The Special Education Process From Start to Finish The Special Education Process

They are not alone " Consider the following four dead-end kids. One was spanked by his teachers for bad grades and a poor attitude. He dropped out of school at 16. Another failed remedial English and came perilously close to flunking out of college. The third feared he'd never make it through school--and might not have without a tutor. The last finally learned to read in third grade, devouring Marvel comics, whose pictures provided clues to help him untangle the words.” “These four losers are, respectively, Richard Branson, Charles Schwab, John Chambers, and David Boies. "

SST Process

Did it work, yes or no? Yes Continue with interventions Try new interventions as needed No Try new interventions Refer to IAT (Intervention Assistance Team)

Option #1 : IEP Track Full Psycho-educational Evaluation ( approximately 12-14 hours of testing) SLD-22 point discrepancy between IQ and academic achievement with a processing deficit 14 handicapping conditions All regular education interventions have been exhausted (this is a legal mandate) Resource Specialist Program NSH-SDC (please note that this option would be an extremely rare case)

Option #2: General Ed. Seek out other regular ed. Interventions 504 Plan Collaborate with colleagues on possible strategies to assist in the success of the students Utilize Impact Teachers for support make the most of trained parent volunteers to assist in providing small group reading

Section 504 What is a 504 Plan? It is a plan designed to accommodate the unique needs of an individual with a disability, as required by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is the first civil rights law guaranteeing equal opportunity for more than 35 million Americans with disabilities. Children who have disabilities, but whose disabilities do not interfere with their ability to progress in general education are not eligible for special education services, may be entitled to a 504 Accommodation Plan. School districts must ensure that students with disabilities have meaning full opportunities to participate in all aspects of school on an equal basis with students without disabilities. Depending upon the student's individual needs, a school district may be required to provide the following: specialized instruction, modifications to the curriculum, accommodations in non-academic and extra curricular activities, adaptive equipment or assistive technology devices, an aide, assistance with health related needs, school transportation, or other related services and accommodations.

504 v’s IEP Similar Evaluation Accommodation on standardized testing Related services to assist in accessing regular education Legal Document Re-visited every year Different No progress reporting Limited discipline protections No stay put clause 504 is not a function of Special Education IEP trumps 504 (they don’t co-exist) Direct specialized academic instruction

Common Myths A parent request automatically warrants testing Writing a letter gets testing done faster Legal timelines don’t really exist Resource Program is the same as tutoring Meetings can be held without parents All low performing students will qualify for RSP All ADD/ADHD students need testing for Special Ed

Role of RSP To provide both replacement and supplemental research-based curriculum to Special Education students based on IEP goals, which drive instruction. Collaboration with General Education teachers on report cards Attend parent-teacher conferences Be a sounding board……..

What’s OUR purpose? Our purpose is that ALL students learn, no matter what it takes. There needs to be a shared responsibility and accountability for all ______ students on this campus. We are a team and together, we can ACHIEVE great things!