Special Education Process and Services

Who do I talk to if I think my child may be eligible for Special Education Services?

If you think your child may require Special Education services, please reach out to your school counselor or Special Education team at your neighborhood school to share your concerns.

The Beaverton School District (BSD) is seeking assistance in locating children with disabilities (birth through age 21) who have not graduated from high school and currently are not attending nor receiving other special services from public schools.

Oregon and federal law mandate educational services for children with disabilities. BSD provides educational programs and services for eligible children from kindergarten through high school.  Services provided are appropriate to each child's disability.  

Parents, guardians, or anyone who knows of a child (ages 5 through 21) with a disability currently not receiving educational services are asked to notify the special education contact person in the child's home school or contact the District's Special Education Department at 503-356-3900.

What happens at the beginning of the process that determines whether my child needs special education or related services?

Before any decisions are made about whether a student needs special education services, a teacher or group of teachers at your student's school will work with parents/guardians in a pre-referral process where they will implement interventions in the area of concern. This process promotes the success of all students in the general education setting. Depending on your student's needs, the teacher or teachers will develop an intervention plan for assisting the student and document the impact of that intervention.

If your student's outcome does not improve, the case may be referred to a team based in the school, known as the Special Education Team (SET) to determine if your child should be considered for a Special Education Evaluation.  Parents/guardians are critical participants throughout these processes.

How do I know if my child is eligible?

The eligibility of a student for special education and related services is based on a comprehensive evaluation process. That process includes considerations of assessments, information based on how well the student understands the curriculum, observation reports by educational professionals, teacher information, information provided by parents, and other relevant information.

The parents of the student, the student's teacher, the school administrator, a team of qualified special education professionals and other professionals who work with the student participate in the evaluation process to determine whether the student has a disability and is in need of special education and related services. Related services include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.

The determination of whether a student may have a disability is made by the student's parents and a team of qualified professionals which may include:

• a school administrator, the student's teacher, or a regular classroom teacher qualified to teach a student of his or her age if the student does not have a regular teacher; or, for a student of less than school age, an individual qualified by the school system to teach a student of his or her age;
• a special educator; a school district representative;
• and at least one person qualified to conduct individual diagnostic examinations of children, such as a school psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, or physical therapist.

Please see this document on the Special Education Process for more information: BSD Parents Guide to Special Education

What does it mean to receive special education services?

In general, special education services provide specially designed instruction that involves modifications to the curriculum itself and/or the way the curriculum is taught to meet the specific needs of the student. Other special education-related services such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, or physical therapy may also be needed. These are just a few of the related services that could be provided.

What is an Individualized Education Program (IEP)?

Commonly referred to as an IEP, an individualized education program is a written plan that is designed for any student who receives special education and related services. IEPs are required for every special education student under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. The IEP describes the goals that are set for the student over the course of the school year and spells out any special supports needed to help achieve those goals. Parents/guardians are an important part of the IEP process.

What is the difference between an IEP and 504?

Both students with IEPs and students with 504 plans have a documented disability or impairment. For students with an IEP, their disability has an adverse impact on their educational performance that requires the provision of specially designed instruction.  Students with 504 plans have a documented physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities. The major life activity may or may not be directly related to learning (i.e., a physical impairment that impacts mobility, but not learning). Students with 504 plans require targeted accommodations so they are able to access their educational program to the same extent as their non-disabled peers. Both processes require an evaluation by a team prior to eligibility.  Students referred for a 504 evaluation may first be referred for a Special Education evaluation if it is suspected that they may have a disability that would qualify them for an IEP.

• Parent/Guardian (IDEA definition of “parent” is biological or adoptive parent, foster parent, legal guardian, an individual acting as a parent in place of biological or adoptive parent with whom the child lives, or a surrogate parent)
• General Education Teacher(s)
• Case Manager (IEP team member person who responsible for managing your student’s IEP, communicates with you about meetings, sends you copies of paperwork)
• District Representative (IEP team member who is knowledgeable about the student, IDEA process, District resources, and potential determination of supports)

• Related Service Providers (Speech and Language Pathologist, School Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Vision Specialist, Autism Consultant, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher)
• Other District Staff (Counselor, Building Administrator, Special Education Facilitator)

• Meeting Notice explaining the date and time of the meeting as well as the meeting participants
• You may receive the draft of the IEP beforehand

• Someone will be designated the note taker
• You will be offered a copy of your parental safeguards

• Within 10 school days of the meeting you will receive final copy of the IEP

During each annual IEP meeting, IEP teams will discuss and select a Special Education Placement for students.  This placement should be in the Least Restrictive Environment.

Least restrictive environment (LRE) is a guiding principle in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). LRE plays a critical role in determining not only where a student will spend her time in school but also how special education services will be provided. Specifically, the LRE requirement within IDEA necessitates that:

• Students with disabilities receive their education alongside their peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate
• Students should not be removed from the general education classroom unless learning cannot be achieved even with the use of supplementary aids and services

LRE is determined on a case-by-case basis during the development of a student’s individualized education program (IEP). During this process, the IEP team—a multidisciplinary group of professionals and the student’s parents—discuss what individualized program of instruction and related services (also referred to as services and supports) the student requires based on her present levels of performance and areas of strengths and needs. These services and supports should enable the student to:

• Make progress toward meeting identified academic or functional annual goals
• Take part in these activities with other students, both with and without disabilities
• Be involved and make progress in the general education curriculum, as well as to participate in extracurricular (e.g., drama club) and other nonacademic (e.g., a school football game) activities 

Continuum of Placements for Students:

Because LRE is determined by the student’s individualized program of instruction and related services rather than by setting, IDEA requires that school districts create a continuum of alternative placement options. This continuum represents a range of educational placements in which an IEP can be implemented to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities. These placement options range from the least restrictive setting (i.e., general education classroom) to the most restrictive ones (e.g., residential facility).

Placement options are fluid. A student might receive some services in one setting and other services in a different setting. Further, placements can change over time based on factors such as changes in a student’s progress or needs. For some students, the general eduction classroom is not necessarily the least restrictive setting.

Resource Room services (only):  

Our Resource Rooms are located in every comprehensive BSD school and is also the service delivery model offered within charter schools, and Options schools supported by BSD. This service delivery model option provides students access to general education settings, grade-level content and a diverse population of peers with a range of abilities and skillsets.  This service delivery model option provides students additional support provided through Specially Designed Instruction that is offered by a certified teacher through a removal model and/or a push-in/co-teaching model.

Communication Services (only):  

Students who receive services in General Education with Communication Services only placement are served in every comprehensive BSD school as well as options schools and charter schools. This service delivery model option provides students access to general education settings, grade-level content and a diverse population of peers with a range of abilities and skillsets.  This service delivery model option provides students additional support provided through Specially Designed Instruction that is offered by a licensed Speech Language Pathologist through a removal model and/or a push-in/co-teaching model.

BSD Specialized Programs: 

Some students may require a higher level of support through one of our district specialized programs. These programs are located in buildings throughout the district, but not every building has every program located within it. Some students may require transportation to a different building if they have a placement in a specialized program that is not at their neighborhood school.

Specialized programs provide services to students who exhibit unique needs that impede their progress on IEP goals and cannot be addressed in the Resource Room setting through modifications or accommodations. The inclusion of students in the general education setting is facilitated for students based on the student’s IEP.

Services provided by Specialized Programs may include :

• Increased adult to student ratio
• Classroom and individual visual supports
• Individual behavioral and social supports
• Carefully planned schedules and transitions
• Modified curriculum and grading as needed for individual students
• Specially trained classified staff
• Structured classroom setting
• Opportunities for inclusion with typical peers