Special Services

The Special Services Office collaborates with district and school leaders, teachers, students, and families to provide the tools, guidance, supports, and services necessary to ensure that students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum. 

 Families are essential partners in preparing Cumberland students for a successful future, and our office is committed to working with you to help students become life-ready, college-ready, and career-ready with the skills needed for the 21st century.

What is Special Education?

Special Education provides individualized instruction for students ages 3 to 22 who meet eligibility criteria established by Rhode Island state regulations and federal law. A student may receive special education services if they qualify in one of the 13 disability categories defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004).

The 13 IDEA categories are:

• Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
• Other Health Impairment (OHI)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Emotional Disability (ED)
• Speech or Language Impairment (SLI)
• Visual Impairment (including blindness)
• Deafness
• Hearing Impairment
• Deaf-Blindness
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Intellectual Disability
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Multiple Disabilities

The Special Education Process

If your child is consistently struggling in school and showing ongoing learning difficulties, an evaluation for Special Education may be appropriate. The general steps in the process are outlined below:

 Referral and Identification

A referral for a special education evaluation may be made by a parent, teacher, physician, building administrator, or the MTSS team. If you suspect that your child may have a disability, you should contact your child’s classroom teacher, school counselor, or building administrator to discuss your concerns and determine next steps.

 Assessment

If your child is referred to the Evaluation Team, the team will review all relevant information to determine whether additional assessments are needed to help identify a possible disability. If further evaluations are warranted, they will be completed within 60 calendar days after the school receives your consent to proceed.

 Individualized Education Program (IEP)

After reviewing the evaluation results, the Evaluation Team will determine whether your child qualifies as a student with a disability who requires specialized instruction under one of the 13 IDEA eligibility categories. If your child is found eligible, the IEP team will develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This team includes the parents/guardians, a school administrator, a special education teacher, the child’s general education teacher, and any other special education staff as needed. During the IEP meeting, annual goals are created to support the student’s progress within the general education curriculum. Parents must provide consent before services and placement begin.

 IEP Review

The IEP team will review your child’s program at least once a year to assess progress toward existing goals and to establish new goals as needed.

Common Evaluations in Special Education

Educational Evaluation

Educational evaluations help determine a student’s overall skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. These assessments are administered one-on-one by a Special Educator. Typically, a single educational test battery is used to collect this information, though additional subtests may be given to gain a more detailed understanding of the student’s strengths and needs. The Special Educator selects the evaluation tools that are most appropriate. Common educational assessments include the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-WIAT, KeyMath, Gray Oral Reading, Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), Test of Reading Comprehension (TORC) and the Test of Written Language (TOWL).

 Developmental Assessment

Developmental assessments provide information on different areas of a student’s development. These areas may include cognitive, social emotional, language, motor, and adaptive skill development. These are more often administered in situations where a more typical educational evaluation is not appropriate. Depending on the areas being examined, these are administered one-on-one or by a team that may include a Special Educator, Speech Language Pathologist, School Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, and/or Physical Therapist. Information can be gathered through a combination of test batteries, observations, and interviews. Common developmental assessments include the Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC), the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI), and the Developmental Assessment for Individuals with Severe Disabilities (DASH).

 Psychological Evaluation

A comprehensive psychological evaluation provides a detailed understanding of how a student thinks, learns, and processes new information. It may include a variety of assessment methods such as test batteries, rating scales, observations, and interviews. The School Psychologist conducting the evaluation determines which tools are most appropriate. Common components of psychological evaluations include:

 Cognitive Batteries – A series of individually administered tests used to assess a student’s overall intellectual functioning. Examples of these assessments include the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (CTONI), Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), and Differential Ability Scales (DAS).

 Memory Battery– A set of individually administered tests designed to evaluate a student’s memory skills, attention, and concentration. An example of such an assessment is the Wide-Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML).

 Measures of Social and Emotional Functioning – Rating scales completed by parents, teachers, and/or the student assess various aspects of behavior and personality. These may include symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity, depression, anxiety, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, and self-reliance. Commonly used assessments include the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC), the Conners Rating Scales, and the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS).

 Measures of Executive Functioning – Rating scales completed by parents and/or teachers assess executive functioning, which encompasses the cognitive processes involved in guiding, managing, and regulating thinking, emotions, and behavior, especially during novel or complex problem-solving. These assessments help evaluate a child’s abilities in areas such as controlling impulsive behaviors, organizing materials, and planning long-term tasks. An example of this type of assessment is the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF).

 Measures of Adaptive Skills– Rating scales completed by parents and/or teachers offer a comprehensive view of a student’s adaptive skills across various areas of daily life. These assessments evaluate domains such as communication, community use, functional academics, school and home living, health and safety, leisure, self-care, self-direction, and social skills. Examples of such tools include the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (ABAS) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales.

 Interviews – May be conducted with the student, parents, and/or teachers to gather information about the student’s strengths, needs, and functioning. 

 Observations – May occur in various settings, including the classroom, cafeteria, and school-wide activities, to assess the student’s behavior and skills in real-world contexts.

 Social History– The Social History involves an interview conducted by the School Social Worker with one or both of the student’s parents or guardians. This interview gathers background information about the student, including family composition, living history, environmental or family stressors, and the student’s early development and medical history. Parents also share their perspective on their child’s academic and social strengths and needs.

 Clinical Psychological Evaluation– Sometimes, a more in-depth psychological assessment is needed to better understand a child’s functioning in school. In these cases, a Clinical Psychological Evaluation is requested. These evaluations are conducted by a licensed Clinical Psychologist, who may interview parents, teachers, and/or the student, observe the student, and review school records. Additional assessments, such as test batteries or rating scales, may also be administered as needed.