Exceptional Children
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- Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
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EC Initial Processes
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For many families, navigating the EC process is new. This page is designed to help answer some of the initial questions many families have regarding EC initial processes. Please feel free to reach out to your child's school should you have any additional questions regarding the EC process.
First Step: EC Process for Families
Once an EC referral is made, school-based EC personnel will request an Initial Referral Meeting. An Individualized Education Program (IEP) team will meet to discuss the referral. Parents/guardians are required members of the IEP team.
Initial Referral Meeting Overview
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The Individualized Education Program (IEP) team will:
- Identify the referral source and date of referral.
- Review and record your child’s strengths in academics (reading, writing, and math) and functional skills (daily living, social/behavioral, and communication skills).
- Discuss the reasons for the referral, including concerns related to academic, behavioral, and/or functional needs.
- Review and summarize existing data including past and current grades, interventions/data collected from the MTSS process, parent-provided formal evaluation results, home information, observation data, screening data, local and state assessment data, etc.
- Discuss and decide if it is necessary to conduct an evaluation due to a suspected disability.
- Obtain parent consent or refusal for formal evaluations should the IEP decide to move forward.
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Parents will be asked to share student strengths.
- What are your child’s academic strengths in reading, math, and written language?
- What are your child’s strengths in daily living skills at home and in the community?
- What are your child’s behavioral/social skill strengths?
- What are your child’s study/work habits? What can they do independently?
- Does your child communicate effectively with adults and other children?
- What are your child’s motor skill strengths (gross/fine motor)? Does your child play sports? Enjoy art?
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The IEP Team will discuss reasons for the referral and areas of concerns.
- What are your child’s areas of need? What are your concerns?
- Is your child having problems with reading, writing, or spelling?
- Is your child having trouble with basic math concepts or problem-solving?
- Is your child having trouble with behavior/social skills?
- Is your child having health/medical problems that are affecting school performance?
- Is your child having trouble communicating?
- Is your child having trouble with motor skills?
- Is your child unable to take care of basic needs for daily living - feeding, toileting, dressing?
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UCPS Special Education Initial Referral Chart
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Share Results of outside/previous evaluations, if applicable.
Any information you have from previous or outside evaluations that would help the IEP team more fully understand your child’s strengths and needs can be shared with the team, including documented medical and/or mental health diagnoses from a licensed medical professional. Please provide in advance of the meeting if at all possible.
New to Union County Public Schools
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If you are new to Union County Public Schools and have questions about special education, please review the information on the UCPS Exceptional Children's Department webpages or contact the school to which your student will be assigned.
In order to make your student's transition into Union County Public Schools go smoothly, it is very important to provide your student's new school copies of the following information during registration:
- Most recent psychoeducational report, eligibility, evaluation, and/or reevaluation report;
- Current individualized education plan (IEP); and
- Contact information for your student's previous school and school district.
These items will support a successful transition between your student's old and new school and will ensure that appropriate services and supports are made available.
What to Expect
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For out-of-state students new to Union County Public Schools:
Once you have shared your student's special education records, school staff will invite you to a meeting to discuss comparable services, or services similar to or the same as, those provided on your student's most recent IEP. During the meeting, school staff will also describe the initial eligibility process that occurs when students move from out of state and the timeline in which an initial North Carolina (NC) IEP will be developed.
For in-state students new to Union County Public Schools:
School staff will begin implementing your student's current NC IEP on their first day of school. An invitation to review and revise your student's IEP may be scheduled. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss your student's transition to a new school and to determine if any adjustments to the services and supports currently provided are needed.
Private/Home school families seeking possible special education eligibility for their child:
The parent/guardian will need to contact the UCPS school to which the student would be assigned based on their home address or the address of the private school. Find out which UCPS school a student would be assigned by entering the home or private school address into Edulog.
