Special Education

The Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program serves children birth through age 6 who have identified special education needs. Children qualify for services by meeting state established criteria. There are 13 different criteria under which a young child can qualify for ECSE services.

Help Me Grow Minnesota connects families to resources that help young children develop, learn and grow. Many families find the developmental milestones information helpful. You can also refer online and it will be directed to your home/resident school district.

Children are referred to our program by parents, medical personnel, childcare providers, Early Childhood educators, kindergarten teachers, West Suburban Early Intervention, other community agencies (such as Head Start), and as a result of the state mandated pre-school screening.

Following a comprehensive evaluation the child's team determines whether or not a child qualifies for ECSE services. Once a child has qualified for ECSE services an IIIP or IEP is written to address the child's and family's needs. The frequency and level of services the child/family receives is based upon their individual needs. Services could be delivered by a variety of staff such as an ECSE teacher, Speech/Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Autism Specialist, Behavior Specialist, Developmental Adaptive Physical Education teacher, etc.

The ECSE program consists of four components; The Birth to Three program, The Three to Kindergarten program, the Kindergarten program and The Speech and Language program.

ECSE services are delivered in a variety of settings. Federal Law mandates that education services for our youngest children, those ages birth to three, to the maximum extend possible must be provided in a child natural environment. Thus the infants and toddlers we serve generally receive their educational program either in their homes or in their child care settings. At approximately age 2, in addition to receiving services in their homes, children begin attending a parent-child toddler class called Twos Company. This class is designed to support the child's transition into the Three to Kindergarten program.

The Three to Kindergarten program provides preschool center based services and itinerant/consulting services. In collaboration with SLP Early Childhood Family Education and Learning Readiness we provide two inclusive pre-school programs: Pals Plus and Ready Set Kindergarten (RSK). These programs provide a high quality preschool experience to both typically developing children and children with special education needs. (In accordance with Federal Law children over the age of three must receive services in the least restrictive environment being educated to the maximum extent possible with their same age nondisabled peers.) In addition, we provide Speech/Language groups and individual/small group speech/language sessions. These programs are currently located at Central Community Center. ECSE consulting services are provided for children who attend community based pre school programs.

Lastly, we provide ECSE services to children who are attending kindergarten. We provide a wide array of services to kindergarten age students. Services are dependent on their individual needs as defined by their IEPs. For example, services may be provided within the kindergarten classroom, in a small group setting or through consultation. Services are delivered by a variety of special education staff, such as ECSE teacher, Speech/Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Autism Specialist, Behavior Specialist, Developmental Adaptive Physical Education teacher, etc.

If you are interested in referring your child for Early Intervention Services, or if you have questions about your child's development, please call 952-928-6741.

If your child is attending school and you are concerned with his/her academic progress, suspect he/she may have a disability which is impacting his/her progress or have medical or mental health diagnoses which may be affecting his/her learning, please contact a teacher or counselor. School staff members are familiar with the process for referral for a special education evaluation. They are required to conduct at least two changes (interventions) in the student's typical school day. The student's issue may be resolved through simple changes made by the classroom teacher.

Next Steps

If these interventions are not successful, it may be advisable to pursue a special education evaluation. Parents are part of this process. Your child's teacher or counselor will contact you to discuss their concerns and their intent to make a referral to the special education evaluation team.

Parents are invited to a team meeting. The strengths and needs of the student are discussed and a decision is made regarding the need for an evaluation and what areas will be evaluated. This evaluation is at no cost to the parent and requires written parent permission before a student can be evaluated for initial placement in special education.

Results

Once the evaluation has been completed and summarized, the team, including the parents, meets to review the results. The child's performance is compared to the eligibility criteria provided by the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning. Depending on the nature of the students needs, the team will consider one or more of several areas of disability. These areas of disability include:

Children under the age of seven typically qualify and are served under a more general category of developmental delay.

Developing a Plan

If a student qualifies for services through special education, a team meeting is held to develop an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for the student. It contains many components that assure that the student is being provided a Free, Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). This is a basic tenet of the federal law governing these services. This federal law is known as The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA.

Parents continue to be active members of the special education team that meets at least annually to review the IEP, develop a new IEP and communicate about the progress of the student and concerns for the student's future success.

Services provided through special education and prescribed by the team through the IEP could include services from a special education teacher, school social worker, occupational therapist, speech and language clinician, developmental adapted physical education teacher, physical therapist, etc. Specially designed instruction is calculated to provide educational benefit such that the student can make adequate progress in the educational setting.

Services may be delivered in the general education classroom, in a specialized setting or both. Again, the IEP team determined the amount and location of the services. The school district is obligated to consider the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) so as to educate children with disabilities, to the maximum extent possible, with their peers who do not have identified disabilities.

Parents and majority age students have protections under the state and federal laws. A summary of these protections is provided to the parents at each decision making point. If you have questions about the process for participating in the special education services in the St. Louis Park Schools please contact the district special education/student services staff (see above).

Parent resources regarding the special education laws and services may be accessed on the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Right (PACER Center) website.

• Developmental/Cognitive Disability
• Deaf/Hard of Hearing
• Blind/Visually Impaired
• Physical Disability
• Other Health Disability
• Emotional/Behavioral Disorder
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Specific Learning Disability
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Speech or Language impairments
• Multiple Disabilities

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