Special Education

Unless specified on your meeting notification, CSE meetings are typically held in the following locations, based on the meeting type:

• Annual Review — Your child’s school building
• Initial Referral — Office of Student Services
• Manifestation — District Office
• Reevaluation — Your child’s school building
• Requested Review — Your child’s school building

Meeting Types: The different types of CSE (Committee on Special Education) meetings are listed below.  Please refer to your meeting notification for the type of meeting that has been scheduled for your child.

• Annual Review — An annual review meeting must be provided for all classified students each year. The special education teacher and classroom teacher will report on the students’ academic progress towards their IEP goals. Any necessary related service providers (speech, OT, PT, counseling) will also report on student progress. During the meeting parents and faculty can discuss whether the student is meeting the criteria or fell short. With the information from the meeting, a new IEP is created with updated programming, goals, testing modifications, and accommodations to meet the student’s needs for the upcoming school year. Parents or guardians may also discuss their concerns or any new information that might be helpful about the child. An annual review meeting is held at your child’s school building.
• Initial Referral — After your child has been referred to the Committee on Special Education and all testing and evaluations are completed, an Initial Referral meeting will be held. The testing includes a psychological evaluation, social history, observation of your child in their current education setting, and other tests or assessments that are appropriate for your child. The results of the evaluation are discussed at the meeting. If your child meets the criteria, the committee will develop an IEP. These meetings are typically held at your child's school.
• Manifestation — A manifestation determination meeting is a review of the relationship between the student's disability and the behavior subject to disciplinary action. This meeting will determine if the behavior is a manifestation of the disability. During the meeting, the Committee answers the question “Was the behavior caused by, or directly related to the student’s disability?” and/or “Was the behavior a direct result of the failure to implement the IEP?”  These meetings are held at the District Office.
• Reevaluation — At least once every three years, your child will be reevaluated. The reevaluation is used to determine your child’s individual needs, educational progress, and their ability to participate in the regular classroom setting, as well as their continuing eligibility for special education services.
• Requested Review — A requested review meeting may be requested by the parent or the school anytime throughout the year before the Annual Review Meeting. This meeting reviews the student's current programming to ensure it is meeting their needs. Adjustments to the IEP are made as necessary at this meeting. Requested reviews are held at the student's school building.
• Roles of Meeting Members:   Several participants will take part in your child's CSE meeting.
  • Parent(s) of the student
  • Regular education teacher of the student whenever the student is or may be participating in the regular education environment
  • Special education teacher of the student, or if appropriate, special education provider of the student
  • School district representative who is qualified to provide or supervise special education and is knowledgeable about the general curriculum and the availability of resources of the school district (This person may also be the special education teacher/provider or school psychologist.)
  • An individual who understands and can talk about the evaluation results and how these results affect instruction (This person may also be the special education teacher/provider, regular education teacher, school psychologist, school district representative, or someone that the school district determines has knowledge or special expertise regarding the student.)
  • School psychologist
  • School physician (upon request)
  • Parent member (unless the parent requests that the parent member not participate) 
  • Other people that have knowledge or special expertise regarding the student, including related services personnel as appropriate (as requested by the parent or school district)
  • The student, if appropriate

• AIS — Academic Intervention Services
• AR — Annual Review
• BIP — Behavior Intervention Plan
• CDOS — Career Development and Occupational Studies Commencement Credential
• CM — Case Manager
• CPSE — Committee on Preschool Special Education
• CSE — Committee on Special Education
• CT — Consultant Teacher
• DOE — Department of Education
• ELL — English Language Learner
• FAPE — Free Appropriate Public Education
• FBA — Functional Behavior Assessment
• ICT — Integrated Co-Teaching
• IDEA — Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
• IEP — Individualized Education Program
• LD — Learning Disability
• LRE — Least Restrictive Environment
• OHI — Other Health Impairment
• OT — Occupational Therapy
• PLEP — Present Levels of Educational Performance
• PT — Physical Therapy
• RR — Resource Room
• RS — Related Services
• RTI — Response to Interventions
• SE — Special Education

Parents and family members are critical partners, along with school district personnel, in the education of their children. Parents provide essential information to teachers and administrators, play an important role in deci­sions made about their children and can be a key to supporting high expectations for their children during their school years. Please visit A Parent's Guide to Special Education for more information from the New York State Education Department.

New York State Education Department requires schools to share information regarding the rights of parents of children with disabilities. The Procedural Safeguards Notice is helpful tool for parents as it explains special education processes and procedures. Please visit The Procedural Safeguards Notice for more information from the New York State Education Department.