It’s Time for a Placement Decision: Here’s a List of Questions for Potential Programs
During the special education referral process, parents will participate in a Committee on Special Education (CSE) meeting to draft an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This meeting will describe what type of program/setting their child is entitled to — it does not tell the parent which specific school or program has been chosen nor does it entitle them, at that moment, to a brick and mortar school placement.
A Final Notice of Recommendation (FNR) will arrive from the Department of Education in NYC (DOE) identifying the specific placement either for the following year or a mid-year placement, depending.
Parents, it’s important to know that:
(a) You are not locked into a program that is not appropriate for your child, and
(b) You have the opportunity to visit the program to determine if it’s a good fit for your child’s learning needs and whether the placement can carry out the IEP goals.
Below, we have prepared a comprehensive list of questions for parents to reference when visiting schools to determine a placement’s goodness of fit for their child. Click here for a printable copy.
Questions for Parents Visiting a Proposed NYC DOE Placement
Specific Class
Does the class have an open seat for the child? [The DOE frequently over-books their classes, so you may find the school can’t meet the IEP’s mandate.]
If there is an open seat:
How many children are in the class?
What is the boy/girl ratio?
Are there significant age differences? [three years or more]
What are the reading and math levels of the students?
Are they broken into smaller groups for instruction in these subjects?
If so, who teaches those smaller groups? What are that teacher’s credentials?
What is the teacher-to-student ratio for these smaller groups?
Are the students broken up by level or at random?
What is a typical schedule? How does the school deal with transitions? [examples: on/off the bus, movement through hallways between classes, lunch]
Look at the work the students are doing. Does it look comparable to the work your child is doing? Is it harder or easier? Would your child be able to keep up with the pace of instruction?
Do any of the children in the class have behavioral issues? Are they engaged in the lesson, or fooling around?
What is the school’s behavior management system? Who does the school train to deal with behavioral incidents? Some staff? All staff?
What are the specific classifications of the children in the class? [examples: “other health impairment,” “autism,” or “learning disability”]
Compare the physical size of your child to the students (if you have a small/timid child, and the rest of the class is large students with behavioral issues, this would be important)
If the recommended program is an ICT class, what subjects are taught by the general education teacher and what is taught by the Special Education teacher?
Are special education and general education students broken up into different instructional groups?
If so, when are they broken up and who provides what instruction?
Do the teachers use a different method for teaching the class? If so, what is it? Would it work for your child?
Teacher and Support Staff Qualifications
Credentials?
Years of special education teaching experience?
Experience in any methodologies (e.g. Wilson or Orton Gillingham) that have proven successful for your child?
Does the school have a commitment to training staff in a particular teaching method?
Overall School
What is the school like — Large hallways? Noisy? Unsafe? Metal detectors? Unsupervised exits? Security personnel? Locked doors?
How many children are there in the school building? [Note: some schools may share a building with other schools]
Ages?
Grades?
Would your child be mainstreamed at any point in the day?
For minor subjects (e.g. music)?
Lunch? How many children have lunch at the same time? Level of adult supervision?
Recess? How many children have recess at the same time? Level of adult supervision?
Can the school provide the related services mandated on the child’s DOE IEP? (ex: S/L therapy, O/T, Counseling, etc.)
If necessary, does the school have a nurse? How is medication administered?
Specials, like Art, Music? How often?
Contact us if we can provide further assistance to you and your family.
Jonathan Gottlieb
Partner
195 Montague Street
14th Floor
Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
Jonathan@GottliebFirm.com
(646) 820-8506