Identification means the continuous and systematic effort made by the districts to identify, locate and screen students birth through 21, who may need special education services. Identification encompasses the district's public awareness efforts within the community; efforts to identify children in private schools; and comprehensive child find efforts that include programs to identify homeless and migratory children and children who may need special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade.
| Key Topics: Procedures for Identification and Location Public Awareness for Infant and Toddler Services Interagency Early Intervention Committees Hearing/Vision Impairment Identification Child Find |
Each district in the Area Special Education Cooperative (ASEC) has developed a comprehensive identification system that identifies students with disabilities from birth; students with disabilities attending both public and nonpublic schools; and students of school age who are not attending school.
The Coop, through the Interagency Early Intervention Committees of Polk, Norman, Marshall and Red Lake Counties, have developed and implemented policies and procedures related to public awareness systems, child find systems, and identification of children who may need special education and services.
Items to Demonstrate Compliance
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ASEC School districts have developed a system designed to identify persons with disabilities beginning at birth, students with disabilities attending school, and persons with disabilities who are of school age and are attending private school or who are not attending any school. The districts identification system is developed in accordance with the requirement of nondiscrimination and included in the ASECs total special education system (TSES) plan. (M.R. 3525.0750)K
1.1 Identification Within the Community
Member districts of the Area Special Education Cooperative (ASEC) conduct on-going activities designed to identify pupils who may require special education. These activities shall include, but are not limited to:
Member districts in cooperation with the Area Special Education Cooperative and the county Interagency Early Intervention Committee (IEIC), prepare and disseminate information regarding available services and the referral procedures for learners with disabilities who are eligible for special education services. Each district insures that such information is available in the native language of its non-English speaking residents. Dissemination may be made by public news releases (i.e., newspapers, radio, etc.), school bulletins, brochures, speaking engagements to parent and civic groups, etc. Records of news releases, speaking engagements and copies of disseminated information shall be maintained by the District and/or Cooperative as appropriate.
The districts and cooperative personnel, along with the county IEIC committees, provide information regarding early identification of children, available services, referral procedures, forms, etc. to all community agencies, groups and individuals who have contact with pupils ages birth through 21 years old. Community agencies and groups shall include, but are not limited to:
The focus of the public awareness program is to provide information about the state's early intervention program, the local child find system including the purpose and scope of the system; how to make referrals and how to gain access to a comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation and other early intervention services; and the central directory
Each interagency early intervention committee in each of the ASEC counties, have developed a public awareness system designed to inform potential families of available programs and services and have implemented interagency child find systems designed to seek out, identify, and refer infants and young children with, or at risk of, disabilities and their families. Minn. Stat 125A30(b)(1)-(2)
The school districts within the Area Special Education Cooperative, in cooperation with the health and human service agencies located in each county in which the ASEC district's are located, have established an interagency early intervention committee for children with disabilities under age five and their families and for children with disabilities ages three to 22. Minn Stat. 125A.30(a)
The committees include representatives of local and regional health, education, county human service agencies, county boards, school boards, early childhood family education programs, parents of young children with disabilities under age 12, current service providers, and when appropriate, representatives from other private or public agencies and school nurses.
The interagency early intervention committee in each county, has developed and implemented interagency policies and procedures to coordinate services at the district level for children with disabilities regarding the following:
Each committee must include representatives of local and regional health, education, and county human service agencies, county board, school boards, early childhood family education programs, parents of young children with disabilities under age 12, current service providers, and may also include representatives from other private or public agencies and school nurses.
When a student who is suspected of having a hearing loss fails the school screening, the parents should be contacted and the students health history should be obtained to determine if there is a history of ear infections, an indication of a possible hearing acuity problem. The student should be re-screened by the school (school nurse or speech clinician) in approximately six weeks from the original screening to obtain a puretone hearing threshold. If a second screening is failed (for whatever reason), the student should be referred to the districts student support team for review. If the team recommends further audiometric diagnostic assessment, the school can refer the student to an audiologist for assessment. When the results of the assessment are received, the team, which should include the parent and a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, will review the information and determine the need for additional school assessment.
Because of the developmental nature of young children, best practice with preschool children who are referred for assessment would suggest that they are screened for hearing/vision even when the presenting concern may not indicate a vision or hearing loss.
The school districts within the ASEC, have a process in place for identifying children with disabilities beginning at birth. Children from birth through age five are referred by parents, physicians and other agencies to the central point of intake at county nursing service. The facilitator with input from the family involves the appropriate agencies that may provide services to the child and family. For school age children attending either attending a public or private school or children with disabilities who are of school age and are not attending school, referrals can be made to the building student assistance team. The student assistance team will process the referral, obtain parent input and permission to evaluate, and involve the appropriate team members from the school and other agencies, as appropriate.