Evaluations & IEPS
Evaluations
In order to determine whether a child needs special education services, school districts must perform an evaluation. The evaluation helps determine whether the child is eligible for special education and which services the school district must provide to meet the child’s needs. Evaluations are also important to determine changes in instruction or services in response to changing needs. Many questions and obstacles can arise during this process. School districts must abide by specific mandated timelines and must assess all areas of suspected disability. I guide parents through this process and make sure that parents are empowered and armed with knowledge in their discussions with their school district.
IEP Development
An Individualized Education Program (“IEP”) must be just that – individualized. School districts must create a program that addresses the individualized needs of each student to enable that student to access his/her/their education. The IEP is an enforceable document that obligates the school district to provide the specific services listed in the IEP. The IEP program and placement is developed at a team meeting including school personnel and parents. This is supposed to be a collaborative process. However, parents often feel overwhelmed and outnumbered and do not understand the IEP jargon. I help parents to understand the process and enable and empower parents so that their voices are heard and their child’s needs are met.
Gifted Education
Pennsylvania law has long mandated that school districts provide a gifted IEP or GIEP to students who need enriched programming. In New Jersey, on January 13, 2020, Governor Murphy signed the “Strengthening Gifted and Talented Education Act” codifying school district responsibilities in educating gifted and talented students. The law went into effect during the 2020-2021 school year. While many of the same procedural requirements apply to gifted students, remedies significantly differ. I guide parents through this process to make sure that their gifted child’s needs are met.
Twice-Exceptional Students (2E)
Twice-exceptional (2E) students are gifted and disabled. These students may also be referred to as having dual exceptionalities or as being gifted with learning disabilities. 2E students’ needs are frequently nuanced and complex and, unfortunately, often misunderstood. School districts must appropriately program for both sets of needs even when they impact each other. I guide parents through these nuanced discussions with school districts and make sure that their students are supported and appropriately challenged.