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Let's start with what it is NOT. It is not a complaint. It is not a lawsuit. It is not a list of everything the school has done wrong. It is a strategy. |
You have an ARD meeting coming up.
Maybe it is the annual review and you are not sure if this year's IEP is actually working. Maybe something changed with your child and you do not know if the current program reflects it. Maybe a service has been inconsistent and you want to address it but do not know how to bring it up without the whole room shutting down. Maybe you just have a feeling that something is off... and you cannot name it yet.
You do not want to walk in unprepared. But you also do not know exactly what prepared looks like for your child's specific situation.
That is where a Considerations Report comes in.
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Let's start with what it is NOT. It is not a complaint. It is not a lawsuit. It is not a list of everything the school has done wrong. It is a strategy. |
A Considerations Report is not about going to war with your child's school. I want to be clear about that because sometimes parents come to me ready to fight, and the first thing I tell them is... the goal is not to win an argument. The goal is to get your child what they need. Those are different things, and they require different approaches.
A Considerations Report is not a legal filing. I am an advocate, not an attorney. This is not a complaint to TEA. It is not a due process document. It is the strategic foundation for a productive ARD meeting.
And it is not a generic checklist that could apply to any kid on any caseload. Every Considerations Report is built specifically for one child, based on their records, their history, and their needs.
When a family reaches out to me, this is usually how I explain it:
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I review all of your child's records, evaluations, past ARDs, progress data, everything available. Then I prepare a written report outlining the most important areas of need first, where there may be gaps under FAPE, and what IDEA supports your child is legally entitled to. It gives you a clear strategy before walking into an ARD. |
Let me break that down.
I start with the student.The first thing in every Considerations Report is your child's story. Their strengths. Their diagnosis. How their disability shows up in their day-to-day life at school and at home. Before I say a word about what is missing or what needs to change, I want the picture of who this child is to be front and center. Because that is who this is all for.
Then I review everything. And I mean everything.Every evaluation. Every IEP, going back to the first one. Every ARD document. Every progress report. Emails you have sent or received. Notes from meetings. Work samples if you have them. I start at the beginning of your child's record and I read forward. I have read 200-page psychological evaluations. I have read years of documents for a single child. I do not skim. I am looking at the full picture of what the school has documented, what has been provided, and what has actually happened... and comparing it to what the law requires.
Then I identify the gaps.Where is the IEP not reflecting your child's current needs? Where are services falling short of what FAPE requires? Where are the goals vague, the services underspecified, the accommodations not being implemented consistently? Where is something in the PLAAFP that does not match the data? I write it all down, in plain language, with the legal basis for each concern.
Then I give you the strategy.Not just a list of problems. A prioritized plan for what to address at the ARD, how to bring it up, and what to ask for. You walk in knowing your talking points, knowing your rights, and knowing exactly what a compliant IEP should look like for your child.
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Cathi's Note: I write every Considerations Report leading with the student, not the violations. Not because the legal gaps do not matter... they absolutely do. But because the most effective ARD conversations start with the child, not with a list of complaints. When everyone in the room remembers who they are there for, the conversation goes better. That is not soft. That is strategy. |
Here is the most honest way I can put this. Most parents walk into ARDs reactive. They respond to what the school presents. They sign things they do not fully understand. They leave with questions they forgot to ask.
Parents with a Considerations Report walk in proactive. They know what they are looking for before the meeting starts. They have a list of what should be in the IEP. They know which questions to ask and what answers to push back on.
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Without a Considerations Report |
With a Considerations Report |
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Seeing the draft IEP for the first time at the table |
Knowing what should be in the IEP before you walk in |
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Not sure if the current services are actually appropriate |
Clear understanding of what FAPE requires for your child specifically |
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Unsure whether to push back or just go along |
Specific, grounded reasons to ask for what your child needs |
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Walking out with questions you forgot to ask |
Walking out having said what needed to be said |
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Hoping this year's IEP is better than last year's |
Walking in with a written strategy for this year's IEP |
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Feeling like you are the only one who does not know what is going on |
Being the most prepared person in the room |
A Considerations Report is for any parent who has an ARD coming up and wants to be prepared. That is a wide net on purpose.
It is for the parent whose child was just identified and who has never been through an ARD before. You do not know what you do not know yet. A Considerations Report gives you the foundation.
It is for the parent who has been doing this for years and feels like something has been off for a long time but cannot put their finger on what. I can usually find it.
It is for the parent whose child is not making progress and whose school keeps saying they are. The report gives you the data to have that conversation.
It is for the parent who is about to walk into a re-evaluation ARD and wants to know what to expect and what to ask for.
It is for the parent who has been told their child does not qualify for a particular service and wants to know if that is actually true.
If your child has an IEP and an ARD meeting on the calendar, a Considerations Report is for you.
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Cathi's Note: I do this work on a pay-what-you-can basis. Not because it is not worth full price... it is. But because the families who need this most are often the ones who cannot afford a retainer. Every family that reaches out gets a real conversation. Nobody is turned away because of money. |
It starts with a conversation. You reach out, we talk about your child, your situation, and what is coming up. I ask for the documents I need... the current IEP, any recent evaluations, ARD records. You send me what you have.
Then I do the review. I read everything. I compare it against IDEA, against the Texas Education Code, against the Texas Dyslexia Handbook if dyslexia is in the picture, against whatever other relevant law or guidance applies to your child's specific disability and situation.
Then I write the report. It is organized around your child's needs, not around a generic template. It tells you what is there, what is missing, and what to ask for. It gives you the language to use at the table.
Then we talk through it together before the meeting. So you walk in confident, not just informed.
I want to speak to the parent who has been carrying this alone for a long time.
The one who has been advocating as best they could without knowing exactly what they were advocating for. The one who has been nodding along at ARD meetings and going home and Googling everything that was said. The one who loves their child fiercely and is exhausted and still showing up.
You should not have to figure this out by yourself. That is not a flaw in you. It is a gap in the system. And it is exactly the gap I exist to fill.
A Considerations Report is not magic. It is research, legal knowledge, and experience applied specifically to your child's situation. It is me doing the homework so you can walk in ready.
Thank you for letting me play a role in your story.
You have got this. And I have got you.
A Considerations Report is how we start. I review everything. I prepare your strategy. You walk in ready.
Call or text to get started: 346.306.3119
Pay what you genuinely can. No family turned away.