NOTTINGHAM WEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SPECIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

Karen Cassidy                                                               Cheryl O’Toole

Special Education Department Head                         Special Education Secretary

SPECIAL SERVICES PROGRAMS

The Special Services Department at Nottingham West School consists of the elementary learning disabilities program (Grades 1-5), elementary ABA program, four early childhood special education preschools, and the behavior support program.

Elementary ABA Program
Teacher: Kim Labranche, ext. 1463
The ABA Elementary Program is designed to meet the educational, social, communication, adaptive living and motor needs of students grades 1 through 5 who have been diagnosed with autism or are somewhere on the autism spectrum. Students within the program have programs that are individually designed under the auspices of Applied Behavioral Analysis skills teaching. Students are assessed yearly and data collection takes place continuously so that changes in programming that promote student achievement can take place as needed.

Elementary Resource Program
Teachers: Pegeen Dunne, ext. 1450, Brenda Whitely, ext. 1452, and Tracey Sturges, ext. 1451

The Special Services Department at Nottingham West Elementary School is providing services to approximately 75 identified students on the elementary level from grades 1 through 5. Nottingham West has three special education resource room teachers along with 5 program paraprofessional who support students who are identified as having mild to moderate to severe learning disabilities.

Student Support Center

Para-Professional Line Poulin, ext. 1414

The behavior support program paraprofessional works with students exhibiting mild to moderate behavioral difficulties.

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SPECIAL EDUCATION PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

Preschool Case Coordinator: Teresa Morgan, ext. 1458

PRESCHOOL PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Teachers:

Tina DeMember, ext. 1466; Kim Whorton, ext. 1455; Kim Cayot, ext. 1458

Nottingham West Integrated Preschool Programs

Nottingham West early childhood pre-school programs provide special education services to children ages 3 and 4, Monday through Friday. Children enter into one of the four programs through Early Supports and Services community agencies, through direct special education referrals to the Preschool Team or, finally, through the monthly Child Find Screenings held at Nottingham West. Children participating in the program have disabilities that range from mild to moderate speech and language delays and negatively impact their acquisition of age appropriate pre-academic skills and social/play skills. Children may also exhibit deficits in the areas of gross and fine motor skills as well.

The programs consist of 4 classrooms, each staffed with a certified preschool special education teacher. Preschool Classrooms offer full time and half-day classes, depending upon the child's needs. Full day session run from 8:50-2:50pm while half-day programs run from 8:50 to 11:20am and 12:20 to 2:50pm. Students in these programs receive support through related service providers such as speech and language, occupational therapy, physical therapy and behavior support. Additionally, students receive additional support through paraprofessionals that work in these programs. Two classes in the preschool program offer programming for 2.5 hours a day, Monday through Thursday.  This 10-hour a week program is offered in both the morning and afternoon.  The morning program generally serves children in the 3-4 years of age while the afternoon classes serve students who are 4-5 years of age.  Students who participate in these 10-hour programs enjoy a typical preschool environment in which children engage in activities that support social skills, self-help skills, gross motor movement, fine motor skills, and early academic learning.  In these programs, students who are identified with educational disabilities participate with their typically developing peers under the guidance of certified educators and support staff.  Each week, a different theme is used to center activities.  As part of the program, all children participate in group occupational therapy (OT) in which the occupational therapist comes in to class and oversees 30 minutes of fine motor activities.  All children also participate in a weekly, 30 minute group speech session under the direction of a certified speech-language pathologist.  This team of educators and related service staff consult together regularly to provide age-appropriate activities that support the needs of each child.

ABA PRESCHOOL PROGRAM
Teacher: Tina Brigham, ext. 1456
Preschoolers participating in this 30 hour a week program have been diagnosed as having Pervasive Developmental Delay-not otherwise specified or Autism. All learning is regarded as behavioral in nature and each child’s program is individually designed and implemented to address the following areas: pre-academic skills, communication, fine and gross motor skills, adaptive living skills, social and play skills and negatively impacting behaviors associated with spectrum disorders. The program consists of a preschool teacher, 4 personal paraprofessionals, consulting services from a behavioral specialist and the related service staff for speech and language, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

The Basic Special Education Process Under IDEA*

PLEASE NOTE- Recent consensus reports concur in suggesting major changes in the Federal regulatory approach to the identification of learning disabilities (LD). These reports recommend abandoning the IQ-discrepancy model and the use of IQ tests for identification, and also recommend incorporation of responsiveness to intervention (RTI) as one of the identification criteria. In order to ensure adequate instruction for students with LD, it is essential that identification practices focus on assessments that are directly related to instruction, that any services for students who are struggling prioritize intervention over eligibility, and that special education be permitted to focus more on results and outcomes, and less on eligibility and process. Identification models that incorporate RTI represent a shift in special education towards the goals of better achievement and behavioral outcomes for students identified with LD as well as those students at risk for LD.

Step 1. Child is identified as possibly needing special education and related services.
"Child Find." The state must identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities in the state who need special education and related services. To do so, states conduct "Child Find"
activities. A child may be identified by "Child Find," and parents may be asked if the "Child Find" system can evaluate their child. Parents can also call the "Child Find" system and ask that their child be evaluated. Or —

Referral or request for evaluation. A school professional may ask that a child be evaluated to see if he or she has a disability. Parents may also contact the child’s teacher or other school professional to ask that their child be evaluated. This request may be verbal or in writing. Parental consent is needed before the child may be evaluated. Evaluation needs to be completed within a reasonable time after the parent gives consent.

Step 2. Child is evaluated.
The evaluation must assess the child in all areas related to the child’s suspected disability. The evaluation results will be used to decide the child’s eligibility for special education and related services and to make decisions about an appropriate educational program for the child. If the parents disagree with the evaluation, they have the right to take their child for an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE). They can ask that the school system pay for this IEE.

Step 3. Eligibility is decided.
A group of qualified professionals and the parents look at the child’s evaluation results. Together, they decide if the child is a "child with a disability," as defined by IDEA. Parents may ask for a hearing to challenge the eligibility decision.

Step 4. Child is found eligible for services.
If the child is found to be a "child with a disability," as defined by IDEA, he or she is eligible for special education and related services. Within 30 calendar days after a child is determined eligible, the IEP team must meet to write an IEP for the child.

Once the student has been found eligible for services, the IEP must be written. The two steps below summarize what is involved in writing the IEP.

Step 5. IEP meeting is scheduled.

The school system schedules and conducts the IEP meeting. School staff must:

• contact the participants, including the parents;
• notify parents early enough to make sure they have an opportunity to attend;
• schedule the meeting at a time and place agreeable to parents and the school;
• tell the parents the purpose, time, and location of the meeting;
• tell the parents who will be attending;and
• tell the parents that they may invite people to the meeting who have knowledge or special expertise about the child.

Step 6. IEP meeting is held and the IEP is written.
The IEP team gathers to talk about the child’s needs and write the student’s IEP. Parents and the student (when appropriate) are part of the team. If the child’s placement is decided by a different group, the parents must be part of that group as well.
Before the school system may provide special education and related services to the child for the first time, the parents must give consent. The child begins to receive services as soon as possible after the meeting.

If the parents do not agree with the IEP and placement, they may discuss their concerns with other members of the IEP team and try to work out an agreement. If they still disagree, parents can ask for mediation, or the school may offer mediation. Parents may file a complaint with the state education agency and may request a due process hearing, at which time mediation must be available.

Here is a brief summary of what happens after the IEP is written.

Step 7. Services are provided.
The school makes sure that the child’s IEP is being carried out as it was written. Parents are given a copy of the IEP. Each of the child’s teachers and service providers has access to the IEP and knows his or her specific responsibilities for carrying out the IEP. This includes the accommodations, modifications, and supports that must be provided to the child, in keeping with the IEP.

Step 8. Progress is measured and reported to parents.
The child’s progress toward the annual goals is measured, as stated in the IEP. His or her parents are regularly informed of their child’s progress and whether that progress is enough for the child to achieve the goals by the end of the year. These progress reports must be given to parents at least as often as parents are informed of their nondisabled children’s progress.

Step 9. IEP is reviewed.
The child’s IEP is reviewed by the IEP team at least once a year, or more often if the parents or school ask for a review. If necessary, the IEP is revised. Parents, as team members, must be invited to attend these meetings. Parents can make suggestions for changes, can agree or disagree with the IEP goals, and agree or disagree with the placement.

If parents do not agree with the IEP and placement, they may discuss their concerns with other members of the IEP team and try to work out an agreement. There are several options, including additional testing, an independent evaluation, or asking for mediation (if available) or a due process hearing. They may also file a complaint with the state education agency.

Step 10. Child is reevaluated.
At least every three years the child must be reevaluated. This evaluation is often called a "triennial." Its purpose is to find out if the child continues to be a "child with a disability," as defined by IDEA, and what the child’s educational needs are. However, the child must be reevaluated more often if conditions warrant or if the child’s parent or teacher asks for a new evaluation.

The writing of each student’s IEP takes place within the larger picture of the special education process under IDEA. Before taking a detailed look at the IEP, it may be helpful to look briefly at how a student is identified as having a disability and needing special education and related services and, thus, an IEP.

*Note: The flow chart below is drawn from A Guide to the Individualized Education Program by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (2000), available on-line at: www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html. The guide was reviewed by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs for consistency with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, Public Law 105-17, and the final implementing regulations published March 12, 1999.