• Analysis of your organization’s goals: the student populations served; the obstacles facing your organization in meeting those goals, and your relationship with school districts.  We see this as a foundational step in order to determine your most important goals, obstacles to those goals and a formal plan to meet those goals.
• Development of a strategic plan that fits your organization’s focus; short- and long-term goals; effective in-house strategies to serve these children and your organization.
•  Identification of psycho-educational assessment organizations/individuals to provide the needed independent evaluations of students which in turn aids in securing the right placement for them.
• Monitoring and feedback for the implementation of the Strategic Plan.
• Training of staff and (where appropriate) families to understand the law and procedures/strategies to ensure students can access and remain in your programs.
• Consultation regarding organizational issues; relationships with school districts and other public entities; analyzing specific disagreements with those entities; other advice as to all aspects of the special education process.
• Strategic Support to access alternative funding sources for assessment, legal services, and supplementation of school district funding of assessment and educational services for children.
• Regularly scheduled meetings to review current matters, policies, etc.

Once a strategic plan has been developed, SEL will provide focused consultation and training on the special education process.

For Staff

We will train your staff regarding all requirements of the IDEA, with particularly focus on those issues that most directly impact you, e.g., eligibility, assessment and IEP requirements/placement/services.   In addition we will:

• Focus on substantive IDEA mandates and procedural requirements; the latter can play an important role when there is a conflict and a school district has failed to follow procedure.
• What role, directly or indirectly your institution will play in the IEP process, e.g., how you can help a student and her family maximize their chances at securing IDEA funding
• Strategies for working effectively with school districts, including best practices when there is a disagreement/conflict.
• How to utilize the mediation and administrative hearing processes efficiently and effectively.

For Families Served by Your Organization

As needed we will provide training/workshops for families whose child is already in your program or seeks placement:

• In two or three workshop, review specific cases and provide direction on the sequential steps necessary to access an IEP.
• Provide a basic understanding of IDEA mandates and procedures
• Describe the importance of strong assessments, and preparation for the IEP with a particularly focus on how to make the case for placement in your program
• How to use the post-IEP period to resolve disputes
• Define due process; delineate how to assess the strength [and weaknesses] of a child’s need for services; and lay out the strategies for “convincing” a school district that proceeding to due process will be more costly than reaching agreement on the IEP.