Understanding Special Education
Services
Understanding Special
Education Services
• November 10, 2015
• Parent Education Training
• FBISD Special Education Department
Legal guidelines
• NCLB (This is about to be
reauthorized in Congress.. Stay
tuned)
• IDEA 2004
• IDEA Regulations
• State Laws and Regulations
• Local Policy and Administrative
Guidelines
• Case Law
Case Law
• Federal Case Decisions (Supreme
Court and 5th Circuit)
• Due Process Hearings in Texas
• Other Important Due Process
avenues– TEA Complaints, TEA
Mediation
NCLB
Major Goals
• All students will reach high standards
(minimum proficiency) by 2013-2014
• All limited English proficient students will
become skilled in English
• By 2005-06 all students taught by HQ
teachers
• All students will be educated in learning
environments that are safe and drug free
• All students will graduate from high
school
IDEIA 2004
• Congress made it clear that students with
disabilities are expected to reach the same
academic goals and meet the same
academic standards as their ageappropriate, non-disabled peers
IDEIA 2004
• Purpose – To ensure that ALL children with
disabilities have available to them a free
and appropriate public education that
emphasizes special education and related
services designed to meet their unique
needs and prepare them for FURTHER
education, employment and independent
living.
IDEIA 2004
Ensures procedural safeguards (follow the
rules or procedures)
• Timelines
• ARD attendance
• Notices (5 day prior to ARD)
• IEP goals
• Services provided per ARD
• More
IDEIA 2004
• Ensures a FAPE (Free Appropriate
Public Education)
– So what does FAPE mean…. – (targeted
high quality instruction, monitoring of
student progress, student making
progress)
Special Education
Services
• Condition – Must meet 1 of 13 Disability
Conditions as determined by a full individual
evaluation
• Eligibility is established by ARD Committee –
Must have a one of the 13 conditions AND
Require “Specialized Designed Instruction”
Disability Categories
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Auditory Impairment
Visual Impairment
Speech Impairment
Learning Disability
Intellectual Disability
Orthopedic Impairment
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Other Health Impairment
Autism
Traumatic Brain Injury
Emotional Disturbance
Multiple Disabilities
Deaf/Blind
Non-Categorical Early
Childhood
ARD Committee
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Required Members:
Parent/Guardian
Administrator
General Ed Teacher
Special Ed Teacher
Evaluation specialist who can
interpret the instructional
implications of evaluation
results (Diag/LSSP/SLP, etc.)
• LPAC rep (if child is LEP)
• CTE rep (if child is
currently in CTE classes
or the ARD committee
will discuss potential
CTE courses)
8 Components of the IEP
• Present Levels of Academic Achievement and
Functional Performance (PLAAFPs)
• Measurable Annual Goals
• Least Restrictive Environment Consideration
• Accommodations, Modifications and Services
8 Components of the IEP Cont.
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Frequency, Duration, and Location of Services
Transition Services
Reporting Progress
Participation in State and District Assessment
Specially Designed Instruction
• Adapting, as appropriate to the needs of a
child, the content, methodology, or delivery of
instruction –
• To address the unique needs of the child that
result from the child’s disability; and
• To ensure access of the child to the general
curriculum, so that he or she can meet the
educational standards which apply to all
children.
Specially Designed Instruction
• The development of an appropriate IEP
– Standards Based IEP Goals
• The Implementation of the IEP
– Delivery of Instruction based on a continuum of
services
• Co-teach/In-Class Support services in the General
Education Setting
• Resource, District Wide Programs, etc. (occurs in a
special education setting with special education
teacher and only students who are eligible for special
education services)
Individualized
Education Program
• May Include:
• Academic and Functional IEP
Goals/Objectives
• Behavior IEPs
• Accommodations/Modifications
• Related Services
Academic IEPS Goals/Objectives
• Developed collaboratively in ARD meeting (or prior
to meeting in Draft form)
• State the specific objectives (benchmarks) and
annual goal
• Student’s academic grades align with making
progress on objectives and goals
• Student should master the IEP goal(s) or make
meaningful progress toward mastery on an annual
basis
• Must be “reasonably calculated to enable the
student to receive educational benefit”
• IEPs must be implemented by special and general
education staff members
Behavior IEP/Behavior Intervention Plan
(BIP)
• IDEA 2004 emphasis on “positive
• behavioral interventions” for students with
behavioral difficulties
• ARD Committee must explore strategies and
positive supports to address any behavior that is
impeding the learning of the student or his/her
peers
• Behavior IEPs/BIP must be followed by general and
special education staff
Related Services
•Must have an Evaluation to
determine need and then
ARD committee determines
the frequency and setting for
the services
•Occupational Therapy
•Physical Therapy
•Counseling
•Music Therapy
•Special Transportation
How to determine appropriate Assessment?
Full Individual Evaluation (FIE) and
Present Levels of
Academic and Functional Performance
Development of IEPs
Selection of appropriate
Assessment and Placement during ARD
Continuum of educational
placements in a LRE
Least
Restrictive
Most
Restrictive
•General Ed class (external support)
•Gen Ed with modifications (external
support or in-class support)
Always start
• Co-teach (support facilitation)
with Least
•Resource (specialized support)
Restrictive
•Self Contained (specialized
support)
•Day School
•24 hour Residential
•Home
A Review of Texas State
Assessment
Special Education Assessments for 1516
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STAAR (with or without accommodations)
STAAR Accommodated
STAAR Alternative 2
STAAR L
FBISD Special Education Leadership
Team
• Deena Hill, Executive Director
• Michelle LeBleu, Director
• Nicole Roberts, Assistant Director, Christina Ritter,
Assistant Director
• Tresha Hattar, Program Specialist (High School – LIFE
Skills, FLITE, 18+)
• Dominion Southall, Program Coordinator– ABC, PPCD
• Caroline Faison, Program Coordinator, LIFE skills, Flite
K-8
Campus Special Education Support
staff
• Diagnostician
• Licensed Specialist in School Psychology
(LSSP)
• Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
• CCC (at elementary level
• Department Head (at secondary)