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Articles: Education - How
a Child is Qualified for Special Education
Did you ever wonder
how a school district determines if a student qualifies for special
education services or wonder how to access an IEP for your child?
There are a lot of uncertainties and misconceptions about how a
school district determines if a student qualifies for special
education services. It sometimes seems unfair to parents when the
outcome of an eligibility meeting is not what the parents felt was
best for their child. What is surprising to some parents is that
eligibility for special education services is not based on who would
best benefit from the services. To qualify for special education
services, a student must meet very specific criteria for one of the
disability categories that have been defined by the federal
government in IDEIA 2004.
If a student is struggling in school, a
committee should convene to develop interventions. If the
interventions are unsuccessful and a disability is suspected, a
referral is made for a special education evaluation. The referral
can only begin with signed consent from the parent. Once the parent
has signed the form for the special education evaluation, the school
has a certain number of days to complete the assessment. States vary
on the specific number of days.
A school district
collects data during the special education evaluation. The school
will complete specific evaluations pertinent to the suspected
disability. Additionally, medical records, classroom observations,
and parent and teacher input will be considered. Once the data has
been reviewed, the eligibility committee will look at all the
disability categories outlined in IDEIA 2004 and decide which
categories to look at in depth. The school district will use
specific criteria to determine if a student has a disability and
qualifies for special education services under one or more
categories. It is illegal for a school district to find a student
eligible for special education that does not meet criteria, even if
everyone feels it is in the best interest of the child. The school
district could be considered noncompliant for not following the
criteria.
If you are a parent of a student who was found
ineligible for special education services, please recognize that you
are not alone and the school still has a responsibility to educate
your child. When a student does not qualify for special education
services, they can still receive remediation through various regular
education programs.
If the student was found eligible for
special education services, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
will be completed in a timely manner. Parents, teachers,
administrators, and sometimes other specific school personnel will
be involved in the development of the IEP. The IEP will contain
services for the student, accommodations, goals, and
objectives.
By: Erin N. King, Ed.S, NCSP
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
For more information
about Special Education Assessment or the Special Education Referral
Process see School Psychologist Files and School Psychologist Blog
Files by Erin N. King, Ed.S., NCSP.
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