Referral Process
Services to disabled district-resident students are available, through special education, for all eligible students, age birth through twenty-two.
Special programs are provided to students identified as having a disability in any of the following categories:
- Autism
- Emotional Disability
- Hearing Impairment
- Other Health Impairment
- Specific Learning Disability
- Mild Intellectual Disability
- Moderate Intellectual Disability
- Severe Intellectual Disability
- Multiple Disabilities
- Multiple Disabilities with Severe Sensory Impairment
- Orthopedic Impairment
- Developmental Delay
- Preschool Severe Delay
- Speech/Language Impairment
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Visual Impairment
For more information on these categories, visit the Eligibility Definitions page HERE
Birth through age 3: Services are provided through Arizona Early Intervention Program (520-325-6495) and includes screening, referring for evaluation, evaluating, identifying and, as appropriate, referring the disabled child and the child’s family to other agencies for any necessary interventions.
Ages 3 through 5: Services are provided by the district preschool, Emily Meschter Early Learning Center (520-696-8909) and includes screening, referring for evaluating, evaluating, identifying and placing disabled students into appropriate services.
Ages 5 through 22: services are carried out by the district student’s home school, which includes screening, referring for evaluation, evaluating, identifying and placing students into appropriate services. Please direct any questions to the child’s home school principal, school psychologist, or the Exceptional Student Services office at 520-696-8836.
Screening
- Screening of a student’s abilities in the areas of vision, hearing, cognitive or academic skills, communication, motor, social or behavioral skills and adaptive development shall be completed within 45 calendar days after enrollment for each kindergarten student and new student enrolling without appropriate screening records from his/her previous school.
- In addition to formal hearing and vision screening, screening includes the use of teach rating scales, progress reports, and/or observation reports to find students who should be referred for formal evaluation, due to a suspected disability. Screening activities do not include detailed individual evaluation procedures such as psychological testing.
- The school must inform the parents, within 10 school days, of any concerns arising from screening and inform them of the proposed follow-up on the student’s needs.
- Records of screening results will be maintained in the student’s cumulative file.
Referral for Evaluation
Students about whom there is a concern, as a result of the screening, will be referred for a full individual evaluation or other services.
Written parental consent for referral is required.
- The parent consent shall be sought/obtained within 15 calendar days after the disposition of the referral/determination to evaluate.
- The written notice of referral will include a copy of the procedural safeguards available to the parents of a child with a disability.
- Children under the age of five should be referred to the Emily Meschter Early Learning Center for evaluations to be scheduled. School-aged children should be referred to the student’s school psychologist or principal.
Evaluation and Identification
- A written evaluation will be prepared by a Teacher Assistance Team (TAT), which will include at least one teacher or other specialist with knowledge in the area of the suspected disability, a general education teacher, the evaluator, and the parent. The evaluation will include determination of the student’s primary language.
- The evaluation shall be completed within 60 calendar days after obtaining written consent of the parent/guardian for the evaluation, or absent such consent, within 60 calendar days following mediation of due-process procedures.
- The evaluation shall assess the capabilities and limitation of the student in all areas as suspected disability, including where appropriate health, vision, hearing, social/emotional, general intelligence, academic performance, communication, and motor abilities.
- Evaluation data will include evaluations and information provided by the parents of the child, current classroom-based assessments, observations by teachers and related service providers, and additional data, as needed, to determine if the student is a child with a disability under one of the categories of IDEA and state law.
- Children, who are identified as having a disability, will be provided an individual educational program, which required parent consent for initiation.
Additional Information
If you need additional information regarding the referral process or any aspect of Exceptional Student Services available, contact the following:
Jacqueline Camacho, Director of Exceptional Student Services
520-696-8836
Arizona Department of Education - Exceptional Student Services
602-542-4013
Child Find
Flowing Wells School District will screen your child and then determine if they need an evaluation. If the screen determines that an evaluation is necessary, a staff of professionals will work with you and your child to determine if your child is eligible to receive preschool services. You will then have the opportunity to accept or decline the services.
For children Birth to 3, please contact Arizona Early Intervention Program at 1-800-352-5448.
For Children ages 3 to 5, please contact Emily Meschter Early Learning Center at 520-696-8909.