Referral Process
Part C (Ages Birth to Age 2 Years, 11 months)
Parents or professionals with concerns about an infant or toddler’s development may call our school district directly at 952-975-6977 OR may use the state online Help Me Grow Referral System: http://helpmegrowmn.org/HMG/Refer/index.html. After receiving a referral, a public school professional on the early intervention team will make an appointment for a home visit with parents/guardians to gather developmental history and screen your child and discuss the need for further comprehensive evaluation. The school district has 45 calendar days to complete the evaluation from the time of the initial referral. The special education team will then review the results of the evaluation to determine if the child qualifies for special education services based on state eligibility criteria.
Part B (Ages 3-5 (Pre K)
Parents or teachers with concerns about a child’s development or educational performance can request a special education referral. Children ages 3-5 may be asked to be screened through Early Childhood Screening (952-975-7047). The Early Childhood Screening team may then refer the child to the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) team. The ECSE team may deem an evaluation appropriate and will meet with the parent(s) to develop an evaluation plan. Once parents have agreed, and the signed evaluation plan has been received, the school district has 30 school days to complete the assessment. The special education team will review the results to determine if the student qualifies for special education services based on state eligibility criteria.
Ages 5 to 21
Teachers or other staff members who are concerned about a student’s developmental or educational performance may refer students for special education evaluation utilizing the school’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) problem-solving team. Parents or guardians have the right to refer by written request and also work with their child’s teacher within the school’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to determine appropriate pre-interventions and supports. If it is determined that a special education evaluation is appropriate, an evaluation plan is developed with the parent(s)/guardian(s), student, general and special education staff input.
Parents must agree to the initial evaluation in writing before the evaluation process may begin. Once parents have agreed, and signed permission for the evaluation has been received, the school has 30 school days to complete the evaluation. The special education team will review the results to determine if the student qualifies for special education services based on state eligibility criteria. If a student is found to be eligible for special education services, an Individual Education Program plan is developed with parental input.