- Oxford School District
- Frequently Asked Questions
Special Education
Page Navigation
SPED Frequently Asked Questions
-
What is Child Find?
A federal process that identifies, evaluates, and locates children who may need special education or early intervention services.
-
Who can enter a Child Find form?
A parent, teacher, Multidisciplinary Teacher Support Team (MTSS), or public agency.
-
How are students identified and tested for Special Education?
Students are typically identified for special education through a combination of teacher observations, parent concerns, standardized testing, and screening tools; when a student shows significant difficulties in learning or behavior that cannot be addressed through general education supports, a referral for evaluation is made, leading to a comprehensive assessment to determine eligibility for special education services.
-
What outside behavior supports are available?
- Mississippi Behavior Services
- A&D Behavioral Solutions
- Contact Toni Bell for information
-
Should a Child Find be entered for a student who has a current speech and language eligibility but is struggling academically?
No, this would be an IEP meeting to discuss deficits and a potential request for a re-evaluation due to academic concerns.
-
Can a student who has a current speech and language eligibility be served by a special education teacher and receive academic goals and accommodations?
Yes, but an IEP meeting needs to be held to discuss and determine if the team agrees. The Special Education Director should be made aware before the meeting to determine if a re-evaluation meeting should take place to rule out any other potential disabilities.
-
Is Significant Cognitive Disability (SCD) an eligibility?
No. The IEP Committee Team must review the SCD guidance document to determine if the student meets the criteria for SCD. The Special Education Director must always be invited to these meetings.
-
Can a student with a disability who is not SCD be placed in a self-contained classroom?
Yes, however, if the student is not SCD, we must ensure that the student is taught the general education curriculum regardless of the placement.
-
What graduation paths are there for students with an IEP?
- Traditional Diploma
- Traditional Diploma with Career and Technical Endorsement
- Traditional Diploma with Academic Endorsement
- Traditional Diploma with Distinguished Endorsement
- Alternate Diploma
- Certificate of Attendance
-
Can a student test out of special education?
Yes.
-
What exactly is Extended School Year (ESY)?
The intent of ESY is not to ensure students pass a class or to remediate ALL deficits noted during the current school year. ONLY an IEP Committee can determine the need for ESY using the four (4) allowable criteria that can be used to find a student eligible for ESY. Justification such as parent request, prior ESY participation, or indication of potential benefit of ESY is NOT acceptable. The four allowable criteria are: Regression/Recoupment, Critical Point of Instruction 1 (CPI-1), Critical Point of Instruction 2 (CPI-2), and Extenuating Circumstances.
-
What does a manifestation determination review mean (MDR)?
The Manifestation Determination Review process is a comprehensive problem-solving review of various factors to determine if the child’s conduct is in question:
- Is caused by the child’s disability
- Has a direct and substantial relationship to the child’s disability
- Is the direct result of the public agency’s failure to implement the IEP
