Screening Process

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Each school district must establish and implement procedures to locate, identify, and evaluate students suspected of being exceptional. These procedures include screening activities, which include but are not limited to review of group-based data (cumulative record, enrollment records, health records, and report cards); hearing screening (at a minimum of kindergarten, special ungraded class, first, second, third, seventh, and eleventh grades); vision screening (every grade level); motor screening; and speech and language screening.

Through the district’s Student Assistance Program and elementary school’s Child Study teams, parents and members of the professional staff have the right to request screenings.

Except as indicated above or otherwise announced publicly, screening activities take place in an ongoing fashion throughout the school year. Screening is conducted in the student’s home school unless other arrangements are necessary. Contact the district coordinator of special education, Mrs. Shirley Spiegel (grades K-12) at 724-662-5102, extension 3020.

Evaluation Process

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When screening indicates that a student may be exceptional, the school district will seek parental consent to conduct an evaluation. "Evaluation" means procedures used to determine whether a child has a disability and the nature and extent of the special education and related services that meet the child’s needs. The term means procedures used selectively with an individual child and does not mean basic tests administered to or procedures used with all children.

In Pennsylvania, this evaluation is called a multidisciplinary evaluation (MDE). It is conducted by a multidisciplinary team (MDT), which must include a school psychologist, a teacher and the parents. The MDE process must be conducted in accordance with specific timelines and use procedural safeguard procedures. For example, tests and procedures used as part of the multidisciplinary evaluation may not be racially and culturally biased.

The MDE process results in a written evaluation report (ER). This report makes recommendations about a student’s eligibility for special education based on the presence of a disability and the need for specially designed instruction. The evaluation report also makes recommendations for educational programming regardless of whether or not the team recommends that the student is exceptional.

Once parental consent for an evaluation is obtained, the school district has timelines and procedures specifies by law, which it must follow.

Parents who think their child is a child with a disability may request at any time that the school district conduct a multidisciplinary evaluation. This request should be made in writing to the Coordinator of Special Services. If a parent makes an oral request for a multidisciplinary evaluation the school district shall provide the parent with a form for written permission. Instructional Support (IS) activities do not serve as a barrier to the right of a parent to request, at any time, including prior to or during the provision of instructional support activities, a multidisciplinary evaluation.

Parents also have the right to obtain an independent educational evaluation. The school district must provide to parent, on request, information about where an independent educational evaluation may be obtained.

Educational Placement Process

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The determination of whether or not the student is exceptional is made by an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team. A single test or procedure may not be the sole factor in determining that a child is exceptional. The IEP team must include a district representative, the student’s teacher, special education teacher and the parents. If the student is determined to be exceptional an IEP will be developed.

An IEP describes a student’s current educational levels, goals, and objectives, and the individual programs and services, which the student will receive. IEPs are reviewed on an annual basis. The IEP team will make decisions about the type of services, the level of intervention and the location of intervention.

Placement must be made in the least restrictive environment in which the student’s needs can be met with special education and related services. All students with disabilities must be educated to the maximum extent appropriate with children who are not disabled.