Screenings and Referrals
Early Childhood Screenings - Ages 2.9 to 5
The Shawnee Mission School District offers a developmental screening that assesses vision, hearing, problem-solving, personal-social development, gross/fine motor skills, and speech/language skills. The purpose of this screening is to identify children who may have substantial developmental delays and who may be eligible for special education services.
To find out more information about this process, click on the following link: Early Childhood
Child Find: Students enrolled in Shawnee Mission - Ages 5 to 21
Shawnee Mission follows state and federal processes for evaluation of students enrolled who may have exceptionalities and the provision of special education services to those students who are determined to be eligible. Parents are notified and involved in the process when a concern first arises. Parents may also request a special education evaluation.
Parents are encouraged to contact their child's neighborhood school's principal or school psychologist with questions about special education services and the evaluation process.
Child Find: Students attending private schools - Ages 5 to 21
When children are enrolled by their parents in private schools, the public school has continuing responsibility for child find and must locate, evaluate, and identify children with exceptionalities (including gifted) in private schools just as they do in the public schools.
Federal and state laws require the district where the private school is located to conduct child find activities. Kansas child find requirements also require the district of residence to evaluate children with exceptionalities, including children attending a private school (K.A.R. 91-40- 7(a)(1). Accordingly, parents of a child who is attending a private school may request a special education evaluation from either the district where the private school is located or the district where the student resides. Evaluations for Gifted evaluations may only be requested from the residential district.
Parents who reside within the Shawnee Mission School District boundaries and would like to request an evaluation for their child should complete this form . If you have questions you can contact Sarah Ingraham sarahingraham@smsd.org to discuss the process.
In order for a team to determine a child eligible for special education and an IEP, the child must meet the two-prong test:
- they must meet the criteria as a child with an exceptionality AND
-
the evaluation data must demonstrate that special education services are necessary to enable the child to receive educational benefits in accordance with his/her abilities or capabilities.
Child Find: Homeschool students - Ages 5 to 21
Shawnee Mission follows state and federal processes for evaluation of students enrolled as homeschooled students who may have exceptionalities and the provision of special education services to those students who are determined to be eligible. Parents may also request an evaluation. Any homeschooled student who lives within Shawnee Mission School District boundaries may be evaluated.
Parents who reside within the Shawnee Mission School District boundaries and would like to request an evaluation for their child should complete this form . If you have questions you can contact Sarah Ingraham sarahingraham@smsd.org to discuss the process.