Special Education Process

Who can submit a referral for Evaluation? A parent of a child or a public agency may initiate a request for an initial evaluation to determine if the child is a child with a disability. If the parent is unable to complete a written referral, the public agency must obtain information from the parent and complete the written referral. The public agency cannot limit referrals by the number per year, or the time of year referrals are accepted.

What documents are needed to complete the referral? ALSDE Forms ❏ Signed Meeting Notice ❏ Record of Access ❏ Special Education Rights ❏ Passed Vision and Hearing screening forms ❏ Referral Form Documentation of Appropriate Instruction - Prong I

What documents are needed to complete the referral RTI Information ❏ Documentation of Repeated Assessments (interventions/progress monitoring) - Prong II ❏ 40 school days of documented interventions (must include what intervention was actually implemented) ❏ All scores/data points (baseline data - before interventions implemented and intervention data - AT LEAST 4 SCORES/DATA POINTS) ❏ STAR test scores with corresponding Benchmarks ❏ DIBELS scores with corresponding Benchmarks/Goals ❏ Other progress-monitoring data (i.e., behavioral data, Spire, CBM) ❏ Dates assessments were given ❏ Dates results provided to parents **If Parent referral, you still need to have as much of this information as possible even if you don’t have 40 days of documented interventions

What documents are needed to complete the referral School Information ❏ Attendance Records printed day of meeting ❏ Work Samples ❏ At least 10 graded samples Comprehensive representation of the student’s work, not merely the best or worst samples ❏ Current Grades ❏ Cumulative Progress Reports and/or Report Card ❏ Cumulative records ❏ Previous grades ❏ Previous attendance ❏ State assessments ❏ Transciency between schools

What documents are needed to complete the referral Other possible information ❏ 504 records ❏ Medical records ❏ Discipline records ❏ Previous/private testing results/reports

What are the required timelines regarding the Special Education Process? The public agency has sixty (60) calendar days from the date the public agency receives a parent’s signed consent for initial evaluation to conduct and complete an initial evaluation. The public agency has thirty (30) calendar days from the completion of the evaluation to determine initial eligibility. The public agency must development and implement an IEP within 30 days of determining that a child is eligible for special education services.

Who makes up the IEP team? The Parents of the child with a disability. The child, when appropriate Not less than one regular education teacher of the child Not less than one special education teacher of the child A representative of the public agency (LEA) An individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results At the discretion of the parent or the agency, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related service providers

What is the function of the IEP team during: Referral? The function of the IEP team at a referral meeting is to review the referral, including documentation of intervention strategies and processes, and determine in a timely manner if the child will be evaluated for special education services. If the team determines that a child should be evaluated, the team will also determine the areas in which data will be collected with regards to the child and indicate this on the Consent for Evaluation form.

What is the function of the IEP team in Eligibility Determination? The IEP team must consider all evaluation information pertaining to the child and determine if the child has a disability. The team must determine that the child is in need of specialized instruction and that the determinant factor is not a lack of appropriate instruction.

What is the function of the IEP team during: IEP Development? The IEP team must consider the strengths of the child; the concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of their child; the results of the initial or most recent evaluation of the child; the academic, developmental, and functional needs of the child; and, as appropriate, the results of any general State of districtwide assessments and how the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. The team must determine measurable goals designed to meet the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability, services required, the extent the child will not participate with nondisabled peers, and accommodations needed on statewide test.

What is the function of the IEP team with regards to: Extended School Year? The IEP team must determine if significant regression, caused by an interruption in educational services, renders it unlikely that the child will regain critical skills even after an appropriate recoupment period. If so, the IEP team would determine that extended school year is needed.

What is the function of the IEP team during a: Manifestation Determination? The IEP team (as determined by the parent and the LEA) must review all relevant information in the student’s file, including the child’s IEP, any teacher observations, and any relevant information provided by the parents to determine if the conduct in question was caused by, or had a direct and substantial relationship to, the child’s disability, or if the conduct in question was the direct result of the LEA’s failure to implement the IEP.

Where to find additional information; Further information regarding the special education process can be found in the Rules of the Alabama State Board of Education State Department of Education Chapter 290-8-9 Special Education Services