The formal
determination of eligibility for special education programs must be made by a
team of individuals. This team is referred to as a multidisciplinary team
because it consists of members from various professions including teachers,
psychologists, physicians, speech-pathologists and others. This team of persons
representing a variety of disciplines verifies that a student has a disability.
The use of a team approach provides additional validity to the verification
process and provides information from an extended range of perspectives.
Verification often involves information relating to medical, psychological,
educational, and social characteristics of the student as well as information
regarding the school environment. The verification process often involves
interpretation of assessment data, interpretation of subjective information,
and the use of professional judgment to determine eligibility. Before a student can be placed in a special
education program and provided services the multidisciplinary evaluation team
(MDT) must verify that the student meets the criteria and the parents of the
student must agree to the placement. Students cannot be placed in special education
programs unless both the disability has been verified and written permission
has been obtained from parents. If the parents do not agree to the placement,
the school may seek a hearing to obtain an order for placement. The same
requirements apply to both initial placement and future changes in the
educational placement.
When making
a decision about where to place a student and what types of services to offer a
school must: