CHILD FIND

Child find is a component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA ’04) that requires Public Education Agencies (PEA), which includes public charter schools, to locate, identify, and evaluate children who may be in need of intervention or special education services.

Unlike public district schools, charter schools do not have boundaries therefore, they are not required to provide early childhood special education programs. DMS does however assist parents who have concerns about their preschool age children even if they do not attend DMS. Child find procedures are given below.

School-Age Child Find

For school-age children, Child Find consists of a 45-day (calendar days, not school days) screening tool that is part of every student’s cumulative file. By completing the 45-day screener a teacher helps to quickly identify any child with significant difficulties shortly after entering school. The 45-day screener is completed for every child who is new to the school whether he/she is beginning kindergarten or transferring into the school. The teacher does not have to wait for the full 45 days, however there should be enough time given for a true appraisal of any concerns. The 45-day screening form must include the areas of vision and hearing; cognitive or academic development; communication; motor; social or behavioral development; adaptive development; and must be completed no longer than 45 calendar days after the student’s entry into school. The completed form then becomes part of every student’s cumulative file.  Completing the 45-day screener enables school personnel to identify concerns early. If a concern is noted, the parent must be notified. School administration is responsible for ensuring that all new students are screened within 45 calendar days and that any recommended actions from the screening occur. Training on the state and District’s child find procedures must occur annually and is provided to staff by school administration and/or the school psychologist.  

The recommended actions will consist of interventions within the classroom. If those interventions do not elicit positive data supported results, the Response to Intervention (RTI) process should begin. The RTI process is utilized when a student is having difficulties within the classroom setting that are not likely to work themselves out or diminish without added support. This could be a difficulty in math, self-control/behavior, and/or attention.  Reading difficulties in grade K-3 are handled through the Move On When Reading process. For areas other than K-3 ELA, the referring teacher has the responsibility to collect data and summarize the educational and environmental history of the student through the RTI process. This team typically consists of gen ed teacher(s), counselor, pedagogical director, principal, and special education staff. In conjunction with the RTI process are the procedures for systematically providing K-12 interventions based on ongoing norm-referenced assessments like, but not limited to, Galileo tests.

When an RTI form is submitted, the Counselor is automatically notified. The RTI team will meet to discuss interventions based on the data that the teacher has shared. The process typically takes 4-6 weeks; however, it can be shorter or longer depending on how the student responds to interventions. Students responding, i.e., demonstrating improvement, will continue using interventions. Students who are not responding will be referred on to the special education team through the RTI team. The referring teacher must have documentation of collaboration with team members and current interventions being utilized for the student. If there is not sufficient data or documentation of interventions the process will slow. The special education team cannot move forward without hard data and documentation to demonstrate the student’s struggles. If there are questions regarding the procedure, consult the counselor and/or the director of special education on campus.

 

*Exception – As a Charter school we do not have a preschool special needs program. Desert Marigold does have an on-site private tuition-based preschool. If a preschool teacher or a parent has concerns about the development of a preschooler in the class, that teacher would contact the parent and put them in touch with the Director of Student Services/Special Education. The Director of Student Services/Special Education would assist the parent to complete the “Referral for child 2.10 to Non-kinder 5” form and notify the Director of Special Education/Preschool Director of the home district via email of the parent’s concerns. T

Child Find for students 2.10 or younger- If a parent has a concern about a child too young to attend our tuition-based preschool, or if they ask about a young child (under 3) that may have delays, the parents are referred by the DMS staff to Arizona Early Intervention Program (AzEIP).  AzEIP is Arizona’s statewide interagency system of services and supports for families of infants and toddlers, birth through two years of age, with disabilities or delays. AzEIP is established by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides eligible children and their families access to services to enhance the capacity of families and caregivers to support the child’s development. The parents can refer their child by phone at (888) 592-0140, or online at https://des.az.gov/azeip.