Wondering everyone`s thoughts?

Was reading a preview today in the Kingsport preview I believe it was. Was about a very athletic player, won`t metion any names on here but many may already know. Anyways it said this young man should have many colleges looking at him. That`s good and all bt this boy is in special ed, it`s not that he is not all their , or has anything wrong with him, it`s laziness and the I"I just don`t care attitude." I also believe the reason he is in it is so he can make the grades to play sports [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] How could colleges possibly be looking at him with all things considering?

Colleges don't care. They just want you to produce when you're on the field. Frank Gore who played at UM had a learning disability, Gerald Williams who UT signed last year does as well. Nothing wrong with that. I hope anyone in that situation can get their degree. Being in special ed classes beause you're a sorryass is pathetic though. No reason for that.

a lot of people have a misconception about the difference between a college "looking" at a kid and actually being "interested" and then the final level being a written offer

if youre halfway decent youll get "looks" this simply means it's a letter detailing things about the school and "hey come take a look at our program" things of that sort...about 90% of the kids who say theyre getting interest from schools is actually getting "looks" or "feelers" as they are called by the college

actual "interest" is phone calls, text messages, visits (more than one, and in-home) and talk of an offer...not a whole lot but a decent amount from this area get this kind of look

an offer...well an offer is self-explanatory and very little get this kind of look



most of the interest to kids from this area is simply to keep good relations with the area high school coaches in case a Thomas Jones, Julius Jones, Jake Houseright, Justin Hamilton or a Chad Beasley comes along once in a while they'll already have an "in" with that prospect's coach

sounds like this kid was getting feelers but the colleges weren't really checking into his academic situation...which is normal, they don't really do that until they decide if they wanna offer or not

When the head coach shows up at your house to talk to mom and dad, then you have interest. Everything else is hopes and "maybes".

You all have to remember that special ed comes in all shapes and sizes. He could be in one or two classes or be completely self-contained for all classes. There is a little bit more to special ed than meets the eye. There are several batteries of tests and observations that have to all point to special ed before they can actually get a classification. And, a lot of special ed students work their way out of special ed after they get the accomodations they need. There are also different types of diploma programs that are offered. One is an attendance diploma and another may simply allow for enrollment at a community or technical college. There are kids, like my son, who get some academic accomodations due to conditions, but are not eligible for special ed. With all that being said, where would this particular athlete fall? And remember, we all have defense mechanisms that we throw up when we can't do something. Imagine what it would be like to be sitting next to a hot girl and you get called on to read, but you know you can't or you sound really dumb when you start? It's part of the cycle that starts way before anybody knows.

is the kid special-ed? or remedial?

I agree. And what some need to remember. Colleges cannot discriminate.
If a program wants this kid. That is up to them.
But once they make and offer, they cannot take it back based on educational ability, esp. if they are aware of the situation.
Some kids in special education classes, become some of your better role models and athletes. They had to pay the price in two ways. Sports and academics. They have to work twice as hard.

I would think offers of scholarships are dependent upon gaining acceptance to the academic institution. Plus all students have to qualify through the NCAA Clearinghouse, which is very difficult for the majority of special education students, because it is a combination of SAT scores and academic record.

Exactly. The Gerald Williams kid I mentioned signing with UT to play football last year is a perfect example. They didn't count one of the classes he took in high school so he was ruled ineligible. He retook the class through an approved institution but they still wouldn't let him in. They made him retake the SAT and he got a 23. They decided that that was too much of a jump in test scores, so with classes starting today, over a year after he graduated he's still waiting on the Clearinghouse to see if he can finally get into college.

Most IEP's have testing accomodations written into them. These accomodations apply to ALL tests. But, a lot of kids, and for that matter adults, don't realize that. But, some special ed kids just are not college caliber students...that's why they are in special ed. It takes a super effort from the student, staff, and family to overcome some of the learning difficulties. I hate to say it, but a lot of special ed. athletes put way too much focus on the field instead of the books. You have to work twice as hard as the regular ed. student who finishes their homework in the last 15 minutes of class and only needs to review for a test rather than relearning the material. I'll say that Fork Union Military Academy has one of the better programs to deal with marginal students. They only take one subject per grading period and it is very intense. My brother did the PG program after he graduated PV and it was one of the best things he did.