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Child Find and Referral
The child find process set forth in the New Hampshire Rules for the Education of Children with Disabilities (2014) requires Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to establish referral procedures to ensure all students (2.5 – 21 years of age) suspected or known to have a disability are properly referred to an IEP team (NH Board of Education, 2014). Anyone can make a referral for special education evaluation, including parents, teachers, and doctors (Parent Information Center on Special Education, 2008) -
Child Find and Referral Pt. 2.
Many schools have instituted pre-referral programs such as Response to Intervention (RTI) that are used to try to “ameliorate or remediate the problem prior to referral to special education” (Yell, 2012, p. 220). These pre-referral programs, however, should not interfere with the referral process for eligible students. -
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Disposition of Referral
Within 15 days of receiving the referral, an IEP team should be created and hold a meeting, the first meeting is called the disposition of referral. The team should include the parent(s), the special education teacher, the general education teacher, and other education professionals. -
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Disposition of Referral Pt. 2
This meeting should determine if the student qualifies for further evaluation, special education services, services under Section 504, or that special education services are not required to address the problem (Parent Information Center on Special Education, 2008). -
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Evaluation
Evaluation for special education services “Must be conducted within 60 days of receiving parental consent for the evaluation or, if the State establishes a timeframe within which the evaluation must be conducted, within that timeframe” (IDEA 20 U.S.C. § 300.301 [c]). LEAs and other qualified examiners are to conduct the evaluation. -
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Evaluation Pt. 2
Two evaluation models may be used to determine a child’s eligibility. The first is a discrepancy model, which judges a child’s achievement against determined aptitude, while the second is a research-based intervention model designed to target the problem specifically (NH Board of Education, 2014). -
Evaluation Meeting with Eligibility Determination Pt. 2
Upon reviewing the results the IEP team should determine whether a child has an educational disability. The list of eligible disabilities includes physical disabilities such as vision or hearing impairments, as well as specific learning disabilities (Parent Information Center on Special Education, 2008). -
Evaluation Meeting with Eligibility Determination
Following the evaluation procedures, the IEP team meets again to produce a written summary of the evaluation results. This summary needs to be produced within the 60 day timespan for the evaluation (45 days with a 15 day maximum extension) (NH Board of Education, 2014). Upon reviewing the results the IEP team should determine whether a child has an educational disability. -
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Development of IEP
Within 30 days of determining eligibility, the IEP team must conduct a meeting to develop an IEP to be implemented as soon as possible. An IEP must include a child’s current academic achievement, measurable annual goals, services to be provided, explanation of the state of inclusion, possible accommodations and possible services (such as transition services). The IEP has to be approved by a parent, or student when appropriate, as well as the LEA representative (NH Board of Education, 2014). -
Placement
A child’s placement is determined at least annually and is included in his or her IEP (NH Board of Education, 2014). Placement is done according to what is called the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). LRE means that students “with disabilities are to be educated in the regular classroom with children who do not have disabilities to the extent appropriate to meet their educational needs” (Parent Information Center on Special Education, 2008). -
Placement Pt. 2
The continuum of placement begins with the regular classroom and moves away toward full-time special education classrooms, or in some cases education at a special facility or at home (Parent Information Center on Special Education, 2008). Placement cannot be changed without a modification of an IEP, which requires the IEP team and parental consent (Stuart v. Nappi, 1978). -
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Progress Monitoring
At least once each year the IEP team must meet to review a student’s progress according to the determined plan. More than one evaluation annually is only permitted by special request from a parent or public agency (IDEA 20 U.S.C. § 300.303). This meeting is to ensure the child’s progress, program, and placement are appropriate. Proper monitoring is achieved by reviewing a student’s work, judging whether goals are being met, and possibly additional evaluation (PICoSE, 2008). -
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Triennial Evaluation
In addition to annual IEP review meetings, every three years the IEP team must meet to determine whether a student’s IEP is still necessary. This decision is essentially a reevaluation of a student’s eligibility for special education, and so formal or informal evaluations may or may not be used (Coyne, 2012). The triennial evaluation may be deemed unnecessary by the parent and the public agency, and therefore is not required (IDEA 20 U.S.C. § 300.303).