Ballou Education is a special education advocate in Manhattan Beach. IEP and 504 advocacy for South Bay families in Manhattan Beach Unified and the surrounding beach cities.
In a district where most students exceed state standards, a child who is working hard to stay average can be invisible. Manhattan Beach parents hear “your child is doing fine” more than almost any other sentence, and often they are told it for years.
Manhattan Beach Unified is a small, high-achieving district. Its teams are experienced and its families are engaged. That combination still leaves gaps for students with learning disabilities, ADHD, anxiety and autism who compensate well enough to avoid the intervention that would actually help.
Our work here is often about making the invisible visible. We look at classroom data, work samples, private testing and teacher reports, then help families present a case that is difficult to dismiss. When the data supports services, the conversation changes quickly.
Compensating is not the same as thriving. If your child needs two hours of homework support every night to produce average grades, the plan is not working, even if the report card looks fine.
A second opinion that can change the eligibility conversation.
Explore evaluationsGifted students with learning differences, and plans that address both.
Explore 2e supportMediation and compliance complaints when collaboration fails.
Explore dispute optionsA small, high-performing district serving Manhattan Beach from elementary through high school.
Adjacent beach cities with their own special education teams and programs.
Serves some nearby areas and offers specialized programs through its own division.
Work samples, data, private reports and teacher observations, organized clearly.
We put the request in writing in the form the district must respond to.
We attend the meeting and follow up in writing.
Yes. Grades are only one measure. Eligibility depends on whether a disability affects educational performance, which can include the effort required to maintain those grades.
No, but it can support a request for assessment. The district must still conduct its own evaluation, but it cannot ignore outside information.
Typically for accommodations that reduce barriers without specialized instruction, such as extended time, reduced homework load, preferential seating or access to counseling.
Yes. We support MBUSD families with evaluation requests, IEP and 504 plan development, meeting preparation and advocacy when the plan is not being implemented.
Grades are only one measure of educational performance. A student who needs extensive support to maintain average scores may still be eligible, and documenting the effort required is part of the case.
A free consultation can tell you whether your child’s plan is actually addressing the problem.
