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SPECIAL EDUCATION
Frequently Asked
Questions
What is the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)? Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act
(Public Law 94-142), in 1975 to assist states and school districts in meeting
the needs of students with educational disabilities. This landmark law is enacted currently as the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) as amended in 1997.
On
Where do I begin if I believe my school age child needs special
education services? You
should begin by discussing your concerns with your child’s teacher(s).
How can I refer my child
for an evaluation of his/her educational needs? You should obtain a referral form from the Special Education
Case manager in your child’s school. When you return the referral form to
the Special Education Case manager, the referral process begins. The term
“evaluation” refers to the total process of gathering and using
information to determine whether a child has a disability and whether the
child requires special education as a result of that
disability. The Special Education Case manager will schedule a team meeting
to decide how to proceed with the referral. The team will consist of the District
LEA representative, Parent(s) or Guardians, classroom teacher, special
education case manager, and other professionals as deemed necessary by the
District LEA representative or requested by the parent. It is important for the parents or
guardians to be active members of the team. At the meeting, your concerns and
your child’s progress in school will be discussed.
The team may decide that no further testing is warranted
at this time.
How can I refer my child
for an evaluation of his/her educational needs? There may be educational support programs available to all
students through the general education program that meet your child’s
needs. If this is the case, the
team may decide to end the referral at this point. However, the team may decide that
further assessments are necessary to understand your child’s
educational needs. As a team, you
will decide which types of assessments will be given
to gather information to address the educational concerns. The team requires
written parental permission before any assessments can be
administered under the special education process. If at any point in the special
education evaluation process, the parent disagrees with the team decision,
there is a process available to parents to resolve any disagreements. This process is
explained in the Procedural Safeguards for Students with Disabilities
booklet. This booklet is given to all parents at the time of initial referral and
offered at least annually to parents of students who are receiving special
education assistance.
What is
done with the results of my child’s evaluation? You will be invited to attend an
Evaluation Team meeting where the evaluators will explain and discuss the
results and their recommendations.
The purpose of the meeting is to determine if the information gathered
indicates that your child has an educational disability and requires special education
services. If your child is found to be eligible, the evaluation results will form
the basis for developing your child’s Individualized Education Program
(IEP).
What is an Individualized
Education Program (IEP)? An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement
of the special educational program designed to meet your child’s
special educational needs.
The IEP has two purposes:
(1) to establish the learning goals for your child, and (2) to state
the services that the District will provide for your child. An IEP will include: a) a description
of your child’s educational disability and how the disability affects
your child in school, b) your
child’s strengths, c) your child’s current level (s) of performance in areas to be addressed by the IEP, d)
supports necessary to assist your child in receiving an appropriate
education, and e) goals for your child during the term of the IEP and how
they will be measured.
Who develops my child’s IEP? The
IEP is developed at an IEP Team meeting, by the following participants:
The District may invite a therapist or psychologist or other
service provider.
You may
invite a specialist who knows your child and understands the disability, or a
family friend who you want to help you in the process. It is important for parents and
guardians to be active team members in this process.
When is the IEP meeting
held and may I attend? Parents have the right to participate in the meeting where their
child’s IEP is developed. The school will make every effort to schedule
the IEP meeting at a time that is convenient for parents and other IEP team
members. If the school suggests a
time that makes it impossible for you to attend, explain your schedule to the
Special Education Case manager making the arrangements and an alternate time
or date will be arranged. IDEIA makes provisions for
the changing needs and educational growth of children. At least once a year a
meeting must be scheduled with you to review your
child’s progress and develop your child’s next IEP.
What occurs during an IEP
meeting? During the IEP team meeting, the teachers and service providers
will discuss your child’s progress and talk about the proposed goals
for your child for the next IEP.
The teachers and service providers should explain why the team
proposes certain special education and/or related services (such as
Speech/Language therapy) for your child, and you should be comfortable with
these ideas before you sign the IEP.
If you hear something about your child that is surprising to you or
different from the way you perceive your child, you will want to bring this
to the attention of the other members of the team. As a parent, you are
encouraged to work closely with the other team members and to share ideas
about your child’s educational needs. Before you sign the IEP, ask any
questions you have, so you are sure that you understand what is being said.
It is important for you, the parent or guardian, to understand the IEP
in its entirety. It is helpful to
remember that the IEP can be changed. If you are unsure about some of the
ideas being presented, ask that a follow-up IEP
meeting be scheduled to monitor progress.
Is it the school’s
responsibility to ensure that my child reaches all the goals in the IEP? No. The IEP sets out
the individualized instruction to be provided to
your child. The school is
responsible for providing the instructional services listed in the IEP and
monitoring the progress of your child throughout the year. If any member of
the team feels that goals are not being met and/ or
appropriate progress is not being made, they can request a team meeting to
discuss their concerns and any possible next steps.
What if I
disagree with the school about what is appropriate for my child? In all cases where family and school disagree, it is important
for both sides to be able to discuss their concerns and come to a compromise,
at least temporarily. It is
usually possible to agree on a plan and then to establish a time frame for trying it out and assessing progress. The trial period may be very helpful
in coming to a comfortable agreement on how to help your child, and it allows
everyone involved to be part of the decision making process. Even if your
child has been receiving special education services for some time, you have
the right to disagree with the school’s decisions concerning new IEPs or educational placements for your child. It is
important to know that before the school system can place your child in a
special education program for the first time you must give your written
consent. If disagreements
cannot be resolved, parents have the right to request and to file for a Due
Process Hearing. This process
will involve the New Hampshire State Department of Education in the
resolution of the dispute. This
process is explained in the Procedural Safeguards
for Students with Disabilities booklet.
Who should I contact if my
child is too young for elementary school? Parents who have children who are three, four, or five years old
should contact the Student Services Department at
Where can I get more information? Sources for parents to contact to obtain assistance in
understanding the provisions of the IDEIA are: Student Services Department at Telephone 887-362, extension 146. www.chesteracademy.org The The Telephone 224-7005.
www.picnh.org The Telephone 228-0432 or 1-800-834-1721 (both lines are voice &
TTY). http://www.drcnh.org A list of resources is available on the Special Education link
at www.chesteracademy.org |