Districtwide special education programs are in place for all eligible children from ages 3 to 21 in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA). The special education program consists of three major components: evaluation, to determine initial and continued eligibility for services; development and annual review of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each eligible student; and placement team discussions with the goal to serve students in their regular classroom as much as possible. Federal Regulations, New Hampshire Standards and Local Special Education Plan mandate and guide the special education services which require a review every three to five years.
Oyster River programs completed an eighteen-month review in December 1998. A team consisting of district staff, parents and Department of Education consultants surveyed and interviewed administrators, regular and special education teachers, related services personnel, parents and students. A review of student records for issues of compliance was completed. A final report was submitted to the School Board and State of New Hampshire Department of Education in April 1999 that focused on the need for improvement of programs and services for the next five years.
The Monitoring and Improvement Process resulted in a Program Improvement Plan, which includes the following goals:
Organization of files and standardization of forms for Individual Education Plans (IEP) will be implemented throughout the district.
Regular and special education staff and paraprofessionals will receive training in roles on the IEP team.
Health issues for special education students will be addressed.
Parent training for models of services as student's transition.
Develop programs at high school to meet diverse student needs.
We have moved quickly on these goals. As a result
Organization of files is complete and a standard form for the IEP has been developed and implemented by the special education staff.
Some training has occurred for staff but more needs to be done as the programs become defined according to the regulations.
Access to the general curriculum for students with disabilities is a strong initiative in the IDEA.
Support and training for teachers and support staff will continue.
A district team consisting of a teacher, school nurse, special educator, principal, parent and administrator has tackled health issues via the Health Education Leadership Project (H.E.L.P.).
Training includes:
awareness of health issues;
communication with administration, nurse and parents;
legal aspects of providing services for children with health needs.
The team suggested revisions in the student registration form and issues of transition for students.
Goals for parent training and developing programs at the high school need to be implemented.
The special education programs depend on the collaboration between administrators, staff and parents who comprise the core team. The goals developed from the Program Improvement Plan will continue to be implemented to assure progress toward meeting the special education needs of students with disabilities in the district.
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Last update on 22-Feb-00 at 10:09 PM.
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This page is edited by David K. Taylor. Please send questions or comments to editor@orol.org.