Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who is eligible to receive Special Services?
Any child between the ages of 3 and 21, whose parents are legal residents of West Orange, who has been found eligible to receive special education and related services, following a comprehensive assessment by the child study team.

What is the process to determine eligibility for Special Services?
Students may be referred for evaluation based on a written request from a parent, teacher, or principal. After a referral is received, an evaluation-planning meeting is scheduled within twenty days to determine whether an evaluation is warranted. Parents participate in this meeting with members of the child study team and the child's classroom teacher. If there is agreement to conduct an evaluation, parents provide written consent regarding the nature and scope of the evaluation before assessments can begin.

The evaluation, which includes review of relevant data and individual tests, multi-disciplinary assessments and observations of the child, determines whether the child is classified with an educational disability as defined by the NJ Department of Education. The assessment process may take up to ninety days to complete. Parents are provided with written assessment reports ten days prior to their participation in an eligibility-determination meeting. If the evaluation team determines that a child does have a disability, a meeting is scheduled to develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to address the child's needs.

What is an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP)?
By law, the IEP is a written plan which must include certain information about the child and the educational program designed to meet his or her unique needs. In a nutshell, this information is:

• Current performance. The IEP must state how the child is currently doing in school (known as present levels of educational performance). This information usually comes from the evaluation results such as classroom tests and assignments, individual tests given to decide eligibility for services or during reevaluation, and observations made by parents, teachers, related service providers, and other school staff. The statement about "current performance" includes how the child's disability affects his or her involvement and progress in the general curriculum.
  
  
• Annual goals. These are goals that the child can reasonably accomplish in a year. The goals are broken down into short-term objectives or benchmarks. Goals may be academic, address social or behavioral needs, relate to physical needs, or address other educational needs. The goals must be measurable-meaning that it must be possible to measure whether the student has achieved the goals.
  
  
• Special education and related services. The IEP must list the special education and related services to be provided to the child or on behalf of the child. This includes supplementary aids and services that the child needs. It also includes modifications (changes) to the program or supports for school personnel-such as training or professional development-that will be provided to assist the child.
  
  
• Participation with nondisabled children. The IEP must explain the extent (if any) to which the child will not participate with nondisabled children in the regular class and other school activities.
  
  
• Participation in state and district-wide tests. Most states and districts give achievement tests to children in certain grades or age groups. The IEP must state what modifications in the administration of these tests the child will need. If a test is not appropriate for the child, the IEP must state why the test is not appropriate and how the child will be tested instead.
  
  
• Dates and places. The IEP must state when services will begin, how often they will be provided, where they will be provided, and how long they will last.
  
  
• Transition service needs. Beginning when the child is age 14 (or younger, if appropriate), the IEP must address (within the applicable parts of the IEP) the courses he or she needs to take to reach his or her post-school goals. A statement of transition services needs must also be included in each of the child's subsequent IEPs.
  
  
• Needed transition services. Beginning when the child is age 16 (or younger, if appropriate), the IEP must state what transition services are needed to help the child prepare for leaving school.
  
  
• Age of majority. Beginning at least one year before the child reaches the age of majority, the IEP must include a statement that the student has been told of any rights that will transfer to him or her at the age of majority. (This statement would be needed only in states that transfer rights at the age of majority.)
  
  
• Measuring progress. The IEP must state how the child's progress will be measured and how parents will be informed of that progress.

A member of the Child Study Team serves as case manager and monitors the child's progress. The IEP is reviewed and updated annually.

Where can I get more information?
Your children are very important to us. This brief summary is provided as a brief introduction to Special Services. We encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns regarding your child. Contact your child's teacher, Child Study Team case manager, principal, or the Special Services Department.

The NJ Department of Education brochure "Parental Rights in Special Education" is available online 

https://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/parents/ParentalRightsinSpecialEducation2023.pdf

This brochure is also distributed by the Special Services Department to parents whose child is referred for an evaluation. A revised copy of the procedural safeguards statement that is published by the New Jersey Department of Education to meet the requirements of N.J.A.C. 6A:14-2.3(g)7, is now available on the New Jersey Department of Education website. This document was developed to explain the rights afforded under special education to adult students with disabilities and the parents of students with disabilities.

https://www.state.nj.us/education/code/current/title6a/chap14.pdf

What can I do if I don’t agree with the recommendation of the IEP Team?
Collaboration with the Child Study Team is the best practice.  Public schools are required by law to provide a free appropriate education and the IEP should agree on what is appropriate in accordance with the least restrictive environment (LRE).  Results of evaluations, teacher reports, test results and medical data and others are factors considered and recommendations are contingent on the aforementioned factors.  If you disagree with recommended services, you can write a letter to the Child Study Team and CST will follow up with a meeting.  Discussion will move to the Supervisor and Director’s level if services cannot be agreed on; mediation and due process hearing are the steps that can also be taken.