Special Education
News & Announcements
Virginia Earns Top Rating for Improving Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
Assistant Superintendent for Special Education and Student Services John Eisenberg discusses the U.S. Department of Education’s 2017 IDEA report card and results-driven accountability. 
Play video Read news release.
Academy for Aspiring Special Education Leaders – a yearlong program that includes a three-day workshop in August followed by monthly, two-day seminars, observations, assignments and field experiences. For more information, see Special Education Leadership Academies.
Virginia Diploma Options Webinar
Webinar | Transcript (Word) – Watch the entire webinar or use the table of contents to select specific information on the various diploma options and their requirements. This interactive webinar also includes additional resources for more in-depth information.
The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) guarantees a free appropriate public education to all eligible children with disabilities. The steps in the special education process include:
- Identification and referral
- Evaluation
- Determination of eligibility
- Development of an individualized education program (IEP) and determination of services
- Reevaluation
There are timelines schools must follow for each step. Timelines help to prevent any delay. Procedural safeguards, which are rights given to the parents of a child with a disability and the child upon reaching the age of majority (age 18), ensure that the child is provided a free appropriate public education according to the Federal and State rules. The services and placement of students with disabilities who need special education, are developed through an IEP, which is the responsibility of local public school divisions. The Federal and State definition of special education and specially designed instruction are:
"Special education" means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parent(s), to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in a classroom, in the home, in hospitals, in institutions, and in other settings and instruction in physical education. The term includes each of the following if it meets the requirements of the definition of special education: (§ 22.1-213 of the Code of Virginia; 34 CFR 300.39)
1. Speech-language pathology services or any other related service, if the service is considered special education rather than a related service under state standards;
2. Vocational education; and
3. Travel training.
"Specially designed instruction" means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible
child, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction: (34 CFR 300.39(b)(3))
1. To address the unique needs of the child that result from the child's disability; and
2. To ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards that apply to all children within the jurisdiction of the local educational agency.
Resources
- Transfer of Rights for Students with Disabilities Upon Reaching the Age of Majority in Virginia (PDF), also available in Spanish (PDF)
- Troubleshooting Parents' Special Education Concerns Within A Local School Division – (This document is under revision)
- The document Procedures for Participation of Students with Disabilities in Virginia's Accountability System has been updated and reorganized into two documents as follows:
- Students with Disabilities: Guidelines for Assessment Participation (PDF) – Provides the state assessment options available to students with disabilities, the participation criteria, and information about the roles and responsibilities of Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams and 504 committees in making assessment determinations.
- Students with Disabilities: Guidelines for Special Test Accommodations (PDF) – Provides information on a four-step process for selecting and using test accommodations and a description of test accommodations currently permitted on state assessments.
- A Parent's Guide To Special Education (PDF), also available in Spanish (PDF)
- Your Family's Special Education Rights – Virginia Procedural Safeguards Notice (PDF)
- Extended School Year Services (PDF)
- Comprehensive Services Act for At Risk Youth and Families
- IEP Information
- Parent Resource Centers In Local School Divisions
- Legal Advocacy Groups and Resources for Special Education (PDF)
Outside Resources
- Virginia Special Education Reference (VASER) – A resource for Virginia special education statutory and compliance information as well as curriculum, instruction and assessment policy
- Comprehensive Services Act for At Risk Youth and Families
- The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center
- Federal Agencies
- State Agencies
- Organizations
Contact Information
- Assistant Superintendent for Special Education and Student Services,
Phone 804-786-8079, Text Users Dial 711 (Virginia Relay) - Special Education Division Directors (PDF)
- Directory of Private Day & Residential Schools for Students With Disabilities (PDF)
- Regional Special Education Programs