I work in California which means our budgets have been cut in many areas which have only hurt us more. I did my practicum hours in one district similar to this one and two that were much much larger with way more resources so this has been a challenge (more emotionally than anything)! I appreciate your comment so much! You are right, the small things are what makes this job! I do a lot of counseling at this site, and I know I am able to help kids by giving them attention they are not receiving at home, and mentoring them. That has been my saving grace! Being in such a low socioeconomic area has been tough!
ReplyDelete