Policy – Category 5000 (Students)
BP 5001 – Identification and Referral
For a school-aged child, the referral for special education assessment may include a referral to the Student Study Team (SST) and/or the scheduling of a parent conference to discuss the concerns and possible interventions. If the parent specifically requests, in writing, that their child be assessed to determine eligibility for special education program services, a proposed Assessment Plan (DM 66) and a copy of the Parental Rights and Procedural Safeguards (DM 77) shall be presented to the parent within 15 days of their request for assessment. The proposed assessment may include a classroom observation, review of records, informal screening, and/or a referral for a formal evaluation in suspected areas of disability, such as, but not limited to, vision/hearing, speech-language, academic skills, cognition, adaptive behavior, psychological processing skills, or social-emotional-behavioral status. Parents have at least 15 days from receipt of the plan to give consent to assess. The timelines for assessment begin when the LEA receives the signed assessment plan.
3.0
Student Study Team (SST)
California Education Code § 56303. A pupil shall be referred for special educational instruction and services only after the resources of the regular education program have been considered and, where appropriate, utilized.
Procedures have been developed in individual LEAs for the receipt and processing of referrals for special education assessment. In all LEAs, the school site SST meets regarding children for whom there are concerns. The team addresses the implementation and level of success of the general education classroom program modifications and available general education resources and programs, including categorical programs. When the SST determines that all possible modifications have been exhausted or the modifications available are not appropriate, the SST or classroom teacher refers the child for an assessment for possible special education services. The parent is informed and encouraged to be a part of the SST process. Parents are notified if a referral for a special education assessment is made by the team. The SST is a regularly scheduled, structured meeting of general educators, supported by special education and other staff as appropriate. Their purpose is to provide an effective support system in general education that will generate effective interventions for children who are experiencing challenges in learning or behavior difficulties at school. The SST process is designed to meet the needs of all children and results in a team action plan to ensure student success. The structure of the SST may be designed to fit the needs of individual school sites. Team membership varies according to the needs of the child but should include the people that can best support the child and the classroom teacher. The majority of the team membership must be composed of general education teachers and
BP 5001 – Identification and Referral
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Desert Mountain Special Education Local Plan Area (DMSELPA) (rev. 08/21)
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