Five Things as the School Year Comes to an End

Much to your child’s delight, the school year is coming to an end. For children in grade school, there’s still plenty of school to come but the summer represents a momentary escape. For you, as a parent, it can mean a number of things: trips, planning, summer activities and more. Before you get too distracted planning for summer, though, there are some things to consider regarding your child’s school year and the one to come. We have a few suggestions to serve as a thought starter for your ‘end of year’ analysis so that the next school year can be an even bigger success for your child!

1. Ask your child’s teachers what worked and what didn’t. While parents are often active in getting teacher feedback during conferences and/or after the first report card, it’s important to see what information can be gleaned at the end of the year as well. Doing so may uncover elements to change in the year to come or successful approaches to incorporate in the year to come.
2. Revisit your child’s IEP based upon how things went. We often highlight modifications and improvements that can be built into a child’s IEP. Just as teachers may reveal things that did and did not work, so too could you uncover components in your child’s IEP that need work or can be built more upon for success. Taking a moment to analyze the plan to see what will be carried over in the upcoming school year now can make incorporating it in the future much easier.
3. Request feedback from teachers at the next grade level regarding what expectations your child will face. While teachers can be extremely busy with the school year wrapping up, they may have time in the week after school ends to meet and discuss what your child will face in the next school year. This can be a powerful way to get acquainted with your child’s teachers early on, while also finding out what expectations and goals can be worked on over the summer for a smooth transition.
4. Determine summer learning options that can help your child in the school year to come. Whether you choose to do summer school for your child or just want to find lesson plans that can help, exploring your options can only help make the issue easier now versus a few months from now. There are a lot of fun options at varying levels of depth; a simple math workbook could be a good fit as much as a dynamic, multi-course online course load could be as well.
5. Review applications and programs available for adaptive equipment and assistive technology that may be required next year. There are a LOT of different, great organizations out there that can connect your child with critical technology or equipment needed for a successful school year. Contact us today for more information about programs in your area, on the state level or even nationally.

Do you have any suggestions we didn’t cover? Let us know on our Forum!