Parent Permission for Evaluation for Special Education

It is always required to honor a parent’s written request for a special education evaluation.  If a parent makes a verbal request for a special education evaluation, under WI DPI’s complaint violation rulings, it is a district’s obligation to educate and inform parents how to make an official request for an evaluation (i.e., written, child’s name, reason disability suspected).  The district’s once-a-year legal announcement does not meet the district’s child find obligation in the case of a parent who has made a verbal request.  However, in the case of a verbal request for an evaluation, many requests do indeed include that needed education about how to make an official request.

Especially in the case of an evaluation in the area of Specific Learning Disability (SLD) , it may also include education about what is immediately available through a multi-leveled system of support (and RtI), which may be available through a regular education process.  Parents who have made a request for a special education evaluation, when given an opportunity for immediate, intensive intervention in a regular education setting, may chose to postpone the beginning of a special education evaluation so the results of the intensive intervention can be obtained.  In such a case, parents may chose to begin a special education evaluation in the area of SLD or may chose to postpone their decision until more information is known. It’s their choice (from DPI WI School Psychology News)

Sharing Information Across Systems Bulletin

Sharing Information Across Systems (2010) is available at http://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/pdf/sharing.pdf .  This was updated by the WI Department of Public Instruction in December 2010.

Student Records and Confidentiality Bulletin

Student Records and Confidentiality (2010) is available at http://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/pdf/srconfid.pdf  This was updated by WI Department of Public Instruction in December 2010.

Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment Cycle for next 5 years

Here is the link to the information on the Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment Cycle for the next 5 years:  http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/xls/selfassmt-cycle-2012-2016.xls

Significant Changes for all Initial LD evaluations as of Dec 1

We have posted a memo on the SLD web page, http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/pdf/ld-3-significant-chgs.pdf  that describes the significant changes effective December 1, 2010 for all initial evaluations where Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) is considered, whether or not LEAs have begun using RTI to determine insufficient progress

Special Education and Student Services Newsletter for Week of February 7 is now posted

Each week I write a Special Education and Student Services Newsletter primarily for staff or for others who are interested.  You can find these at:
https://sites.google.com/a/medford.k12.wi.us/specialed/home/special-education-and-student-services-newsletter

Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting Training on Feb 17

Medford will be having a training on Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting. Our trainer will be Donald Everhard who is our Associate Elementary Supervisor and a former social worker and police officer. The training will be held on Feb 17 from 4:00 to 5:30 at Medford Area Elementary School.