Screening, Evaluation & Placement Procedures
Mars Area School District uses the following procedures as required by law for locating, identifying, and evaluating the specialized needs of school-age students, who may require special programs or services and identifying and evaluating specialized needs of school-age students who may require special programs or services.
Routine Assessments
Classroom teachers continually assess:
- Gross and fine motor skills
- Academic skills
- Social-emotional skills
The District routinely conducts screening of:
- Hearing acuity (grades K, 1, 2, 3, and 7)
- Vision acuity (all grade levels)
- Speech and language skills (K, 1, and teacher referral)
Group standardized assessments
- Cognitive (K, 1, 2)
- Achievement (K, 1, 2)
Identified needs from all of these screening sources are noted within the child’s official file
- These school records are available to parents and to school staff who work with the child on a direct and indirect basis
- Information from these records is released to other persons or agencies only with an appropriate authorization, which requires written, signed permission from parents/guardians.
If Additional Support is Needed
If a child requires additional services, the child’s team will make modifications to accommodate the child’s learning style, behavior, physical limitations, or speech problem.
- Parents/guardians will be notified if their child is receiving instructional support
- If a child does not make progress with interventions, parents will be asked to give written permission for a Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation (MDE).
- The evaluation will be coordinated by the district school psychologist, who will also participate in the evaluation process.
Evaluation Report
After all assessments are completed, an evaluation report will be completed with parent/guardian involvement.
- This report includes specific recommendations on how to help the child as well as whether the child is eligible for any special education program.
- Parents/guardians are then invited to participate in a meeting where the results of the MDE are reviewed and an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) will be developed for students who are eligible for special education supports and services.
Individualized Educational Plan (IEP)
An individualized Educational Plan or IEP is a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with this section and includes:
- The child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance.
- How the disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum and general education classroom.
- A description of benchmarks or short-term objectives for children who take alternative assessments.
- A statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals designed to meet the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability, enables the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum and classroom.
- A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research, to be provided to the child or on behalf of the child.
- An explanation of the extent, if any, to which the child will not participate with children who are non-disabled in the regular class.
The IEP Team is a group of individuals composed of: parents/guardians of the child with a disability, one or more regular education teachers, one or more special education teachers, a Local Education Agency (LEA) representative, any related service providers, and when appropriate the child with the disability.
The IEP Team can review the child’s IEP periodically, but not less than annually.
At the conclusion of an IEP meeting, the child’s educational placement is determined, and a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP) is issued. The NOREP has to be issued only when there is a significant change in placement.
Notice of Recommended Placement
All parents/guardians are presented with a Noticed of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP) which formally specifies the school district’s special education recommendations.
- Parents/guardians may agree or disagree with the recommended program or may wish to suggest other alternatives.
- Either the parent/guardian or School District may use mediation or due process hearing as an impartial method to arrive at an appropriate program for the student.