Has anyone ever struggled to get their DC taken off an IEP?

[pinktortoise]

Ok briefly...DS was put on IEP midway through Yr 2 as were concerns that he wasn't doing as well as he should. Was quite unconcerned about it as I thought extra help is good - but put most of it down to being youngest boy in year.
He came on leaps and bounds in Yr2 and continues to do so (which I believe is age related).
However was issued new IEP in Sept (start Yr3)- completely different set of targets to Yr 2. He achieved all these but I have now got a new one to run through to Spring 2011.
His reading , writing and maths is all where it should be or above.
The school is fairly small with very low incidence of SEN's yet have a FT dedicated SENCO. I just feel that they are leaving him on an IEP when he doesn't really need one and that a new target will always be given even when he achieves. (The targets incidentally could apply to anyone in the class eg: Check work after 4 sentences).
I know loads of you will disagree and say that teachers don't do these unless necessary but I don't believe this is necessary.
The teacher and SENCO can give me no idea of what they feel the problem is just that he sometimes needs to make sure he has understood a task before beginning...........
Sorry not that brief after all!

(the target you stated, btw - the 'check work' one is often used for kids with attention issues - are they all similar - lists for pe kit on specific days/ writing homework targets in specific book/ what to pack in your school bag? or are any of the other things raised?)

I appreciate your comprehensive response!
Well..I wouldn't say extra bright quirky. Is very sociable has good group of friends. Teachers always comment on how popular he is and how he works well in groups. Extremely well behaved in class loves to win certificates etc for being a star - quite a people pleaser. Loves to answer questions be chosen for a task. Handwriting joined up and very neat. Excellent memory , very organised always knows what day to take what.
FWIW he did suffer with glue ear quite badly and didn't receive grommets until 4. This delayed his speech. I think this made him appear slower and slowed down his literacy development particularly. My thinking though is that in the last year he has caught up with his peers and in some cases overtaken them. Yet the perception of him hasn't changed , I guess that is why I don't like the continuing IEP and the wooliness of it all.
Targets are for literacy - read work to check after 4 sentences, read aloud to adult after 8.
Numeracy - Discuss learning objective at beginning of lesson with adult. Check after 4 sums.
That's it!

All sounds v odd to me. Has ur SENCo not got enough to do?! If so she can come and help me - I've got 7 MPA requests to write over Christmas!

pinktortoise - the way you describe your ds, he sounds very bright to me! Maybe a bit inclined to disappear off and do his own thing, rather than what was actually intended... His interpretation of what he has been asked to do is obviously quite often not what was anticipated by the teacher, hence the requirement for him to check on a regular basis in his IEP!

As a matter of interest, why do you not think he is extra bright? And have you not noticed at all in his school work (not homework, where it may be more clear to you and him what is expected) that he has occasionally gone off and done completely the wrong thing? Because that is what the IEP seems to imply - that without regular checking, he goes off at a complete tangent.

MAybe they think he isn't performing as well as they think he should be - is he very articulate and showing high-level thinking verbally, but not putting it into practice when doing "work"?

DS could easily have those targets, but is acheiving above/average for his age. He doesn't apply himself very well in written tasks/answering written questions. However he is not in a school where this would be seen as SEN

Hmm..thankyou for replies.
Knitting..glad you can see why I find it odd too.
Rabbitstew ..yes I think he is bright but guess have never thought extra bright because of the way the school treats him and make it sound like he has a problem. I also have a younger DD who I would describe as extra bright and things are always easier for her.
Verbally I suppose he does appear brighter than than his work shows - he is very interested in the world around him and has a good general knowledge. Loves to chat to anyone.
Strangely his last teacher whilst telling me she was concerned what he would get in his SATS said "He will probably be a professor - he is quite like that isn't he??"
So you see why I am confused. No clarity!
BigTilly - That is one of my annoyances that the targets could apply to most children his age. I don't think an IEP and a label of SEN is necessary and you are right at another school he wouldn't even be on this.

The comment about him being like a professor makes me wonder if the teacher thinks he has some Aspergers traits. Could that be possible?

I wouldn't have thought so tbh. He is very sociable and has always had good emotional intelligence and very good empathy with others. He loves social gatherings and will always make friends wherever he goes.

pinktortoise - the problem is there is seldom any sense of clarity in children who are obviously talented but who for some reason have something getting in the way of their education! If there is a big gap between your ds's apparent verbal intelligence and his academic output, then the school is, imo, quite right to be concerned about it, even if his output is satisfactory for a child of his age. You are lucky he is such a people pleaser, as it doesn't allow the school to write him off as lazy. Where you go from here, though, I don't know, but from everything you say, I am inclined to agree with the school that there is something very subtle going on with the way your ds thinks that is holding him back from achieving what he is capable of in the school environment. Maybe an educational psychologist could help, if the school really can't be more explicit????

ps it could all just relate back to the glue ear, of course, and his having got used in the past to getting on with things when he hasn't fully heard and understood! Maybe he needs to retrain himself to explain that sometimes people don't make sense even when he can hear them!

rabbitstew - thanks for comments. Maybe there is something very subtle - instinctively I feel it relates to the glue ear and the years that were lost in a muffled haze! The knock on effect on speech and then literacy was I think profound. It also meant that he learnt everything through copying what others did or lipreading maybe he never learnt the way to hear instructions and interpret them? As I have said he has been improving significantly academically in the last year ( teacher said he made more progress than any other child in class) so maybe it will just come.
Also I think the fact that he is youngest boy for the year group plays a part!