SSW Special Education & IEP Process 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under IDEA, what is the maximum number of days a school district has to evaluate a child after receiving parental consent for an initial evaluation?
- 30 days
- 45 days
- 60 days (Correct answer)
- 90 days
Correct answer: 60 days
IDEA requires that an initial evaluation be completed within 60 days of receiving parental consent, unless a state has established a different timeframe.
Question 2: A parent disagrees with the school's evaluation of their child. Under IDEA, what is the parent's right in this situation?
- File a complaint with the state education agency
- Request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense (Correct answer)
- Withdraw the child from school until resolved
- Demand a new evaluation team be assigned
Correct answer: Request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense
Parents have the right to request an IEE at public expense if they disagree with the school's evaluation; the district must either fund the IEE or file for a due process hearing to defend its evaluation.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes 'related services' under IDEA?
- Academic instruction provided in a resource room setting
- Developmental, corrective, or supportive services required to help a student benefit from special education (Correct answer)
- After-school tutoring funded by the district
- Extracurricular activities modified for students with disabilities
Correct answer: Developmental, corrective, or supportive services required to help a student benefit from special education
Related services include transportation and developmental, corrective, or supportive services such as speech-language pathology, counseling, and social work that enable a student to benefit from special education.
Question 4: An IEP team is determining placement for a student with emotional disturbance. The principle that guides placement decisions under IDEA is:
- Full inclusion in general education regardless of disability severity
- Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) with supports and services (Correct answer)
- Placement based solely on diagnostic category
- Placement in the setting preferred by the student's parents
Correct answer: Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) with supports and services
IDEA mandates that students be educated in the Least Restrictive Environment, meaning alongside nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate with necessary supports.
Question 5: What does the term 'prior written notice' (PWN) refer to in the context of special education?
- A letter sent to parents before a disciplinary suspension
- A written notice the district must provide when it proposes or refuses to change a student's identification, evaluation, or placement (Correct answer)
- A pre-referral intervention plan documented before a formal evaluation
- A notice given to teachers before an IEP meeting
Correct answer: A written notice the district must provide when it proposes or refuses to change a student's identification, evaluation, or placement
PWN is a procedural safeguard requiring the district to notify parents in writing whenever it proposes or refuses to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or provision of FAPE.
Question 6: A school social worker is part of an IEP team reviewing a student's annual goals. Under IDEA, annual goals must be:
- Identical to grade-level curriculum standards
- Measurable and based on the student's present levels of academic and functional performance (Correct answer)
- Set solely by the special education teacher without parent input
- Reviewed only at the triennial re-evaluation
Correct answer: Measurable and based on the student's present levels of academic and functional performance
IDEA requires that annual IEP goals be measurable and derived from the student's present levels of performance to address how the disability affects involvement in the general curriculum.
Question 7: Under IDEA's disciplinary provisions, what must happen if a student with a disability is removed for more than 10 school days and the behavior is determined to be a manifestation of the disability?
- The student may be expelled without educational services
- The district must conduct a functional behavioral assessment and implement a behavior intervention plan (Correct answer)
- The IEP team must reduce the student's services until behavior improves
- Parents must enroll the student in an alternative school at their expense
Correct answer: The district must conduct a functional behavioral assessment and implement a behavior intervention plan
If the behavior is a manifestation of the disability, the district must conduct or review an FBA, implement a BIP, and return the student to the prior placement unless parents and the district agree otherwise.
SSW Special Education & IEP Process 2
Under IDEA, what is the maximum number of days a school district has to evaluate a child after receiving parental consent for an initial evaluation?