IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Fall 2016 | Page 79

All evaluations and reevaluations include a review of the testing
and assessments that were conducted, information from the
parents, classroom observations, and the observations of teachers
and related service personnel. The evaluation or reevaluation will
also tell you what additions or changes are needed to help the
student take part in and progress in the general curriculum.
The Evaluation Report will indicate if the student has one or more
disabilities and if the student needs special education. It may
recommend the type of programs and services the student needs.
The ER may state that the student is not eligible and does not need
special education services. The parents will receive a written notice
of this determination and have the right to dispute it at a hearing.
The entire evaluation process will be completed within 60 calendar
days, excluding summer vacation, from the date the district
receiv es the parent’s written permission on the Permission to
Evaluate form. A copy of the ER will be given to the parents. If the
parent does not agree with the ER, they may submit a dissenting
opinion, which will become part of the final ER.
The Individualized Education Program (IEP): If the student
is eligible for special education, a team meeting with parent
involvement is scheduled for the student. The IEP will be written at
the meeting and will include a description of all the programs and
services necessary to help the student be successful. The IEP team
uses information that is contained in the ER to write the IEP.
Required members of the IEP team are: The child’s parent(s); at
least one of the child’s general education teachers (if the child is,
or might become, part of general education classes); at least one
special education teacher; the school district administrator/local
education agency representative; someone who can interpret the
evaluation results, who may already be a member of the team; a
representative from a vocational-technical school if a vocationaltechnical program is being considered for the child and; at parent
request or that of the school district, other people who know the
child well or who have worked with the child. The parent may
bring an advocate to advise them or anyone else who will be able
to add information about the child’s educational experience.
One person may fill more than one of the above roles. Mandated
members of the IEP team may be excused from the meeting if
the parent and the school district agree in writing. If a member
is excused and his/her area of expertise is being discussed, he/
she must provide written input before the meeting. If the parents
choose to not attend the IEP meeting, it may be held without
them.
IEP Timelines: The IEP will be completed within 30 calendar days
after the evaluation team issues the Evaluation Report. The IEP
plan will be implemented as soon as possible, but no later than 10
school days after the IEP is completed. The student’s program is

Educational Setting: The IEP team will consider different classes
or schools to determine where the program can be delivered. The
first consideration will be the general education classroom in the
student’s neighborhood school. The law requires that students
with disabilities be placed in situations that will provide as many
opportunities as appropriate to be with students who are not
disabled. This is called placing the student in the Least Restrictive
Environment (LRE). The LRE is the general education classroom
in the neighborhood school unless the IEP team determines that
the special needs of the student cannot be met there even with
supplemental aids and services.
The Appropriate Class: The classroom chosen for the student
will depend upon the amount and kind of special instruction or
services the student needs. A special education teacher may be
able to provide instruction in the general classroom (Inclusion).
For some students, placement in a special education Itinerant,
Supplemental or Full-time classroom for some of the day is
necessary. Students who receive most of their instruction in basic
academic subjects in special education classes will still have
opportunities to participate in other activities in school with
general education students. These opportunities might include
participation in elective subjects such as art or music, belonging to
a general homeroom, socializing in the lunchroom, and attending
assemblies and other enrichment programs with general
education students.
The IEP team decides what type of support class is appropriate for
the student with special needs. These classes are formed around
the learning needs of students who are assigned to them: Learning
support class – for children whose greatest need is for help in
academic areas such as reading and math; Emotional support
class – for children whose greatest need is for social, emotional,
and behavioral help; Life Skills support class – for children whose
greatest need is to learn skills that will allow them to live and work
independent of their families; Sensory support skills class – for
children who require help in dealing with disabilities resulting
from limited vision or hearing; Speech and language support class
– for children who have difficulty speaking and communicating;
Physical support class – for children who need programs that
consider their physical disabilities; Autistic support class – for
children with autism; Multiple disabilities support class – for
children with more than one disability, the combination of which
results in needs requiring many services and much support.
Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP): Upon
completion of the IEP, the parent will receive a NOREP. The NOREP
will indicate the educational placement for the student and
requires parent approval in writing before the school district will
begin implementation.
Basic Rights for Parents: Parents have a right to be notified of the
safeguards that serve to protect the rights of their child who is
a child with a disability or thought to be a child with a disability.
These are called procedural safeguards. The school has the duty to
inform parents of these procedural safeguards:
➢ Upon initial referral or parental request for an evaluation;
➢ With notice of a disciplinary change in placement;
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2016 | icmags.com 77

SC HOOL DI STRI C T N E WS

The Evaluation Report (ER): The Evaluation Report will include
information about the student’s skills, social behavior, learning
problems, learning strengths, and educational needs.

reviewed every year at an IEP meeting or more often if requested
by the parent or any other IEP team member.

Brentwood Borough

If the student is eligible, a reevaluation is conducted at least every
three years unless the student is intellectually disabled, in which
case reevaluations are conducted at least every two years.