How do schools determine eligibility for special education services?

How do schools determine eligibility for special education services?

• A. By teacher recommendation alone.
• B. Through multi-disciplinary evaluation; determining if a disability exists and adversely affects educational performance and requires specially designed instruction.
• C. By parent consent alone.
• D. By random selection.

Answer: (B)

Eligibility for special education is decided through a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary evaluation that collects data from multiple sources to determine two things: whether a disability exists, and whether that disability adversely affects the student’s ability to benefit from instruction in the general education setting, requiring specially designed instruction. A team of professionals collaborates, and input from parents, teachers, and the student when appropriate is part of the process. The evaluation uses both formal assessments and everyday classroom data to show how the student performs compared to peers and what supports are needed. Parental consent is required to conduct the evaluation, and the final determination must be based on solid data rather than a single opinion or arbitrary selection. If the student is found eligible, an IEP is developed to specify the individualized instruction and services.

Eligibility for special education is decided through a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary evaluation that collects data from multiple sources to determine two things: whether a disability exists, and whether that disability adversely affects the student’s ability to benefit from instruction in the general education setting, requiring specially designed instruction. A team of professionals collaborates, and input from parents, teachers, and the student when appropriate is part of the process. The evaluation uses both formal assessments and everyday classroom data to show how the student performs compared to peers and what supports are needed. Parental consent is required to conduct the evaluation, and the final determination must be based on solid data rather than a single opinion or arbitrary selection. If the student is found eligible, an IEP is developed to specify the individualized instruction and services.