Originally Posted By
barki
Warning! Depression Hazard! Read at your own risk.
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I'm so FRUSTRATED trying to get something in place academically (or for any other area) for the one foster son. I'm going to go gray, crazy and/or bald with stomach ulcers. Gripe gripe, whine whine. I'm not sure what he specifically needs yet since diagnostic testing is one of the things I can't seem to ever quite get done in the right time frame and for the right problem areas. I can't seem to get things in place for what he may need because of the need for funding, or we can't figure out what the proper program is, or we don't have the proper program in our area. Then to top it all off there doesn't seem to be a way to enforce anything once it's in place and he returns to bio family. Grrrr.
I do have to say, in my defense, that I can't administer the tests and I have to wait on the school district to get many of these things done, but I seem to spend alot of time prompting and reminding and STILL not getting anywhere!
I also found out that the school has no specific GPA requirements for 8th grade promotion, and there are only subjective requirements for a student either being promoted or held back. Also, "according to the handbook", parents are not required to be part of the subjective process of deciding whether or not a child is promoted or held back.
So let's say the homeroom teacher gets a kink in his/her tail and doesn't really like a particular child, they can request that this child be considered as a candidate to not be promoted. If this teacher can appeal to enough of the other teachers they can keep the child back another year. On the flip side, a child who is ok behaviorally but abysmal on the academic front could be promoted anyway. Or a behavior problem with inferior academics could be moved on to the next grade, etc. etc. There are no hard and fast requirements, only that, subjectively speaking, everyone (except, of course, the parents) thinks it is ok for this kid to move on to high school. My blood pressure is rising, must go get a glass of water and an aspirin.
Oh, dear. I've got to come up with something non-pessimistic to end with. Hmmm, well...the sun did shine here yesterday. It's raining today, but I know the sun will shine again. I can only do what I am able and then let it rest. God gives me the ability to do what He requires and oversees all of it for me, so I'm not REALLY going to go gray over this, but sometimes it sure feels like a distinct possibility!
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