Wyomissing Area School District

In compliance with federal and state law, the WASD provides a complete continuum of special education programs for eligible resident students. Programs and services are available for children with disabilities who reside in the school district regardless of whether those children attend public school. Some programs are operated directly by the school district while other programs are provided through contracts with the Berks County Intermediate Unit, or other educational institutions approved by the Commonwealth. Services for exceptional students range from providing supplemental aids and services in the child's regular education class to full-time placement in a special education class. The policy of the District is to maximize, to the extent possible, educational services with non-exceptional students in regular education environments. Individual special education services are available for children who are determined to need specially designed instructions due to the following disabilities:

-    Autism
-    Intellectual Disability Emotional Disturbance Multiple Disabilities Other Health Impairment Deafness-Blindness Traumatic Brain Injury
-    Specific Learning Disability Speech or Language Impairment Deafness Hearing Impairment
-    Visual Impairment, including Blindness Orthopedic Impairment Gifted
 

Federal and state laws require school districts to use specific procedures for locating, identifying, and evaluating specified needs of school-aged students requiring special programs or services.

The school district will implement a screening process to locate and identify children thought to be eligible for special education. This process will include the following:

• Identify and provide initial screening and implementation of Response to Intervention strategies for students prior to referral for an initial special education multidisciplinary team evaluation;
• Provide peer support for teachers and other staff members to assist them in working effectively with students in the general education curriculum;
• Conduct hearing and vision screening for the purpose of identifying students with hearing or vision difficulty so that they can be referred for assistance or recommended for evaluation for special education;
• Identify students who may need special education services and programs.

Prior to a District-initiated referral for a special education evaluation, the District will conduct Response to Intervention and Instruction screening/intervention activities. The Response to Intervention and Instruction teams use screening information, teacher and parent input or other information to assist with students who demonstrate academic, emotional, or behavioral needs. These teams, comprised of guidance counselors, teachers, administrators, and parents, use the data to adjust interventions and move a student through the intervention tiers. Instructional adaptations for individual students may be recommended by the team, addressing learning style, behavior, physical difficulties, and/or speech/language concerns. The following screening/intervention activities will be conducted:

• For students with academic concerns, an assessment of the student's functioning in the curriculum including curriculum based or performance based assessment;
• For students with behavioral concerns, a systematic observation of the student's behavior in the classroom or area in which the student is displaying difficulty;
• An intervention based on the results of the assessments conducted for students with academic or behavior concerns;
• Systematic progress monitoring of the student's response to the intervention;
• A determination of whether or not the assessed difficulties of the student are the result of a lack of instruction or limited English proficiency;
• A determination of whether or not the student's needs exceed the functional capacity of the regular education program, without special education programs and services, to maintain the student at an instructional level appropriate to the level and pace of instruction provided in that program;
• If instructional activities have not produced necessary improvement in all three tiers of intervention after initiation, the student shall be referred for a multidisciplinary team evaluation with parent permission. Parents are a valued part of the Rtl process and are included members of the child's team.

If parents have questions, they may contact the guidance counselor in their child's building.
 

When a student does not make adequate progress during the Response to Intervention process, parents may be asked to give written permission for a multi-disciplinary team evaluation. The evaluation is comprehensive in nature and may include the following: individual tests of ability, academic achievement, mental processing, and social/ behavioral factors that may affect the student's learning. After all assessments are completed and information is gathered from parents and staff, an Evaluation Report (ER) is written. The ER summarizes the data collected in the assessment process and includes recommendations for interventions necessary to address the student's individual needs. Parents are included in the evaluation process and are part of the multi-disciplinary team.

If the team determines the student qualifies for special education services, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is developed. This plan defines the special education and related services the student needs in order to make meaningful educational progress. The IEP team consists of the parent, special education and regular education teachers and a school district representative. Other individuals or service providers may be invited to the meeting at the discretion of the parents or the District.

At the conclusion of the evaluation and IEP process, the parents will receive a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP), which summarizes the student's individual educational program. Parents may disagree with the District's recommendations for initial services and choose not to have their child participate in special education. If a student is currently receiving special education and the parents disagree with the District's recommendations, the parent may write a letter to remove their child from special education or pursue due process options as detailed in the Procedural Safeguards Letter.

Further information about specific special education services or programs, screening and evaluation procedures or parents' rights relative to special education are available from the building principal in your child's school, or by contacting the District's Office of Special Education at (610) 374-0739, ext. 1112.
 

Early intervention programs and services for preschool children, three to five years, are provided by the Berks County Intermediate Unit. Parents of preschool children who suspect that their child may be delayed in their development or have sensory, motor or behavioral impairments, are encouraged to contact the Berks County Intermediate Unit's Office of Early Intervention at 610-987-BCIU.

In compliance with state and federal law, the Wyomissing Area School District will provide to each protected handicapped student without discrimination or cost to the student or family, those related services or accommodations which are needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the student's abilities. In order to qualify as a protected handicapped student, the child must be of school age with a physical or mental disability which substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to an aspect of the school program.

These services and protections for "protected handicapped students" are distinct from those applicable to all eligible or exceptional students enrolled in special education programs.  Qualifying students will receive a "service agreement"; a written document that describes the necessary aides, services, and accommodations as determined and written by a team consisting of the parents and teachers.

For further information on the evaluation procedures and provision of services to protected handicapped students, contact the Office of Special Education at 610-374-0739, Ext. 1112.