Special Education Services
by Rich De Mont
November 14, 2009
Special Education Services
Students who are not making adequate progress in school from
regular curriculum or classroom interventions are referred to the
Student Intervention Team. This team made up of the counselor,
administration teachers and support staff meet with the parent to
develop a suitable intervention plan. This plan includes
identification of the problem area, data used to identify the
problem area, interventions and an assessment of how the
interventions are working. If the data shows that the interventions
are not working and the team agrees that this student might have a
problem that can be assisted by special education services, they
are referred for special education evaluation. Parents have a
choice of allowing the evaluation to take place.
If an evaluation is approved by parents, the data is collected and
a meeting is set up with the individual education plan team. The
team would consist of the psychologist, classroom teacher, child’s
parents, administration and special education teachers and support
staff. If the student shows that they would qualify for special
education services under the State of Kansas guidelines and that
they would benefit from services, the parents are given the choice
of the student receiving services. The IEP team would next write an
individual education plan that would set goals and activities for
that student to receive services. Services could be done in the
classroom or out of the classroom. State and federal law require
that removing a child from the general education classroom must not
occur unless the nature or severity of the disability is such that
education in a general education classes with the use of
supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
When determining the lease restrictive environment, the IEP teams
must consider: 1. Whether the child’s IEP can be implemented in the
regular educational environment with the use of supplementary aids
and services, 2. Whether placement in the regular classroom will
result in any potential harmful effect on the child or on the
quality of services that he needs, 3. Whether placement in the
regular classroom , even with appropriate interventions, will
significantly impair the learning of classmates. This individual
education plan is reviewed annually or upon request by parents. It
can be rewritten at any time or amended.
