Throughout the year

Learn

• Check in with your child

  Once the 504 plan is in place, it's easy to assume everyone’s following it. But it often takes a parent keeping an eye on things.

  You can get a lot of information from your child about whether the plan is being followed.

  • For some kids, a direct question may work best: “Did you get the text-to-speech tool for this reading assignment?”

  • Other kids may need a softer approach. For instance, you might try casually asking your child, “What book did you read in class? How did it go?”

  Your child’s answer may tell you a lot about whether the 504 plan is being followed.

• Check in with teachers

  Don’t be shy about emailing your child’s teacher or asking for a meeting to talk. Look at Understood’s anatomy of an effective email to help you think about how to reach out to the teacher.

  During each check-in, you may want to:

  • Share any concerns based on what you’re seeing at home.

  • Ask for an honest opinion about what the teacher thinks is and isn’t working in the 504 plan.

  • Take notes so you can refer to them when you meet with other school staff responsible for the plan.