Family Partnerships Laws Exam

What are the key components of IDEA

Procedural Safeguards, Child Find/Zero Reject, Appropriate Evaluation, Free Appropriate Public Education, Least Restrictive Environment, Individualized Education Program

Procedural Safeguards

Legal Rights for:

• Parental Participation: decision making about evaluation, placement, and service delivery

• Due Process: a process for resolving disagreement to ensure FAPE

Child Find & Zero Reject

• Child Find: Public school personnel must locate, identify and evaluate children suspected of having a disability

• Zero Reject: no child will be denied a FAPE

Appropriate Evaluation

Evaluation for eligibility:

• a comprehensive evaluation by a team of qualified professionals

• in all areas related to suspected disability

• on receipt of parental consent

• to determine if the student has a disability using a variety of assessment tools and strategies

Least Restrictive Environment

Must be educated with their non disabled peers in LRE to the maximum extent

Individualized Education Plan

• Provide “appropriate” education for individual students; in general curriculum

• Goals for improvement + Manner the school will help the student reach the goals

What is the influence IDEA has on family involvement in special education?

• Rights for families to participate in decision making at every step of special education

• Protection of the rights of families to consent/disagree/file complaints for each decision

What are the legal implications that the Family Education Rights and Privacy Ace (FERPA) has on the field of special education?

• Families have access to their children’s educational records

• The privacy rights of parents and children are protected by limiting access to the educational records. Parent consent is needed

• Parents can request the records be amended/destroyed

What are the influences of Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act on families of children with Special Needs?

• Section 504 prohibits discrimination against all persons with disabilities

• Accommodations/services need to be provided for all individuals with disabilities

What are the steps in the NH Special Education Process

• Disability Suspected

• Referral Made

• Evaluation

• Determination of Eligibility/Disability

• Development & Approval of the IEP

• Determination of Placement

• Ongoing Monitoring

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

• created a clear role for the federal government in K-12 education policy, offering more than $1 billion a year in aid under its first statutory section, known as Title 1, to districts to help cover the cost of educating disadvantaged students

No Child Left Behind (State)

• Ensure teachers are “highly qualified” (a bachelor’s degree in the subject they are teaching & state their certification)

• Test students in reading and math in grades 3-8 and once in high school

• Bring all students to the “proficient level”

• Report results for particular subgroups including low income, disabled, English-learners and racial minorities

No child left behind principle

• increased accountability for states, local school districts, and schools for student achievement

• increased parental choices for their child’s school placement

• flexibility for school districts in use of federal funds

• strong emphasis on using scientifically based instructional methods

• have each teacher and paraeducator be highly qualified

Every Student Succeeds Act

• law places less emphasis on testing, reduces the amount of schools labeled as “failing,” and gives educators a bigger opportunity to take and make decisions based on the needs of their students and schools

• recognizes that the multidisciplinary IEP team is the best position to make critical decisions regarding the students’ academic, assessment, and social emotional needs

• Specialized Instructional Support Personnel can implement early intervention programs to help identify students who need specific support early on

• Students must have access to appropriate accommodations, such as the ability to use assistive technology for assessments