• Screening Evaluation and Placement Procedures

    The Pine-Richland 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 teacher continually assess:
    1. Gross motor and fine motor skills
    2. Academic skills
    3. Social emotional skills
    The district routinely conducts screening of:
    1. Children's hearing acuity (grades K, 1,2,3 and 7)
    2. Visual acuity (all grade levels)
    3. Speech and language skills (kindergarten and teacher referral)
    Identified needs from all of these screenings sources are noted within the child's official file
    1. These school records are available to parents and to school staff who work with the child on a direct and indirect basis
    2. Information from the records is released to other persons or agencies only with appropriate authorization which requires written signed permission by parents
    If Additional Support is Needed
    If a child required additional services, the child's team will make modifications to accommodate the child's learning style, behavior, physical limitations, or speech problem.
    1. Parents/guardians will be notified if their child is receiving instructional support
    2. If a child does not make progress with intervention, parents will be asked to give written permission for a multidisciplinary evaluation. (MDE)
    3. The evaluation will be coordinated by the district school psychologist who will also participate in the evaluation process.  
    Evaluation Record
    An evaluation report will be completed with parent involvement after all evaluations are completed.
    1. This record includes specific recommendations on how to help the child as well as whether the child is eligible for any special education program
    2. Parents/guardians are then invited to participate in a meeting where the results of this multidisciplinary evaluation will be reviewed and an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) will be developed for those students who are eligible for special education services.
    IEP
    IEP or Individual Education Plan, 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.
    • A description of benchmarks or short-term objectives for children who take alternative assessments.
    • A statement of measurable annual goals, including academic andfunctional goals designed to meet the child’s needs that result for thechild’s disability to enable the child to be involved in and makeprogress in the general education curriculum.
    • A statement of the special education and related services andsupplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to beprovided to the child or on behalf of the child.
    • An explanation of the extent, if any, to which the child will notparticipate with children who are non-disabled in the regular class.

    The IEP Program team is a group of individuals composed of: parents/guardians of the child with a disability, one or more regular education teacher, one or more special education teacher, an LEA representative, any related service providers, and when appropriate the child with the disability.

    The IEP team can review a 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 is issued only when there is a significant change in placement.

    Notice of Recommended Placement
    All parents/guardians are presented with a Notice 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 their child

    Transition
    Transition should be thought of as a bridge from the security and structure of school to the challenges and risks of adult life

    Transition is a coordinated set of activities for a student that:
    • Is designed withinan outcome-oriented process, which promotes movement from school topost-school activities.  Post school activities include post-secondaryeducation, vocational training, integrated employment, continuing andadult education, adult services, independent living and communityparticipation.
    • Is based on the individual student’s needs, taking into account the student’s preferences and interests.
    • Includesinstruction, related services, community experiences, the developmentof employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, whenappropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functionalvocational evaluation.
    PA regulations require planning to begin at age 14.

    ESY
    For all students with disabilities ESY eligibility must be considered at each Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting.
    • This determination must be made even if the child's parents have not specifically requested that their child be evaluated for ESY programming.
    • This consideration also applies to students who are attending Approved Private Schools (APS), or other such facilities, and charter schools.
    • APSs must share necessary information with the responsible LEA so that a timely decision can be made by the IEP team.
    • However, the ultimate responsibility for time IEP review and revisions rests with the LEA.
    Know Your Rights
    Notice of Parents' Rights (Basic Education Circular 8-94 Standard Special Education Forms and Formats)
    • State and federal laws and regulations outline your rights and thesafeguards to be followed in providing a free appropriate publiceducation.
    • At any time you feel that the program is not appropriate, you mayinitiate due process procedures by forwarding a written statement tothe school district. You may also request reevaluation of the studentand/or revisions to the individualized education program. Your requestto initiate your rights to a due process hearing means that your childmust remain in his/her present educational placement, unless you andyour school district both agree to a change while any disagreement isresolved through these procedures. Additionally, if your child has notstarted school at the time you initiate these due process procedures,your school district cannot deny your child admission to attendingpublic school.
    • Before the recommended placement and program is implemented, you havethe right to further discuss the recommendation. When this discussiondoes not resolve differences, you have the right to request aprehearing conference, mediation, or an impartial due-process hearing.You may also request a combination of these alternatives. Each of thesealternatives, is described in the link below, in addition to otherparental rights.
    If you have concerns
    • Parents/guardians who have concerns regarding theirchild may contact the building principal at any time to request ascreening or evaluation of their child.
    • All communication with parents and guardians and students shall be in English or the native language of the parents.
    • Screeninginformation will be used by the IEP team or Child Study Team within thechild's school to meet his or her specific needs or to document theneed for further reevaluation.
    Available upon request from the building principal in your child's school:
    • Parents' Rights
    • Mediation
    • Due Process Procedures
    • Specific Special Education Services and Programs offered by PRSD
    • Pine-Richland's Educational Records Policy