A comprehensive evaluation conducted by a multidisciplinary team to determine eligibility and programming for Special Education services. The multidisciplinary team can consist of any of the following: Diagnostician, Psychologist, Speech/Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Classroom Teacher, Parent, etc. It is required to be completed in 45 school days after consent. Within 30 calendar days of completing the full initials and independent evaluation, the aRD committee will meet to discuss the evaluation report.
Why does the district need to evaluate my child when I already have an outside diagnosis?
An outside diagnosis will be considered by the ARD committee, but a multidisciplinary team that includes input from teachers will be conducted to determine the student's educational needs.
What should I expect at the Initial ARD meeting?
Parents should expect members of the multidisciplinary team to convene as the Admission, Review, Dismissal (ARD) Committee to review the evaluation report to determine whether the child is eligible for special education and related services. If their child qualifies for special education services, then an Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be developed by the ARD committee.
Following an ARD meeting, if I have questions or need the documents explained to me, who do I ask?
Parents can direct questions to their child's Special Education contact teacher. The contact teacher may connect parents with the Diagnostician for questions related to the evaluation process.
How do I provide input to the development of my child's IEP and instructional placement?
The parent plays an important role as they know their student best. As part of the evaluation process, they will be receiving a Parent Input questionnaire that needs to be completed to help provide information about their child. Before each Annual ARD, the teacher will send home draft goals that were written based on current data. The teacher will call and/or email the parent to discuss goals and get input at least 3 days prior to the ARD. At each Annual, the ARD committee will ask if the parents have any concerns that they would like addressed.
Who is my child’s contact teacher and how often will they be communicating with me?
Your child will be assigned a SPED contact teacher who will be overseeing all of their accommodations/goals for the year. You should receive a letter at the beginning of the year stating who this person is along with their contact information. They will be sending home progress reports each nine weeks as well as talking to you before each Annual ARD. The contact teacher are a point person to go to with any questions you may have related to your child’s Special Education programming. Communication should be regular and ongoing.
What should I expect at my child’s Annual ARD meeting?
At the Annual ARD meeting, the child’s progress on their current IEP will be reviewed and the child’s programming for the upcoming school year will be developed. The committee will work together to develop the plan for the upcoming year.
How do I know if my child is making progress between the annual ARDs?
Progress reports on each child’s IEP goals will be sent home at every grading period. Communication about a child’s progress should be an open and ongoing conversation between parents and the child’s contact teacher.
How do I know if my child’s accommodations and/ or modifications are working?
Both accommodations and modification are designed by the ARD committee to make instructional content more accessible to students.
Accommodations are designed by the ARD committee to address HOW a student accesses their grade level Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS).
Modifications go a step further by making adjustments to WHAT grade level content (TEKS) a student is expected to master.
Based on the student’s Present Level of Academic Achievement & Functional Performance (PLAAFP) and ongoing Progress Reports, the ARD committee will monitor the effectiveness of the Accommodations and Modifications.
If my child is struggling academically or behaviorally, with whom do I need to share my concerns?
Parents should share concerns with their child’s general education and special education contact teacher any time a student is struggling (office referrals, failing classes, etc). If necessary, the ARD committee can reconvene to discuss parent concerns and recommend changes or additional supports to the child’s IEP.
How often does my child get re-evaluated with a Full Individual Evaluation?
Students who qualify for Special Education will be re-evaluated at least every 3 years to determine if they continue to qualify for Special Education services.
What do I need to know if my child fails the first administration of STAAR?
If your child fails STAAR grades 5 or 8, you will be notified that an ARD will be held. At this ARD, there will be a discussion about whether your child should retest or if scores should be accepted. Promotion will also be discussed based on progress on IEP goals and progress in the classroom. A plan of Accelerated Instruction will be put in place to work on the areas of deficit from the STAAR assessment. All other grades will need a Accelerated Plan of Instruction if a student fails the STAAR/EOC test.
How do I ensure smooth transitions from elementary to middle school or from middle school to high school?
Each campus will have a day for all incoming students to preview and learn about their new campus. It is highly recommended they attend. In addition, each sending and receiving campus teacher will meet to discuss your student and their needs in order for them to be successful at their new campus.
How do I share my child’s goals for his or her future?
Parents are an important part of the transition planning process. Once the child turns 13, teachers are required to conduct annual transition assessments that include parent surveys and/or interview to obtain parent input into the individual transition plan.
To assist parents in further planning for and sharing information about their child’s future goals, accessing futures planning on https://www.imdetermined.org/ provides them with planning tools from elementary through 18+ aged students.