| Introduction | xiii |
| From Emotions to Advocacy | xiii |
| Why Advocate? | xiv |
| What You Will Learn | xiv |
| Icons | xv |
| How This Book is Organized | xv |
| A Note to Parents of Section 504 Children | xvii |
| A Note to Special Educators | xvii |
Section 1. | Getting Started | 1 |
Chapter 1. | Learning About Advocacy | 3 |
| Why Advocate? | 4 |
| Different Types of Advocates | 4 |
| What Advocates Do | 5 |
| The Parent's Journey From Emotions to Advocacy | 6 |
| Supplies | 7 |
| In Summation | 7 |
Chapter 2. | Creating Your Master Plan | 9 |
| The Need to Plan | 9 |
| Elements of a Master Plan | 10 |
| Planning for the Future | 12 |
| Laura and Steve: Planning | 12 |
| Writing Your Master Plan | 13 |
| In Summation | 16 |
Chapter 3. | The Parent as Project Manager | 17 |
| Contractors and Project Managers | 17 |
| The Special Education Project Manager | 17 |
| Tips: Taking Care of Yourself | 19 |
| In Summation | 20 |
Section 2. | Advocacy 101 | 21 |
Chapter 4. | Learning the Rules of the Game | 23 |
| The Rules | 23 |
| Understanding the School | 24 |
| Learning About Your School District | 25 |
| Rules of the Game | 26 |
| In Summation | 27 |
Chapter 5. | Obstacles to Success | 29 |
| Obstacles to Advocacy | 29 |
| School Obstacles | 30 |
| Parent Obstacles | 33 |
| Dealing with Difficult People | 34 |
| Warning: Common Emotional Traps | 40 |
| Your Relationship with the School | 40 |
| In Summation | 40 |
Chapter 6. | Resolving Parent-School Conflict | 41 |
| The Nature of Parent-School Conflict | 41 |
| Real Issues: Expense and Control | 43 |
| Common Parent-School Problems | 44 |
| Tips to Resolve Problems | 49 |
| In Summation | 51 |
Chapter 7. | Emergency, Crisis, Help! | 53 |
| Help! Events That Trigger Crises | 53 |
| Crisis Management, Step-by-Step | 54 |
| Short-Term Solutions | 54 |
| Long Term Planning | 55 |
| In Summation | 57 |
Section 3. | The Parent as Expert | 59 |
Chapter 8. | Evaluations and Your Child's Disability | 61 |
| Get a Comprehensive Evaluation | 61 |
| Finding Evaluators | 62 |
| Understanding Test Results | 62 |
| Limitations of School Evaluations | 64 |
| Learn About the Disability | 64 |
| Learn About Effective Educational Practices | 65 |
| In Summation | 65 |
Chapter 9. | The File: Do It Right! | 67 |
| Document Management System | 67 |
| Gather Information About Your Child | 67 |
| Organizing the Master File | 68 |
| Create Your List of Documents | 70 |
| In Summation | 72 |
Chapter 10. | Tests and Measurements 101 | 73 |
| Mike | 73 |
| Measuring Growth: Rulers, Yardsticks, and Other Tools | 74 |
| Measuring Educational Change: Test Scores | 75 |
| Learning About Evaluations | 75 |
| Statistics 101 | 76 |
| The Bell Curve: A Powerful Tool | 80 |
| Learning How Test Scores Are Reported | 84 |
| In Summation | 86 |
Chapter 11. | Tests and Measurements 102 | 87 |
| Katie | 87 |
| Learning About Composite Scores | 88 |
| Using Pre- and Post-Testing to Measure Progress | 89 |
| Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Referenced Tests | 90 |
| Test Categories and Descriptions | 97 |
| Charting Test Scores | 100 |
| Your Homework Assignment | 102 |
| In Summation | 102 |
Chapter 12. | SMART IEPs | 103 |
| Learning About SMART IEPs | 103 |
| Smart IEP Goals and Objectives | 104 |
| Present Levels of Performance | 105 |
| Legal Definitions: Goals, Objectives and Benchmarks | 106 |
| Measuring and Monitoring the Child's Progress | 107 |
| Learning to Write SMART Goals and Objectives | 108 |
| The SMART Weight Loss Program | 108 |
| Mike Trains for the Fitness Test | 112 |
| Kevin Learns to Type | 112 |
| Megan Learns to Read | 113 |
| Non-Goals: Attitude Statements | 113 |
| Non-Goals: States of Being | 114 |
| Homework Assignment #1: You Learn to Write Goals | 115 |
| Homework Assignment #2: You Learn to Write SMART IEP Goals and Objectives | 115 |
| In Summation | 116 |
Section 4. | Special Education Law | 117 |
Chapter 13. | IDEA--Overview and Legislative Intent | 119 |
| Legislative Intent | 119 |
| The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 | 120 |
| In Summation | 120 |
Chapter 14. | IDEA--Section 1400: Findings and Purposes | 121 |
| 20 U.S.C. [section] 1400 Congressional Findings and Purpose | 121 |
| Wrightslaw Discussion of Findings and Purposes | 123 |
| In Summation | 124 |
Chapter 15. | IDEA--Section 1401: Definitions | 125 |
| 20 U.S.C. [section] 1401 Definitions | 125 |
| Wrightslaw Discussion of Definitions | 128 |
| In Summation | 130 |
Chapter 16. | IDEA--Section 1412: LRE, ESY, Child Find, Private Placement, Assessments | 131 |
| 20 U.S.C. [section] 1412--State Eligibility | 131 |
| Wrightslaw Discussion of Child Find, Least Restrictive Environment, Private Placements, State and District Assessments | 134 |
| In Summation | 139 |
Chapter 17. | IDEA--Section 1414: Evaluations, Eligibility, IEPs and Placement | 141 |
| 20 U.S.C. [section] 1414(a) Evaluations and Reevaluations | 141 |
| Additional Requirements for Evaluations and Reevaluations | 143 |
| Wrightslaw Discussion of Evaluations and Eligibility | 145 |
| 20 U.S.C. [section] 1414(d) Individualized Education Programs | 146 |
| Wrightslaw Discussion of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Placement | 150 |
| In Summation | 152 |
Chapter 18. | IDEA--Section 1415: Procedural Safeguards, Due Process, Discipline, etc. | 153 |
| 20 U.S.C. [section] 1415--Procedural Safeguards | 154 |
| Wrightslaw Discussion of Prior Written Notice and Procedural Safeguards Notice | 156 |
| 20 U.S.C. [section] 1415(e), (f), (g), (h), and (i)--Mediation, Due Process Hearings, Appeals to Court | 157 |
| Wrightslaw Discussion of Mediation, Due Process Hearings, Appeals to Court, Attorneys' Fees | 161 |
| 20 U.S.C. [section] 1415(k) Placement in Alternative Educational Setting | 165 |
| Wrightslaw Discussion of Discipline | 170 |
| 20 U.S.C. [section] 1415 (m) Transfer of Parental Rights at Age of Majority | 173 |
| Wrightslaw Discussion of Age of Majority | 173 |
Chapter 19. | Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act | 175 |
| Wrightslaw Discussion of Section 504, ADA and IDEA | 176 |
| Section 504, ADA, High Stakes Testing, Statewide Assessments | 178 |
| In Summation | 184 |
Chapter 20. | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act | 185 |
| FERPA | 185 |
| In Summation | 189 |
Section 5. | Tactics and Strategies | 191 |
Chapter 21. | The Rules of Adverse Assumptions | 193 |
| The Rules of Adverse Assumptions | 194 |
| To Avoid Conflict, Prepare for Conflict | 197 |
| Proof and Evidence | 197 |
| Simple Themes Win Cases | 198 |
| In Summation | 199 |
Chapter 22. | Creating Paper Trails | 201 |
| Why Document? | 201 |
| Logs, Journals and Calendars | 202 |
| How to Use a Problem Report | 205 |
| Handling Telephone Calls | 206 |
| In Summation | 206 |
Chapter 23. | How to Write Good Evidence Letters | 207 |
| Why You Write Letters | 207 |
| Strategies: Writing Good Letters | 209 |
| Letter Writing Pitfalls | 211 |
| Using Strategies in Letters | 212 |
| In Summation | 218 |
Chapter 24. | Writing the "Letter to the Stranger" | 219 |
| The Blame Approach | 219 |
| Impact of Angry Letters | 220 |
| The Story-Telling Approach | 220 |
| Using Persuasive Strategies in Letters | 222 |
| Writing "Letters to the Stranger" | 223 |
| In Summation | 225 |
Chapter 25. | Preparing for Meetings: Taking Control | 227 |
| You are a Negotiator | 227 |
| Five Rules for Successful Problem Solving | 228 |
| Preparing for School Meetings | 230 |
| Image and Presentation | 235 |
| In Summation | 235 |
Chapter 26. | Meeting Strategies: Maintaining Control | 237 |
| School Meeting Anxiety | 237 |
| Meeting Strategies | 238 |
| Common Meeting Problems | 240 |
| Use the Problem-Resolution Worksheet | 242 |
| Post-meeting Strategies | 245 |
| In Summation | 245 |
Chapter 27. | In Summation | 247 |
| Appendices | 249 |
Appendix A. | Appendix A to 34 C.F.R. Part 300 | 249 |
Appendix B. | Your Rights and Responsibilities Under IDEA | 277 |
Appendix C. | Frequently Asked Questions About Special Education, from NICHCY | 281 |
Appendix D. | State Departments of Special Education | 297 |
Appendix E. | Parent Training Information Centers by State | 303 |
Appendix F. | Disabilities Organizations and Information Groups | 313 |
Appendix G. | Legal and Advocacy Resources | 323 |
Appendix H. | Free Publications | 327 |
Appendix I. | Sample Letters to the School | 331 |
Appendix J. | Glossary of Special Education and Legal Terms | 351 |
Appendix K. | Glossary of Assessment Terms | 361 |
| Bibliography | 367 |
| Index | 369 |