Table of Contents
Services for Disabled Preschool Age Children
Services for School Age Exceptional Students
Screening and Evaluation
The Multidisciplinary Evaluation (MDE)
Individualized Education Plan
Notice of Recommended Educational Placement
Services for Protected Handicapped Students
Gifted Screening Procedures
Services for Students in Nonpublic Schools
Public Notice on Student Records
Confidentiality of Student Records

For more information, please contact the Alliance for Infants and Toddlers, Inc. at (412) 431-1905 or the Allegheny Intermediate Unit/DART Program at (412) 394-5736.

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Services for School Age Exceptional Students
The school district provides a free, appropriate public education to exceptional students according to state and federal mandates. To be eligible, the child must be of school-age, need specially designed instruction, and meet eligibility criteria for mentally gifted and/or one or more of the following physical or mental disabilities as set forth in the Individual with Disabilities Education Act which was re-authorized in 1997 (IDEA –97):
• Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder
• Blindness/Visual Impairment
• Deaf Blindness
• Deafness/Hearing Impairment
• Physical Disability
• Emotional Disturbance
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech and Language Impairment
• Mental Retardation
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Other Health Impairment

Identified students are provided with a continuum of services designed to meet the individual needs of eligible students. These services may include supportive intervention in the regular class, supplemental intervention in the regular class or in a special education resource program, placement, in a part-time or full-time special education class in a regular school or placement in a full-time special education class outside of the regular school. The extent of special education services and the location for the delivery of such services are determined by the parents and staff at the IEP team meeting and is based on the student’s identified needs and abilities, chronological age, and the intensity of the specified intervention. The school district also provides related services, such as transportation, physical therapy, and occupational therapy, that is required to enable the student to derive educational benefits.

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Screening and Evaluation
South Fayette Township School District has a three-part screening process in place that identifies any student who may need special education.

Level 1: Review of group-based data
The building level guidance counselors review report cards, health records and group-based testing such as the TerraNova Standardized Achievement Test, TerraNova School Ability Test, and Pennsylvania State Assessment results. For incoming kindergarten students, results from the Early Screening Profile are examined. Data gathered through a thorough review of these records may prompt a referral for screening a child for special education.

Level 2: Review of hearing, vision, motor, speech and language
The District routinely conducts screenings of a child’s hearing acuity each year in kindergarten, first, second, third, seventh, and eleventh grade, vision acuity each year, kindergarten through Grade 12, and speech and language mid-year in kindergarten. Gross motor and fine motor skills are assessed by the classroom teacher on an on-going basis. Specified needs from all of these screening sources are noted within the child’s official file.

Level 3: Instructional Support
The Instructional Support Team (IST) is an innovative program whose goals are to maximize individual student success in the regular classroom, while at the same time serving as a screening process for students who may be in need of special education services. IST is a positive, success-oriented program which uses specific assessment and intervention techniques to help remove educational, behavioral or affective stumbling blocks for all students in the regular classroom. At South Fayette, the IST program runs from kindergarten until Grade 8. Referrals for IST intervention may be initiated by the parent or classroom teacher.

The Instructional Support Team includes your child’s classroom teacher, the school principal, the instructional support teacher, the guidance counselor, a Title I teacher, a learning support teacher and a grade level teacher. Parents are encouraged to participate as active partners in the process. The school psychologist, speech therapist, school nurse, and representatives from community agencies also serve on the IST, depending on the needs of the students.

The IST process involves three steps:
(1) Identifying a student’s need for academic and behavior support
(2) Determining strategies needed for assisting the student
(3) Implementing intervention strategies through a continuum of services

After an initial assessment of the student’s academic, behavioral, and/or coping skills, the IST recommends strategies to be implemented to help the student achieve success in the regular classroom. The team determines what support is needed for the student to maintain a level of success in the classroom. These strategies are implemented, monitored and then evaluated by the team after 30 days, based on goals set for the student. If the student’s teachers report a positive change, the strategies are continued. If there is not progress, the student may be referred for a multidisciplinary evaluation (MDE).

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The Multidisciplinary Evaluation (MDE)
The MDE is a process to gather information that will be used to find out if children really do need special education and if so, the types of services needed.

Prior to an MDE, the District must obtain permission via the Permission to Evaluate form. Before an evaluation can occur, the form must be signed by the parent or legal guardian.

Evaluations are conducted by a certified school psychologist. Additional information is provided by the parents, classroom teacher, Instructional Support Teacher, and other pertinent individuals that work with the student. All of this information is compiled into an Evaluation Report (ER). This report will recommend whether a child has one or more disabilities or mental giftedness. It also recommends whether or not the child requires special education, and the type of program and services that the child needs. The ER may recommend that a child is not exceptional and therefore does not need special education services. If this is recommended, the report will list changes that may be made in the regular classroom to make the child more successful. All members of the MDT, including the parents, are entitled to review the ER.

Reevaluations for students who are eligible for special education services, are compiled every two years for students who are identified as mentally retarded and every three years for all other disabilities. Reevaluations may also be requested by the student's parents or by the IEP team.

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Individualized Education Plan
Children who are regarded to be exceptional by the MDT team are entitled to receive special education services. The document that specifically addresses these services is called an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Required members of the IEP team include:
• The child’s parents
• At least one of your child’s regular education teachers
• At least one special education teacher
• A representative from the school district who:
(1) Is qualified to provide or supervise special education programs
(2) Knows about the general curriculum
(3) Knows what resources the Local Education Agency (LEA) can offer
• Someone who can interpret the evaluation results, who may already be a member of the team
• At your request or that of the school, other people who know your child well or who have worked with your child
• Your child (at age 16 when planning will be done for life after graduation or any time before that age when you want your child to be present)
• A representative from a vocational-technical school if a vocational-technical school is being considered for your child

The IEP will review all of the evaluation material and will determine how your child is performing in school now. The IEP team will write annual goals and short term learning objectives that can be measured and which meet the needs of your child.

IEPs for eligible students are developed on an annual basis, or sooner, if requested by one or more members of the IEP team.

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Notice of Recommended Educational Placement
Once the IEP has been developed with the IEP team, you will receive a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP). The NOREP explains the placement or class recommended for your child and explains your rights. You must approve the NOREP in writing for your child’s first special education placement if you want it to go into effect.

South Fayette Township School District offers a continuum of educational services designed to meet the needs of eligible students including varying degrees of gifted, learning, and speech and language support. In addition, related services such as transportation, occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision support, and deaf and hearing support are available to those students that qualify.

Detailed information regarding special education procedures may be obtained by calling the Pupil Personnel at South Fayette Schools, (412) 221-4542, ext. 428, 415 or 429.

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Services for Protected Handicapped Students
There are instances in which students are identified as handicapped or disabled, but may not qualify for Special Education services. If it is determined necessary, the school district will provide these students, without discrimination or cost to the student or family, those related aids, services or accommodations which are needed to ensure equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school programs and extracurricular activities. These services are outlined in a Chapter 15 Service Agreement. Questions regarding Chapter 15 should be directed to the Pupil Personnel Department at (412) 221-4542, ext. 428, 415 or 429.

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Gifted Screening Procedures
According to the Pennsylvania Regulations and Standards in Special Education, mentally gifted pupils are defined as having:

“Outstanding intellectual and creative abilities the development of which requires special services not usually available in the regular education program. This term includes a person who has an IQ of 130 or higher and when multiple criteria as set forth in the Department of Education guidelines indicate gifted ability. Determination of gifted ability shall not be based on IQ score alone. Intellectual ability is and should reflect a range of assessments including a student’s performance as well as potential. A person with an IQ score lower than 130 may be admitted to gifted programs when other educational criteria in the profile of the person strongly indicate gifted ability. Determination of mentally gifted shall include a full assessment and comprehensive report by a public school psychologist specifying the nature and degree of the ability.”

South Fayette Township School District has established procedures whereby the principals, or their designees, will review student performance data. These procedures include, but are not limited to: standardized and criterion referenced test data, developmental checklists, anecdotal records, curriculum-based assessments, formative evaluation procedures and portfolios in order to assist in the early identification of any student who may require differentiated instruction. Teachers, parents and administrators form the team to discuss strengths of the child and strategies to meet the child’s needs (strengths). The team meets according to a timeline developed by the district to monitor and assess the development and progress of the student. If the team agrees that the child’s needs are not being addressed, a multidisciplinary evaluation will be initiated upon written permission from the parents. If appropriate, an IEP will be written.

Further information about these procedures may be obtained by calling the building level guidance counselor.

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Services for Students in Nonpublic Schools
Public special education is accessible to resident students attending nonpublic schools by permitting the nonpublic school student to enroll on a part-time, duel enrollment basis in a special education pro gram operated in a public school. Students in a non-public school that are suspected of having a disability will need to be referred for an MDE.

Parents of nonpublic school students who suspect that their child is exceptional and in need of special education may request a multidisciplinary team evaluation of their child through a written request to the district Director of Pupil services.

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Public Notice on Student Records
The Education Records Plan for Exceptional Students is a state
approved plan for the local school districts within the Allegheny Intermediate Unit which defines all procedures for collection, maintenance, and dissemination of educational records belonging to exceptional students.

Education records are needed to provide appropriate educational
programs, but at the same time it is necessary to protect the rights of privacy and confidentiality of students and parents.

Official student education records are kept where a student attends a district operated class. Copies of the District Education Records Plan may be obtained from your building principal.

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Confidentiality of Student Records
The privacy rights of parents and students are mandated by federal legislation known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment), state regulations (Chapter 14 - Special Education Services and Programs, Chapter 12 - Student Rights and Responsibilities), and district policy.

The different categories of information maintained by the school district are as follows: educational and health records, personally identifiable information and directory information. With the exception of receiving school district, educational and health records, personally identifiable information cannot be disclosed or released without parental consent or adult student’s (a student who is eighteen years of age or older, married or attending an institution of post secondary education) consent.

Information known as directory information can be released without consent. Directory information means information which would be considered not harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. This information includes the following: student’s name, address, date and place of birth, courses taken, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student.

Written, parental or adult student request is required for the disclosure of educational and health records and personally identifiable information. The consent must specify the records that may be disclosed and the purpose of the disclosure; and identify the party or class of parties to whom the disclosure may be made. A written record of the disclosure must be maintained by the school district.

Parents or adult students have the right to file complaints concerning alleged failures of the District to comply with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. Such complaints should be directed to the Health, Educational and Welfare Office, Washington, D. C.

With regard to parents who do not understand English, the School District will attempt to inform them of their rights in their native language. Further information regarding the Policy of the Collection, Maintenance and Dissemination of Records is available through the principal’s office.

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