What are the criteria for Special Education?
Students who may be eligible for special education must meet the “three-prong test.” The student must: 1) Have a disability. 2) The disability must cause an adverse educational impact and, 3) The student must require specially designed instruction in order to benefit from his/her free apropriate public education. All three criteria must be satisfied through the evaluation process of a multi-disciplinary team before a student can be considered eligible for special education. Once the student’s eligibility is determined, the parent still must agree to placement in Special Education through a special signature line on the initial Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Even if the multi-disciplinary team agrees that the student is eligible, if the parent does not sign the placement line on the IEP, the student is not considered a special education student.
