CHILD FIND POLICY

CHILD FIND POLICY AND PUBLIC OUTREACH AWARENESS SYSTEM

In accordance with Chapter 711 of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code, the CEO of the
West Philadelphia Achievement Charter Elementary School or his/her designee shall
ensure that students with disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, and
who are in need of special education and related services, are identified, located, and
evaluated, and that a practical method is developed and implemented to determine
which students with disabilities are currently receiving needed special education and
related services.

Child Find includes students who are suspected of having a disability under Section
300.8 of the federal regulations that implement IDEA 2004 and those in need of special
education, even though they are advancing from grade to grade, and extends to highly
mobile students including migrant students, homeless youth and parentally-placed
private school students, as appropriate.

In accordance with Chapter 15 of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code, WPACES’ Child
Find activities also shall extend to identifying and locating qualified students with
disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, who may need services
or accommodations to enable them to attain educational benefits equal to those of nondisabled peers.
Public Outreach Awareness System The CEO or his/her designee shall ensure that
public awareness activities occur with respect to programs and services for students
with disabilities who attend WPACES, and for those who apply for admission.

WPACES shall publish annually a written notice (attached hereto), accessible to all on
the school's public website. Such annual notice will provide a description of WPACES
child identification activities and special education services and programs, the manner
in which to request services and programs, potential signs of developmental delays and
other risk factors that could indicate disabilities, and the procedures followed by the
school to ensure the confidentiality of information pertaining to students with disabilities
pursuant to state and federal law. The annual notice also may be made available
through a combination of any of the following: in the school's handbook, in the main
office, through the special education department, through generally accessible print or
electronic media as appropriate, and/or Board meeting minutes.

Outreach Activities

WEST PHILADELPHIA
ACHIEVEMENT CHARTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6701 CALLOWHILL STREET PHILA. PA. 19151
TEL: 215.476.6471 ** FAX: 215.476.6470

WPACES systematically conduct, and shall continue, outreach efforts concerning the
availability of special education services and programs, through a combination of any of
the following:

• Open Houses
• Back to School Night;
• Parent/teacher conferences;
• Resources in the school building;
• Closely working with the local BSU and outside agencies such as Behavioral
• Health, Center for Autism and CATCH;
• The Philadelphia Alliance of Charter Schools;
• Materials mailed home;
• Staff attendance at events at area schools; and
• Community Outreach Meetings;
• Generally accessible print or electronic media as appropriate.

Through these outlets, the CEO or his/her designee shall ensure that the following
public awareness activities occur with respect to programs and services for students
with disabilities who attend WPACES:

Offer parents and family (including foster and surrogate parents) information
regarding training activities, and publicize the availability of such various activities to all
parents areas such as behavior support, response to intervention, inclusive
practices, transition, assistive technology, autism and interagency coordination.
Parents also may be directed to PaTTAN training opportunities. Parent input will
be sought to determine what parent training is needed or desired.

• Provide to interested health and mental health professionals, daycare providers,
  county
• agency personnel and other interested professionals (including professionals and
  agencies who work with homeless and migrant or other highly mobile youth and
  wards of the state), as well as students attending private schools (where
  applicable), information concerning the types of special education programs and
  services available at WPACES, and information regarding the manner in which
  parents can request and access those services.
• Provide or obtain periodic training for WPACES’ regular education staff and
  special education staff concerning the identification and evaluation of, and
  provision of special education programs and services to students with disabilities.
• The public outreach awareness system utilized by WPACES will include methods
  for reaching homeless students, wards of the state, students with disabilities
  attending private schools, and highly mobile students, including migrant students.
• WPACES will conduct Child Find activities to inform the public of its special
  education services and programs and the manner in which to request them.
• WPACES’ Child Find effort will include information regarding potential signs of
  developmental delays and other risk factors that could indicate disabilities.
• WPACES will identify applicants and enrolled students who have a native
  language other than English and will ensure that notices and other outreach
  efforts are available to them in their native language, as required by law and
  unless it is clearly and absolutely not feasible to do so.
  Screening

The CEO or his/her designee shall establish a system of screening in order to:

• Identify and provide screening for students prior to referral for an initial special
  education
• multidisciplinary team evaluation;
• Provide peer support for teachers and other staff members to assist them in
  working effectively with students in the general education curriculum;
• Conduct hearing and vision screening in accordance with the Public School Code
  of 1949 for the purpose of identifying students with hearing or vision difficulty so
  that they can be referred for assistance or recommended for evaluation for
  special education if necessary;
• Identify students who may need special education services and programs; and
• Maintain the confidentiality of information in accordance with applicable state and
  federal regulations.

Pre-Evaluation Screening

The pre-evaluation screening process shall include:

• For students with academic concerns, an assessment of the student's functioning
  in the
• curriculum including curriculum-based or performance-based assessments, and
  intervention based on the results of the assessments conducted as well as an
  assessment of the student's response to the intervention, if applicable;
• For students with behavioral concerns, a systematic observation of the student's
  behavior
• in the classroom or area in which the student is displaying difficulty ("FBA" or
  functional behavior assessment), and intervention based on the results of the
  assessments conducted as well as an assessment of the student's response to
  the intervention, if applicable;
• For students who may be at risk, as identified by their parents, staff or an outside
  agency,
• the Response to Instruction and Intervention ("RtII") process, which is a threetiered, individualized program utilizing one-on-one and small group instruction as
  well as customized materials and resources, which may result in the RtII team
  requesting an a formal evaluation if the student has not made progress in the
  third tier;
• A determination of whether or not the assessed difficulties of the student are the
  result of
• a lack of instruction or limited English proficiency;
• A determination of whether or not the student's needs exceed the functional
  capacity of
• WPACES’ regular education program, without special education programs and
  services, to maintain the student at an instructional level appropriate to the level
  and pace of instruction provided in that program;
• Activities designed to gain the participation of parents; and
• Controls to ensure that if screening activities have produced little or no
  improvement within the normal timeframe after initiation, the student shall be
  referred for a multidisciplinary team evaluation.
• The screening activities shall not serve as a bar to the right of a parent to request
  a multidisciplinary team evaluation at any time. When the completion of
  screening activities prior to referral for a multidisciplinary team evaluation will
  result in serious mental or physical harm, or significant educational regression, to
  the student or others, WPACES may initiate a multidisciplinary team
  evaluation/reevaluation without completion of the screening process in
  accordance with Chapter 711. Whenever an evaluation is conducted without a
  pre-evaluation screening, the activities described shall be completed as part of
  that evaluation whenever possible.