Radford City Schools Individual Referral

  
Although you are not required to put your request in writing, a written request documents your referral and starts the timeline.  If you are referring a child above age five a  Referral for Evaluation - SE1 will be completed or if you are referring a child below age 5 a Preschool Referral for Evaluation - SE1A will be completed.   At this time the referral source must explain the reasons that an evaluation is requested and any efforts that have been made to address the concerns.  The principal or his designee must:  
  1. record the date, reason for referral, and name the person making the referral;
  2. ensure confidentiality; and
  3. provide parents/guardians with a procedural safeguards notice if they are the referral source.
  
   
The principal must decide whether to evaluate your child or request a review by the child study committee.  The child study committee must not be used to:  
  1. deny or delay your right to a due process hearing;
  2. deny or delay your right to make a future referral; or
  3. delay an evaluation of your child.
  
   

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE SCHOOL DECIDES TO EVALUATE YOUR CHILD?

  
If the decision to evaluate your child is selected the principal or designee must:  
  1. give you all the notices of the evaluation process, give you a copy of the procedural safeguards, inform you of the procedures for evaluation, involve you in deciding what evaluation information is needed, and request any evaluation information that you may have;
  2. include parents as a member of the team reviewing evaluation data and deciding whether more information is needed;
  3. get your written consent to conduct an evaluation; and
  4. ensure that all evaluations are completed and that the decision about eligibility for special education is made within 65 business days after the referral for evaluation is received by the special education director.
  
Parents may request copies of the reports 2 days prior to the Eligibility committee meeting.  You can contact the special education office at 731-3647 and request arrangements to pick up these reports.  
   

Who decides what information is needed for the evaluation?

  
The decision are made by a group that includes:  
  1. Parents
  2. at least one of your child's regular education teachers if your child is in the regular education classes or a regular education teacher if your child may participate in regular education in the future;
  3. at least one special education teacher or related services provider (this person must be serving the student if the student is participating in special education).
  4. a person from the school who is qualified to provide or supervise the provision of special education and who knows about the general curriculum and available resources (this person may be another member of the team).
  5. a person who can interpret what the tests mean for your child's education (this person also may be another member of the team).
  6. other people who are invited at the parents or school's discretion and who have knowledge or special expertise about your child (the person inviting another individual makes the decision that the invited individual has knowledge or special expertise about your child);
  7. your child, if appropriate; and
  8. other qualified professionals, as appropriate.
  
   

What happens in a meeting to decide what evaluation data to obtain?

  
The group will begin by reviewing information that the school already has about your child, including classroom test scores, standardized test scores (Stanford 9, OLSAT, PALS, SOL)  and observations by teachers.  In addition, the school may ask the parents for any evaluations, observations, or other information that the parents my want to present.  
This information reviewed by the group members will help them to decide:  

- whether the student has a particular disability;

- how your child is doing in school;

- whether your child needs special education and related services; and

- what your child needs to meet the IEP goals
 
The group members will decide whether there is enough information to make these decisions.  If the group finds that more information is needed, it will identify the additional information and get parental consent to evaluate.  
   

What tests will my child have?

  
Your child must be tested in all areas related to the suspected disability.  These may include, if appropriate:  

-health

-vision

-hearing

-social and emotional status

-general intelligence

-academic performance

-communicative status

-sociological status

-classroom observations

-motor abilities, and

-adaptive behavior.
 
Classroom Observation  (Example of the classroom observation form used pdf.gif (1212 bytes) 5.31KB
Parental consent must be obtained before any evaluations can be started.  

 The following forms are used when making a referral:

  
Referral for Evaluation - SE1 pdf.gif (1212 bytes) 7.39KB
Preschool Referral for Evaluation - SE1A pdf.gif (1212 bytes) 5.45KB