Special Education

The image shows a person's hands, likely a teacher or educator, working with a student or child in a classroom setting, with the text "SPECIAL EDUCATION" prominently displayed.

GPISD Special Education Department Page

Overview

Mission Statement

We will ensure student success by providing a free and appropriate public education through a continuum of services to maximize each student's academic and functional abilities.

We believe…that all students should have appropriate access to a full continuum of services that will allow individual educational needs to be met in the least restrictive environment.

We believe…that intentional leadership leads to the development and retention of personnel for the benefit of student achievement.

We believe…that the special educational services and supports will prepare the students to transition into post-secondary opportunities.

Assessment and Related Services

Evaluation

Once it has been determined that a student continues to experience difficulty in the general education curriculum after appropriate interventions have been provided, the student may be referred for a Full Individual Evaluation (FIE) to determine if a disability is present and if there is a need for specially designed instruction through special education. A referral for a FIE may be initiated by the parent or school personnel through the RTI Committee or School Counselor. In GPISD, evaluations are conducted by highly qualified personnel which may include: Educational Diagnostician, Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP), and/or Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP).

Once written consent is obtained to evaluate your child, GPISD has 45 school days to complete the FIE and then 30 calendar days from the date of the FIE to convene an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meeting to review the results of that evaluation. A child between the ages of three and twenty-one must meet the criteria for one or more of the disability categories listed below to be considered for special education services:

Autism
Deaf-Blindness
Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Emotional Disturbance
Intellectual Disability
Multiple Disabilities
Non-Categorical Early Childhood (age 3-5)
Orthopedic Impairment
Other Health Impairment
Specific Learning Disability
Speech or Language Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Visual Impairment

Parent consent for an evaluation is required. A parent may refuse to sign the consent for evaluation or revoke consent for the evaluation once the evaluation has started. Any information obtained prior to the revocation will be reported.

If a parent wishes to request an initial evaluation, the request must be made in writing to a District Administrative staff member (i.e. Campus Principal and/or Executive Director of Special Education). GPISD campus administrator then has 15 school days to respond to this request by setting up an RTI meeting to either obtain consent or provide written response of refusal.

Eligibility

Eligibility for special education services is determined based on two criteria: (1) a student must have a disability in one of the areas listed above, and (2) as a result of the disability, the student must demonstrate an educational need and therefore require specially designed instruction through special education. As part of considering eligibility, the evaluation must determine that the student has had appropriate instruction and that the academic or behavioral difficulties cannot be explained by other factors such as frequent absences, limited English proficiency, or other factors that could be the primary cause of the difficulties.

Re-evaluation

A re-evaluation must occur at least once every 3 years, unless the parent and the district agree that a reevaluation is not necessary.

Related Services

The term “related services” refers to an array of support services that are an integral part of the special education program for students with disabilities. Their purpose is to allow the child with disabilities to benefit from his/her program. Each child’s need for related services must be determined on an individual basis and included in the child’s IEP. It must determine first that a disability is present and need for special education exists before a related service can be considered through special education. GPISD supports the following related services in the school setting.

Music Therapy
Occupational and Physical Therapy in the School Setting
Orientation & Mobility Services
Psychological Services
Special Education Counseling in the School Setting
Transportation

Child Find

The purpose of Child Find is to locate, identify, and evaluate infants, children and young adults through age 21 who may have a disability, such as learning, speech and language, vision, hearing, physical or health impairments.

GPISD ensures all students are afforded an appropriate education. GPISD provides Child Find information to district employees, physician, day cares, private schools, and other entities in the city of Grand Prairie and surrounding areas. GPISD ensures special education services at no cost are available to eligible students ages three through 21 years and to children from birth through age 21 years who have a hearing or visual impairment. Children from birth to age three with other disabilities will be referred to appropriate agencies for services.

Special services are available to eligible infants, children, and your adults identified with a disability who may be experiencing difficulties in one or more of the following areas:

Auditory Impairment
Autism
Deaf-Blindness
Emotional Disturbance
Intellectual Disability
Other Health Impairment
Orthopedic Impairment
Specific Learning Disability
Speech/Language Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Visual Impairment

Grand Prairie ISD identifies children ages three, four, and five who may be eligible and would benefit from a Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD). Request for a Child Find Meeting may be made by parents, other concerned persons or Head Start. ECI case workers will initiate the referral process for children that have been identified with a delay. GPISD completes Child Find Meetings and/or evaluations during the school year.

For information on referring children enrolled in GPISD suspected of having a disability, contact the GPISD special education department or your child’s campus RTI team.

For information on referring children not enrolled in GPISD suspected of having a disability, contact the GPISD Child Find Department.
For services for children less than 3 years old contact Dallas Metrocare - Early Childhood Intervention Services at 214-333-7076.

Dyslexia

Our Mission

In partnership with our parents, teachers, and administrators, the mission of Grand Prairie ISD Dyslexia Services is to provide students intensive, research-based, multisensory instruction in safe and nurturing classrooms focused on maximizing academic performance and supporting social-emotional needs.

Our Goals

Provide ongoing professional development for all staff in dyslexia identification, instruction, and dyslexia services.
Empower our dyslexia strategists and inclusion teachers with ongoing training and resources in effective strategies in order to deliver highly effective dyslexia services to meet the individual needs of each student.
Support the social-emotional growth of our dyslexic students by helping them gain a heightened awareness of their strengths and potential to foster a greater sense of confidence and self-worth.
Build community awareness of dyslexia and related services.
Strengthen the communication process between administration, general education, and special education.

Parent Resource Information

Specialized Programs

Children with Autism and Related Exceptionalities (CARE)

The program for Children with Autism and Related Exceptionalities (CARE) serves students with communication, sensory, and social differences that significantly impact their educational progression. The focus of the program is on customizing individual academic and behavioral interventions to bridge the gap between a student’s deficits and strengths by emphasizing a home-school collaborative approach. It is through this collaborative effort that students with communication, sensory, and social differences can learn the skills necessary to become productive citizens and independent in the areas of communication, social skills, leisure skills, self-help, and vocational skills.

Program components include highly structured, individualized programming, intensive communication and language training, social skills training, utilization of natural/inclusive environments for instruction, positive behavioral programming, and educationally-based sensory activities (as appropriate, determined by ARD committee). Additional services including speech/language therapy, music therapy, occupational therapy, in home training, parent training, and adaptive physical education may also be provided based on individual need and evaluation data.

Levels of Support and Service Delivery
Within the CARE program, a continuum of services is offered relative to the level of support the student needs to be successful in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The level of support necessary is based on individual student needs, considering evaluation data, present levels of academic and functional performance information, response to intervention data, classroom performance information, and the Individual Education Plan (IEP) team discussion. To address the diverse needs of the autism spectrum and maximize resources, various levels of support are offered.

CARE: Daily Skills (DS)
CARE DS is designed for students who are enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The focus of this level is to provide intensive, individualized support in the least restrictive environment (LRE) with an emphasis on functional communication and addressing significant social, behavioral, emotional, and sensory differences. More specifically, students who demonstrate a need for CARE DS may have moderate to severe cognitive/adaptive impairments and/or significant developmental delays, warranting a need a highly structured instructional program focused on functional communication, self-care, pre-academic, and prevocational skills to promote independence with daily living skills. These students primarily receive instruction based upon prerequisite skills of grade level content and IEP goals and objectives. In general, these students are included in the general education setting to address and generalize targeted social, functional, vocational, and adaptive skills to the maximum extent appropriate (as determined by the ARD committee). If warranted, it is possible that some of these students will have a current Functional Behavioral Analysis (FBA) and a Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) that is developed, implemented, and monitored through data collection.

CARE: Life Skills (LS)
CARE LS is designed for students who are enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The focus of this level is to provide intensive, individualized support in the least restrictive environment (LRE) with an emphasis on functional academics and addressing significant social, behavioral, emotional, and sensory differences. More specifically, students who demonstrate a need for CARE LS may have mild to moderate cognitive/adaptive impairments and/or moderate developmental delays, warranting a highly structured instructional program focused on functional academics and vocational skills to promote independence. These students primarily receive instruction based on modified grade level curriculum and IEP goals and objectives in a small group setting. In general, these students are included in the general education setting to address and generalize targeted academic and/or social skills to the maximum extent appropriate (as determined by the ARD committee). If warranted, it is possible that some of these students will have a current Functional Behavioral Analysis (FBA) and a Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) that is developed, implemented, and monitored through data collection.

CARE: Specialized Support (SS)
CARE SS is designed for students enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The focus of this level is to provide more intensive social and behavioral support while in the student’s least restrictive environment (LRE). Students who demonstrate a need for CARE SS may have cognitive/adaptive abilities that range from below average to above average and function at or slightly below (two grade level deviation) grade level. These students primarily receive instruction on grade level content in the general education setting, but often demonstrate a need for a highly structured instructional program focused on small group instruction to acquire, practice, or generalize social/behavioral skills and to reinforce/re-teach academic skills to promote independence.

Children with Autism and Related Exceptionalities Brochure - English (PDF)
Children with Autism and Related Exceptionalities Brochure - Spanish (PDF)

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