Suspect A Disability?

HSE Schools Child Find procedure: 

If your child is age 2 ½ through 21, attends any school within the Hamilton Southeastern Schools boundaries or you live in our community and you suspect your child may have a disability, you should contact us for more information.
 

• For children at least two and a half years of age, but not yet age-eligible for kindergarten, you should contact the Preschool Coordinator at Brooks School Elementary 317-915-4250. 
• For students who are eligible for kindergarten through age 21, you should contact your child’s teacher, school counselor or building administrator to discuss your concerns and explore the steps to be taken. If your child is not enrolled in public school, you should contact the counselor or building administrator in the building your child would attend if enrolled. 

Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS)
Hamilton Southeastern Schools is fortunate to serve students and families in a high performing school district. There are many efforts that contribute to such accomplishments. One of these efforts is termed: Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS).  Our K-12 model supports the developmental needs of young children, early adolescents, and students at the secondary level.  MTSS, formerly referred to as Response to Instruction (RTI) focuses on the success of the whole child, through the purposeful design of strong core instruction, and the need for targeted intervention to support academic growth, physical health, behavioral health, and social emotional well-being.
 
All students benefit from a school culture that values collaboration among highly qualified teachers that provide strong core instruction found in Tier 1. The classroom teacher supports a variety of needs and consults with their team when they need support. While most if not all students will be successful with Tier 1 instruction occasionally a few students may need extra assistance.
 
Families will be contacted should a student progress into Tier 2 or Tier 3 support. Your input is especially valuable in building a supportive plan for school and at home use. Tier 2 and 3 plans are in place for designated periods of time. Working through tiers are important as we collect data to determine how students are responding and if we need to shift any pieces of the instructional routine or intervention. While it is not common, sometimes, students will present with urgent needs related to gaps in school attendance, disruptive behaviors, or other substantial needs that require an advance directly to Tier 3 support.
 
At times, a referral for a special educational evaluation is recommended if the data collected from the Tier 3 support demonstrates limited progress or if the intensive support remains a need. A meeting will be scheduled with you to meet with the school-based team to discuss the progress made and determine if an evaluation is appropriate. 
 
Hamilton Southeastern Schools’ policies and procedures regarding the identification and evaluation of a student in need of educational services are derived from Article 7, Indiana Special Education Law.  A referral for evaluation can be initiated by either the parent or school, and requires parental consent.  The area of suspected disability is determined, which is based on the primary area(s) of concern at the time of the referral.  Article 7 outlines the required assessments to be included in in the evaluation report for each area of suspected disability requires specific assessments to be included in the evaluation report.  The evaluation is completed by a school psychologist and any other necessary licensed school personnel identified as part of the multidisciplinary team in order to meet the requirements of the evaluation.  

Upon completion of the educational evaluation, the case conference committee must be convened to determine if the student is eligible for special education services, and if eligible, the special education and related services necessary to meet the educational needs of the student.  When determining eligibility, the case conference committee is responsible for considering all the information contained within the educational evaluation report while not relying on any single measure or assessment as the sole criterion for determining eligibility.  Article 7 provides eligibility criteria for each area of suspected disability for the case conference committee to follow during the decision-making process.