1
Admission, Review and Dismissal /Individual
Education Plan MEETING

• An Overview of the ARD/IEP

David Keithley, Director of Special
Education Stephanie Gain, Educ.
Diagnostician TRINITY ISD SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPT.
2
TO BEGIN RESOURCES TO ASSIST FAMILIES
BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ARD/IEP PROCESS AND THEIR
RIGHTS UNDER IDEA HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED BY THE
TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY (TEA).

• A Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal
  Process is a resource to help parents and
  families of students who are, or may be, eligible
  for special education supports and services take
  a more active part in planning their students
  educational program. This guide, written in
  English and Spanish
• Explains how an individualized educational
  program (IEP) is developed,
• Explains parents rights and responsibilities in
  the process, and
• Provides information that will help parents and
  families participate fully in their students
  ARD meeting

3

• The Procedural Safeguards document addresses the
  specific rights and responsibilities of the
  parent in the special education process under the
  IDEA. The document, written in English and
  Spanish, defines common terms and explains
  specific rights related to activities and areas
  that impact a students educational program and
  services.
• Parents will receive a copy of the Procedural
  Safeguards with the following activities
• Initial referral for evaluation
• Each notification of an ARD meeting
• Reevaluation of the student
• Receipt of a request for due process hearing.

4
THE ARD PROCESS Basic Terms and Abbreviations

• ARD The letters stand for Admission, Review,
  Dismissal committee. This is the name of the
  committee responsible for making the educational
  decisions for a student. The parents, or adult
  students, are members of the ARD committee.
• IEP The letters stand for Individual Education
  Plan. This is the plan written by the ARD
  Committee and describes the services that a
  student will receive from special education.

5
1. Scheduling an ARD Meeting
6

• When is an ARD meeting necessary?
• An ARD is needed for initial placement or any
  time the school staff or parents feel a change is
  needed in a students special education program.
  The IEP must be reviewed at least once a year,
  but an ARD meeting may be held at other times.
  For example, an ARD will need to be held to
  review additional assessment.
• When is written notice required for an ARD
  meeting?
• Parents are entitled to receive their written
  notice at least five school days before the
  meeting is scheduled to take place.

7

• When may the requirement for written notice be
  waived?
• Sometimes it might be necessary to have an ARD
  meeting without waiting for the written notice
  but such situations should not happen very often.
  This usually happens if there is an emergency but
  parents can refuse to waive the notice
  requirement.
• Can an ARD meeting be held without the parent?
• Parents are strongly encouraged to attend and be
  involved in their childs ARD meeting. Great
  efforts are made to schedule the ARDs during
  times that are convenient to both the parents and
  the school. In cases where the parents can not
  attend, they usually have given permission for
  the school to proceed without them.

8
Cont

• If parents cannot attend the meeting, they may
  participate by phone however, the ARD committee
  must allow just as much participation using the
  speaker function of the phone, and the signed
  notice is still required.

9
2. Participants of the ARD Meeting
10

• At a minimum, the committee must include the
  following
• A representative from the local school district
  administration, someone designated and authorized
  to commit the districts resources to implement
  the IEP. Often, the building principal or
  assistant principal serve in this role.
• A teacher from general instruction
• A teacher from special education
• The students parents, guardian, or designated
  representative
• The student, when appropriate

11
Cont..

• A representative of the special education
  assessment team
• Other specific types of professionals for
  students with specific disabilities (for example,
  a professional certified in education of the
  deaf, when a student with auditory impairment is
  being considered), or when other specialized
  needs (for example, vocational instruction or
  Limited English Proficiency) will be discussed.
• Participants should have some knowledge of the
  child to be discussed or some other involvement
  in the decisions being considered, and should
  bring student data to the ARD.

12
3. DURING THE ARD
13
(No Transcript)
14
Assessment Reports Discussed

• The special education assessment reports are the
  basis for making all decisions in the ARD
  committee meeting. The reports describe the
  individual students educational competencies and
  needs as well as recommendations. A comprehensive
  individual assessment must be done at least every
  three years.
• If the parents have testing from other
  professionals, it is a good practice to share the
  information with school personnel prior to an ARD
  in order for them to understand the information
  and consider it at the ARD.

15
4. IEP s Developed
16

• The students IEP must be based on his/her
  educational needs, not on what everybody else in
  the class gets.
• The IEP must address all of his/her educational
  needs. This may include academic subjects (i.e.,
  reading, writing, and math), as well as
  extracurricular activities, related services
  (like physical therapy or special
  transportation), and others. If the student needs
  special help in order to participate in the
  regular education classes, those special help
  needs (often called modifications) must be
  included in an IEP.
• The IEP is a one-year plan and is written to
  cover one year. The goals in the IEP should be
  based on student achievement data and what the
  student is expected to achieve in each area of
  need at the end of the school year.
• The IEP must begin by stating how the student is
  currently doing in each area. This must be based
  on testing or other assessment information.

17

• The IEP must have measurable goals and
  objectives. This means that the IEP must set out
  the steps (objectives) the student must complete
  to reach the annual goal.
• The IEP must set out the amount of time that the
  student will spend getting each service in
  special education, including related services.
  This should be specific information such as "45
  minutes twice a week, AND NEVER "as needed." The
  IEP must state the position of the person who
  will provide each service, such as the special
  education teacher or physical therapist (specify
  location frequency and duration)
• The IEP must set out a schedule for how and when
  the school district will measure the students
  progress and how the students parents will be
  regularly informed of progress. Goals and
  objectives must be reviewed every year, but they
  can be reviewed more often.

18
5. ARD Deliberations/Minutes
19

• The minutes are not a transcript or word-for-word
  account they are a summary of the issues and
  questions raised and discussed during the
  meeting. These notes definitely should include
• Requests for services or other changes in the IEP
  which the parents bring to the discussion
• Any proposals , offers of services or other
  changes to the IEP proposed by the school
• Any statement of denial or refusal by the school
  or parents
• Any relevant information or comments about the
  discussion and whether a decision was made or not
• Recommendations for accommodations and state
  assessments

20

• An ARD meeting may be taped by the school
  district, the parents, or the student, as long as
  the participants are aware and/or agree the
  meeting is being recorded.
• An ARD report should be an objective and full
  account of the business conducted in the meeting.
• NOTE To ensure an effective and precise
  ARD/IEP summary ,it is best practice for an
  Administrator or a voting member of the ARDC to
  inscribe deliberation meeting notes.

21
6. Signing the Forms
22

• The goal of the ARD is to have parents, students,
  and school personnel feel like equal partners in
  developing the IEP.
• The ARD forms include a signature page where the
  participants sign that they participated in the
  meeting. They also indicate whether they agree or
  disagree with the decisions. When the parents
  disagree with the IEP, they will be offered the
  chance for a recess of the meeting for not more
  than 10 days, during which all members will have
  the opportunity to get additional information
  they might need in order to reach an agreement.
  Before the ARD ends, members should agree on a
  time to reconvene.
• Best Practice is for our Parents and Teachers in
  our district receive a copy of the ARD
  document/IEPs within the week.

23
Suggestions for a Successful ARD Meeting
24
Before the ARD

• Build a Positive Relationship with the
  Parent/Members of the ARDC
• Plan ahead/Thoughts on Paper
• Know the Reason for the ARD/IEP meeting
• Provide copies or data of any student testing
  (i.e. TPRI, benchmarks, spelling tests, etc.)
• Dont hesitate to ask questions!

25
During the ARD

• Find a way to personalize your student (successes
  vs. challenges)
• Speak in a courteous manner and a conversational
  tone
• Modifications/Accommodations IEPs (do they
  match what is happening in your classroom?)
• Dont hesitate to ask questions during the ARD!

26
After the ARD

• Review the IEPs, Modifications/Accommodations,
  Behavior Plan, etc.
• Place ARD document copies in a secure and easily
  accessible location
• Talk to your student if necessary
• Dont hesitate to ask questions!

27
Special Education VS. Section504
28
An Overview

• The major differences between IDEA and Section
  504 are in the flexibility of the procedures. For
  a child to be identified as eligible for services
  under Section 504, there are less specific
  procedural criteria that govern the requirements
  of the school personnel. Schools may offer a
  student less assistance and monitoring with
  Section 504 because there are fewer regulations
  by the federal government to instruct them,
  especially in terms of compliance.
• In contrast, a child identified for services
  under IDEA must meet specific criteria. The
  degree of regulation is more specific in terms of
  time frames, parental participation, and formal
  paperwork requirements. IDEA also addresses the
  special education of students with disabilities
  from preschool to graduation only (from ages 3 to
  21). Section 504 covers the lifespan and
  safeguards the rights of persons with
  disabilities in many areas of their lives,
  including employment, public access to buildings,
  transportation, and education.

29
I. Identification (IDEA)

• In order for children with disabilities to
  receive services, they must by identified and
  then determined to be eligible for these
  services. Under IDEA guidelines, school districts
  are required to identify and evaluate all
  children suspected of having a disability whose
  families reside within the district.
• Covers all school-aged children who fall within
  one or more specific categories of qualifying
  conditions (i.e., autism, specific learning
  disabilities, speech or language impairments,
  emotional disturbance, traumatic brain injury,
  visual impairment, hearing impairment, and other
  health impairments).
• Requires that a child's disability adversely
  affects her educational performance.

30
Identification (504)

• Covers individuals who meet the definition of
  qualified "handicapped" person -- for example, a
  child who has or has had a physical or mental
  impairment that substantially limits a major life
  activity or is regarded as handicapped by others.
  (Major life activities include walking, seeing,
  hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working,
  caring for oneself, and performing manual tasks.)
• Does not require that a child need special
  education to qualify. Note Students who are
  ineligible for services or are no longer entitled
  to services under IDEA (e.g., kids with LD who no
  longer meet IDEA eligibility criteria) may be
  entitled to accommodations under Section 504.

31
II. Evaluation (IDEA)

• Requires that the child be fully and
  comprehensively evaluated by a multidisciplinary
  team.
• Requires informed and written parental consent.
• Requires a reevaluation of the child at least
  once every three years, or if conditions warrant
  a reevaluation, or if the child's parent or
  teacher requests a reevaluation.
• Provides for independent evaluation at the
  district's expense if parents disagree with first
  evaluation.
• Does not require reevaluation before a
  significant change in placement.

32
Evaluation (504)

• Evaluation draws on information from a variety of
  sources and is documented.
• Decisions about the child, evaluation data, and
  placement options are made by knowledgeable
  individuals. Such decisions do not require
  written consent of the parents, only that the
  parents are notified.
• Requires "periodic" reevaluation.
• No provisions made for independent evaluation at
  school's expense.
• Requires reevaluation before a significant change
  in placement.

33
III. IEPs/Placement/Services (IDEA)

• Requires an individualized education program
  (IEP).
• "Appropriate" education means a program designed
  to provide "educational benefit" for a person
  with disabilities.
• Placement may be any combination of special
  education and general education classrooms.
• Provides related services, if required. Related
  services may include speech and language therapy,
  occupational therapy, physical therapy,
  counseling services, psychological services,
  social services, and transportation.
• Parent or guardian must be notified and
  participate (if possible)

34
III. Placement/Services (504)

• Does not require an IEP, but does require a plan.
• "Appropriate" means an education comparable to
  the education provided to those students who are
  not disabled.
• Placement is usually in a general education
  classroom. Children can receive specialized
  instruction, related services, or accommodations
  within the general education classroom.
• Provides related services, if needed
• Parent/Guardian does not need to attend must
  notify if plan developed

35
Questions???
Feel Free to contact our Special Education
Office!! David Keithley, Director of Special
Education [phone] ext. 1053 dkeithley_at_tri
nityisd.net Stephanie Gain, Educational
Diagnostician [phone] ext.
1050 sgain_at_trinityisd.net