Interventions: The Special Education Referral Process begins with general education interventions. These interventions are provided to all students and this is a problem-solving process. Parents do not need to be informed of these interventions because they will take place in the general education classroom and are given to all students. These interventions can take the form of Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multi-Tierred System of Support (MTSS). The goal of these interventions is to address the student's area of needs and help the student learn in the general education setting. If a child is not responding to the interventions or the progress is not sufficient, then the student is referred for special education. Referral: The referral to be considered for special education can be sent in by the parent of a student at anytime. Referrals are also sent in by teachers and the problem-solving team discussed in interventions. The purpose of the referral is to consider the student for evaluation. Parents should be involved once there is a written referral. At this point the process has crossed a legal threshold and the school will notify parents of the referral and schedule an MDT meeting. Parents will receive Prior Written Notice of the MDT meeting. After a referral is sent in, the school district has 60 days. MDT Meeting: The MDT or Multiple Disciplinary Team discusses whether the student should be assessed and what assessments will be used. Data collected will include records, interviews, observations, and testing (RIOT). Members of this team include: parents, special education teacher, general education teacher, administrator (LEA) and others as applicable. The student may attend this meeting if desired. During the meeting, the parent will be given informed consent to assess the child. Written Notice and Informed Consent: Before administering assessments, written notice should be provided to parents/guardians along with procedural safeguards and consent forms. Some schools will use a single form to accomplish all of these tasks. Other schools will have separate forms. Additional information regarding medical history and other information may be gathered as needed with consent from the parents/guardians. It is also essential to obtain informed consent (IC) from the parents before beginning testing. Informed consent involves the signing of a form by the parents/guardians confirming that they have been informed and are aware of what the MDT plans to do (given the scope and sequence of the assessments). PWN and IC are steps to ensure that educators are following the laws outlined in FERPA, (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and HIPPA. That way, all parties are bound by the law to provide the best education available for the child in question. If FERPA or HIPPA is violated, schools can risk losing their federal funding. Evaluation: The student is assessed, observed, as well as records of the student reviewed and interviews are conducted to determine eligibility. This is typically completed by the school psychologist, the special education teacher and other members of the MDT. Data is also collected by collecting previous student records including academic and as appropriate medical and legal records, completing observations in multiple areas and interviews with the parent(s)/guardian(s), teacher, doctors and/or child. An eligibility report will be written by the case manager (Special Education Teacher). MDT Meeting: The MDT or Multiple Disciplinary Team meets to discuss the results of testing and if the student is eligible for services. A student is eligible if they 1) have one of the 13 disabilities under IDEA, 2) if the disability has a negative affect on education, and 3) if there is a need for specially designed instruction. All three prongs of eligibility must be met for a child to receive special education services. If the student is not found eligible, then the student may qualify for a 504 plan or return to general education interventions (RTI). Parents will be asked to give informed consent for their child's eligibility. According to the Idaho Special Education Manual "For children ages three (3) through twenty-one (21), the time between receiving consent for initial assessment and determining eligibility cannot exceed sixty (60) calendar days, excluding periods when regular school is not in session for five (5) or more consecutive school days (IDAPA 08.02.03.109.03), with the exception of ITP referrals which must be completed by the child’s third (3rd) birthday. The parent and district may agree, in writing, to extend the sixty (60) day period. See Chapter 4 for guidance on timeline exceptions." IEP Development and Implementation: The MDT will meet to write the IEP. This meeting is sometimes held in conjunction with the MDT Eligibility meeting. There must be prior written notice before the meeting. This is typically sent with the MDT eligibility meeting information. The IEP meeting must take place within 30 days of determining eligibility. The IEP begins with stating the student's present- levels of Performance (PLOPS/PLAFFS). As part of this meeting, the goals and services are determined. Goals are aligned to state standards, benchmarks or objectives. Students often have multiple goals. If a student require related services such as Occupational therapy, Speech therapy, Physical therapy, counselling, those services will be determined and documented. The IEP team will then determine what Specailly Designed Instruction needs to take place. Many schools already have classes and curriculums that will be appropriate for the student. Parents may make suggestions but the school is not required to implement or purchase a particular curriculum. Following this discussion, appropriate modifications, accommodations and adaptations are discussed. This includes those provided for state testing. Then the LRE (least restrictive environment) or the place where services will take place is determined. The placement decision is made based off of the decisions for goals, related services, specially designed instruction, and modifications/adaptations/accommodations. This will be the place the student is able to access all of these aspects of the IEP. At this meeting appropriate documentation of participation will be obtained, in addition to consent from the parent/adult student for special education services to take place. Copies of the IEP will be provided to the MDT as appropriate. The IEP should be implemented within 30 days. This also means that the school has 30 days to finish writing the IEP after the IEP meeting is held. Parents/guardians/adult students will receive periodic reports of the student’s progress towards IEP goals this is referred to as progress monitoring. If there are any changes made, the parents will be notified and will need to sign for informed consent. This is added as an addendum to the IEP. Annual Review: Each year the IEP team will meet and make revisions on the IEP. This meeting will typically update goals and other information in the IEP. There are no formal assessments prior to this meeting. Reevaluation: Every three years, the student will be tested again and eligibility will be redetermined. Discontinuation of Services: This takes place when a student exits special education services. A student can do this by aging out, receiving their diploma, no longer meeting the eligibility requirements or by parent/guardian request to discontinue special education services.