1. Downingtown Area School District Central Office April 4, 2018
Introduction to Special Education for Parents of Elementary School Students
Downingtown Area School District Central Office
 April 4, 2018

2. What Is Special Education?
What Laws Govern Special Education?
Who needs an IEP?
How does the special education process begin?
What is the role of the ER & IEP in Special Education?

3. Laws that Form Special Education Practice
IDEA/IDEIA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
A law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children (U.S. Dept. of Ed,
ESSA - Every Student Succeeds Act
Replacement for NCLB passed in U.S. educational law.
FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
A Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records
ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act
protection against discrimination from state/local agencies (including public school)

4. SPECIAL EDUCATION -Specialized / Intensive Instruction research based
goal directed
-Individualized Assessment and planning
frequent progress monitoring
use of data to drive future instruction

5. Important Terminology
Free Appropriate Public Education
Appropriate Evaluation
Individualized Education Plan
Least Restrictive Environment
Procedural Safeguards

6. Process Regular Education Interventions 13 Disability Categories
MTSS
Referral to special education by a school team (includes parent)
What would the school team be referring for?
Prior Written Notice
Timeline for evaluation
Evaluation Report -qualification (2 prongs)
Timeline for IEP
13 Disability Categories
Intellectual Disability
Traumatic Brain Injury
Hearing Impairment
Other Health Impairment
Speech & Language
Specific Learning Disability
Visual impairment (including blindness)
Deafness
Deaf-blindness
Emotional Disturbance
Multiple Disabilities
Autism

7. Evaluation Report / Reevaluation Reports
Reason for referral
Sources of evaluation data
Conditions of Assessment
Determining Factors
Summary of Findings / Interpretation of Evaluation

8. Individualized Education Plan
Written after the Evaluation Report
Based on needs identified in the evaluation
The student’s IEP team develops the IEP
Regular education and special education teacher
Parents
LEA - local educational agent
other specialists: speech, counselor, etc.
At the IEP meeting a draft will be presented and the team will discuss the needs of the student and changes are made to the draft

9. Parts of the IEP Demographics Team Signature Page
Procedural Safeguards
IEP meeting waiver agreement
Medial Assistance
Rest of the IEP broken into 7 parts

10. IEP Part I. Special Considerations the IEP Team Must Consider before developing the IEP
Is the student:
- Blind or Visually Impaired
- Deaf or hard of hearing
- have communication needs
- need assistive technology devices and/ or services
- have limited English Proficiency
- exhibit behaviors that impede his/ her learning or that of other
- other considerations

11. IEP- II. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
Present levels of functional performance
Present levels related to current postsecondary transition goals if the student’s age is 14 or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP team
Parental concerns for enhancing the education of the student
How the student’s disability affects involvement and progress in the general education curriculum
Strengths
Academic, developmental, and functional NEEDS related to student’s disability

12. IEP III. Transition Services
- Transition planning begins when a student turns 14 years of age

13. IEP IV. Participation in State and Local Assessments
- Does the student require accommodations based on their needs to enable them to participate in standardized state assessments with appropriate support
- Does the student meet the criteria for an alternative state assessment based on programming and individualized student needs
- Does the student require accommodations based on their needs to enable them to participate in local assessments with appropriate support

14. IEP V. Measurable Annual Goals and Objectives
What are the elements of measurable annual goals?
A description of the CONDITIONS under which the behavior will be performed
The specific observable BEHAVIOR to be performed
The CRITERIA to indicate the level of performance at which the goal will be achieved
A statement of GENERALIZATION indicating additional conditions under which the behavior will be performed to criterion
A statement of MAINTENANCE for the student to perform the task to criterion for a specific period of time

15. IEP V. GOALS: Measurable and Objective
How does the IEP team write goals that involve the family?
Regular education teacher
Special education teacher
Related service provider
LEA
A person can interpret evaluation results
Parents
Student; when appropriate
Other

16. IEP VI. Special Education/Related Services/ Supplementary Aides and Services
What is it?
Related to disability and needs identified in ER/RR
A. Specially Designed Instruction dates for implementation, frequency, etc.
B. Related Services
C. Supports for School Personnel
D. Gifted Support Services for students identified as Gifted
E. Extended School Year
Gifted Support

17. IEP VI. Special Education/Related Services/ Supplementary Aides and Services
Extended School Year
Based on:
Regression
Skills lost during a break
Recoupment
Amount of time to recoup skills after a break
Mastery
Progress in learning a new skill

18. VII. Educational Placement
IDEA-
LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT

19. IEP VII. Explain the Extent, if Any ,to which the students will not participate with Nondisabled Students in the Regular Classroom, Extracurricular and Non Academic Activities
A. Concerns about excluding students
Regular Classroom
Extracurricular Activities/ Non Academic Activities
B. Type of Support
1. Amount of special education support
2. Type of Support
C. Location of the Student’s program

20. VIII. Penn Data Reporting
A. For students educated in Regular School Buildings with Non Disabled Peers
Equation-
Total hours student spends in the regular classroom per day
Divided by
Total hours in a typical school day

21. IEP- Other Components Communication Plan
- Required for students that are deaf or hard of hearing
Language and communication needs,
Opportunities for direct communication with peer and professional personnel in the child’s language and communication mode,
Academic level,
Full range of needs, and
Assistive technology devices and services.

22. IEP- Other Components Positive Behavior Support Plan
- Required for students that exhibit behaviors that impede their learning or the learning of others
Functional Behavior Assessment is conducted to determine the function of the behaviors that are impeding learning- Antecedent, Behavior, Consequences are identified
Positive Behavior Support Plan- Developed using the FBA and team input
A- Antecedent (prevention) Strategies
B- Replacement Behavior
C- Consequence of (reinforcement) for when the student performs the replacement behavior
- Links to goals, SDI, and modifications related to behavior needs

23. Progress Reporting Report progress Drive instruction Measuring
Monitoring
Reporting