Special Education

Child Identification and Child Find 

By federal, state, and local regulations, District 123 annually conducts child find activities. Child Find is the process of locating, evaluating, and identifying children who are suspected of having a disability or who may need special education and related services. In addition to child-find activities, a referral can be made to initiate a special education evaluation. A referral is a process asking the school district to evaluate a student to decide if the student qualifies to receive special education services. A referral can be made either by the school district or by a parent or guardian. Not all referrals result in an evaluation.

Decision Regarding a Request for An Evaluation: If the district determines a full case study is warranted, an Identification of Needs Assessment will be completed. Written parental consent must be obtained before the evaluation can begin. The date of consent will then trigger the 60-school-day timeline for completion of the evaluation and determination of eligibility.

Once a referral is received, the district is required to respond within 14 school days. If the district determines that a referral for a full case study evaluation is not warranted, the parent will be notified in writing regarding all relevant factors in the decision. If the district determines a full case study is warranted, written parental consent must be obtained before the evaluation can begin. The date of consent triggers the 60-school-day timeline for completion of the evaluation and determination of eligibility.

Evaluation: The needs assessment will determine which areas a student with a suspected disability is evaluated. Information should be collected through a variety of approaches (observations, interviews, tests, curriculum-based assessment, and so on) and from a variety of sources (parents, teachers, specialists, and the child). The evaluation should yield information on what the child knows and can do academically, developmentally, and functionally. 

Eligibility: Special education and related service eligibility is determined based on the assessment data and supporting information collected by the evaluation team. IDEA lists thirteen different disability categories under which children may be eligible for services. Students may qualify for services under one or more categories. When determining eligibility for special education, the following three criteria must be considered: The student has an identified, disabling condition, the student’s identified disability has an adverse effect on his/her educational performance, the student requires specialized instruction or services outside the reach of general education to address the adverse effect. If the team determines that the student does not meet eligibility requirements, the team will notify the parent in writing.

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Individualized Education Program (IEP): If the team determines that a student meets the eligibility criteria, and is entitled to Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), an IEP must be developed. The components of the IEP include present levels of educational performance, measurable annual goals including benchmarks or short-term objectives, a statement of specified special education and related services, supplementary aids, accommodations, and modifications, a statement in which the child will not participate in regular education programs and activities with non-disabled children, individual modifications in state or district-wide assessments, projected date for initiation of special education and services including frequency, duration, and location, and a statement of how progress toward goals will be monitored.

Educational Placement: The decision about where the student should receive special education services is called educational placement. Special education includes instruction and related services provided by special education personnel or by a general education program that has been modified through the use of special education support services, supplementary aids/interventions, or other special programming. Special education instructional programs, resource programs, and related services shall range along a continuum based on the nature and degree of the intervention.

Section 504: Students with disabilities who do not qualify for an Individualized Education Program under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, may qualify for services under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 is a federal civil rights law that protects students from disability discrimination by public schools. Students of all ages who have (i) a physical or mental impairment (ii) have a record of a physical or mental impairment, or (iii) are regarded as having a physical or mental impairment can be covered by a 504 plan. A 504 plan ensures that students with disabilities have access to the same education as their non-disabled peers by providing accommodations enabling them to succeed in the general education classroom. 

Extended School Year(ESY): Services may be offered for students with significant disabilities who require additional instructional time to maintain their educational progress. While we wish we could offer ESY to all students, it is specifically intended for those who need it to prevent substantial regression and ensure continuity of learning. 

Upon completion of your child's evaluation, the IEP team will meet to review the results. We will first determine eligibility for special education and related services. If eligible, the team will collaborate to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) tailored to your child's needs. 

Sometimes both these tasks are completed in one meeting; sometimes it takes two meetings.

Please click HERE to learn more about the IEP process in its entirety.