Need to Meet with IEP Team Immediately

My second-grader has an IEP, yet he still can scarcely read. He is unable to recognize words. I feel that his teacher isn't working hard enough on improving my son's reading skills. What should I do? How can I help him at home? He hates it that all the other kids in his class make fun of him because he reads so badly. What can I say to boost his self-esteem? - Deflated
Answer: Parents whose children have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) can at anytime call the team together to make changes in the plan. You must immediately initiate a team meeting to revise the plan, as you don't think it is working. Reading is just too important a skill to delay helping your son. If children are not reading well by the end of third grade, they typically have reading problems throughout their schooling.
Reread your son's IEP before the team meets. It is quite likely that your son needs more specialized individual help than can be provided for him in the classroom setting. Make sure that the team not only revises the plan to get him more help but also states in writing exactly what should be done to improve his reading this summer, as well as specifically how you can help him at home. Also, the team should address the issue of how the teacher can immediately stop the other children from making fun of his reading. This is inexcusable.
At home, you can build your son's self-esteem by having him read easy material that he has mastered to you. Try to do this every day. It would also help if you could work together on a very short passage in his current reader until he can read it successfully. Give him as much help as he needs, and have him reread it to you for several days. Then let the teacher know that she should call on your son to read this passage at school. It will be a big confidence booster.
Your son might find reading more enjoyable if you frequently have him read predictable pattern books with you. In these books, he'll know many of the words and phrases, as they are repeated over and over again.