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Initial Identification
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Introduction to Special Education The Individualized Educational Program (IEP)
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Under the IDEA legislation, parents,
school officials, or other parties may request that a child be evaluated
for special education services. Schools must seek, and generally must receive,
parental consent before conducting any evaluation for special education
services. Once this evaluation process is initiated, schools must offer
parents an opportunity to participate in the decision-making regarding their
child's special education services.
Identifying students who may be eligible for special education services is an important component of any educator's job. Classroom teachers are often the first to recognize behaviors which might indicate that a child needs special education services. An initial contact with the student's parents can often establish whether they are aware of a suspected problem, and their attitudes about that problem. This contact should focus on the teacher's observations, and should ask parents whether they have noticed anything similar in the child's behavior at home. Make it clear that you are seeking information, not delivering bad news. Written documentation is always helpful in establishing a student's patterns of behavior. Noting particular behaviors over time, whether in a grade book, journal, or other format, can help classroom teachers establish whether a student should be referred for evaluation. Teachers may also want to examine a student's permanent records to see if comments from previous teachers reinforce their own perceptions. Comparing notes with other teachers who work with a student can also be a helpful strategy. Once a student has been referred for evaluation and parental consent has been obtained, the school is obliged to conduct that evaluation in a timely manner. The form of the evaluation will depend entirely on the nature of the suspected disability, and it may entail a variety of testing and/or observation by trained professionals. Where relevant, the school may seek input from the child's physician or other outside professionals who are familiar with the child. If the evaluation determines that a child has a disability that qualifies him or her for special education, the school must then develop and implement an Individualized Educational Program, or IEP, for that student. Parents have the right to challenge the conclusions
reached in any evaluation of their child, and they also have the right
to seek an independent evaluation of their child, usually at the school
district's expense. |
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E-Ready is funded by a grant from the
NEC Foundation of America Copyright
© 2001-2006 by The Source for Learning, Inc.
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