ATTENTION PARENTS!

Want to get a
better I.D.E.A
about Special
Education?

Table of Contents:
Page 2: I.D.E.A. and
PA 14
Page 3-4: 6 Principles
of I.D.E.A.
Page 5-8: Special
Education Process
Page 9-10:
Disabilities in the law
Page 11: Parents
Rights
Page 12-13: Other
services for your child
Page 14: Resources

Well here is an
informational guide to
the law, the process,
and your rights!!

What exactly is I.D.E.A and what are PA

14 Regulations?
I.D.E.A:
I.D.E.A is an acronym representing Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act; this is a federal
law that spells out your rights as parents, the
rights of your child, and the rights of the school
that your child is attending. It provides early
intervention, special education, and related
services to children with disabilities. There are 6
principles within I.D.E.A: zero rejection,
nondiscriminatory evaluation, appropriate
education, least restrictive environment,
procedural due process, and parent and student
participation. These will be explained to you
further on the next page!

P.A. 14
Regulations

P.A. 14 is a
compliance law
in
Pennsylvania
under I.D.E.A.
in special
education.
2

What are the 6 principles of I.D.E.A?

1. Zero Rejection- Zero rejection simply states that under the law, no
student can be excluded or denied the right of an education. All
students are given the right to F.A.P.E., which stands for a Free and
Appropriate Public Education. This is linked to step 2 of the special
education process, which if explained further pages five through
seven.

2. Nondiscriminatory evaluation: this simply states schools are

required to give an evaluation or an assessment to determine if your
child has a disability without being biased. For example, the child has
to receive the assessment in the native language in which they speak,
so they are able to take the test under fair circumstances. Also, if the
test states that your child has a disability, you as the parent have the
choice to go through the special education process. If not, your child
will continue to participate in the general education classroom,
learning the general education curriculum. This is step two in the
special education process.

3. Appropriate Education: says that after your child has been

evaluated, based on their specific individualized needs spelled out in
the IEP, schools are required to educate to those specific aids and
services your child needs to perform sufficiently in school. This is
related to F.A.P.E., which is stated under the first principle, and this is
step 3 of the special education process.

What are the 6 principles of I.D.E.A?

...Continued!!

Least Restrictive Environment: this states that your school is required to educate yo

Procedural Due Process: this says that you as the parent have the right to sue in cou

Parental and student participation: this says that without you and your childs inpu

What are the steps in the Special Education Process?

1. Child Find
Child Find is a legal obligation of your childs school district to
reach out and find all children that may be qualified for special
education services prior to entering Kindergarten.
o Your school district will post public notices concerning
potential warning signs to look out for in your childs
development that may be threatening to their educational
success.
Pellentesque:
Pellentesque aliquet

2. Referral for Evaluation

vulputate lacus. Nunc
General Education Teacher Referral Educators vitae
mayfelis
collect
data
at sem
euismod
pretium.
of your child through different forms of assessments
such
as
Nam
purus
nisl,
test scores and classroom behaviors. To monitor these
dignissim eu, facilisis
assessments they use a model called RtII (Response
to
eu, mattis
Instruction and Intervention)
consectetuer, arcu.
Pellentesque
o Screening screening to done and are quick
tests tohabitant
morbi
determine if children need or do not need furthertristique
senectus et netus et
assessment (e.g., medical exams, test scores)
This is
malesuada fames ac
another form of data the general education teacher will be
collecting and using.
Parent Referral If you find that your child may have a
developmental delay before school age, speak to your childs
pediatrician to address possible supports in Early Intervention
services, provided before the age of 5.
Anyone in the school is technically able to refer your child such
Consectetuer:
as the school nurse, the guidance counselor, etc.
Sed venenatis, augue
non varius tempus,
metus nibh mollis
erat, a tempus neque
ipsum sit amet nisi.
Donec elementum,
justo eu pulvinar
tincidunt, mauris nunc
consectetuer mi, eu
ornare augue ligula a
nibh.

What are the steps in the Special Education Process?

3. Evaluation
In order for the process of evaluations to be fulfilled, first a
parent permission letter is sent home to the legal guardian(s) of
student to be signed and returned to the school. If parental
approval is not given then evaluation may not be completed.
This document is attached to the brochure.
You as a parent may request an evaluation at any time, and the
request MUST be in writing.
The initial evaluation must be conducted within Pellentesque:
60 days of
receiving your consent.
aliquet
The Multidisciplinary team A group composedPellentesque
of professionals
vulputate lacus. Nunc
that administer assessments to your child to identify
different
vitae felis at sem
concerns that may have an impact on the your childs
euismod pretium.
education. This team may be composed of physical
Namtherapist,
purus nisl,
dignissim
eu, facilisis
occupational therapist, school psychologist, vision
specialist,
eu, mattis
parental input, teacher input, and school nurse.
consectetuer, arcu.
A School psychologist then compiles all evaluations
completed
Pellentesque
habitant
to develop the initial Evaluation Report, which determines
morbi tristique
senectus
et netus et
whether or not your child will be provided Special
Education
malesuada fames ac
services.

4. Development of the IEP (Individualized Education Plan)

An IEP is a document for each child required under IDEA to
express measurable goals, annual academic and functional
goals and must include a list of supports such as autistic
supports, life-skills supports, etc.
Consectetuer:
o When student reaches age of 14, a transition plan must be
Sed venenatis, augue
put into place
non varius tempus,
The initial IEP is created by a team that must include:
Parents,
metus nibh
mollis
minimum of one general education teacher, minimum
of one
erat, a tempus
neque
ipsum
sit
amet
nisi.
special education teacher, LEA representative (local education
Donec
elementum,
agency or school district), school psychologist, student (when at
justo eu pulvinar
appropriate age), school district representative,
professional
to
tincidunt,
mauris nunc
interpret evaluation results.
consectetuer mi, eu
ornare augue
a
o A teacher of the gifted is required to be present
onlyligula
when
nibh.
a student with a disability is also gifted.
o If the parent cannot be present at the IEP team meeting,
they can still participate through a phone call or video
session.

What are the steps in the Special Education

Process? ...Continued!!

Placement
The placement of your child in a classroom setting is determined by the IEP team, students ar
If LRE does not include any time spent in the general education classroom, then the IEP team
IEP Implementation Applying services and aids described in the IEP to declare the correct pla
There are three categories of placement in which your child can be selected for:
Full time- your child will be in the special education classroom or provided special education
Itinerant- your child receives special education supports and services 20% or less of the scho
Supplemental- your child will receive special education supports and services for more than

What are the steps in the Special Education

Process? ...Continued!!

Progress Monitoring
Progress monitoring is a tool used by educators to assess your childs academic performance a

Annual Review
Teachers are required to complete an annual review once a year for the services being

Re-evaluation
This must occur once every three years, unless you and the district agree that this is un
Your childs multidisciplinary team will come together to redo assessments that will che
This cannot occur more than once a year.
The reevaluation time line will be 60 calendar days.

What exactly are the disabilities spelled out

in the law?
Autism: If your child's education is significantly affected by verbal and
nonverbal communication and social interaction. Autism does not apply if
your child's educational performance is mainly affected because of
emotional disturbance.
Deaf-blindness: If your child has hearing and visual impairments, severe
communication and other developmental and educational needs that
cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children
with deafness or children with blindness.
Deafness: If your child has hearing impairments that are so severe that
the child cannot process information through hearing, with or without
amplification that highly affects your child's educational performance.
Emotional Disturbance: If your child's condition exhibits one or more of
the following characteristics over a long period of time and strongly affects
your child's educational performance. These characteristics include the
inability to learn which cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or
health factors; inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal
relationships with peers and teachers; inappropriate types of behaviors or
feelings under normal circumstances; general pervasive mood of
unhappiness or depression; or the tendency to develop physical symptoms
or fears associated with person or school problems.
Hearing Impairment: If your child has hearing impairments, whether
permanent or fluctuating, that greatly affects your child educational
performance and is not included under the definition of deafness.
Mental Retardation: If your child has a significantly sub average general
intellectual function and has deficits with adaptive behavior, that they
acquired during the developmental period, and only if it affects your child's
education.
Multiple Disabilities: If your child has simultaneous impairments, such
as mental retardation- blindness or mental retardation- orthopedic
impairments, which causes such severe educational needs that, they
9

What exactly are the disabilities spelled out in the

law?
Continued!!
Orthopedic Impairment: If your child has orthopedic impairments that
affects your child's educational performance. This includes impairments
caused by a genetic difference, impairments caused by disease
(poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis) and impairments from other causes
(cerebral palsy, amputation, and fractures or burn that cause
contractures.)
Other Health Impairments: If your child has a chronic or acute health
problems such as asthma, ADD or ADHD, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart
condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever,
sickle cell anemia or Tourette syndrome and it effects your child's
educational performance they would be covered under other health
impairments.
Specific Learning Disability (SLD): If your child has one or more
disorders in a basic psychological process involved in understanding or
using language, speaking or writing. SLD includes the inability to listen,
think, speak, read, write, spell, or complete math calculations. SLD includes
conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain
dysfunction, dyslexia and developmental aphasia. This does not include
learning problems that are mainly a result of visual, hearing, motor
disabilities, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, or environmental,
cultural or economic disturbances.
Speech and Language Impairment: If your child has a communication
disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairments,
or voice impairment that affects your childs educational performance.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): If your child has acquired injury to the
brain caused by an external physical force that resulted in a total or partial
functioning disability or psychosocial impairment and severely affects your
childs educational performance. TBI applies if your child has closed or
open head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as
cognition, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, problemsolving, sensory, and motor abilities. TBI does not apply to your child if
their brain injury is genetic or deteriorating, as well as brain injuries
introduced by birth trauma.

10

So overall, what are all of my rights as a

parent?
The school is required to give you the Evaluation Report
(E.R.) no later than 60 calendar days after you have sent
in written consent to evaluate your child allowing you
time to read it.
You have the right to turn down or deny written consent
to the initial evaluation of the special education process.
You have the right to have reasonable access to your
childs classrooms, within certain parameters of the
districts policy.
The evaluation process for special education MAY NOT
start without your written consent. (attached to this
pamphlet is a form that you will receive in the mail
stating that your child has been referred to special
education and your written consent is needed)
You are to be informed of the state or local assessment
in which your child will be taking and also how their
results of this assessment will be measured.
Written consent from you is required for a reevaluation
of the IEP.
Copies of the reevaluation report needs to be sent to
you at least 10 school days prior to the meeting of the
IEP team, unless you sign a waiver for this not to occur.
Copies of the evaluation report need to be given to you
at least ten school days prior to the IEP team meeting,
unless you sign a waiver for this not to occur.
Your child can test out of special education before the
reevaluation, but the reevaluation still needs to be
completed.
You can request an evaluation at any time, and your
request must be in writing.
You are to be provided with documentation of your
11

What other services are available to me for my chil

Extended School Year (ESY)- extended school is a program offered to your child if
they are continually decreasing in their performance and unable to increase back up to
where they began. You, and the rest of the members of the IEP team, must provide data
to support you child being eligible for this service.
Audiology Services- includes referral for medical or other professional attention for
habilitation of hearing such as language habilitation, auditory training, speech reading,
hearing evaluation, and speech conservation.
Counseling Services- includes services provided by guidance counselors, psychologist,
social workers and other qualified personnel.
Early Identification and Assessment of Disabilities in Children- includes an
implementation of a formal plan for identifying your childs disability as early as
possible.
Interpreting- includes oral translation services, cued language translation services, sign
language translation and interpreting services, and transcription services, such as
communication access real-time translation (CART), C- Print, and TypeWell.
Medical Services- includes services provided by a licensed physician to determine your
childs medically related disability that results in your childs need for special education
and related services.
Occupational Therapy- includes services provided by a qualified occupation therapist
to improve, develop or restore functions impaired or lost through illness or injuries, to
improve ability to perform task for independent function and to prevent initial or further
impairment or loss of a function.
Orientation and Mobility Services- includes services that provide to blind or visually
impaired children, by qualified personnel, to enable your child to attain systematic
orientation and safe movement within their environments in school, home, and
community

12

What other services

are available to me for my chil
Resources:
http://www.pattan.net
Physical Therapy- includes services by a qualified physical therapist if your child has
physical impairments.

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/reposit
ory/accommodations/
Transportation Servicesincludes any special services that take your child to school
and back home including ramps, lifts and adapted buses.

Psychological Services- includes services provided by a qualified psychologist to

administer and interpret educational and psychological test, to provide psychological
counseling and to observe, integrate and interpret your childs behavior in order to
produce a behavior intervention plan.

Rehabilitation Counseling Services- includes services provided by qualified personnel

in individual or group sessions that focus specifically on career development,
employment preparation, achieving independence, and integration in the workplace and
community of a student with a disability.
School Health and Nurse Services- health services provided by a school nurse, which
are designed to enable a child with a disability to receive FAPE as described in the
childs IEP.
Social Work Services in School- services by a qualified personnel that instructs group
and individual counseling with your child and family as well as gather your childs
social and developmental history.
Speech-Language Pathology Services- includes services that identify your childs
speech or language impairment and services for the habilitation or prevention of
communicative impairments.

13

Thank you for viewing our

brochure!! We hope this
helped you get a better feel
about Special Education,
the process, the law, and
your rights!!

Alyssa Arnold
Maggie Seitz
Jamie Allman
Trevor Sherman

14