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 For My Parents  FAQ Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents. What is resource? How does my child get special education services? What is the Assistance Team (A-Team)? What is a learning disability? What is Other Health Impaired? How long does it take to get my child tested? What do these special education acronyms stand for? How often are IEP meetings held? Who makes up the IEP team? What special education services are available at Oakview? How long will my child stay in special education programs? How does my child get dismissed from a special education program? How will I know how my student is doing in Resource? What is resource? Resource is a special education program for students who have met state and school district eligibility criteria for special education services as learning disabled, mentally disabled, emotionally disabled, and/or Other Health Impaired. The IEP team meets and determines that the student needs special education services to be able to access the general curriculum with classroom accommodations. At Oakview, resource is a pull-out program of supplemental instruction that addresses individual student needs in deficit areas. Resource students spend the majority of their school day in the regular classroom with accommodations and are pulled for resource for one period a day (additional periods may be recommended by the team). The goal of our resource program is to narrow or close deficit gaps through the implementation of learning strategies and alternative instructional techniques (ex. multisensory language arts instruction). How does my child get special education services? Students who are exhibiting difficulties in the regular education classroom may be referred to the school Assistance Team (A-Team)by the classroom teacher and/or parents. After a series of team meetings where interventions are recommended and implemented, the Assistance Team may refer a student for a psycho- educational evaluation by the school psychologist. After the evaluation is completed and the report is available, the Multidisciplinary Team (IEP Team) meets to discuss the results and determine the student's eligibility for special education services. If the student meets criteria set by the state and district and requires special education services, the IEP team develops an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for that student. Students cannot be evaluated or placed in special education programs without parental permission in writing. Students who move in from out-of-district or out-of-state with a current IEP or psychological evaluation report indicating the need for special education services may receive special education services on an interim basis (30 days) until all information needed for consideration for placement can be obtained. The IEP team will then convene to review the information available and develop an interim IEP. The team will reconvene in 30 days to determine eligibility for continued services. What is the Assistance Team (A-Team)? The A-Team is a school-based team of regular education teachers, special education teachers, school administrators or representatives, speech therapists, and parents that meets on a weekly basis throughout the school year to review the progress of and concerns about students referred to them for difficulties in the regular classroom. The A-Team makes recommendations for interventions to be implemented in the classroom, completes speech, vision and hearing screenings as well as ability/achievement screenings, if recommended. The A-Team will reconvene when the results of screenings are available to determine whether or not there is a need for further testing (a psychoeducational evaluation). What is a learning disability? What is Other Health Impaired? Current state and district criteria for a learning disability is defined as, in most cases, a student with average to above average ability (IQ) exhibiting a 15 point (Grades K-2) discrepancy or 22 point (grades 3 & up) discrepancy between achievement and ability. A student may qualify with a learning disability in one of the following deficit areas: Basic Reading Skills, Reading Comprehension, Math Calculations, Math Reasoning, Written Expression, Oral Expression, and Listening Comprehension. To be eligible for services, the student must first meet criteria: 1.) In grades K-5 through 2nd, having a discrepancy of 15 points or more between ability (IQ) and achievement (academics) scores and in grades 3 through 5, having a 22 point difference; 2. There must be proof of a significant academic impact (report card grades below Cs) and then the Multidisciplinary Team determines educational need for services to address deficits in the general education curriculum. Other Health Impaired is a category for special education service eligibility that covers medical conditions that impact a student's performance in the regular classroom to the extent that special education services are required (ex. ADHD). A Medical Report Form must be completed by the student's physician and presented to the Assistance Team who in turn decides if the student should then be referred to the Multidisiciplinary Team. How long does it take to get my child tested? Once the Assistance Team determines that a student should be referred for testing and the referral packet is completed, the packet is sent to Psychological Services to be placed on the testing log. Our school psychologist this year is Ann Davis who is new to our district but has 21 years of experience in her field. She serves four other schools in the district. As soon as the reports are complete, they are sent to the school and to the parents. Parents are notified to attend a meeting to review the evaluation results. Prior to testing, permission for testing is secured from the parent by the Oakview Special Education Contact Teacher (shared this year by myself and Mrs. Sarah Hinds). Students may not be tested until these forms are signed and returned by the parents to the school. What do these special education acronyms stand for? IEP - Individualized Education Program FAPE - Free Appropriate Education LRE - Least Restrictive Environment LEA - Local Education Agency (generally, the school represented by its administrators BIP - Behavior Intervention Plan How often are IEP meetings held? IEP meetings are held in the following situations: 1) Interim IEP - when a student moves in from out-of-state or district with a special education plan already in place; 2) Initial IEP - when students are being placed into special education services for the first time; 3) Annual Review - at least once every year to review student progress and develop an IEP for the following school year; Special Review - may be held at any time a member of the IEP team feels that the student's IEP should be reviewed with amendments, or if there is a change in placement or eligibility area is recommended; and 4) 3-Year Reevaluation Review - at least once every three years students'IEPs are reviewed, and the need for updated information is evaluated by the team. Who makes up the IEP team? The IEP team is made up of the parent(s), the student's regular education teacher, a special education teacher, an LEA Rep (school administrator or representative), the school psychologist (for initial staffings/reevaluations. Parents and school personnel may also invite to the meeting any other persons who have knowledge of the particular child and can provide valuable input into the development of the IEP. This could include speech therapists, OT/PT therapists, physicians, private therapists, etc. What special education services are available at Oakview? The following special education services are available at Oakview Elementary: resource classes, K-5/1st Developmental Self-Contained, Pre-School 3 and 4-Year Old Self-Contained, Speech, Occupational Therapy Itinerant, Hearing Impaired Itinerant, Visually Impaired Itinerant, and psychoeducational evaluation services. When a student requires services that are not available at Oakview, those services are provided by the school district at a school that has those services closest to the student's home, where spaces are available. In those situations, transportation is provided by the school district. How long will my child stay in special education programs? A student's placement in special education programs is reviewed at least once annually to determine the appropriateness of the student's current placement. Special education services are available for students who qualify within the district from pre-school through high school graduation. How does my child get dismissed from a special education program? When a member of the IEP team wishes to consider a student's dismissal from a special education program, the IEP team convenes (a psychologist must be present) and conducts a reevaluation review. For a student to be dismissed from a program, the following factors must be considered: 1.)the student's grades in the regular classroom; 2.) daily classroom performance; 3.) district and state standardized test scores (PACT,ITBS,MAP); 4.)teacher recommendation; 5.) updated achievement testing; 6.) progress on IEP goals and objectives; 7.) and student work samples. Recommendation for dismissal must come as a result of the team's consensus. How will I know how my student is doing in Resource? Support Services teachers will send Interim Progress Reports, and Quarterly Progress Reports that reflect progress on IEP goals and objectives.
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