How Do I Get Help If I Think My Child May Have a Learning Problem?
If your child appears to be struggling, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher. Communication between parent and teacher is critical to student achievement, and may very well resolve the issue. However, after attempting to address your child's needs through strategies in the classroom and academic intervention services (AIS), the teacher may find that the issue is not resolved and will contact you to discuss the Instructional Support Team (IST) process.
The IST process is a team-based problem solving approach. The child's teacher fills out an IST Meeting Request form indicating the appropriate professional staff needed to attend the team meeting. The team may include any of the following professionals depending on the needs of the student: general education teacher, special education teacher, speech teacher, occupational therapist, physical therapist, counselor, psychologist, parent, and an administrator. Together the team discusses appropriate research or evidence-based interventions to address the child's needs.
The IST Coordinator will set a Response to Intervention (RTI) meeting date or a follow up meeting that is usually about four to eight weeks after interventions are initiated. The purpose of the RTI meeting is to collect data such as student work samples, test results, etcetera to help the team determine if the interventions are helping the student make adequate progress. If the team discerns that adequate progress is being made, the interventions will remain in place. If the team discovers that the current interventions are not affecting adequate progress, changes to the interventions will be made, such as but not limited to:
- change in approach
- increase in duration of instruction (example: increased session time)
- increase in frequency of instruction (example: everyday versus alternating day)
- increase in intensity of instruction (example: decrease teacher to student ratio)
If your child's learning difficulties persist after the IST/RTI process, a request for referral to the Committee on Special Education can be made by the classroom teacher to the Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Mrs. Meredythe Alliegro, located at Cutchogue West, 385 Depot Lane, Cutchogue, New York 11935. A parent can also make a referral in writing at any time to the Director.
It is the philosophy and practice of the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District to provide educational programs and services that meet the needs of our students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The district provides a range of programs and services, such as: consultant teacher services, resource room, co-teaching integrated model, special class in district, special class/placement out of district (only when student's unique needs warrant this more restrictive, intensive, specially designed program), speech and language services, occupational and physical therapy services, counseling services, transitional services, and special education summer programs.