September 3, 2009

Dear Parents:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of an important change to the way in which Connecticut will identify children who have specific learning disabilities and to let you know of the ways our school district is planning for that change.  In Connecticut, The State Department of Education has decided that as of July 1, 2009, school districts must use Scientific Research Based Interventions (SRBI) with all students which require us to keep careful documentation of the progress that students make in reading, writing and math.  Schools will use this documentation to determine the most appropriate support for each student, including special education services.

Over this summer, the State Department of Education was still developing the exact guidelines that school districts must follow to identify students with a specific learning disability who may need special education services.  Because we want to carefully follow our state’s requirements, The Enfield Public Schools has applied for an extension to July 1, 2010.  We will use this school year to thoughtfully plan for SRBI and be ready to fully implement the new requirements on July 1, 2010.  In the meantime, we will continue to assess the needs of all of our students in order to provide the best possible instructional support, strategies and intervention services necessary to help each of them achieve to their full potential.

If you would like more information about the policies of the Connecticut State Department of Education related to identifying children with learning disabilities, we invite you to visit the following websites:

1.  Information concerning a parent’s right to request and evaluation of a child suspected of having a learning disability can be found in the Procedural Safeguards in Special Education, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2678&Q=320730#publications.

2.  The SRBI Framework that describes the state’s perspective on SRBI can be found at http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2604&Q=321716, and the executive summary of this document can be found at http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2678&Q=320730#publications.

3.  Connecticut’s framework for the Response to Intervention (RTI) model for identification of children with specific learning disabilities can be found under the heading of Resources for Parents and Families on the SDE website (www.sde.ct.gov) under the heading Publications/Resources-Best Practices, entitled A family Guide:  Connecticut’s Framework to RTI.

We know that this information can be confusing and we want to provide families with as much information as we can to help address any concerns that may be raised by this process.  Your child’s individual progress is important to us, and it is only through parent-school partnerships that every child can excel.  If you have any questions regarding this notification, please feel free to contact your child’s building principal, or Julie Carroll or Cindy Stamm, Coordinators of Special Education at 253-6519.

Sincerely,


John Gallacher, Ph.D                LeAnn Beaulieu                    Julie Carroll
Superintendent of Schools         SRBI District Co-Chair          SRBI District Co-Chair 

Posted:  09-30-09