Special Education
Referral Process
Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE)
The Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) is responsible for arranging for the evaluation of any student ages 3 -5 who is suspected of having a disability and is a resident of the school district.
The evaluation process begins when a written request for evaluation is made by:
• the child's parent or legal guardian;
• a designee of the school district in which the student resides, or the public
school district the student legally attends or is eligible to attend;
• the commissioner or designee of a public agency with responsibility for the
education of students; or
• a designee of an education program affiliated with a child care institution
with committee on special education responsibility pursuant to Section
4002(3) of the Education Law.
The referral can be made at any time during the school year. It should specify the extent to which the preschool student has received any services prior to referral. A list of county-approved evaluation sites will be given to the parent/guardian, and translations will be provided as needed. In the event that consent is not provided, the committee will implement the district’s practices for ensuring that the parents/guardians have received and understood the request for consent.
The individual evaluation of a preschool child shall include relevant functional and developmental information regarding the child’s abilities and needs relating to participation in age-appropriate activities. This includes:
• a physical examination;
• an individual psychological examination, except when a school
psychologist determines after an assessment that further evaluation is
unnecessary;
• an observation of the preschool child in the child's learning environment,
including the general education classroom setting, or in an environment
appropriate for a student of that age, to document the student's academic
performance or behavior in the areas of difficulty;
• a social history; and
• other appropriate assessments or evaluations, including a functional
behavioral assessment for a student whose behavior impedes his or her
learning or that of others, as necessary to ascertain the physical, mental,
behavioral, and emotional factors which contribute to the suspected
disabilities.
The evaluator will use scientifically sound instruments that may assess the relative contribution of cognitive and behavioral factors, in addition to physical or developmental factors. Tests will be administered in the student’s dominant language or other mode of communication, unless it is clearly not feasible to do so. The tests will be validated for the specific purpose for which they are used and will be administered by trained personnel. Tests will be administered so as not to be racially or culturally discriminatory and to ensure that they measure the extent to which the student has a disability and needs special education, rather than measure the student’s English language skills.
The CPSE will arrange for specialized evaluations where necessary. These assessments may include, but are not limited to, bilingual evaluations, psychiatric and neurological examinations, audiological evaluations, visual evaluations, and assistive technology assessments. Specialized evaluations are not limited to the initial evaluation process and may be indicated at any time.
When completed, the evaluation reports will be submitted to the CPSE, and a CPSE meeting will be scheduled at a site and time mutually convenient to the members of the committee and the preschool parents/guardians. The parents/guardians will receive a copy of the summary reports before the meeting. The results of the evaluation will be provided to the parents/guardians in their native language or other mode of communication used by the parent/guardian, unless it is not feasible to do so.
Reasonable measures will be made to ensure that the parents/guardians attend the meeting. This means:
• A written notice is sent to the parents/guardians at least five (5) days
before advising them of the meeting. The parent/guardian may elect to
receive the notice of meetings by email.
• Prior written notice means written statements developed in accordance with
Section 200.5(a) of the Part 200 Commissioner’s Regulations provided to
the parents/guardians of a student with a disability within a reasonable time
before the school district proposes to or refuses to initiate or change the
identification, evaluation or educational placement of the student or the
provision of a free appropriate public education to the student.
• At least one additional attempt will be made to notify the
parents/guardians. This may mean additional written notice or a telephone
call.
• The parents/guardians and school district may agree to use alternative
means for a meeting, such as videoconferences and conference telephone
calls.
Before making any recommendation that would place a child in an approved program of the agency that conducted the initial evaluation, the committee may, at its discretion, obtain a second evaluation of the child from another approved evaluator.
The CPSE submits a recommendation to the Franklin Square Board of Education and to the parents/guardians of the preschool student within sixty (60) school days of the date of the receipt of consent. If the committee determines that the student is ineligible for special education, written notification will indicate the reasons for the finding. If the committee determines that a student has a disability, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is prepared that specifies the nature of the disability, the student’s current levels of functioning (including how the disability affects the student’s participation in age-appropriate activities), measurable annual goals (including benchmarks or short-term objectives), and the type of special education program and/or services recommended. The CPSE will seek, in every case, to recommend placement in the least restrictive environment consistent with the needs of the student. If, for any reasons, the recommendation of the committee differs from the preference of the parents/guardians, the report will include the reasons for the committee’s recommendations. The notice will also indicate that, in the event the parents/guardians do not provide consent for placement, no further action will be taken by the CPSE until such consent is obtained.
CPSE to CSE Transition Process
Parents should be in contact with their child's service providers to make sure all evaluations are scheduled and that they have the date and time of the CPSE to CSE Transition meeting.
Please contact Carolyn Mione if you have any questions regarding your child's transition at (516) 481-4100 x3539
Even though your child is receiving special education services, you must still register for kindergarten.
Committee on Special Education (CSE)
In accordance with New York Education Law Section 4402 and Part 200.2, 200.4 and 200.5 of the Commissioner’s Regulations, the Committee on Special Education (CSE) is responsible for evaluating all school-age students suspected of having a disability, identifying a disability or determining that no disability exists, and recommending placement and type of special education programs and/or services within sixty (60) days of the date of receipt of consent for evaluation. Referrals can be made at any time during the year.
A student suspected of having a disability shall be referred in writing to the Chairperson of the Committee on Special Education or to the building administrator of the school which the student attends or is eligible to attend for an individual evaluation and determination of eligibility for special education programs or services. The school district must initiate a referral and promptly request parental consent to evaluate the student to determine if the student needs special education services and programs if a student has not made adequate progress after an appropriate period of time when provided instruction within a multi-tiered problem-solving approach that utilizes systematically applied strategies and targeted instruction. A referral may be made by a:
• student's parent/guardian including an individual who is acting in the place
of a birth or adoptive parent such as a grandparent, stepparent or other
relative with whom the child resides;
• a designee of the school district in which the student resides;
• the commissioner; and/or
• a designee of an education program affiliated with a childcare institution with
Committee on Special Education responsibility.
A written request that the school district or agency refer the student for an initial evaluation may be made by a:
• professional staff member of the school district in which the student resides
or the public or private school the student legally attends;
• licensed physician;
• judicial officer;
• professional staff member of a public agency with responsibility for the
welfare, health or education of children; or
• student who is 18 years of age or older, or an emancipated minor, who is
eligible to attend the public schools of the district.
All new entrants to the district are screened at the time of enrollment and such screening, if it indicates a possible disability, can lead to a CSE referral. The referral must be written and dated.
Except for written requests for referrals submitted by the student and referrals by parents/guardians or judicial officers, the referral must state the reasons for the referral and include any test results, records or reports upon which the referral is based. It must also describe, in writing, efforts made by the school and parents/guardians to resolve the difficulties leading to referral or to meet the needs of the student in the general classroom setting, including intervention services, programs or instructional methodologies used to remediate the student’s performance prior to the referral. It must also describe the extent of parental contact or involvement prior to the referral. If a referral is received by the building administrator, it must be forwarded to the CSE Chairperson immediately and vice-versa.
Within 10 school days of receiving a written request for referral for an initial evaluation, the school district will notify the parents/guardians that a referral for an evaluation has been received and either request consent to initiate the evaluation or provide them with a copy of the request referral. The district will inform the parents/guardians of their right to refer the student for an initial evaluation and offer an opportunity to meet to discuss the request for referral. As appropriate, the availability of general education support services for the student will be discussed with the building administrator or other designee of the school district authorized to make a referral; the professional staff member of the school district making the request for referral; and, upon request of the parents/guardians or school district, any other person making the referral.
A professional staff member of the school district who made a request for referral that results in a parent referral for special education must attend any meeting requested by a building administrator to determine whether the student would benefit from additional general education support services as an alternative to special education and will receive a copy of any agreement to withdraw the referral.
The parents/guardians will be provided with information regarding the evaluation, the procedural safeguards notice that includes a listing of free or low-cost legal and other relevant services in the area, sources to obtain assistance in understanding the referral and evaluation process, and a copy of A Parent’s Guide to Special Education.
*An electronic copy of these documents can be obtained under Helpful Resources.