Educated Solutions

SST Process:

Schools offer a process that can vary in name but is often referred to as a Student Study Team. Parents, teachers or administrators can call a study study team meeting at any time of there are academic or behavioral concerns. During this meeting, the team including the parent discusses the academic and/or behavioral concerns that impede student academic progress. This meeting should result in one of three outcomes: heightened awareness of the issues that are causing negative behavior or grades, a 504 plan based on a potential disability or a referral for special education services. Student Study Teams will often include an administrator, all of the general education teachers currently serving the student and a school psychologist.

504 PLAN:

Section 504 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Section 504 ensures that the child with a disability has equal access to an education. The child may receive accommodations and modifications.

Unlike the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 does not require the school to provide an individualized educational program (IEP) that is designed to meet the child's unique needs and provides the child with educational benefit. Under Section 504, fewer procedural safeguards are available to children with disabilities and their parents than under IDEA.

For a student that suffers with ADHD, medical issues or other factors that can be deemed as a disability, the student would benefot from this if he/she only required some reasonable accomodations like extended time on assignments or testing in a small setting.

SPECIAL EDUCATION REFERRAL:

In this process, special education services may be deemed necessary in order to give the student a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE). Special education differs from a 504 plan where the 504 student will usually only need accomodations in order to be successful in the school environment. Special education requires that the student need some other service that cannot be met through the general education setting. This can include an array of services and programs that will be identified per the idividual's needs. The student will require an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that is written as a team effort in conjunction with the parent. A written request for a student to be assessed for special education services is usually needed in order to start this process. The student will be put through a battery of tests that determine the academic and intellectual functioning of the student. It can also include other areas such as behavior in order to identify the areas that may be at risk for the student.