Aiding Students Who Have Learning Difficulties
For those students who are having difficulty in the
regular classroom, all school districts must consider tutorial,
compensatory, and other academic or behavior support services that are
available to all students, including a process based on Response to
Intervention (RtI). The implementation of RtI has the potential to have a
positive impact on the ability of districts to meet the needs of all
struggling students. The RtI process in Bellville ISD is referred to as
the Problem Solving Team, or PST.
If
a student is experiencing learning difficulties, his or her parent may
contact the individual(s) listed below to learn about the school’s
overall general education referral or screening system for support
services. This system links students to a variety of support options,
including making a referral for a special education evaluation or for a
Section 504 evaluation to determine if the student needs specific aids,
accommodations, or services. A parent may request an evaluation for special education or Section 504 services at any time.
Special Education Referrals:
If a parent
makes a written request for an initial evaluation for special education
services to the director of special education services or an
administrative employee of the school district, the district must
respond no later than 15 school days after receiving the request. At
that time, the district must give the parent a prior written notice of
whether it agrees to or refuses to evaluate the student, along with a
copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards. If the school district agrees to evaluate the student, it must also give the parent the opportunity to give written consent for the evaluation.
Please note that a request for a special education evaluation may be made verbally and does not need to be in writing. Districts
must still comply with all federal prior written notice and procedural
safeguard requirements and the requirements for identifying, locating,
and evaluating children who are suspected of being a child with a
disability and in need of special education. However, a verbal request
does not require the district or charter school to respond within the
15-school-day timeline.
If
the district decides to evaluate the student, it must complete the
student’s initial evaluation and evaluation report no later than 45
school days from the day it receives a parent’s written consent to
evaluate the student. However,
if the student is absent from school during the evaluation period for
three or more school days, the evaluation period will be extended by the
number of school days equal to the number of school days that the
student is absent.
There is an exception to the 45-school-day timeline. If
a district receives a parent’s consent for the initial evaluation at
least 35 but less than 45 school days before the last instructional day
of the school year, it must complete the written report and provide a
copy of the report to the parent by June 30 of that year. However, if
the student is absent from school for three or more days during the
evaluation period, the June 30th due date no longer applies. Instead,
the general timeline of 45 school days plus extensions for absences of
three or more days will apply.
Upon completing the evaluation, the district must give the parent a copy of the evaluation report at no cost.
Additional information regarding special education is available from the district in a companion document titled Parent’s Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process.
Contact Person for Special Education Referrals:
The Special Education contact for referrals varies by campus. The designated person to contact regarding options for a student experiencing learning difficulties or regarding Special Education evaluation by campus is: