What is Special Education?

Special education is individualized instruction provided for students who are struggling in academics, social skills, or functional skills when compared to their peers. The goal of special education is to support support a student's individual needs and help them grow. Depending on needs of the individual, the student may receive services alongside his or her peers in the regular education classroom setting or he or she may receive services in a smaller group (or even individual setting). A student's services are summarized in an individual education plan (IEP).

Student's qualify for special education by meeting one or more of the 13 special education categories. More information about these disability categories and the specific eligibility criteria checklists can be found at the Minnesota Department of Education website.

Please note that there are specific criteria that need to be met in order to qualify for special education.  Although medical information is important to provide to your child’s educational team, know that the criteria needed to meet educational criteria may differ from medical diagnoses

The staff members at Mahtomedi schools pride themselves in offering research-based instruction for all learners in such areas as reading, math and social skills. However, sometimes children demonstrate the need for a more intensive, individualized program. The data collected through special education evaluations assists in determining the following: Whether a child is eligible for special education services; the child’s current educational performance level; his or her education needs; what services/supports he or she may need to benefit from instruction; and the intensity level of needed instruction.

Once we receive a parent's written permission to proceed, the evaluation team has 30 school days to complete the evaluation and report results to parents. The evaluation itself can consist of various strategies or procedures that are selected to best gather information about the child’s strengths and needs. Most commonly, evaluations include interviews with the child’s parent(s) and teacher(s); a review of the child’s cumulative health and academic record; classroom observations where the child is compared with classmates of the same gender; standardized tests of the child’s proficiency with reading, writing, and math tasks; and standardized tests of the child’s formal problem-solving skills (e.g. memory, reasoning, verbal comprehension). A child being evaluated for special education services will miss classroom time to complete any standardized, individually-administered assessments; however, the assessors do their best to do this at times when the child won’t miss crucial classroom instruction.

Once the evaluation is completed, the team which includes parents, a building administrator, the child’s teacher, the school psychologist, a special education teacher, and any additional evaluators - will meet to discuss the data that has been collected. At that time, the team makes a decision regarding special education eligibility and instructional planning.

What are the contents of an IEP?

By law, there are certain things an IEP must include about the student and the educational program designed to meet his or her needs. This information includes:

Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP):  
The IEP must state how the student is currently doing in school. This information comes from many sources and may include the evaluation of classroom tests and assignments, formal tests used to decide special education eligibility and observations from staff, teachers and parents.The “functional performance” includes how the student’s disability affects his or her involvement and progress in the general education curriculum.

Goals and Objectives:
This section defines the areas of focus for educational planning. Goals  describe what the student is expected to accomplish within a year of writing the IEP. The goals are directly related to the student needs as described in the PLAAFP and current evaluation. The goals should be measurable. You should let the team know what goals are priorities for your family. Short-­‐term objectives are the steps that help the student reach the goals. There must be at least two objectives for each goal.

Special Education and Related Services: 
This area lists all services the district has agreed to provide. This is where direct and indirect services would be defined. Indirect service means your child doesn’t actually see that professional, but someone on the team receives consultative services in regards to the student. Direct service is the time that the child is personally involved with the specified professional. This section also defines what the special education service is, where the child will receive services, the amount of time, the frequency of the service, when they are to begin and how long the services will last.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Explanation:
The IEP must explain how students with disabilities will be educated, to the maximum extent appropriate, with students without disabilities. The IEP must explain the extent (if any) the student will not participate with non-­disabled students in the general classroom and other school activities. Special classes, separate schooling or other removal of students with disabilities from the general education environment may occur only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in general classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. If the student will not participate fully with non‐disabled students in the regular classroom and other school activities, the IEP must include a statement indicating the reason(s) for the alternate environment.

Progress Reporting:
The IEP must indicate the frequency, method and when student’s progress on goals will be reported to the parent or guardian. Parents should be informed of progress at least as often as parents of children without disabilities.

Program Placement Decisions:
Once all the elements of the IEP are determined, including services and supports, a placement decision must be made. The first placement option considered for each student with a disability must be the general education classroom with the provision of needed aids and services. This is termed the least restrictive environment. The law requires that students not be placed outside of the general education classroom unless their disability requires another setting. The team must always consider the unique needs of the student before making the final placement determination.

Instructional Alternatives:
Students with special education needs will be served in their home school and in the regular classroom whenever possible. There will be some instances when students are grouped for special education services within the district for the best instructional program. Some students are transported to other schools within the district or other districts for specialized programs.

Accommodations and Modifications:
Some students with disabilities may be able to participate in the general classroom and be successful with the use of accommodations or modifications. An accommodation allows students to do the same work as the other students but with a change that allows them to be more successful (i.e. taking a test in a quiet room rather than in the classroom). An accommodation does not alter the rigor of the material. A modification lowers the rigor of the material and changes what a test or assignment measures, as compared to the rest of the class. (i.e. a student only completing work on a portion of the material covered). Accommodations and modifications should be written into a student’s IEP. The agreed upon changes should fit the student’s individual needs. It is important to involve the student, as appropriate, in this process to get his or her ideas on what changes would be helpful.

Participation in State and District-­Wide Tests:
Most states require achievement tests to be given at various grade levels. The IEP must state what modifications or accommodations are to be provided when the test is administered to the student. If the team determines the test is not appropriate, the IEP must state the reasons why and what alternative testing will be used instead.

Extended School Year:
School districts are required to provide extended school year services (ESY) to students if the IEP team determines the services are necessary during a break in instruction in order to provide a free appropriate public education. The criteria used to determine ESY eligibility should be reviewed yearly. A student qualifies for ESY if he/she meets any of the following criteria:

• There will be significant regression of a skill or acquired knowledge from the student’s level of performance on an annual goal that requires more than the length of the break to recoup.

• Services are necessary to attain and maintain self-­sufficiency skills.

• The IEP team otherwise determines that given the student’s unique needs, ESY is necessary.

The team decides eligibility for ESY using information from prior observation of the student’s regression and recoupment over breaks, either summer break or scheduled breaks in the school year. The team also may look at the student’s degree of impairment and rate of progress, among other things.

Monitoring IEP Progress:
It is important to monitor the progress of your child. Take the IEP home and read it over, compare it to the last one and make sure you understand and agree with the goals and objectives. It also is important to review the amount of time that each specialist designates to serve your child. You do not need to sign Prior Written Notice at the meeting. You have 14 calendar days to sign and return it. You can disagree with the IEP and state your concerns, which is your right as a parent. Put your disagreement in writing. The district needs to respond to your concerns within 14 calendar days.

Common terms and language you may hear during conversations about your child's special education services may include: 

• Accommodation – allows the student to do the same work as the regular education students with a change (i.e. taking tests in a quiet room). This change does not change the rigor of the material being taught.

• Adaptations – word used interchangeable with accommodation.

• Assistive Technology Device – any item, piece of equipment or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities (can be low or high tech).

• Assistive Technology Service – any service that directly assists a student in the selection, acquisition or use of an assistive technology device.

• Behavior Intervention Plan – a plan to address challenging behaviors; it addresses both the source of the behavior and ways to deal with the behavior so the student can make positive changes.

• Case Manager – the person who coordinates a student’s IEP and sees that it is carried out. This person is the first point of contact for any issues or concerns that you may have.

• Child Study Team – team that determines if an evaluation is warranted.

• Consent – means that you say “yes.” Consent means that you understand and agree in writing to the activity that is being requested, such as an evaluation or an IEP.

• Direct Service – specialized service provided directly to the student from the professional to work on goals and objectives.

• Evaluation – testing and observations used to determine the eligibility of the student for special education services.

• IEP (Individualized Education Program) – an educational service program for a student age 3 up to 21. Services need to begin within 30 calendar days from the date the student is found eligible.

• IEP Team – the group of people responsible for defining a student’s educational program. The Team must include: • Parent(s) • A representative of the district who is authorized to assign resources, known as the Administrative Designee • At least one of the student’s special education teachers. • At least one of the student’s general education teachers. • Student, if appropriate o There may be more team members as appropriate.

• IFSP (Individual Family Service Program) - a program for children in Early Childhood Special Education (birth through age 2). The development of the IFSP should be completed within 45 calendar days from the initial referral. Indirect Service – professional staff that consult with team members on services, modifications, adaptation, and any issues related to the IEP goals/objectives.

• LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) – the educational setting appropriate to meet the individual student's needs that provides the opportunity to be educated with non-disabled peers, to the greatest extent appropriate.

• Modification – a change that lowers the rigor of the material and changes what a test or assignment measures.

• PAC (Parent Advisory Council)- acts as an advisory body to the district through Special Services Administration on behalf of students receiving special education services. The Parent Advisory Council will work towards the district mission of providing a high-quality educational experience for all learners as it applies to students with special needs and their families.

• PCA (Personal Care Assistant) – an individual helping a child learn skills so he or she can be more independent at school, home and in the community.

• Pre-Referral Interventions - before referring a child for an evaluation, the classroom teacher must plan strategies to see if your child’s behavior or academic progress improves with simple changes in curriculum or environment. These are called “pre-referral interventions.” At least two pre-referral interventions must be tried and documented. If the child’s performance improves, an evaluation may not be needed. If problems continue, an evaluation will help identify more specific ways to help the child learn.

• Referral – parents/teachers or staff knowledgeable about the student can make a referral for a special education evaluation. When classroom interventions are not successful, a referral will be made for a Child Study Team to consider whether the child should receive further evaluation. The team decides the areas to be evaluated and the types of evaluation to be completed.

• Related Services – services required to make a child benefit from special education. An example may be transportation or occupational therapy.

• Response to Intervention (RtI)- a 3-tiered model of instructional support available for all students. It includes providing high quality instruction and interventions matched to student need, monitoring progress frequently to make changes in instruction, and applying child response data to important educational decisions.

• Resource Room – a room other than a general education classroom where a student may receive his or her special education services. The room is a special education setting.

Procedural Safeguards/Parent Rights
The Procedural Safeguards and Parental Rights document is intended to provide general information and guidance regarding special education rights and procedural safeguards afforded to parents of children age 3 through 21 under state and federal law.  This document was created by the Minnesota Department of Education, and it explains a selection of some of the rights and procedural safeguards provided to parents under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and applicable Minnesota laws and regulations; it is not a complete list or explanation of those rights.  

Clink on the link to view the Procedural Safeguards and Parental Rights document on the Minnesota Department of Education's website.

Data Privacy and Confidentiality
Parents are often concerned about their child's educational records.  Common questions include:  What will  happen to records?  Where will they be stored?  Who will have access to them?  Who can read private information in the records?  How will evaluation information be used?

Record keeping in schools is guided by data privacy laws, copyright laws, federal anti-discrimination and education laws, professional organizations' ethical standards (e.g., the American Psychological Association, the National Association for School Psychologists) and the local policies and practices.  The laws that speak most directly to the protection of pupil information are the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA 1997).

Information that is considered public, or "directory," information is available on request for whoever requests it.  This includes information such as name, address, date of birth, school of attendance, and other such general information.  Parents can deny the release of this information. 

Information that is not considered "directory information" is called "private data."  This includes grades, report cards, test scores, health records, attendance patterns, and behavior records and notes.  Private data records are maintained in a secure location.  For example, special education files are kept in a locked file cabinet and in a separate room from children's cumulative academic records.  Health files are maintained in the health offices, and psychologists' files are kept securely.  Private data are only available to school staff who have a legitimate educational interest in knowing the information (i.e., need the information to do their job).  Third parties can access private data only with the written release of the parents or guardians.

Private data will only be discussed with those educational staff members who have a need to know the information.  Depending on the situation, such staff members may include classroom teachers, specialist teachers, playground monitors, lunchroom monitors, administrators, and building-level interventionists.  

For more detailed information about your child's educational records, talk to your child's classroom teacher, special education teacher, or the building's school psychologist.