Special Education Boss® Podcast • Guest Episode
She Studied Harder Than Anyone in the Room. Her Grades Still Slipped. Here's What Finally Changed.
By Karen Mayer Cunningham, Special Education Academy | Published August 6, 2026
Rachel Irizarry did everything right. She studied for every test. She prepared for every quiz. And the grades still would not move. It took a parent who trusted her gut, an evaluation, and the right supports to turn it around. Today Rachel is a titleholder in the Miss Volunteer America system and is on her way to a doctorate in physical therapy, and she uses her SERVE initiative, Learning Disabilities Endless Possibilities, to tell other students one thing: a learning disability is part of your story, not your whole story.
On this episode of the Special Education Boss® podcast, Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with Rachel to walk through what actually helped, where the system dropped the ball, and what every parent can do to keep that from happening to their own child.
Watch the full episode
Watch the full conversation with Rachel and Karen on YouTube.
Key Takeaways
- A parent's request can start the evaluation process. You do not need every answer to begin.
- The supports that moved Rachel's scores: a second teacher in the classroom, extended time, and fewer answer choices.
- She got what she needed while staying in general education.
- IEPs do not automatically follow a student between schools. Records can fail to transfer.
- A transition plan is a coordinated set of activities that is meant to follow the student.
- Give every teacher a full copy of the IEP plus a one-page summary of how your child learns best.
A parent who knew something wasn't right
Around fifth grade, Rachel's mom noticed the pattern. The effort was there. The results were not. Instead of waiting it out, she went to the school and asked for an evaluation in plain terms: something is not right, and I want her tested. That request changed everything. Rachel was evaluated, she qualified for support, and for the first time the work she was putting in started to show up in her scores.
This is the moment Karen comes back to again and again. You do not have to have all the answers to start. You have the right to ask. Do you know your rights? You don't know what you don't know, but you need to.
What the right supports actually looked like
Rachel stayed in general education classes, which mattered to her, and the supports were built in around her instead of pulling her out of the room. A few of the things that made the difference:
- A second teacher in the classroom, so help was there when the lead teacher could not get to her right away.
- Extended time on tests and quizzes, so speed was not the thing being measured.
- Fewer answer choices on tests and quizzes, which cut down the second-guessing she was prone to.
None of these lowered the bar. They changed how she got to it. And her scores moved dramatically in the right direction. As Karen puts it, disability points to where there is a deficit, and the good news is that once we can see it, we can teach strategies around it. It doesn't mean can't. It means different.
The handoff that failed: transition into high school
Here is where Rachel's story turns into a warning every family should hear. When she moved from eighth grade into high school, the paperwork did not follow her. The staff who knew her case were out on leave, the record did not transfer, and about halfway through freshman year Rachel realized she was no longer getting the supports she was entitled to. A ninth grader had to walk into the guidance office and advocate for herself to get it corrected.
Karen names the pattern directly. Teachers are overworked and underpaid, and they do not always get the full record. Districts switch software. Files fall through the cracks. Karen has said it in trainings: the IEP is our best informed guess, and things change, whether that is growth or regression. That is exactly why meetings need to happen as needed, not just once a year, and why a family cannot assume the plan will carry itself from one building to the next. Under IDEA, the federal special education law, transition planning is a required part of the IEP as a student moves toward life after high school, and it is meant to follow the student.
Reading her own IEP, ten years later
Rachel recently pulled her full high school IEP packet and read the whole thing for the first time, nearly a decade after graduating. What she saw confirmed what she felt back then. The transition from middle school to high school on paper did not match what happened in real life. Her takeaway is now the heart of her advocacy: the plan is supposed to follow the student. It should not just stop.
The move every parent can make this year
Karen turned Rachel's experience into a concrete, do-it-now step for parents, and it is the reason we sit at the table prepared. Print a full copy of your child's IEP. Then write a one-page summary to go with it: this is what my child needs, this is how they learn best, this is what helps during testing. Hand that one-pager, along with your contact information, to every single adult who will deliver an educational product to your child this year. Not just the core teachers. The PE teacher, the art teacher, the band director, the ROTC instructor, all of them.
Karen's reasoning is simple. Even when staff do receive the IEP, they often get a portion of it, not the whole picture. Handing someone one piece of the plan is like showing them a steering wheel and calling it the car. Back-to-school night is a perfect time to close that gap and start the year on the same page.
Part of your story, not your whole story
When Karen asked Rachel what she wants people to walk away with, Rachel did not hesitate. A learning disability is not a label, and it is not the whole story. There is more to her, and to any student, than the disability itself. It needs to become something we talk about openly and normally. Karen's version of the same truth is one she says often: packages have labels, children have eligibility.
Children have capacity that no test can measure. Give them the supports, and they flourish. Rachel is proof. So if you are a parent, a student, or an educator listening, get the resources your child needs, whether it feels comfortable or uncomfortable, because those wins do not stop at graduation. They serve a child for the next eighty years.
Follow Rachel
Rachel runs her SERVE initiative, Learning Disabilities Endless Possibilities, built on three words: advocate, educate, partner. Follow it on Instagram at @ld_endlesspossibilities, and follow her titleholder journey at @missgardenstatevol. She competes in the Miss Volunteer America system this November in Ocean City, New Jersey.
Frequently asked questions
What is an IEP transition plan?
A transition plan is the part of the IEP that maps out a coordinated set of activities to prepare a student for life after high school, including further education, employment, and independent living. Under IDEA, transition planning is a required part of the IEP as a student gets older, and it is meant to follow the student, not stop when they change schools.
What should a parent do if their child's IEP did not transfer to a new school?
Speak up right away. Records can fail to move between buildings or districts, especially when staff or software change. Rachel's plan did not transfer from middle school to high school, and she had to advocate for herself as a freshman to get it corrected. Parents can bring their own full copy of the IEP and ask the new school to put the services back in place.
Can a student with a learning disability stay in general education classes?
Yes. Many students receive support while remaining in general education. Rachel stayed in general education classes with supports built in around her, including a second teacher in the room, extended time, and fewer answer choices on tests.
What accommodations commonly help students with learning disabilities?
Common supports include in-class support from a second teacher, extended time on tests and quizzes, and reducing the number of answer choices. The right supports depend on the individual student and are decided by the IEP team.
How often should an IEP be reviewed?
An IEP is reviewed at least once a year, but a parent can request a meeting sooner whenever something is not working. As Karen puts it, the IEP is a best informed guess, and children grow and change, so meetings should happen as needed.
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Want to sit at the table prepared? Special Education Academy is where parents, advocates, and professionals learn to navigate and negotiate successful student outcomes. Come learn with us at specialeducationacademy.com.
About the Expert
Karen Mayer Cunningham is a special education advocate and educator, the voice behind Special Education Boss® and the founder of Special Education Academy. She trains parents, advocates, and professionals to understand their rights, prepare for IEP and 504 meetings, and navigate and negotiate successful student outcomes at the table. Her work centers on rights awareness, preparation over panic, and clarity over confusion.
"When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody."
This is educational training, not legal advice.
"When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody." — Karen Mayer Cunningham
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