***This post was written by Joe Palladino, Legislative Chair and Central Region Representative for WSPA***
When I got out of graduate school in the late seventies I worked a year in West Virginia. The testing I did was Binet after Binet after WISC-R after WISC-R All my referrals we expected to be the old term for Cognitive Disability. IEP meetings were short with little discussion of the disability condition, certainly no argument or much difference of opinion was in evidence. That all changed with my move to Wyoming.
Early during my first fall I recall walking into an IEP meeting a bit early, putting my test protocols on the table and saying to the two people present, (including the referring teacher), “well this should be a fast meeting, not much going on with this kid” and probably added “nothing wrong with this one” Just off the top of my head what I thought to be friendly remarks. Well the meeting started and seemed to be going well. The teacher was pretty quiet but at the end of the meeting there was no placement or classification and I though all is well.
Well I could not have been more wrong. The next day I am called into the principal’s office to meet with the teacher who goes up one side of me and down the other. Who was I to say there was nothing wrong with the student. She had referred him so there must certainly be something wrong. I wiggled the best I could but walked out of the principal’s office wondering how someone could be so mad that a student didn’t qualify.
Which brings me to the great revelation. Teachers that make a referral almost always want a classification. They have already decided that something is “wrong” and that would like special education for the student. Anything less than classification and placement will not satisfy.
Now here I am forty years later still practicing and still having IEP meeting with teachers that don’t want to take no for an answer when it come to qualification.
I like to think I have gotten better at explaining data, classification, and giving advice and recommendations, but to be honest I have not seen much change in the attitude of the teachers. I spend a lot more time explaining classification than I ever did, and have almost all IEP meetings where no one ever is the dissenting opinion, yet I will have remarks reported to me that such and such a teacher is not happy. As we all know that teacher talks to another teacher who talks to another and so on. Next thing you know someone stands up at an in service and says “what do we do when our school psychologist will not classify any student ED?”. As you might have guessed this happened to me last week.
Now I have no great solution to this issue. I doubt that how a teacher should act when there is no classification after a referral ever comes up in teacher education programs. I also know that I am not the only one with this issue on and off during my career. I guess my only solution is to continue to try to remember to be aware of the disappointment teachers feel when their suspicions are not verified.
It just seems to me that the one part of education and school psychology that doesn’t change it the human interaction. Better relationships with teachers might be the key, but with the modern school design and the modern teacher any chance for interaction with a teacher in a lounge might be something that is gone forever. I do believe that being “liked” is probably more useful than being “right”.
One small footnote to this tale. The original teacher that was upset with my “nothing wrong with this one remark” and I ended up becoming good friends and that friendship has remained forty years later.
You are singing my song, Joe! I am in awe as to how similar our experiences as school psychs have played out through the years. I, too, have seen numerous teachers who wanted to refer every child from their classroom and then expected each and every one of those children to qualify for SPED! Luckily, I feel very fortunate to have worked with several master elementary education teachers who attended their students IEP meetings with a folder in hand documenting their own goals for those students. I have to admit that I swelled up with goosebumps on my neck (and even had wet eyes) as these teachers spoke about their own goals for the students. I loved your comment that being “liked” is probably more useful than being “right”. I find that to be true as well.
Hi Joe! Your post is one that I believe most school psychologists can relate to. I think one of the factors that plays into this issue is that professionals have different thresholds for what constitutes a disability and when special education is warranted. Regular education professionals have had little exposure to the literature on disabilities, special education, and the long-term outcomes for students placed into special education, especially those with low-incidence disabilities. I think they truly feel that special education is a panacea for all students who struggle, and that it is always helpful and never harmful. The regular education threshold for a suspected disability differs quite a bit than my threshold as a school psychologist. As a school psychologist, my threshold for what constitutes a disability is very high because I have the background knowledge and training that have shaped me to be cautious and prudent when influencing a child’s future with my decisions. I would suspect that all school psychologists have found themselves at odds with IEP teams or teachers due to having varying thresholds for and understanding of disabilities. One key skill for a school psychologist is the ability to not only communicate our determinations articulately with IEP teams, but to be able to teach others why we need to be prudent with placing labels on children. This is not always an easy task, and we often find ourselves having to “choose” between being liked and doing what’s best for children. Additionally, school psychologists have to be skilled at helping teachers answer the “Now what?” question when a student doesn’t qualify for services. I know this part keeps me on my toes and challenges me daily!!! Thanks so much for your post, Joe!
I had this exact issue come up today! When had a student referred from our Building Intervention Team who does not qualify for special education. The classroom teacher feels she has tried all possible interventions. She wants recommendations on more interventions but is also defensive about having tried everything! It is a balancing act.