Washington Special Education Law

ObjectivesBy the end of this section of the course you

should:Understand the legal foundations for special education including relevant legislation, litigation, and vocabularyUnderstand the referral processWrite a pre-referralBegin to understand how students and families cope with learning disabilities and ADHD Collect evidence of student performance in relation to GLEs

Key Concepts / Vocabulary

IDEALRELEAIEPFAPEAYP504ADA

Due ProcessInclusionMainstreamingNondiscriminatory evaluationZero rejectNoncompliancePerson first languageEligibility determination

Purpose of Special Education - WAC392-172A

Ensure that all students eligible for Special Education have a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.Ensure student and parent rights are protected.Assess and ensure the effectiveness of the IEP.

Key Federal Court DecisionsBrown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) - “separate but equal” (i.e., segregation by race) is not constitutional

Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (PARC), 1971 - “uneducable” or “untrainable” students can not be excluded from public education

Mills v. Board of Education (1972) - a) broadens the scope of PARC to included students with other disabilities, b) all children of school age should be provided with free and suitable public education, and c) no exclusion due to insufficient funds

Hendrick Hudson Central School District Board of Education v. Rowley (1982)

The Supreme Court stated that services provided to the child must:

Be provided at public expense and under public supervisionMeet the state educational standardsComply with the child’s IEPConfer educational benefit

IDEA does not require school districts to maximize a student’s potential

The court posed two essential questions:Did the school district follow all of the procedures in IDEA?Is the IEP reasonably calculated to enable a child to receive educational benefit?

The Big Three - Disability Legislation

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - 2004

Section 504 - Rehabilitation act of 1973

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - 1990

Brief history of IDEAPublic Law 94-142, Education For All Handicapped Children Act (1975). This law was reauthorized and expanded as the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act” (IDEA) in 1990.Reauthorized again in 1997 & 2004

(P.L. 108-446).Federal regulations for 2004 reauthorization were released August 14, 2006.

Major Tenants of IDEAApplies to children ages 3 - 21Zero reject - nonexclusionary educationFAPE - Free appropriate public educationLRE - Least restrictive environmentNondiscriminatory evaluationDue processTransition planningAYP - Adequate yearly progressAdvocacyConfidentialityNoncompliance - lawsuitsPerson first language

Who is eligible for services under IDEA?

Students who demonstrate the characteristics of any of the previous

categories IF their disability adversely impacts educational performance

and requires specialized instruction.

What if the disability does not affect academic achievement?

Students are NOT eligible for services under IDEA

They may receive services under Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act (1973)

Section 504 covers many more students than IDEA

Students served under Section 504

Students served under IDEA

Visual representation of school-aged populations served under IDEA and Section 504

Student Need

Consider IDEA

Adverse affect on educational performance?

Yes

IDEA Eligible

IEP Developed

Related Services

Placement Options

Consider 504

Not Eligible

No Disability substantially limits one or more major life activities

504 Protected

Reasonable AccommodationsFAPE

No

Not Eligible

Major Tenants of Section 504 Prevents discrimination by any organization receiving federal fundsDefines a handicapped person as “Any person who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities” Students served under IDEA are also eligible for 504Both laws mandate FAPE IDEA requires an individual education program (IEP) while 504 requires schools to demonstrate how services are being provided

Major Tenants of ADA (1990)

Maximize the employment potential of individuals with disabilities.Provide “reasonable accommodations” in the workplace.Employers may not ask if an individual has a disability and may not discriminate against persons who have a disability.Colleges and universities must provide appropriate modificationsTelecommunications must be accessible to individuals who are deaf

Disability Categories in Washington

Developmentally Delayed (age 3 - 8)

Emotional Behavioral Disability

Speech or language impairment

Orthopedically impairment

Other Health impaired

Specific learning disability

Mental retardation

Multiple disabilities

Hearing impairment / Deafness

Visually impairment / blindness

Deaf / blindness

Autism

Traumatic brain injury

Categorical Disability Distribution

Specific Learning Disability Speech or Language Impaired

Mental Retardation Emotional Disturbance

Multiple Disabilities Hearing Impairment

Orthopedic Impairment Other Health Impairment

Autism Visual Impairment

Traumatic Brain Injury Developmental Delay

Deaf/Blindness

U.S. Department of Education 2005

Nondiscriminatory Evaluation

Screening

Prereferral

Referral

NondiscriminatoryEvaluation Procedures

All Students

Some Students

Students in need of special

Education and related services

IDEA ProceduresPre-referral - consultation with instructional support team (IST)Document current levels of student performance (academic, social, & behavioral)Implement academic supports - document resultsReferral (identification)Notice of procedural safeguards & due process rightsParental consentEvaluation Eligibility determination (within 35 school days of parental consent)IEP developmentPlacement decision (LRE)Annual review Triennial reevaluationTransition planning

Pre-referralBuild a trust relationship with the student and parents

Document student’s academic, social, and behavioral performance levels using multiple quantitative and qualitative measures

Document strategies / accommodations that have been used with the student and their outcomes

Discuss the student with other teachers and the instructional support team (IST) - Document results

Meet with parents / guardians - Document conversations

Writing a pre-referral

Activity - Take 20 minutes and write a referral for a student you have concerns about. Be sure to include the students current functional levels in terms of academic, social, and behavioral achievement. Remember that all of the members of the IST will see this document.

Your pre-referral should include:A statement that explicitly states your belief that the child can be successful.A paragraph describing pertinent information about the child. Information about the student’s current academic, social, & emotional / behavioral performance. Quantitative (numbers-based) and qualitative (observations, interviews, and artifacts) evidence supporting your claims in #3.Research-based instructional interventions that you have tried with the student and their outcomes.Questions you would like addressed.Refrain from diagnosing - report the facts in a nonbiased manner.

Some Practical Tips

Keep all documentation confidential in a secure location.Type and carefully proofread all written materials.Document all conversations and make a photocopy of written correspondence.Bring your notes, grades, and examples of the student’s work to the IST & IEP meetings.Discuss your participation at the meeting with the special educator prior to the meeting.Communicate regularly with parents - build relationships.Implement and document how you are following the IEP.

Referral & EvaluationSomeone refers the student for evaluation (usually the parent or teacher). School has 25 school days from referral to decide if they will evaluate.Parent must consent to evaluation.School must complete initial evaluation within 35 school days of parental consent.The evaluation must be unbiased, reliable, and provide meaningful information regarding the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and behavior. Parent has the right to an independent evaluation at public expense.

Evaluation Procedures

Review existing data on the student including classroom-based, local, state assessments, and classroom observations.Use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about the student.Provide assessments in the student’s native language.

IEP Development - Who’s involved?

The student (when appropriate).Local educational agency (LEA) - who will oversee implementation of the child’s plan.General classroom teachers (at least 1).Special education teacher.Therapist.Parents.Others at the discretion of the parents or LEA. Evaluator if other than the special education teacher.

Contents of the IEPChild’s present levels of performance (e.g., educational, social, behavioral).Specific measurable annual goals, objectives, expected levels of performance, timelines.Information regarding the students placement and related services.Modifications to the general education curriculum.Dates & times for delivery of services.Means to assess AYP. Transition plan (16 and up).

Continuum of Sped Services - LRE

General Education (Gen Ed) Curriculum

Gen Ed w/ consultative services

Gen Ed & instruction & services

Gen Ed & resource room

Full time Sped classroom

Special school

Special facilities, day or

residential

Most Inclusive

Most intensive

Accommodations vs. Modifications

Accommodations Defined

Are intended to reduce or eliminate the effects of the student’s disability.

Do not reduce learning expectations.

Allow students to demonstrate knowledge and skills through a content area assessment and obtain valid scores

From: 2008 Accommodations Guidelines for StudentsWith disabilities - OSPI (p. 5)

Types of AccommodationsPresentation - allow students to access information in ways other than through reading traditional print (e.g., text-to-speech software)Response - allow students to a complete assessments in different ways (e.g., using a computer program that allows them to organize their thoughts visually)Setting - Change the location and conditions (alternate room)Time and schedule - increase available time or how the assessment is organized

Modifications

Actually change what is assessed.

Validity and reliability of assessment results must be questioned.

Examples include adjusting test questions to reduce content demands and provide scaffolding for the student to identify each step that should be taken to solve the problem

What should I do when a student is struggling in my class?

Start a confidential file on a secure computer.Describe the student in a one paragraph narrative that concludes w/ your concerns.Identify the student’s current levels of functional performance in each of the following domains: academic, social, emotional/behavioral - one paragraph overview from IST pre-referral.Begin to create a database so that you can chart the student’s progress over time.Identify and implement research-based instructional strategies.Build a relationship with the parents.

How to document student learning Use the academic categories from the IEP. Create three means of collecting evidence: 1) a portfolio system, 2) a spread sheet with graphing capabilities, and 3) a narrative that summarizes the student’s performance using quantitative and qualitative data.

REMEMBER - The purpose of this documentation is to inform your instructional strategies and chart student growth over time and across interventions.

Research-based InstructionInvolves the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to educational activities.Employs systematic empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment.Includes rigorous data analysis.Is evaluated using experimental or quasi-experimental designsHas been accepted by a peer reviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts.

Academic areas of focusListening comprehension

Oral expression

Basic reading skills (alphabetic principle, decoding, phonemic awareness, fluency, semantics)

Reading comprehensionBasic writing skills (handwriting, spelling, grammar)Written expressionMath computationMath reasoningProblem solving

Listening Comprehension

Sara is able to sustain her attention during group activities for 15 - 20 minutes. She follows three-step oral directions and is able to recall at least five story elements from orally read texts. She asks clarifying questions, provides feedback pertinent to the listening activity (e.g., I’ve seen my dog chase cats too!), and responds to verbal cues. Sara is meeting GLEs for listening comprehension and is a joy to have in class.

Sample Documentation

Oral Expression

Sara adjusts her language based on the situation (e.g., when speaking with friends vs. adults). She initiates discussions and participates in group activities (e.g., brainstorming). She is able to articulate supporting details and organize information into logical sequences. She speaks clearly and distinctly using developmentally appropriate grammar, syntax, tone, and inflection.

Sample Documentation

Basic Reading SkillsWhile Sara possesses strong listening comprehension and oral expression skills, she struggles with basic reading skills. For example, during a Pre-Primer Subject Word List screening using the Qualitative Reading Inventory- 4, Sara scored in the 60th percentile or frustration level. She was unable to automatically identify the words “children”, “other”, “animal”, “place”, “every”, “thing”, “write”, and “live”. Sara is often unable to read words containing complex letter patterns (e.g., -ought, -aught). She has difficulty decoding multi-syllabic words (i.e., two and three syllable). When prompted she is able to use prefixes and suffixes to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words 50% of the time.

Sample Documentation

Using data to inform instruction

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Week1

Week2

Week3

Week4

Week5

Week6

Sight WordsDecodingFluencyComprehension

Sara’s Reading Performance

Intervention

You try itIn your grade level groups, split the academic categories among the group and document the student’s current levels of academic performance. Remember to use data to support your claims. Give examples when possible. Each of you will also need to create an artifact that demonstrates the data you are presenting.

You can find the GLEs at:http://www.k12.wa.us/Ealrs/

Helpful WebsitesTool kit on teaching and assessing students with disabilitieshttp://www.osepideasthatwork.org/toolkit/index.aspWashington State Special Educationhttp://www.k12.wa.us/specialed/IDEA 2004 News, Information and Resourceshttp://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html#toolsOSEP Sponsored Web Siteshttp://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/resources.htmlAccess Center Resources Main Pagehttp://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/default.aspCAST: NCAChttp://www.cast.org/policy/ncac/index.htmlNICHCY Homehttp://www.nichcy.org/National Research Center on Learning Disabilitieshttp://nrcld.org/PBIS Websitehttp://www.pbis.org/main.htmPDA Center - Resourceshttp://depts.washington.edu/pdacent/resources.html§ Schoollaw.info: Case Law §http://home.earthlink.net/~jhholly/caselaw.htmlLD Onlinehttp://www.ldonline.org/indepth