IDEA and NH Standards for the Education of Children with Disabilities require particular areas to be assessed with a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about your child.  It is the whole picture that must be considered in determining whether or not your child has an educational disability and needs specially designed instruction.

The school district has 60 calendar days from the date of your consent to evaluate in which to complete the evaluations and discuss the written report with the team. The team which includes the parent(s) reviews the evaluation report and decides on eligibility.

The team reviews all the information and comes to consensus on the decision. Parents are always important members of the team. The team also must include an LEA* (person who is knowledgeable about the curriculum and can commit district resources….usually the principal or special education administrator), a special educator, your child’s teacher, and any related service providers. *LEA means Local Education Agency

Related service providers include speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and school psychologists. These professionals may provide support and services that are designed to assist the child to access the general curriculum.

The team has 30 days to develop a draft IEP and meet with you after you have consented to eligibility.

The team is required by federal and state special education law to provide programming in the least restrictive environment, typically in the general education classroom with appropriate supports and services as determined by the IEP.  More services and smaller settings are considered if necessary for the child to progress adequately in the general curriculum. 

First, register at your neighborhood school and provide copies of the IEP, evaluation reports, and any other school documents you have. You may also be asked to sign a release of information so that the new school staff can get more records and speak directly to teachers at the prior school. The special education team will set up a meeting with you to review the documents. The team has to accept and implement the IEP with reasonable changes. More evaluations may be needed based on NH criteria. Your child is entitled to receive appropriate services during this time.

An IEP provides specialized, individualized instruction with goals and objectives for your child. A special education case manager will take the lead in developing the IEP, will implement and monitor the IEP, and will be your main contact for any questions or concerns you have about special education.
A 504 Plan provides accommodations for a student. An example of an accommodation is extra time to walk between classes due to an orthopedic problem.

Nashua has a strong commitment to supporting student learning. Teachers are expected to differentiate instruction. Response to Intervention and Instructional Consultation are used in many of our schools.