Turning Three Essentials

INFORMING, EDUCATING, EMPOWERING FAMILIES
617-236-7210 | www.fcsn.org | fcsninfo@fcsn.org
Turning Three Essentials: A Workshop for Parents
Parent Training and Information Center

Who we are
The Federation for Children with
Special Needs promotes quality
education, parent participation and
access to quality health care
services for all children, especially
those with disabilities.
The Parent Training and Information Center
is a project of the Federation. It provides
free information, support, technical
assistance and affordable workshops to
families who have children with disabilities
and the professionals who work with them.
The contents of this workshop were developed under a grant from the US Department of Education, #H328M140014.
However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of US Department of Education; you should not assume
endorsement by the federal government.

© Federation for Children with Special Needs3
What are differences between the early
intervention (EI) and special education?
What are the transition steps from early
intervention to special education services?
What is the special education process and
how is eligibility decided?
What are your options if you disagree with
the outcome?
Workshop Goals

What is the different between EI and
Special Education?
Early Intervention is
FAMILY centered; lots
of parent involvement
Special Education is
CHILD focused; parents
help develop the IEP in the
Team meeting, can volunteer
in school and join PTOs

Who gets services?
Early Intervention:
For children with
developmental delays,
certain medical diagnoses,
and those at risk up to age 3
Special Education:
For children from age 3
up to age 22 who need
specialized instruction
to make effective
progress and/or related
services to access the
curriculum
Only children with
specific disabilities
listed in the law

Services look different in preschool.
Children who receive special education services are
entitled to a “Free and Appropriate Public Education”
(FAPE). Schools are not required to provide more than
FAPE to your child.
Not all children in EI will be
eligible for Special Education
Early Intervention (EI) and Preschool

Happens before turning age 3
1. Transition Planning Conference
2. Consent Form
3. Initial School Evaluation
4. Team Meeting
5. IEP Developed (if child is found eligible)
What are steps in the
Transition Planning Process?

Occurs between 2.3 and 2.9 years old
Includes EI and school staff
Special Education eligibility is NOT
determined at this meeting (that
only happens at a school district Team
meeting)
Discuss concerns about your child and
the evaluation process
Ask about signing a consent form for
school to perform an evaluation
Transition Planning Conference

What is the Special Education Process?
6
*Proposed IEP to be provided to parents immediately; if parents are provided with
completed IEP grid sheet describing types and amount of special education and
related services and statement of associated major goals, providing a proposed IEP
within 2 weeks is considered immediate unless parents request IEP within 3-5 days.

Evaluation Consent Form
See 603 CMR 28.04 (1)(a) and (2)
School sends evaluation
consent form to parent for
signature within 5 school
days of receiving referral
School evaluates student
within 30 school days of
receiving parent’s signed
consent form
All times in this
presentation are required
to be followed after your
child’s third birthday
Re: [Name of Student and othernecessary identifying information] Notice Date: [Date from N 1]
School District Name
EVALUATION CONSENT FORM
Attachment to N 1
TYPE OF ASSESSMENTS: A variety of assessment toolsand strategiesshould be used to gather
information that determines the educational needs of this student. [Check yes or no for each assessment.]
RECOMMENDED
YES NO
Assessment in All Areas Related to the Suspected Disability(ies) – describes the
student’s performance in any area related to the child’s suspected disability(ies).
List recommended assessment(s):
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Educational Assessment – includes the history of the student’s educational progress in the
general curriculum and includes current information on the student’s performance.
Observation of the Student – includes the student’s interaction in the student’s classroom
environment or in a child’s natural environment or an early intervention program.
Health Assessment – details any medical problems or constraints that may affect the
student’s education.
Psychological Assessment – describes the student’s learning capacity and learning style in
relationship to social/emotional development and skills.
Home Assessment – details any pertinent family history and home situations that may
affect the student’s education and, with written consent, may include a home visit.
PARENT RESPONSE SECTION
Please indicate your response by checking at least one (1) box and returning a signed copy to the school district. Please keep one
copy for your records. Thank you.
I accept the proposed evaluation in full. I reject the proposed evaluation in full.
I accept the proposed evaluation in part and request that only the listed assessments be completed:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
I additionally request the following assessment(s): assessment(s)listed above: other assessments:(specify)
_________________________ __________________________
_________________________ __________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature of Parent, Guardian, Educational Surrogate Parent, Student 18 and Over* Date
*Required signature once a student reaches 18 unless there is a court appointed guardian.
PARENT INPUT
We strongly encourage you to share your knowledge of this student with us. If you choose, please provide a
written statement (use back of form) or call the indicated contact person. Thank you.
10

Parents may:
o Agree to some or all of the assessments
o Ask for additional assessments
o Ask school to accept an outside assessment
Be sure to read reports before team meeting
TIP: Make written request for evaluation on consent
form; follow up before the meeting
Signing the Consent Form
Parents must provide privately done evaluation reports to
school 10 days before any meeting at which those reports will
be discussed

Evaluations include formal testing by
trained professionals, usually school
district personnel
Should include information from
parent(s) or guardian(s) & teachers
The Initial Evaluation
May include outside medical records, and reports from EI
Language of evaluations must be provided in the child’s
native language or other method of communication, if
feasible

 Educational assessment by a qualified
representative of school district
Assessment in all areas related to suspected
disability
Such assessments might include:
o functional behavioral assessment (FBA),
o speech and language,
o occupational therapy,
o physical therapy
o other areas
What kinds of evaluations will my child have?

Evaluations are completed within
30 school days after school
receives your signed consent
form
If you disagree with the school’s
evaluation, you can request an
Independent Educational
Evaluation (IEE)
Timing of evaluations and reports
If requested in writing, evaluation reports must be
given to parent at least 2-days before a Team meeting.
Why is it important to receive the report before the
meeting?

The Team Meeting
The team meeting will occur within 45 school days
after the school receives your signed Consent
Form
Team meetings will be scheduled at a mutually
agreeable time and place

o Parents
o Evaluators
o Regular & special education teacher(s)
o District representative with knowledge and authority
o Others with knowledge or expertise regarding child, or a friend or
advocate for support
o A qualified professional interpreter for parents whose native
language is not English, supplied by the school
As equal partners of the Team, parent(s) or guardian(s) fully
participate in the development of the IEP
Who is on the IEP Team?
See 34 CFR 300.321 and 300.116(a)(1)

Eligibility
IEP Services: If the child is eligible
for special education, the team
develops an IEP Program, which
includes goals and services
Placement: The Team next
discusses and determines
placement for the child
IEP Process: at the Team Meeting
The Team determines:

The Team will discuss the results of the testing and the
recommendations of the evaluators.
Parents should bring a written list of concerns and their
vision for the next 1 - 5 years for the child. This
should become part of the IEP.
Carefully consider all the recommendations made at
the Team meeting. Share any concerns or
disagreements at the meeting. Remember to remain
calm and respectful when disagreeing.
Parent are not required to sign the IEP at the Team
meeting. The whole Team, including parents,
develop the IEP. Parents are entitled to have time to
review and consider the IEP before signing.
During the Team Meeting

Step 1: Does student have disability?
18

Step 2(a):Is student making effective progress?
Step 2(b):If not, is it due to disability?
19

It is modifying the:
1) content,
2) methodology, and/or
3) performance criteria as appropriate to:
o Meet the unique needs of the child
o Address the child’s needs related to the disability
o Ensure access to the preschool curriculum
o In order to meet Early Childhood Program Standards/
Guidelines for pre-school learning experiences
Step 2c: Does child require specially designed
instruction to make effective progress?
Specially designed instruction is special education.

o Psychological
o School health and
school nurse, social
worker
o Speech and language
pathology
o Audiology
o Occupational therapy
o Orientation and
mobility
o Physical therapy
Step 2c: or does child require related services to
access the general curriculum?

If your child is deemed eligible
for an IEP, then the Team
develops one or more goals.
Goals usually correspond to the
areas of need (i.e. behavior,
gross motor, communication)
Goals should be challenging
but attainable within a year
Goals are linked to services
listed in the IEP
Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) goals

Modifications should also be included. For example, a
student with medical issues may need to have certain
assignments revised
Examples:
o extra thick crayons
o special safety items
o preferential seating at circle time
o Aide
o Nurse
o Sensory activities/breaks
Any assistance that the child will need to participate in the
program should be listed on the IEP as an accommodation
IEP Accommodations

© Federation for Children with Special Needs
25
Placement Possibilities
o Your home
o A clinician’s office
Your child’s services might be delivered in:
o A school that serves only disabled children
o A preschool that the school district
operates, serving disabled and non-
disabled children
o A preschool that you choose & pay
for (rare)

Children with
disabilities must be
educated with students
who are not disabled, to
the maximum extent
appropriate.
Placement in the
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Parents should receive a written summary of the
Team’s decisions, including:
o goal areas
o special education services (types and amounts)
o placement
You should receive the IEP in two calendar weeks
What happens at close of Team Meeting?

What are parent’s response options to IEP?
See 603 CMR 25.05(7)
IEP Response Options
Accept IEP in Full
Reject IEP in Full
Reject IEP in Part
Placement Response Options
Accept Placement
Reject Placement
Parents have 30 calendar
days after the school district
signs the IEP to respond to
the proposed IEP
After 30 days, the IEP is
deemed rejected

Your child can receive special education while you work
out differences with the school if you reject the IEP in part
oaccept in part/ reject in part so that child is eligible for
special education
ocontinue to work for more or different services while
the IEP is in place
oany IEP service not rejected must be implemented
immediately
Can accept services offered while rejecting failure to offer
more services
What if you don’t agree with IEP services

School district will implement and follow IEP
immediately
What happens after IEP is signed?
Progress reports:
will be sent
home as often as
report cards in
parents’ native
language
Annual review:
Team meets
every year. New,
challenging goals
need to be
developed each
year.

IEP continues in effect until:
Next IEP is accepted by the parent or guardian, or
Team (parents must sign off on IEP) agrees to remove the
child from special education, or
Bureau of Special Education Appeals orders otherwise
When will the IEP end?
Parent consent is required
for all changes to IEP,
including removal of services

Parents who disagree can:
o Reject finding of ineligibility
o Seek an independent education evaluation
o Request a re-determination of eligibility after a new
evaluation
o Contest the finding through Due Process hearing
Team Chair notifies parents in writing of
determination of ineligibility (N-2 form)
within 10 school days of Team meeting
What if Team decides child is ineligible for IEP?
See 603 CMR 28.05(2) (a) 2)

Options for Resolving Differences
Independent
Educational
Evaluation
IEP Meeting
*if civil rights violation
Meeting with
Sped Director,
Principal, and/or
Superintendent
Voluntary Alternative
Dispute ResolutionLocal Options
Procedural Violations
& Enforcement Issues Due Process
PRS
Problem Resolution
System
781-338-3700
OCR*
Office for
Civil Rights
1-800-421-3481
Mediation
617-626-7291
Facilitated
IEP Meeting
617-626-7250
BSEA
Hearing
617-626-7250
Procedural Safeguards and “Due Process”
Resolution
Meeting

© Federation for Children with Special Needs
34
Review of Important Turning 3 Time Frames
Age 2.3 – 2.9 Transition Planning Conference
By age 2.9 Check to make sure that School District
has referral
5 school days School District should send out Consent
Form within 5 school days after receiving
referral
30 school days after
signed Consent is
received
School District must complete evaluations
45 school days after
signed Consent is
received
School District must convene Team
Meeting
30 calendar days after
IEP is issued
Parents must have accepted IEP in whole
or part, or it is deemed rejected

Thank you for coming
Please complete these forms:
1. Demographic Data Collection &
2. Workshop Evaluation
The Parent Training & Information Center is funded by a
federal grant. To continue receiving the grant, we need to
collect the information in the forms below
Kindly return completed forms to workshop presenter
46

Laws & Regulations & Resources
Massachusetts special education law: MGL Chapter 71B
Massachusetts special education regulations:
603 Code of Massachusetts Regulations 28.01
U.S. special education law: Individuals with Disabilities in
Education Act (IDEA), 20 United States Code 1400
IDEA special education regulations : 34 Code of Federal
Regulations part 300
Massachusetts Arc: www.arcmass.org/
Best Practices, A Guide for Families:
www.mass.gov/edu/docs/eec/2014/20140515-early-childhood-
transition-english.pdf
DESE FAQ: www.doe.mass.edu/sped/ecse/TransitionFAQ.html
A Parent’s Guide to Special Education Services:
www.fcsn.org/parents_guide/pgenglish.pdf

CALL CENTER
FREE info about
Special Education Rights
http://fcsn.org/ptic/call-center/
617-236-7210
Mon-Fri 10am-3pm
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(FREE to participants)
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AND MORE!
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groups to families who speak:
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Parent Consultant
Training Institute
An in-depth training for parents in
a 54-hour tuition-based program.
http://fcsn.org/ptic/parent-
consultant-training

INFORMING, EDUCATING, EMPOWERING FAMILIES
617-236-7210 | www.fcsn.org | info@fcsn.org

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