Special Education Referral & Eligibility

Referral Process:

A school staff member, parent or student may refer a student (ages 5-21) for special education identification. The student’s regular education teacher(s) conduct a variety of interventions with the student prior to the referral.

Special Education: Gen ED Teacher Referral form: SPED referral form

Evaluation Process:

A meeting is scheduled which the parent is invited to attend, to determine if an evaluation for special education should be considered. If it is determined that an evaluation needs to be conducted, the parent must provide written permission for the evaluation and is a participant in determining the types of evaluations needed. The time frame for an evaluation is 60 school days or less after parental consent is received.

An evaluation may consist of some of the following measures:

  • File review of the student’s academic grades, state assessment scores, behavior, academic assessments, observations of the student in the school setting, assessments of the student’s receptive and expressive language ability, assessments of functional living skills, developmental history, fine and gross motor abilities.

This is not an exhaustive list; these are just some examples of assessments that the special education team (of which the parent is a part) may determine are appropriate to evaluate a student for special education services. The evaluation team may also request or need information from the student’s physician as well.

Individuals who conduct the needed evaluations are specifically trained in their areas of expertise and hold all the necessary licensure to provide the services. Evaluation staff may consist of the following professionals:

  • Special Education Teacher, Speech and Language Pathologist, School Psychologist, Autism Consultant, Occupational Therapist and/or Physical Therapist

Eligibility Process:

Special Education services are available in the Siuslaw School District for all students who have been identified as eligible for special education services. Students identified as eligible for special education services must meet the following two requirements:

1. Meet the federal and state eligibility requirements as having a disability in at least one of the following 11 handicapping conditions categories:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Communication Disorder

  • Deaf/blindness

  • Emotional Disorder

  • Hearing Impairment

  • Intellectual Disability

  • Orthopedic Impairment

  • Other Health Impairment

  • Specific Learning Disability

  • Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Visual Impairment

2. Needs specially designed instruction:

Specially designed instruction (or SDI) means that a student requires a change to the content, delivery, or method of instruction to access their learning.

SDI is different from an accommodation, which only requires a change to the environment or materials used for learning. If a student only requires an accommodation, they may be eligible for a Section 504 Plan.

A meeting is scheduled with the parent to review the evaluation results. The Special Education Team (parent is a member) may determine that the student meets eligibility requirements for special education, and that the student requires specially designed instruction. If the child is found eligible under both of these criteria, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is written by the team to specify services to the child. Once the IEP has been developed, then placement is determined.