Because my daughter has failed statewide assessment test they have taken her off of her academic path and lowered her standards and placed her in a program where no one cares whether these kids learn or not. It is not my daughter fault but the schools. When the child fails these assessements it is the responsiblity of the school to help these kids and not place them in what I call modern day slavery programs. Providing them with instruction that is not research based, no books no homework, no spelling, vocabulary, etc nothing comes home for reinforcement, yet they give tests and are expected to pass. A recipe for failure. They weren't even teaching my daughter to read this year. I fought several months just to get her in a intensive reading intervention and then to find out they are not administering it properly. Actually I've been trying to get her out of this modern day slavery program since the beginning of this school year (September) and have gotten nothing but talk and no action. But with that said I am teaching my daughter the fundamentals. Something the school should have done and should be doing. All they had to do was supply her special education services i.e. a tutor. I even provided a model of a program that I researched and provided it to them since they don't know what they are doing.

During this time I've had to quickly educate myself on the law to understand my daughters rights and mine and now now that my rights and daughters have been violated. This is what I like about No Child Left Behind because you can make the school accountable using the laws. So I've armed myself with Wrights Special Education Law and No Child Left Behind and now GAME IS ON. They have opened Pandora's Box. I've been submitting my poems to my state Governor, Congresswoman, senators, Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools, the White House, etc.... My daughter will get an free and appropriate education as stated by law. In the meantime while fighting them I've resulted to teaching my daughter 3-4 hours everyday. Teaching her the basics/fundamentals and she has made more progress in the last couple months of at home teaching/tutoring than she has made in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade combined. I use books that are used in the tutoring centers i.e. KUMON, and other books from reading specialist, and books that are aligned with statewide assessement in Maryland. My daughter is making tremendous progress and motivated to do more everyday. Borders, the Library, teaching websites are my resources for teaching my daughter as I fight to have her removed and placed in private school because apparently the public school has no clue. That's just being nice, they know they are only looking at services within their school which keeps these children hidden. There is nothing individualized and the childs needs are not met when the school is thinking about themselves. If they had to say we could not help your child then they would be responsible for paying to send them to private schools, tutoring etc. Of course they don't want to do that. Instead they hide them and forget about them making the school look good and your child suffers. Hoping the parent is not aware of their rights.

I urge everyone who has a child receiving special education services to not just accept what is being told to you especially if your gut is telling you something else. Understand that you and your child have rights. If you are not satisfied with services you are receiving and don't have time to educate yourself on the law their are plenty of free advocates out there to help. Best books WrightsLaw ---No Child Left Behind and Wrightslaw--- Special Education Law or www.wrightslaw.com. TIP---Document, document, document, create a paper trail of every meeting, every conversation i.e. send a followup e-mail of meetings, conversations, etc. I have a paper trail of everything starting from September. When you fight you need facts and evidence. Words are not enough.

I just can't believe that in the 21st Century I have to fight to get an appropriate education for my daughter. Something that is supposed to free.

All I can say is GAME ON!!!!!! My daughters situation will change YES IT WILL!!!!