eligibility

If a child is having trouble in school, the parent should contact the teacher or principal to discuss his/her concerns. Typically, the school
district has a team of school personnel that review the student's problems, and suggest academic and/or behavioral strategies in an effort to
improve the student's performance. Parents should be prepared to share information about the child that may assist the team in developing
the academic and/or behavioral strategies.

Upon receiving a referral for special education, the school team determines whether or not an evaluation is justified.

If the team determines that no evaluation is needed, it must provide a written explanation for not conducting the evaluation.

If the team determines that an evaluation is needed, the school personnel invite the parent to a Domain Review Meeting (DRM). At the
DRM, the parents, along with a team of staff members, decide which types of assessments/evaluations are necessary in order to get a
comprehensive view of the student.

The following domains (areas) are considered:

Health
Hearing
Vision
Social Emotional
Academic
General Intelligence
Communication
Motor Skills

Typically, a variety of school and/or district staff members attend the DRM, including the following:

School representative (principal or assistant principal);
School psychologist
General education teacher;
Special education teacher;
School social worker;
School nurse;
Related service personnel: speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist

Each staff member will discuss his/her relative domain, as it pertains to the student. After discussing each domain, the team (including the
parents!) will decide if additional information is necessary in order to determine the child’s eligibility. If additional information is necessary, the
team should enter the appropriate evaluations/tests on the Identification of Needed Assessments form. The parent will be asked to sign,
either concurring that no further information is necessary, or consenting to additional testing. The parent's signature “triggers” the 60 school-
day timeline to complete the case study evaluation process.

At this point, the Evaluation process begins. For more information on the evaluation process, click here.

After the evaluation is complete, the Team re-convenes for an Eligibility Determination Conference (EDC). A variety of school staff members
attend the EDC. Typically, the following school personnel attend the EDC:

School or district representative (principal or assistant principal);
School psychologist;
General education teacher;
Special education teacher;
School social worker;
School nurse;
Related service personnel (speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist)

Each staff member who conducted an evaluation or assessment will present the results of the tests. After each staff member presents their
evaluation results, the team will determine whether or not the student is eligible for special education and related services, pursuant to the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A school representative will facilitate a discussion of the special education eligibility
criteria, as enumerated in IDEA.

IDEA states that children with disabilities aged 3-21, may be granted one or more of the following eligibility criteria if, by reason of that
disability, need special education and related services:

If the student is deemed eligible for special education and related services, the entire team must discuss the ways in which the child’s disability
adversely affects the student’s ability to learn. The parent will be asked to sign consent for the student to receive the recommended services.
The Team will develop the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This may happen at the EDC, or at a subsequent meeting.