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| Question: |
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16. Do we have to list a child on the Lee v. Macon Tracking Log each time the child is referred to the BBSST for prereferral interventions? |
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Yes. The child is listed every time another plan is written for them. |
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15. Are students who are not accepted for special education evaluation recorded on the Lee v. Macon Tracking Log? |
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Yes. The answer to this question is two-fold. From the general education perspective, if the student goes
through the prereferral process, information related to the prereferral section should be recorded. From the
special education perspective, if a referral is received for consideration, whether it is accepted for
evaluation or not, information regarding the disposition of the referral should be recorded.
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14. Who will maintain the Lee v. Macon Tracking Log? |
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Ultimately, special education coordinator will be responsible for reporting the data to the SDE. The BBSST team is responsible for data up to the referral to special education column. The IEP team completes information after that.
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13. When a parent contacts school personnel about concerns or referral for the child, can the education agencies talk to the parent about prereferral strategies before an actual referral? |
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Yes. School personnel are strongly encouraged to discuss the prereferral process with parents on a case-by-
case basis. However, keep in mind that the prereferral process may be waived per the Alabama
Administrative Code, Chapter 290-8-9-.01(2).
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12. Will I get zapped on parent referrals at monitoring? |
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Parent referrals should not be encouraged in an effort to circumvent the prereferral process. Such actions are contrary to what is required by the Lee v. Macon Consent Decree and when done arbitrarily and on a
wholesale basis, cannot be done with the best interest of the students in mind. Citations are made on an individual basis after reviewing the information in the education agency.
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11. Should At-Risk funds or general funds be used to purchase instruments for the functional assessment of the classroom environment? |
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This is an education agency decision. The BBSST is one method of serving at-risk students. If state At-
Risk funds are used, the BBSST must be a part of the school system's Three-Year LEA At-Risk Plan.
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10. Should the parent(s) be part of the BBSST? |
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The BBSST Manual identifies "Family Member/Guardian" as possible auxiliary members of the team
composition. However, it is a local decision as to when and to what extent the parent is involved. Parental
participation may vary from student to student.
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9. What about parents who insist that interventions be waived due to the serious nature of their child's problems? |
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Prereferral interventions may be waived for a child who has severe problems that require immediate
attention. Waiver of prereferral interventions is addressed in the Alabama Administrative Code, Chapter
290-8-9-.01(2).
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8. Is parent permission required before conducting a functional assessment of the classroom environment? |
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Permission does not appear to be required by law; however, it is best practice to inform parents when a student is being considered for any evaluation.
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7. Is the functional assessment of the classroom environment completed before or after the initial referral to BBSST? |
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The functional assessment of the classroom environment is required for a student who is referred for special education services. It must accompany the Student Prereferral Form for those students who are
referred on December 1, 2000, and after. If a student is not referred for special education services, it is a BBSST decision whether or not a functional assessment of the classroom environment is conducted. If the BBSST determines such an assessment is needed, the assessment can be performed at any point in the prereferral process that is deemed appropriate by the BBSST. |
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6. We do not have a BBSST in place and have not received the BBSST training. What do we do about the prereferral process? |
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The education agency should establish interim committees to perform prereferral activities. BBSST training should be scheduled as soon as possible through Prevention and Support Services, telephone (334) 242-8165 or fax (334) 353-5962.
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5. Can the BBSST perform duties of another committee? Must the committee that performs BBSST duties be called the BBSST? |
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There is nothing that precludes the BBSST performing other duties or being called by a different name as long as BBSST functions are effectively executed.
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4. How do the new requirements apply to referrals from private schools and private school personnel? What about parent referrals for students in private schools? In such cases, are prereferral interventions and functional assessments of the classroom environment required? |
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The Consent Decree does not differentiate between private and public school, nor is there an exemption
delineated for private school students regarding prereferral requirements. Guidelines apply to all students
within the education agency's jurisdiction and the parent referral of a private school student would be
treated as any other parent referral.
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3. If a student is SLI for articulation only and is experiencing academic difficulties, does he/she need to go through the Building-Based Student Support Team (BBSST) and prereferral interventions before doing further testing? |
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No. The student has already been determined eligible for special education services and is, therefore, eligible for any service that the IEP Team determines is required with appropriate documentation.
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2. What is a performance assessment (a subsection on the Student Prereferral Form)? |
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A performance assessment is also known as an authentic assessment. It assesses the student's real skills, i.e. critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. Examples of the performance assessment are: portfolios, work samples, projects, videos, observations, products, etc. |
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1. Do we have to complete a prereferral form for students referred for speech/language and write N/A on it? |
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It would not be necessary to complete a form for students referred for articulation, voice, or fluency. |
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