The Special Education Process
In order to qualify for Special Education services, students must meet the eligibility criteria listed in the Standards and Indicators. A student may be referred for evaluation under the standards and indicators by the school (called an Agency Referral) or by a parent or guardian. Following the referral, several things must happen in within a specific timeline. For more information on those timelines, see the links below:
DESE Special Education Process Flowchart: Parent Referral
DESE Special Education Process Flowchart: Agency Referral
If a student is identified for evaluation and the parents provide consent for evaluation, the first step of the process is a Review of Existing Data meeting (often called a RED) with the evaluation team. The evaluation team includes the parents/guardians of the student, a representative of the local educational agency (LEA), a process coordinator, the student's general education teachers, and, when appropriate, the student. At this meeting, data will be compiled regarding the student's school history (attendance, grades, areas of strength/weakness), health history, behaviors, and any relevant concerns that the parents and teachers may have. It will generally be a meeting about why the student is being referred and what other information or evaluations may be necessary to determine if the student is eligible.
Following the RED meeting, the school will work to gather the information identified and perform the necessary evaluations. When all of the data has been gathered, the evaluation team will re-convene at an Eligibility Determination to determine if the student is eligible under IDEA to receive special education. The team will review the data from the recent evaluations and compare what is known to the IDEA criteria found in the Standards and Indicators. If the student is determined to be eligible, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be developed to provide the student with the supports and services determined by the evaluation team. If the student is not found to be eligible, the team will discuss other ways to provide support in the general education classroom.
The evaluation team will become an IEP team composed of a the parents of the student, the general education teacher, the special education teacher, a representative of the local educational agency, and, when appropriate, the student. The IEP team will develop the IEP and reconvene no less than once a year to discuss progress and necessary changes. Due to the individualized nature of the IEP, it is important to remember that what is appropriate for one student may not be for another. After the IEP is created, the team implements the program with systematic monitoring to ensure the development of personal self-sufficiency and success greater that what the student would expect in the typical classroom setting without the supports and services. Every three years, the student will be re-evaluate to ensure that the IEP is meeting the student's needs adequately. For information regarding reevaluation, see the link below:
For information regarding parental rights, please click the links below: