Special Education in South Carolina
Overview of Special Education Law
Special education is teaching students with special needs in various forms to accommodate those individual learning needs. Special education laws, like the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (2004) assure that all students receive a free and appropriate
public education with the right for parents to participate in sculpting their child's individualized lesson plan, colloquially referred to as an IEP. There are a few highly important court cases that established laws which are instrumental in special education today. The Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley (1982) established criteria for assessing IEP's as appropriate education. The Sacramento Unified School District v Rachel H. (1994) established the concept of least restrictive environment in the mainstream classroom. Now, four pieces determine placement in the mainstream classroom; the educational benefits of the regular classroom, the significance of the benefits of interacting with non-disabled students in the regular classroom and the effect the child has on the students and teacher in the mainstream environment. Amanda J. v Clark County School District (2001) states that the failure to provide important information to the parent from the school is a violation of the parent's right to participate. Finally, Shapiro v Paradise Valley Unified School District (2003) establishes that all IEP members must be present at IEP meetings.
Special education referral, evaluation and placement in South Carolina
There are a few distinct steps to the special education referral process. First, after the child is recognized as having a disability a meeting is set up with the child's parents. The disability is evaluated to determine if it is age appropriate or a reoccurring issue. Next, during the pre-referral process, an intervention strategy is identified and developed. In the referral for special education evaluation, school personnel or a parent can initiate the process. The special education evaluation gauges IQ, behavior, and other criteria. Eligibility is determined from this evaluation. Next, the IEP meeting is set up and the IEP is implemented. The final step is recurring evaluation to make sure the student is properly being taught.
Eligibility requirements for South Carolina
There are several disabilities recognized by state of South Carolina for special education eligibility. These disabilities are autism, deaf and hard of hearing, deaf blindness, developmental
delay, emotional disability, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, dramatic brain injury, and visual impairment. An eligibility test will be given to determine if the child has a disability and if so what type of disability it is. Does the disability cause the child to be unable to make effective educational progress? Does the child require specifically designed instruction to make progress? These questions will be brought about by the child's performance on the evaluation. From that point, the child's IEP team must determine the educational program and least restrictive environment placement setting for the child.
Special education is teaching students with special needs in various forms to accommodate those individual learning needs. Special education laws, like the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (2004) assure that all students receive a free and appropriate
public education with the right for parents to participate in sculpting their child's individualized lesson plan, colloquially referred to as an IEP. There are a few highly important court cases that established laws which are instrumental in special education today. The Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley (1982) established criteria for assessing IEP's as appropriate education. The Sacramento Unified School District v Rachel H. (1994) established the concept of least restrictive environment in the mainstream classroom. Now, four pieces determine placement in the mainstream classroom; the educational benefits of the regular classroom, the significance of the benefits of interacting with non-disabled students in the regular classroom and the effect the child has on the students and teacher in the mainstream environment. Amanda J. v Clark County School District (2001) states that the failure to provide important information to the parent from the school is a violation of the parent's right to participate. Finally, Shapiro v Paradise Valley Unified School District (2003) establishes that all IEP members must be present at IEP meetings.
Special education referral, evaluation and placement in South Carolina
There are a few distinct steps to the special education referral process. First, after the child is recognized as having a disability a meeting is set up with the child's parents. The disability is evaluated to determine if it is age appropriate or a reoccurring issue. Next, during the pre-referral process, an intervention strategy is identified and developed. In the referral for special education evaluation, school personnel or a parent can initiate the process. The special education evaluation gauges IQ, behavior, and other criteria. Eligibility is determined from this evaluation. Next, the IEP meeting is set up and the IEP is implemented. The final step is recurring evaluation to make sure the student is properly being taught.
Eligibility requirements for South Carolina
There are several disabilities recognized by state of South Carolina for special education eligibility. These disabilities are autism, deaf and hard of hearing, deaf blindness, developmental
delay, emotional disability, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, dramatic brain injury, and visual impairment. An eligibility test will be given to determine if the child has a disability and if so what type of disability it is. Does the disability cause the child to be unable to make effective educational progress? Does the child require specifically designed instruction to make progress? These questions will be brought about by the child's performance on the evaluation. From that point, the child's IEP team must determine the educational program and least restrictive environment placement setting for the child.