Parents worried about Special Education
Updated: February 28, 2013
CHAMPAIGN -- Special education classes are small to give students extra attention.
But the State Board of Education could change that.
Now parents are worried their kids will never meet their full potential. Anne and Abby Hall have a daily routine. Anne picks her up from Centennial High School, they come home, talk about their day and watch TV. But the way they communicate with each other, makes this family a little different then the rest.
"Her language is pretty limited. She speaks probably at a 4 - 5 year old level. Academically she's probably at a third to fourth grade level," Hall said.
Abby is 16-years-old. She's hearing impaired, has developmental problems and Epilepsy causing regular seizures.
"Going through the emotion of it, it's something that you never get finished with. It's been a little difficult finding the right classrooms for her," Hall said.
Special Ed classes hold close to a dozen students. There's a state limit on how many can be in a class. But now the State Board of Education is proposing a change, taking away the cap on class size.
"They learn differently. You really have to approach them differently, be creative with your teaching. I think the more students you have, the less opportunity you have to be creative," Hall said.
In a lot of ways, Abby is like any other teenage girl. She likes to laugh, eat Skittles and watch movies. But in many ways, she's special and her mom just wants to know her education is the same.
"Abby, she learns differently then everybody else I know she does. She learns best hands-on. If you have a lot of kids in the classroom, she's never gonna meet her potential."
The State Board of Education believes getting rid of the cap would provide a less restricted education and that individual school districts should determine what's best.
Now parents are worried their kids will never meet their full potential. Anne and Abby Hall have a daily routine. Anne picks her up from Centennial High School, they come home, talk about their day and watch TV. But the way they communicate with each other, makes this family a little different then the rest.
"Her language is pretty limited. She speaks probably at a 4 - 5 year old level. Academically she's probably at a third to fourth grade level," Hall said.
Abby is 16-years-old. She's hearing impaired, has developmental problems and Epilepsy causing regular seizures.
"Going through the emotion of it, it's something that you never get finished with. It's been a little difficult finding the right classrooms for her," Hall said.
Special Ed classes hold close to a dozen students. There's a state limit on how many can be in a class. But now the State Board of Education is proposing a change, taking away the cap on class size.
"They learn differently. You really have to approach them differently, be creative with your teaching. I think the more students you have, the less opportunity you have to be creative," Hall said.
In a lot of ways, Abby is like any other teenage girl. She likes to laugh, eat Skittles and watch movies. But in many ways, she's special and her mom just wants to know her education is the same.
"Abby, she learns differently then everybody else I know she does. She learns best hands-on. If you have a lot of kids in the classroom, she's never gonna meet her potential."
The State Board of Education believes getting rid of the cap would provide a less restricted education and that individual school districts should determine what's best.
