For Families
The Special Education Process
Identification and Referral
The Special Education process begins with identifying learners ages birth to 22 who are eligible for special services and in need of specialized instruction.
Evaluation
We use formal and informal measures to determine the learner’s strengths and areas of need. Parent permission is required to start the Initial assessment and evaluation process. The parent is invited to participate in a Child Study Team at the building site to determine the areas of assessment.
Placement
During this phase, the learner’s needs are determined and, together with the family, a plan is written to meet those needs. The underlining principle is where the services are delivered; we use the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) as a guiding principle for determining whether this is in the mainstream classroom, in the resource learning center, in a self-contained special education classroom, or in a program that is off site. These decisions are discussed in a collaborative planning meeting entitled Individual Education Plan conference.
The resources below may be helpful to families as they work through the many challenges of parenting.
Tools for Parents
College Guide for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students: A guide offering key strategies, resources, scholarships & more for deaf and hard of hearing students entering higher education.
Family Voices of Minnesota - A network of Minnesota families whose children, youth and young adults have special health care needs and disabilities.
International Dyslexia Association: The IDA Dyslexia Handbook offers valuable information throughout a child’s life, through to adulthood, about dyslexia and provides information on assessments, effective teaching approaches, self-advocacy ideas, and a vast array of resources.
IDEA Early Childhood Policy and Practices Guide: This booklet assists early childhood general educators, early childhood special educators, related service providers, parents, administrators and others in understanding what IDEA now requires for young children with disabilities from birth through five years old and their families.
The LD Checklist: Recognize and Respond: An interactive tool to detect potential signs of LDs or an attention issue in your child or student.
Minnesota’s early intervention system — Help Me Grow - includes two programs for eligible children. Eligible children can receive services in their home, school or child care setting. Services are free to children regardless of income or immigrant status. Call 1-866-698-4769 (GROW) for more information.
Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) - Economic, health and other services provided to people who have disabilities in Minnesota.
Multilingual Human Services Referral Phone Line - The Minnesota Department of Human Services (MDHS) multilingual telephone service provides access to early childhood programs and services in 10 languages: Arabic, Hmong, Khmer (Cambodian), Lao, Oromo, Russian, Serbo-Croatian (Bosnian), Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.
National Library Service Talking Books: A free library service available to U.S. residents and citizens living abroad whose low vision, blindness or physical handicap makes it difficult to read a standard printed page.
Parent's Guide to Toilet Training Special Needs Children: Special needs children can face challenges when it comes to toilet training and the role parents play in the process is invaluable. This guide provides great tips for families.
Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs): PTIs and CPRCs help parents of children with disabilities to gain the knowledge and skills they need to be advocates for their children. The link will help you locate one in your state.
Understanding the Every Student Succeeds Act: This guide aims to help parents understand the flexibility provided in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and advocate for better education for their children.
Response to Intervention (RTI): A Primer for Parents: The National Association for School Psychologists has prepared this helpful guide for parents wanting to know more about RTI.
Special Connections: Connecting teachers to strategies that help students with special needs successfully access the general education curriculum.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP): Provides extensive information on IDEA.
U.S. Department of Education, Restraint and Seclusion Resource Document: Provides information to consider when developing policies on the use of restraint and seclusion.
Wrightslaw: Provides accurate, reliable information about special education law, education law and advocacy for children with disabilities.
National Organizations
The Arc of the United States: Promoting the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Autism Speaks: Dedicated to creating an inclusive world for all individuals with autism.
Center for Parent Information and Resources: Information and research-based materials on key topics for parents
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC): An online resources for special education products, services, and programming support.
Learning Disabilities Association of America: Creating opportunities for success for all individuals influenced by learning disabilities, through support, education and advocacy.
Mental Health America: Dedicated to the promotion of mental health, well-being, and illness prevention.
National Association of the Deaf: Civil rights organization of, by, and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD): Improving the lives of the 1 in 5 with learning and attention issues.
PACER Center: Programs for children and young adults with disabilities, including bullying prevention, mental health issues, and much more.
Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports: Large resource of positive behavior interventions and supports on a wide variety of topics.
Special Olympics: Programming in sports, health, education, and community-building enabling participation for people with disabilities.
TASH: An international leading organization in advocating for the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities.