Referrals, Evaluations and Eligibility Determinations.ppt

Referrals, Evaluations and Eligibility Determinations Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities Special Education Policy Update Session Fall 2007 1. Referrals for Initial Evaluation Who may initiate a referral? Referral for initial evaluations Parent School District or Commissioner or designee of public agency responsible for providing education to students with disabilities Request for referrals Professional staff members of the district the student resides in or private school student attends Physician Judicial officer Student, age 18 or emancipated minor 2. Individual Evaluations and Reevaluations 60 calendar days to complete evaluation Parent and district can agree to another timeline if: Child moves into new district and evaluation was initiated in prior district Agree to determine how student responds to research-based intervention (response to intervention) Observation §200.4(b)(1)(v)(ii) Required component of the initial evaluation Observation in the student’s learning environment (including regular classroom setting) For student less than school age or out of school – environment appropriate for student that age Independent educational evaluations (IEE) parent right to one IEE for each district evaluation parent disagrees with Reevaluation every three years unless parent and district agree, in writing, the reevaluation is not necessary 3. Eligibility Determinations Sources of information Variety of sources Aptitude and achievement tests Parent input Teacher recommendations Physical condition Social or cultural background Adaptive behavior Ensure information from all sources is: documented and carefully considered. Board of Education Responsibilities §200.2(b)(7) BOE written policy establishes practices and procedures for implementing schoolwide approaches to remediate a student’s performance prior to referral for special education may include a response to intervention (RtI) process RtI Programs§100.2(ii) Mi