Special Education Process

Harvey School District 152 is responsible for conducting child find activities for students ages 3-14 who currently attend 152 schools. In addition to staff employed by District 152, a parent or outside person/provider may refer a student whom they suspect may have a disability to the school district by contacting the school psychologist or building administrator where the child attends.

Problem-Solving Process (prior to evaluation for Special Education)

As a District, we continually assess our students to identify growth and help identify skills that may still be difficult for a student. The steps of the problem-solving process include:

  • When a child does not appear to be making adequate gains in skill areas, the teacher will start to provide additional instruction to that student in a small group or individually.

  • If the child continues to demonstrate inadequate progress, the teacher may look to the MTSS (Multi Tiered System of Supports) team to determine if additional instruction, beyond what the teacher can provide during the day, is required. A teacher will notify a parent if they are bringing a child up to the MTSS team.

  • The MTSS team will determine what, if any, additional instruction needs to be provided, who will provide it, and when this instruction will be provided. All of this information will be shared with you.

  • The student's progress will be closely monitored to determine if the intervention(s) are effective or if changes need to be made to the intervention(s) being provided.  Progress monitoring informally assesses students at frequent intervals to determine growth toward specific goals.

At any time, the MTSS team may recommend a student to the student services department if they suspect that the child has a disability, if the child is not adequately responding to the interventions being provided, or those interventions which are found to be required for continued progression of skills are beyond what the general education program can provide long term.

Eligibility for Special Education Services

District 152 determines a student's eligibility for special education services based upon an individualized evaluation. Determination of having a disability and eligibility for special services based upon that disability are two separate decisions. Not all individuals who have a disability require special education services.

The Evaluation Process

  • If the school team determines that an evaluation for special education is required, a staff member will contact the parent(s)/guardian(s) to discuss the evaluation process and to schedule a Domain Review meeting with parents to obtain consent for the evaluation.

  • The school team will collect the evaluation information that was identified as appropriate in the Domain Review paperwork.  After all data is collected, but not later than 60 school days after consent was obtained, the team (including parents) will meet for the eligibility determination meeting (see informational link below) to share evaluation data and determine if the student meets eligibility criteria in one of the 14 disability areas. If eligibility is met, the child with a disability is also entitled to Special Education services in the school setting in order to access his/her education.

  • The team will then have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting. This may be completed immediately after the eligibility meeting, but not more than 60 school days after consent was signed for the evaluation.  

  • After the IEP has been created, parental consent to provide the IEP services as determined at the IEP meeting will be required before special education services can begin.