Scenario: In February, Mr. Franklin and you had a new student join your class.  Manuel recently moved to your school from another state due his father’s job change.  The school’s guidance counselor tells you that she has contacted his previous school regarding his cumulative file but it has not yet arrived.  In the six weeks that Manuel has been a part of your Language Arts class, you have noticed that he does not interact much with his peers in class, he has only turned in 25% of his homework assignments, and he has earned 53% – 68% on the classroom assessments that evaluate his level of curriculum mastery.

You have talked with his other teachers to gain insight into how Manuel is doing in their classes and to discover if there are any teaching strategies that they are finding successful.  Manuel’s math teacher reports that he is doing an outstanding job and is surprised that he is struggling in your class.  She says that he does not interact much with the other students but that her class is not designed for a lot of in-class student interaction.  Manuel’s science and social studies teachers both report experiencing behaviors and assessment outcomes similar to those causing you and Mr. Franklin concern.  In both of these classes, for example, Manuel does not interact much with the other students in the small group work they do in class.  The science teacher mentioned that during labs Manuel conducts his lab experiments with precision and scientific accuracy. 

Based on your observations and reports from Manuel’s teachers, Mr. Franklin and you consider further steps to try to better understand Manuel's learning profile so that that you can make adjustments to meet his needs.  As you are considering your next steps for Manuel's success, you discuss with Mr. Franklin that according to IDEA the school must follow a specific process for the assessment and evaluation of students with disabilities.

Initial Post:
Post a response that:

• Explains the process you and Mr. Franklin must follow to identify Manuel for assessment according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA).
• Describes consequences that may result from not following the processes, including, but not limited to, possible harm to Manuel.
• Explains the first step that you must take in order to proceed and why.  Include real world examples from your own personal or professional experiences as well as support from the reading to support your writing. 

Text:

 Pierangelo, R., & Giuliani, G. A. (2012). Assessment in special education: A practical approach. Boston: Pearson.