Fw: SB10 (1) The Pyramid of Intervention is and how it works (2) GA Laws Regulating Home Ed.

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forwarding GA Laws Regulating Home Ed. is 2nd article below.

Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2008 10:41 PM

Subject: Re: SB10 the Pyramid of Intervention is and how it works

The POI Team is the same as a SST (Student Support Team). I am attaching a document from the GA DOE website explaining what the Pyramid of Intervention is and how it works. If you want to look it up, put Pyramid of Intervention into the search portion on the GA DOE website.There are many confusions about the qualifications for an IEP and how it relates to the POI. A diagnosis alone does not guarantee one of special education or an IEP. It depends on the child and their educational needs, not their diagnosis. Under IDEA 2004, there are provisions for the eligibility of a student into special education. Keep in mind that the school only needs to address the EDUCATIONAL IMPACT of the disability, not the disability itself. A student can have a learning disability, ADHD or even autism or Asperger's and be served in the regular education classes without support, just a few accommodations. On the other hand, students with these disabilities MAY receive some additional special education services depending on their individual needs, thus the IEP (Individual Education Plan). Keep in mind that Special Education is a SERVICE not a PLACE. This has changed in the years since we were in school and children identified as special education students were removed to different halls or trailers away from the general population. My personal opinion is that this change is a very good thing. Our children will live in the real world, and they need exposure to typical students as much as typical students need to get to know and understand our children.As for the GA Rules, a student who has been eligible for special education and is on an IEP may need to stay in school until they turn 22 to complete their program. Some students require additional years to earn a General Education diploma and the IEP Team determines what that course will be during the Transition Planning portion of the IEP meeting. By the way, Transition begins at age 16 statewide, it is age 14 or entering 9th grade in my county (Walton). Every year the team discusses what the student has accomplished and what more needs to be completed toward the goal of graduation. Some students, depending on their need, may stay in school until 22 to complete their IEP goals for CBI (Community Based Instruction) or for a special education diploma. The parents are a very important part of each IEP meeting and especially during Transition planning. Your child will no longer receive any support from the school when they reach 22, and you need to have a plan for what you will do when they are out of school all day. Various agencies may be invited to get involved during your IEP meeting to help transition your student into post-secondary school, jobs, or living arrangements. It appears that a student must be enrolled for at least 1 year prior to age 21 and be recommended for the extended year at that time in order to stay until they turn 22.This is my understanding based on what I have read and heard. Hope it is helpful.

President, FACES, Incwww.georgiafaces.info

Georgia Laws Regulating Home Education: Georgia Statutes 20-2-150

Back to Top"Special education students shall also be eligible for enrollment in appropriate education programs through age 21 or until they receive high school or special education diplomas or the equivalent; provided, however, they were enrolled during the preceding school year and had an approved Individualized Education Program (IEP) which indicated that a successive year of enrollment was needed. Other students who have not yet attained age 21 by September 1 or received high school diplomas or the equivalent shall be eligible for enrollment in appropriate education programs, provided they have not dropped out of school for one quarter or more".

You need to contact the DOE folks who are over the SB10 scholarship, they can give you the answers you need.Jeff Gagne, Ph.D. 2053 Twin Towers East205 Hill Jr. Drive SEAtlanta, GA 30334 (GA) jgagne@....ga.us Carmen -Freemire2053 Twin Towers East205 Hill Jr. Drive SEAtlanta, GA 30334 (GA) cfreemirdoe (DOT) k12.ga.us It is my understanding that your child has to be on an IEP during the school year prior to applying for the scholarship. If he has been in private school for the last 3 years, he doesn't have an IEP written by your public school. So you would have to go through the initial evaluation process and now with the Pyramid of Intervention in place, depending on your child's needs, he may not be referred to special education until all accommodations are attempted in the general education classroom. This takes weeks and months. This is a GEN ED program and only after multiple weeks of assessments and classroom data is collected does the POI team meet to refer for special education and then an IEP may or may not be put into place. In many ways, this is a good thing as it prevents children from being referred to special education who may just need additional help in their general education classes. The POI provides for many accommodations within the classroom that an IEP may also provide. And this is very effective for many students, including those on the autism spectrum. The goal for GA Students is to provide the most opportunity to learn with their typical peers so that in the end, they can earn a General Education diploma instead of a special education diploma. The other side of that is many students do not move out of the POI and therefore do not get an IEP, nor the funding to utilize the scholarship. It all depends on the students needs and assessment of strategies to meet those needs without an IEP.Also, depending on the IEP, you may not receive the funding you are looking for. My son is now in high school and has high functioning autism, served in the general ed setting with a special education teacher (collaborative model). I just checked and the estimate for him would be $6,000 for the year. It is based on how much "special education" your child would qualify for and receive. He has been on an IEP since preschool at age 4 and each year what he receives as special education changes. I learned just recently that there was a change in the ruling that if your child is a student in the school for a year, he could be placed on an IEP at any time during that year and not be required to hold the IEP for that entire school year. This should help if he doesn't immediately receive an IEP but you may not know until late in the year. Bottom line is you have to think through the whole process without the goal being that the school system will fund a SB10 scholarship. What in the end is best for your child? Would placing him into a school system where he could potentially fail multiple times during the POI process and in the end NOT end up on an IEP be worth it? This may not happen, but you have to consider it might. I am also unclear about the O.G.C.A. 20-2-690 and what that stands for, I will keep looking for that policy and let you know if I find it. Hope this helps!Have a great weekend.

President, FACES, Incwww.georgiafaces.info

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