Unit 3 Activity 2
Special Education Process Flowchart
Phase 1: Recognition
Student exhibits atypical needs as compared to peers.
Liwei Yu
What are the signs of a struggling student?
becomes easily frustrated
has difficulty staying on task and takes longer than normal to complete written work
becomes anxious and stressed about homework
difficulty following directions and seems to work longer and harder with little or no improvement
Makes frequent and careless errors
have trouble with note-taking skills and struggles with basic reading, writing, math, or spelling skills.
Behavior Issues
Social Withdrawal
Phase 2: Pre-referral
Student is provided interventions developed by the parents and a school-based team. Response to Intervention (RTI) is tried at this point.
Successful intervention Process stops
Interventions not successful
Move to Referral
Phase 3: Referral
Student is officially referred for evaluation for special education services by an adult with intimate knowledge of the student’s ability.
Phase 4: Evaluation
With consent of the parents, the student is evaluated with a variety of assessment tools and strategies. The assessments must not discriminate and should provide information to help determine the unique needs of the student.
The purpose of the pre-referral process is to ensure your child tries reasonable accommodations and modifications before she's referred for special education assessment. Sometimes, a change in the classroom can turn her performance around and make it unnecessary to consider special education services.
A referral is the process or steps taken by a teacher in order to get extra assistance for a student with whom they directly work. In most schools, there are three distinct types of referrals: referrals for disciplinary issues, special education evaluations, and counseling services.
Referrals for determination of eligibility for special education services may be initiated by:School personnel,Child’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s),Any other person involved in the education or care of the child.
References:
Steven J. Bachrach, MD (2016 )Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/iep.html
The Special Education Referral Process http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/special-education-referral-process/
Kristin Stanberry The IEP meeting An overview https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/ieps/the-iep-meeting-an-overview
Amanda Morin What to Expect at an IEP Eligibility Meeting https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/evaluations/evaluation-basics/what-to-expect-at-an-iep-eligibility-meeting
Most students receive a battery of formal evaluations that measure:
Intelligence
Achievement
Behavioral
Disability-specific issues
Medical
Phase 5: Eligibility IEP team determines if the student is eligible for special education services. The student must have a disability that negatively
impacts his/her educational performance and the child needs special education services in order to benefit from education.
Determination that a disability impacts educational performance and eligibility is
determined for special education services.
No disability is noted that impacts educationalperformance. Special education not required.Process stops. Student referred forinterventions again.
Phase 6: IEP Process (IEP and LRE)
A multi-disciplinary team of parents, general and special education teachers, administrators, and others meets to develop the Individualized Education Program (IEP). This document guides the special education program that will be provided for the student. The IEP team must also determine the least restrictive environment (LRE) and provide justification in the IEP for more restrictive placements.
Phase 7: IEP Implementation (FAPE)
The entire IEP team has the responsibility to ensure that the IEP is implemented.
Phase 8: IEP Reevaluation
Each year, the IEP team is required to meet for the dual purpose of evaluating the implementation of the current IEP and to develop the next annual IEP.
IEP documents
A student profile that provides background information about the student.
IEP initiation and duration dates
A statement of “special instructional factors” (such as the need for assistive technology, braille, or transition services).
A statement of special transportation needs
A statement of opportunities to participate in nonacademic and extracurricular activities with their non-disabled peers
A statement of the frequency and method of reports of goal attainment for parents or guardians.
A Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) if the student’s behavior is a concern and a functional behavioral assessment has been done or needs to be conducted,
The signature page which provides a statement of least restrictive environment (LRE) and has the signatures of all members present at the meeting.
The IEP document is a “living” document and can be altered during the school term if needed. The IEP goals and benchmarks provide the objectives for the education of the student and prescribe what services will be provided by the local school district and school campus to achieve those objectives.
There are times when, after the reevaluation takes place, it is determined that the student does not need special education services. One example of this might be young children who are provided speech and language services and have developed the ability to speak without problems. In this case, the IEP team will need to file appropriate documentation to support the fact that the student no longer is eligible for services and the IEP team will disband for this student.
4 KEY PARTS OF YOUR CHILD’S INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM
Strategies for Implementing or Modifying an IEP at Home or In School
More Resources:
IEP https://www.understood.org/pages/en/school-learning/special-services/ieps/
Teaching Special Education https://teach.com/careers/become-a-teacher/what-can-i-teach/special-education/