we had our CPSE to CSE transition meeting

was not thrilled with how it went...

the CPSE for summer services went great.. he will continue with BOCES for the summer and his parent training was reduced to 1x60 a week (from 2) his SET stayed the same (3x60) and his speech was scaled back to 2x30 (from 3).

we had no problem signing off on that portion.. then came the CSE transition on where he would go...

the district wants him back... he will be going from a 6:1:2 to a 12:1:1 and lunch time will be with over 70 children.

for moms who's children went from a highly restricted/structured class to just a structured class, how did you child do?

they are allowing the BOCES (his current school) to sit in on the class and give us some feed back, they are also allowing us to meet the principal/nurse/teachers/paras that are in the school, and we are allowed to do "Project Rise" a PTA run 6 week event for K.

but i just can't help but feel he is not ready

has anyone else felt this way and then their child did great... IDK.. i guess i just need to get this out.

thanks

Re: we had our CPSE to CSE transition meeting

What's there reasoning for wanting him back? Is he doing really well and they feel the larger class is more suited for him? It's tough to judge without knowing the facts but you know best. If your gut is telling you no it's to much, fight it. My 7 year old (he's non verbal) went to district in K. It was a disaster, they couldn't handle him nor did they have the knowledge on how to cater to his needs. After that I opted out of district to a wonderful school out east. It was a fight but in the end we won and it was the best choice for him.
The summer cut back is normal.

Re: we had our CPSE to CSE transition meeting

DD is in K now in a 6:1:1 and a 12:1:1. She splits her day in half. Does your school allow split classrooms? That has worked really well for DD so far. She gets the more "typical" K experience in the 12:1:1 but gets the calmness and structure of the 6:1:1 if needed. She also goes to the regular lunch room with all of K. She has lunch with the 12:1:1 and they all sit at the same table so it's not really overwhelming for her. She also has a 1:1 aide with her at all times. The aide, to me, is the most important part of her school day. If she gets overwhelmed (like in the auditorium, or out at the playground) the aide is there to help her calm down or to take her back to class if needed.

From what I've seen so far her 12:1:1 class is more socializing, alot of group activities, group reading centers, science experiments, follow the K ciriculum, etc. The 6:1:1 is really individual learning so she really doesn't get the interact with the other children there. For us this is a good mix and we are actually keeping it the same for next year with the exception of decreasing her aide time in the 12:1:1 as she doesn't need the assistance during class time anymore (she will still have an aide for specials, lunch and during the 6:1:1 time).

Re: we had our CPSE to CSE transition meeting

Why won't the district put him in a 6? Do they not have that class size in the district? Can you ask for a 1:1 if they want him in the 12?

I would ask them what the plan is if he can't handle the 12? Will they then give him a 1:1 or find another placement for him?

Re: we had our CPSE to CSE transition meeting

I agree with Karen and DPLI, I think an "aide" can be the biggest key ! I know going from a 6 to a 12 sounds daunting but, a class of 12 is usually broken up into 3 groups of 4. So many mini lessons can be given to a group of 4 or even a group of 12.

Lunch seems overwhelming but I would think that one of the assistants eats with the class, or they are assigned a lunch aide. Even though the room can be noisy, it's amazing how children just remain in their area, and the adult can help with opening milk or whatever little issues that can come up. However, you know your child best and perhaps, the school has a modified way to approach lunch ? (smaller area where a smaller amount of kids can eat).

I would ask to meet the actual classroom teacher (although they may not have decided yet who that is). I would want to meet him/her prior to Sept. The teacher is what will make all the difference in the world.

Re: we had our CPSE to CSE transition meeting

i just want to say thanks.. after thinking and speaking to a friend (who's DD goes to the school AJ will be attending) i do feel much better... the district offered a 1:1 if needed... so i wasn't worried about that..

i think it was more me, feeling he isn't ready...

i have set up to meet with his teacher (she was assigned already) and to meet with the principal, nurse and other staff, so it puts me at ease as well..

still scared... he is my 1st.. and even though he's been in school since he was 2, going district is harder than i thought.

Re: we had our CPSE to CSE transition meeting

Believe me I know exactly how you feel. DD is my one and only and I was a nervous wreck when she started in Sept. I literally made myself sick. I met the teacher about 5 times before school started. Walked DD around the school so she knew where everything was. Practiced her eating lunch from a lunch box and I wrote a 5 page letter to the teacher and aides explaining every single thing about Sophia. I was crazy lol. The first day of school i cried for about an hour and sat in the parking lot for 4 hours just in case she needed me. I know I sound nuts but it was the first time she was away from me for that long and never ate a meal without me so I was freaking out.

Well the second day of school, DD turned around to me and said I've got it mom, see you. I was like what the heck lol. She LOVED it and everyone was so supportive of her and she fell right into the structure. A few months into school I was meeting with her teacher and apologized for being so crazed the first week and she just laughed and said all the K moms were the same way!!

Re: we had our CPSE to CSE transition meeting

I think it's the best of both worlds - he's with higher functioning kids so he hopefully has some peer modeling, but has the 1:1 if he needs the support.