Referral ⁄ Evaluation ⁄ Eligibility
The following information was taken from the Virginia Department of Education's Parent’s Guide to Special Education (2010). http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/parents/parents_guide.pdf
Referral When your child is suspected of having a disability, a referral, which is a written or oral request for an evaluation, is given to the school. (page 8)
Evaluation The school then evaluates the child to determine whether your child has a disability as well as the nature and extent of the special education and related services that your child needs. (page 8)
Eligibility Based on the results of the evaluation, a team decides if your child is eligible to receive special education and related services. To be found eligible, the team must decide that the child has a disability and as a result needs special education and related services. (page 8)
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Description: Decision Tree: How to Assist and Support Students through Interventions - When a parent, teacher, another person, or a school-based team thinks a student has a health condition, learning difficulty, or other challenges that are affecting the student’s ability to learn, the school should take a proactive approach to determine the type of support and/or services that will help meet the student’s needs. This could be a range of informal and/or formal services provided by one or more of...
Description: Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) - A Resource Document - The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that students with disabilities are provided a free appropriate public education, referred to as FAPE. FAPE is also required under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In Virginia, FAPE is an important legal right for students with disabilities, ages 2 through 21, receiving services under these two laws. This document defines FAPE, explains what FAPE requires...
Description: In response to feedback and collaboration with the field, as well as to legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has released the Video Guide to the Special Education Evaluation Process for Families as additional guidance to support accurate and consistent eligibility determinations and access to special education services across school divisions. These video modules will provide parents, families, and other stakeholders with a brief but...
Description: The Virginia Family’s Guide to Special Education is a revision of the former A Parent’s Guide to Special Education that was originally published in 2010. This new state guide was developed by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to help those involved in special education, whether as families, teachers or school administrators, advocates, or students. Meeting the needs of children with disabilities requires an understanding of rights and responsibilities which include the...
Description: Tips to prepare students with intellectual disabilities for college expectations - In this Grab and Go Practices, Think College focuses on three primary campus experiences college students needto be prepare for. Student may engage in these activities with little or no support from adults. These experiences include: Campus participation Academic preparation Personal responsibility Many skills students learn earlier in their education can be generalized to...
Description: This series was designed to support the engagement of families in the special education process, share information, encourage advocacy skills, and foster collaborative home-school partnerships which positively impact student success. Created by a design team that included family and staff members, you can observe the journey of one family as they navigate their emotions, learn about special education, and make decisions. (The video is provided in Spanish with closed captions in English.)
Description: This includes recordings of webinar presentations and accompanying materials on a range of topics sponsored by Formed Families Forward (FFF) including: Back to School Improving Organization and Study Skills Screen-Savvy Parenting Collaborative Problem Solving with Agency Partners Special Education Eligibility And many more
Description: The purpose of these guidelines is to provide resources and suggestions to enhance the provision of services to students who are deaf and hard of hearing in order to support their educational goals. These guidelines are written for special and general education administrators, teachers of students who are deaf and hard of hearing (referred to by Virginia teacher licensure regulations as HI teachers and generally referred to as teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing-TODHH), general educators,...
Description: Evaluation is an essential beginning step in the special education process for a child with a disability. Before a child can receive special education and related services for the first time, a full and individual initial evaluation of the child must be conducted to see if the child has a disability and is eligible for special education. Informed parent consent must be obtained before this evaluation may be conducted. The evaluation process is guided by requirements in Part B of our...
Description: The birth of a child is an exciting, life-changing event. A beautiful new baby comes to your house, family, and neighborhood. It is a time for celebration. But what happens when this new child has a disability? What if there are health problems? What if, as time goes by, it seems as if the child isn’t learning and progressing as quickly or easily as other children? What do you do? CPIR offers a suite of resource pages that can help you find answers and people who can...
Description: Early intervention is full of terms that people constantly use in writing and in conversation, and it’s important to know what those terms mean. We are pleased to provide this handy reference to early intervention terminology, and hopes it helps our readers quickly connect with the meaning of pivotal words and phrases in the field.
Description: The education of children with disabilities is a top national priority. Our nation’s special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), sets high standards for their achievement and guides how special help and services are made available in schools to address their individual needs.
Description: About the Training Curriculum Title | Building the Legacy for Our Youngest Children with Disabilities: A Training Curriculum on Part C of IDEA 2004 By Whom? | This training curriculum was produced by NICHCY at the request of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Department of Education. The Center for Parent Information and Resources is pleased to house this curriculum and to make it continuously available. For Whom? | The curriculum is intended to...
Description: The nation’s special education law is called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. As part of making special education and related services available to children with disabilities in the public schools, IDEA defines the term “child with a disability.” That definition includes specific disability terms, which are also defined by IDEA, as this webpage describes. The IDEA’s disability terms and definitions guide how States in their own turn define...
Description: Special Needs Parent Tool Kit Birth to 18 - The Office of Community Support for Military Families with Special Needs is pleased to provide the Department of Defense Special Needs Parent Tool Kit — Birth to 18. This tool kit provides information and resources that will help you improve your quality of life and teaches you how to advocate for your child with special needs. Each of the six modules addresses issues you are likely to encounter throughout your child’s life. Whether your...
Description: We are pleased to provide English speakers with quick access to the wealth of information in Spanish on this website. For those of you who don’t speak Spanish, use this page to easily find and share important information with the Spanish speakers you serve in their own language. Use the alphabetical jumps below to search the list for topics in English. Each item starts with the topic/title in English and a link to information in English on that topic. This is followed by the...
Description: Información en español en este sitio, Nos complacemos en facilitar su acceso rápido a nuestra información en español a través de esta lista alfabética organizada por Tema de Discapacidad.
Description: If you’re concerned about the development of an infant or toddler, or you suspect that a little one has a disability, this page will summarize one terrific source of help—the early intervention system in your state. Early intervention services can help infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays to learn many key skills and catch up in their development.
Description: Has a child’s disability recently touched your life? Are you visiting our website today looking for information about that disability? Would you like to find organizations and people that can help address the disability-related questions and concerns you may have? We’re very pleased you’re here, because the CPIR has a great deal of information about disabilities to share. We hope this page will: give you a quick roadmap to the disability world of help that’s available in...
Description: When a child is having trouble in school, it’s important to find out why. The child may have a disability. By law, schools must provide special help to eligible children with disabilities. This help is called special education and related services. There’s a lot to know about the process by which children are identified as having a disability and in need of special education and related services. This section of CPIR’s website is devoted to helping you learn about that process....
Description: Read This Publication If You Want to Know… How to have your child evaluated (at no cost to you) to see why he or she is having difficulty in school What the evaluation process involves and how you can contribute to it How special education can support your child’s learning, if he or she is found eligible for services How your child’s eligibility is determined and your right to participate in making that decision What happens next, if your child is found eligible...
Description: Special education is full of terms that people constantly use in writing and in conversation, and it’s important to know what those terms mean. NICHCY is pleased to provide this handy reference to special education terminology, and hopes it helps our readers quickly connect with the meaning of pivotal words and phrases in the field.
Description: The VCU Autism Center for Education is committed to providing resources for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Resources consists of items which may be checked out from our extensive Lending Library as well as electronic materials you can download directly from our website. The electronic materials include fact sheets, peer reviewed journal articles, manuals, website links as well as other materials and information that expand the knowledge of ASD and facilitate implementation of...
Description: This booklet is for the parents, caregivers or representatives of children younger than age 18 who have disabilities that might make them eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. It is also for adults who became disabled in childhood (prior to age 22) and who might be entitled to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. (We call this SSDI benefit a “child’s” benefit because it is paid on a parent’s Social Security earnings record.)
Description: A 37 minute audio/video overview of special education created to help parents of children with disabilities understand what special education is, how a child might get into special education, how to resolve disagreements, and what role parents play. Developed by PACER Center, it is funded in part by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education.
Description: Resources - Special Education Regulations & Rights "Your Family's Special Education Rights" identifies key parts of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004” (IDEA), a federal law governing the education of students with disabilities. IDEA 2004 requires that families be informed of their special education rights, including how families and schools can resolve problems. This document is available in Arabic (PDF), Chinese (PDF), English (PDF), Urdu...
Description: A complaint is generally an expression of some disagreement with a procedure or a process regarding special education programs, procedures or services. A formal complaint is considered a request that this division investigate an alleged violation of a right of a parent and/or child with disabilities who is eligible, or believed to be eligible, for certain services based on federal and state laws and regulations governing special education.
Description: Welcome to the U.S. Department of Education’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website, which brings together IDEA information and resources from the Department and our grantees. Whether you are a student, parent, educator, service provider, or grantee, you are here because you care about children with disabilities and their families and want to find information and explore resources on infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.
Description: COACH is better than ever! Now with practical updates based on user feedback and a new streamlined format for easier use, the third edition of this bestselling guide can be the key to effective educational planning for students with intensive special education needs in inclusion-oriented schools.