Van Dyke Public Schools

It is important to note that this list is not exhaustive.  Any condition, or suspected condition, that is affecting the student's educational performance would warrant a referral for a Section 504 evaluation.                    

REFERRAL BY TEACHER OR OTHER(S)

If it is determined that a Section 504 referral should be made, the concerned person(s) must contact designated school personnel and communicate the student's problem.  If the student’s problem significantly affects his or her performance in school, the teacher must then complete the Child Study Team: Initial Plan Form.  On this form, the teacher specifies the student's identifying information, attendance, academic difficulties, teacher-to-teacher consultation, and interventions used to address the student’s difficulties.

CHILD STUDY TEAM INITIAL MEETING

After completion of the “Child Study Team: Initial Plan” form by the classroom teacher, a meeting involving the referring teacher(s) and consultant is scheduled for the purpose of discussing the student's strengths and weaknesses.  Consideration of the child's learning style is given, and classroom interventions are recommended. 

After a period of 30 school days, the student’s progress is reviewed.  If additional review is necessary, the Initial Child Study Team Meeting is scheduled.

At the initial Child Study Team Meeting, information-gathering forms must be completed by the teacher(s) or sent to the parent(s) for completion.  Other specialized staff, such as the school psychologist, school social worker, student assistance specialist, or school counselor, may be present, depending upon the nature and severity of the student's difficulties. These other staff members may become involved at this point, possibly by performing classroom observations, meeting with the student on an informal basis, contacting the parents, or providing general technical assistance such as assisting in the interpretation of reports obtained from outside agencies.

Student’s Needs Being Met: Performance Monitored.

If it is determined during the early phase of the Child Study process that the student is performing consistent with age and grade expectations and that no further review is necessary, appropriate documentation is completed and the student's performance is monitored.  Monitoring procedures may include:

1) periodic contact with the parent(s)/guardian(s);

2) continued documentation of any re-occurring difficulties; or

3) charting of performance (this may include informal assessment by the teacher or review of test scores such as those of the MEAP, Iowa, etc.).

If it is determined during the consultation process that the student is not performing consistent with age and/or grade expectations, the teacher(s) and the consultant develop an intervention plan to be implemented by the teacher(s).  This plan is documented accordingly by the consultant.  This is usually completed during the initial consultation meeting.

At this stage of consultation, the goals will be to determine the student's learning styles, identify strengths and weaknesses, and develop an appropriate intervention plan.  After the intervention(s) have been in effect within a specified period of time (approximately six (6) weeks), the need for further consultation will be addressed.  If it is apparent that the student has responded positively to the intervention(s), further consultation may not be necessary. 

If, however, it is apparent that the student continues to experience difficulties despite the intervention efforts of the teacher(s), a request is made by the teacher for a Student Intervention Team meeting.  This request is directed to the principal, who schedules the meeting and extends an invitation to the parent(s)/guardian(s). 

The principal also determines which school staff are to attend the meeting.  This determination should be based on the nature of the student's difficulty.  For example, if the student's difficulties appear to be related to factors such as cognition and/or perceptual skills, the school psychologist may be requested to attend.  If the student's primary difficulties appear to lie within the emotional realm of functioning, the school social worker or counselor may be requested to attend the meeting.  Other personnel may be considered, such as the speech therapist or literacy coach, depending upon the nature of the student's difficulties.

                 CHILD STUDY TEAM FOLLOW-UP MEETING

The Child Study Team Follow-Up Meeting is scheduled by the school principal for the purpose of involving the parent(s)/guardian(s) in the decision-making process. This meeting is convened to inform the parent(s)/guardian(s) of their child's difficulties and to gather relevant information such as medical and developmental histories, their perception of their child's academic strengths and weaknesses, what stressors, if any, are presently occurring in their child's life, etc.  Other members of this meeting include the classroom teacher(s), school principal, and invited specialized staff.

Often, an important function of the Child Study Team meeting is to obtain the parent(s)/guardian(s) consent to receive confidential records.  For example, if a referral for a Section 504 evaluation is being considered because the student has been diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder, diabetes, etc., school staff will need to secure relevant report(s) from outside agencies that have made the medical diagnosis.

It is important that the Child Study Team discriminate between those disabilities recognized under IDEA and those recognized under Section 504.  While some students may be eligible under both Section 504 and IDEA (e.g., a child who has been diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder and a co-occurring specific learning disability), the general procedure at the initial stage of referral is to consider the primary area of difficulty for the student.  For example, if a child whose difficulties lie primarily within the realms of attention and impulsive behavior, and these difficulties appear to be adversely affecting his/her academic performance, then a referral for a Section 504 evaluation is appropriate.  Conversely, if the student's phonological awareness skills and basic sight-word reading skills appear to be developmentally deficient, and reading achievement appears to be the primary area of difficulty for the student, then a referral to the special education department is warranted.  This determination may be guided with assistance from specialized staff, such as the Teacher Consultant or School Psychologist, who may be requested to attend the Child Study Team meeting.

  No Referral For An Evaluation: 
  Additional Interventions Recommended And Performance Monitored

 If it is determined during the Child Study Team meeting that a referral for an evaluation is not warranted, appropriate documentation is completed and the student’s performance is monitored.  Monitoring procedures may include 1) periodic contact with the parent(s)/guardian(s); 2) continued documentation of any re-occurring difficulties; or 3) charting of performance (e.g., review of scores on group standardized tests).

Referral For A Section 504 Evaluation

If it is determined by the School Team that a referral for a Section 504 evaluation is warranted, the members of the team explain to the parent(s)/guardian(s) the nature of this evaluation, and provide them with the following forms:

1.  Terms as Defined by the Federal Government form

2.  Parent(s)/Guardian(s)/Student Rights form

3.  Hearing Rights form

4.  List of Community Organizations form

5.  Other forms as needed

Next, provide the parent(s)/guardian(s) with the Parent Notification form and have them complete  it, including placing signature(s) where indicated.

If the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) refuse to sign the Parent  Notification Form,  no individualized  testing can be completed.  In this case, school staff will utilize other sources of information (e.g., group test scores, teacher anecdotal records, reports from outside agencies, etc.) for determining appropriate action.  The parent(s)/guardian(s) will then be referred to the appropriate source for further action.

If reports from hospitals, private physicians, or mental health clinics are needed to aid in the school district’s determination of eligibility, a Consent To Send/Receive Confidential Records  form must be completed by school staff and a signature on this form must be requested from the parent(s)/guardian(s).

For detailed information about completing the Section 504 evaluation, please refer to the section entitled “Conducting the Section 504 Evaluation”.

Referral For an IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) Evaluation

If it is determined by the School Team that a referral to the Special Services Department is warranted, this decision is indicated on the Student Intervention Team  (S.I.T.) Report  form.  This form, and all other relevant material is then forwarded to the director of special education for appropriate action.  This material includes, but is not necessarily limited to

(1) Child Study Team Initial Plan and Follow-Up forms;
(2) samples of the student’s work;
(3) Classroom Observation forms;
(4) Behavior rating scales, if completed;
(5) Reports from outside agencies, if obtained;
(6) copies of standardized test scores, if available;
(7) History of Ear and Hearing Problems form

The evaluation procedures to be followed may include obtaining information regarding the student’s classroom behavior, physical condition, social or cultural background, adaptive behavior, achievement levels, or aptitude.  If individual testing is warranted, the following applies:

No final determination of whether the student is a disabled individual within  the meaning of Section 504, or if the student will receive accommodations, will be made by the School Team without informing the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the student concerning such determination.  Procedural safeguards will be given to the parent(s)/guardian(s).

The School Team shall conduct a reevaluation of the student who is determined to be handicapped under Section 504:

Student Eligible Under Section 504:  Meeting With Parents.
Accommodation Plan Written.

If the evaluators determine that the student fulfills the eligibility criteria for accommodations under Section 504, the specific accommodations are developed and explained to the parent(s)/guardian(s) at the meeting. 

These accommodations are to be developed cooperatively with all involved individuals and are implemented by regular education staff, most notably the student's classroom teacher(s).  Accommodations under Section
504 may include, but are not limited to, the following:

After the appropriate accommodations have been determined, the School  Team, in cooperation with the student's parent(s)/guardian(s), will complete the form entitled Section 504 Accommodations Plan.  This form will be contained within the student's school file and revised annually or as needed. 
 Also, this form should be distributed to all school staff who will implement the accommodation plan.  For example, for a student who is allergic to certain types of food ingredients and requires a restricted diet, an Accommodations Plan Form should be completed and distributed to food service staff.

It is important to note that it is not the intent of Section 504 to provide program(s) which are fundamentally different from existing opportunities.  With this in mind, accommodations are expected to be appropriate in form and may involve anything determined by the School Team which is believed
to 1) accommodate for the student's disability; and, in turn, 2) foster his or her academic performance.

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