OFFICE OF SPECIAL STUDENT SERVICES
977 South St. Marys Road
St. Marys, PA 15857
Fax: 814-781-6308
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List Of Frequently Used Acronyms
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Links to Special Education Information
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1. Special Education
GENERAL
The St. Marys Area School District subscribes to the philosophy that all students, regardless of ability, are unique individuals who have the potential to learn. The SMASD also is committed to providing each student an education of the highest quality.
SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES
To meet the diverse needs of exceptional students, St. Marys Area School District operates a comprehensive program of special education services to include the following:
Gifted Support (GS)
Learning Support (LS)
Life Skills Support (LSS)
Emotional Support (ES)
Speech and Language Support (SLS)
Hearing Support (HS)
Extended School Year (ESY)
Psychological Services
St. Marys Area School Contract contracts with local agencies / local intermediate units for Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), Vision Support (VS) and Early Intervention (EI), and provides these services to those students who require them.
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT
In the St. Marys Area School District, very effort is made to meet pupils needs without placement into special education. At the elementary and middle school levels, students are first taken through the Instructional Support Team (IST) process. With this process, the IST support teacher collects data and determines the student’s instructional level. If necessary, the support teacher then recommends adjustments to be made in order to accommodate the student’s instructional level within the regular classroom. Should the IST team feel further assessment is in order, referral for a multi-disciplinary evaluation (MDE) is made.
While IST is not available at the secondary level, accommodations and adjustments must also be implemented prior to referral for a MDE.
CHILD-FIND ACTIVITIES
The St. Marys Area School District conducts extensive child-find activities to determine whether or not students are in need of special education and related services. Particulars about the district’s screening program can be found in a previous section of this newsletter.
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY EVALUATION (MDE)
The MDE is a more formalized process of pupil assessment where designated tests, observations and other sources of data are conducted and analyzed by a team. Parental permission is obtained before the MDE is conducted. In addition, parents are viewed as being integral members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), and are asked to provide input for the evaluation. A certified school psychologist oversees the MDE. Upon completion of the MDE, a comprehensive Evaluation Report (CER), is completed for the student. Recommendations regarding the student’s specific strengths and needs are indicated in the CER.
INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM (IEP)
Should the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) determine that the student is exceptional and in need of specially designed instruction, parents will be asked to participate in the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for their child in conjunction with an IEP team .
The IEP is an outline of the special education and related services that the student must be given in order to be successful in school. As with the MDE, parents are considered to be a vital part of the IEP team. IEPs are typically designed to last for a year in duration. However, parents may request an IEP conference at any time should they feel that adjustments need to be made to their child’s program.
Once the IEP is developed, parents will be asked to give their permission to implement the IEP through the Notice of Recommended Assignment (NORA).
NOREP-Notice of Recommended Educational Placement
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
The importance of parents as partners in the educational process in the SMASD cannot be overstated. Without question, parents are the most critical members of the team, and need to be involved in all aspects of evaluation, program development and placement of their child.
CONFIDENTIALITY OF STUDENT RECORDS / INFORMATION
The St. Marys Area School District is required by law to keep records of all special education students. Included is information such as birth date, address, telephone number, achievement test results, psychological test results, teacher progress reports and routine medical records.
As students are re-evaluated annually, information is added to their file. According to SMASD Board Policy, parents can review their child’s file and challenge the validity of any record or report.
In addition to the parents, only school personnel who have a legitimate interest in the child are permitted to review these files. Any other persons must have the written approval of the parent before they are allowed to see the file or receive copies of information in the file.
All records are reviewed each summer by a school psychologist or administrator. Information no longer needed to plan for a student’s education program is removed and destroyed. However, parents are notified first and are permitted to review and copy this information.
In all aspects of evaluation, program development and placement, parents will be advised of their rights and will be afforded what is known as due process. Should disagreements occur in any of these areas, parents will also be informed of the methods of recourse available to settle the dispute (i.e., prehearing conference, mediation, due process hearing, etc.). Please keep in mind that the vast number of disagreements between school and parents can be resolved informally (and positively!)
2. Gifted Services
Pennsylvania Regulations and Standards are currently being finalized for the provision of services to students identified as "gifted". During the interim, the information outlined under the previous section (Special Education) likewise pertains to this exceptionality.
3. Chapter 15 / Protected Handicapped Students
A protected handicapped student is a school-aged student with a physical or mental disability which substantially limits or prohibits participation in, or access to, and aspect of the school program and is not covered under Chapter 14 (Special Education). In compliance with state and federal law, SMASD guarantees to each protected handicapped student, without discrimination or cost to the student or family, those services or accommodations needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities. These programs and services are distinct from those applicable to all exceptional students enrolled (or seeking enrollment) in special education programs.