A SEPTA friend from the Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee, Donna Owens, passed along some helpful tips on preparing for and participating in Individualized Education Plan Eligibility meetings. Since the end of the school year is often a busy time for eligibility determinations, we thought we’d share her tips with our SEPTA membership. (See the text below the hashmarks.) Note that ASEAC plans to delve deeper into the IEP Eligibility process – including looking specifically at how Arlington compares to other communities in Virginia on key data points – at its next meeting scheduled for May 24, 7 pm at the Syphax Education Center.
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At IEP Eligibility Meetings:
After reviewing all of the data (which should include any data that the parents contribute), the team should go through the Eligibility Worksheet together to determine whether the student should be found Eligible for Special Education.
TIP: Help the IEP Team watch the clock. Reviewing Data should not take 90% of the meeting time, leaving only 10% of the meeting time to discuss the Eligibility Worksheet.
I’m simplifying here, but on the Eligibility Worksheet, I generally see two big decisions points: 1 – Does the student have a disability (these are the questions on the first part of the Worksheet) and 2 – if “YES” to all of the questions about the student having a disability, then does the student require Specially Designed Instruction (this is the last question on the worksheet). In order to answer YES on the ‘does a student have a disability’ set of questions, you have to have data/evidence. SOLs, Grades, DRAs, SRIs, and IA are a factor in this decision, but the team needs to consider more than just SOLs, Grades and the tests that every student in APS takes (SRIs, IAs and DRAs). The Special Education Assessments should carry heavier weight because they are designed to test for a disability. Grades can be accommodated by all sorts of things (extra help from the teachers, parents, using informal accommodations such as audio versions of reading, etc). SOLs, SRIs, and IA are untimed and the student is not reading these tests aloud to the testing administrator (they are all computerized).
TIP: Have a good working knowledge about what the tests and data presented are assessing and how those assessments are conducted. If the Eligibility Process was originally initiated by a Parent, you can be a pretty good judge of whether the assessments are specifically targeting what you suspect may be an issue.
TIP: The Virginia Department Of Education’s Guidance on Evaluation and Eligibility for the Special Education Process includes lots of great information about how teams must comprehensively look at all of the data that is presented and not use only one source of data to make a decision about Eligibility.
For students with ‘hidden disabilities’, it can be harder for IEP teams to assess if the student has a disability and then if that disability requires Specially Designed Instruction.
TIP: Understand the definition of “Specially Designed Instruction.” Here is how the VDOE defines it: “Specially designed instruction” means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction: (34 CFR 300.39(b)(3))
1. To address the unique needs of the child that result from the child’s disability; and
2. To ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards that apply to all children within the jurisdiction of the local educational agency.
1. To address the unique needs of the child that result from the child’s disability; and
2. To ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards that apply to all children within the jurisdiction of the local educational agency.
See http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/
Finally, I’ve personally heard that Specially Designed Instruction has to be administered by a Special Education Teacher and/or in a Special Education Setting. The VDOE doesn’t say that in its definition.
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