Special Services Process
What is a referral?
A referral is a signed
letter requesting an evaluation that is given to the school district when a
child is suspected of having a disability and might need special education
services.
Who can make a referral?
● Parents
● School Personnel
●
Agencies concerned with the welfare of students
If you believe that your child may have a
disability, you may refer your child for an evaluation by submitting a written
request to your school district. When writing to the school district about
special education issues, you may write to the school principal, director of
special education, child study team supervisor, case manager or other
appropriate school official.
How to Request an Evaluation
If you are a Glen Rock resident and would
like to request that your child be evaluated by the Child Study Team, you may
do so by submitting a letter of request to the Office of Special Services via
US mail or hand delivery:
Office of
Special Services
Attention:
Dr. Jennifer MacKay
400 Hamilton
Avenue
Glen Rock NJ
07452
Please be sure to include:
● Your child's full name and date of birth
● An explanation of why you would like your
child evaluated
● Any example or detail of your concerns
that would assist us in composing the
appropriate evaluation team
● Your contact information including
address, phone number, and email
● Submission of letter with original
signature
What happens after a referral is made?
Within 20 calendar days
(excluding school holidays, but including summer vacation) following receipt of
a referral of a student, the Child Study Team shall meet with the parent and
the student’s regular education teacher to determine the need for a comprehensive
evaluation and to design an Evaluation Plan. If an evaluation is warranted,
upon receipt of parental consent, the evaluation will begin. If an evaluation
is not warranted the student returns to general education without being
evaluated, however, there may be recommendations for interventions in the
general education setting made by the child study team.
What is the timeline?
Within ninety days of
receipt of parental consent to evaluate and after completing the evaluation,
the Child Study Team will hold a conference with the parent(s) and the
student’s teacher to share findings. At this meeting it will be determined if
eligibility for special education and related services is needed in order for
the student to access his or her education. If the student is found ineligible
for services after the evaluation the student returns to general education,
however, there may be recommendations developed for interventions in the
general education setting made by the child study team. If the student is found
eligible for special education and related services, then an Individual
Education Program (IEP) can be developed with the additional input from a
special education teacher.
What are the evaluation
components?
A comprehensive Child Study Team evaluation consists of
several components, each conducted on an individual basis. A comprehensive
evaluation specifically consists of at least two of the following:
- Psychological Assessment – the responsibility of a certified School Psychologist. This may include teacher conferences, observation of the student in other than a testing session, and an appraisal of the current cognitive, social, adaptive and emotional status of the student.
- Educational Assessment – the responsibility of a certified Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant. This may include observation of the student in other than a testing session, review of the student’s educational history, conferences with the student’s teacher(s), and an evaluation and analysis of the pupils academic performance and learning characteristics.
- Social Assessment – the responsibility of a certified School Social Worker. This may include observation of the student and communication with the student and parent(s), an evaluation of the student’s adaptive social functioning and emotional development and of the family, social and cultural factors which influence the student’s learning and behavior in the educational setting.
In addition to evaluations performed by the Child Study
Team, determination of certain disabling conditions requires specialist examinations
– such as speech, hearing, neurological, psychiatric, medical, etc. These and
/or others are to be obtained as warranted.
Additionally, the Team shall consider examination results
and findings of specialists which may be submitted by the parent(s) or others.
The Child Study Team shall consider pertinent information from other
certified school personnel and from the parents(s) when rendering evaluation
and eligibility decisions.
If a student is determined to be eligible for special education and
related services, documentation of eligibility shall be prepared and become the
basis for the Present Levels of Performance of an Individual Education Program
(IEP).
How is eligibility
determined?
When the evaluation is completed, eligibility is determined
collaboratively at a meeting according to N.J.A.C. 6A:14-2.3(i)1. To be
eligible for special education and related services:
●
A student must have a
disability according to one of the eligibility categories;
●
The disability must
adversely affect the student’s educational performance; and
● The student must be in need of special education and related services.
The school district must provide a copy of the evaluation
report(s) and documentation of eligibility to the parent (or adult student,
when applicable) not less than 10 calendar days prior to the eligibility
meeting.
What is an Individualized Education Program (IEP)?
If your child is determined to be eligible for special education and
related services, a meeting will be held to develop your child’s IEP. The IEP
is a written plan that describes in detail your child’s special education
program. The IEP will describe how your child currently performs and your
child’s specific instructional needs, including annual goals and short term
objectives.
How often is the IEP reviewed?
The IEP is reviewed on an annual basis based on when your child is
initially found eligible. However, the
IEP team can determine to review the document before that date if the team,
including if the parent feels it is appropriate.
Continuum of Services and Programs Offered
The Glen Rock School District provides the full continuum
of services to district students, based upon needs identified and agreed upon
by the IEP team. The following descriptions are a general guide and
informational reference point as to the types of specialized programs currently
established in the District. Please note that these descriptions are general in
nature, and do not reflect the full scope of program options available.
Collaborative Model/In-Class Resource: The collaborative
model, also known as in-class resource, involves adapting and modifying the
general education curriculum within the child’s general education classroom.
These services are provided by a certified special education teacher and a
certified general education teacher.
Both teachers work collaboratively, to ensure that students’ specific
needs are met.
Pull Out Resource: The pull out resource program offers a
range of instructional services for elementary school-aged children in the
areas of reading, writing and math. Instruction and support is based on the
child’s IEP goals and objectives and delivered in a small group special
education classroom. The general education curriculum is modified and adapted
to meet the children’s individual needs and supplemented with additional materials,
as needed.
The resource programs in the middle and high school
provide replacement instruction in Reading, Language Arts, Math, Science (HS
only), Social Studies (HS only) with class sizes no larger than 12 students.
Any group exceeding ten students is provided with an aide. Each student’s IEP
goals and objectives are given focus within the realm of the general education
curriculum.
LLD: The Learning and/or Language Disabilities (LLD)
classes are self-contained, small-group for students who require specialized
instructional strategies with an emphasis on language-based instruction.
Students requiring this degree of support benefit from individualized and
small-group instruction, and specialized instructional materials, which are
selected to correlate to the continuum of New Jersey Student Learning
Standards, and are aligned with the academic performance level of the
individual students.
At both the primary (Grades K-2), and upper
elementary(Grades 3-5) school levels, a hands-on, multi-sensory approach is
utilized in small groups or in a one-to-one setting. Instruction can be
provided for all academic subject areas as determined appropriate for each
individual student. Additional support is provided by classroom
paraprofessionals. Individual consideration is given to each student for
maximum participation in the regular education environment as deemed
appropriate.
A similar program is offered at the middle school level,
to provide an ongoing continuum of services and support. At this level, the
students in the LLD class receive instruction in all major academic areas.
Students are able to receive the required elements of their academic
instruction in an individualized or small group setting, while participating
with their peers in general education to the maximum extent possible. The LLD
teacher makes modifications and adaptations to the general education curriculum
to provide a successful education experience for each pupil.
Autism: A comprehensive program that utilizes the
methodology of applied behavior analysis (ABA) along with discrete trial
teaching (DTT) and natural environment teaching (NET) techniques to teach
children across various domains. Our
staff receive continuous training and supervision. With our ratio of staff to children, we are
able to provide an unique and individualized educational experience for each
child