EDU 5920 - Culminating Project
The Toolkit- Six Tools to Bridge Collaboration for One Meeting
Each tool has its own page on the site, where you can fill it in and then print or save it as a PDF.
The toolkit map
A shared path from a hard question to a documented, student-centered decision.
The problem
Teams often agree students need more help, then disagree about what kind is required.
Five things "help" can mean: Accommodations, Interventions, General education supports, Specially designed instruction, Placement.
The two-part test
A student is eligible only if they (1) have a qualifying disability and (2) because of it, need specially designed instruction. Qualifying is not the same as needing services everywhere.
Law pillars
Child Find, FAPE, least restrictive environment, and the continuum of placement give teams shared guardrails.
Six tools
- Need vs. Benefit Decision Guide
- Legal Quick-Reference Card
- Collaborative Conversation Guide
- Pre-Meeting Planning Tool
- Accommodations Log
- Next Steps
Equity through evidence
This protects students from being misidentified by label, language, or race in either direction.
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Need vs. Benefit Decision Guide
The legal two-part test is a set of questions a team answers with its own data.
Open the tool: Need vs. Benefit Decision Guide -
Legal Quick-Reference Card
Child Find, FAPE, and LRE in plain language. One page, every seat at the table.
Open the tool: Legal Quick-Reference Card -
Collaborative Conversation Guide
Questions and sentence starters for the hard, student-centered discussions.
Open the tool: Collaborative Conversation Guide -
Pre-Meeting Planning Tool
A worksheet to walk into any eligibility, service, or placement meeting ready.
Open the tool: Pre-Meeting Planning Tool -
Accommodations Log
Build the documentation trail before a referral.
Open the tool: Accommodations Log -
Next Steps
Answer a few questions, get a reasonable next move.
Open the tool: Next Steps