As defined by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. Special Education is clearly defined through both federal and state regulations. All Orange East Supervisory Schools comply with these regulations.

Resources

Special Education Rules

Notice of Procedural Safegaurds: Rights of Parents of Students with Disabilities

Rights of Parents of Students with Disabilities

For additional information and resources for parents of children with disabilities, we encourage you to visit the Vermont Family Network

Orange East Supervisory Union early childhood special education services are integrated into our Early Childhood Program whenever possible. This model provides the opportunity for students with diverse needs to play and develop together. Early Childhood Special Educators identify children with developmental challenges and provide child-centered early childhood special education services. These services allow children to participate in typical early childhood activities to the best of their abilities, to reach their full learning potential, and to prepare them for the next learning environment.

Screenings and Evaluations

If your child is under the age of 5 and you are concerned about his/her development, please contact the Orange East Supervisory Union at 802-222-5216 ext. 6114 to set up a screening for your child.

If you have concerns about your child’s development between screenings, please contact our program.

Eligibility:

To qualify for Special Education services:

1. A child must show a delay in one of the following developmental areas: speech, language, personal social, adaptive, fine or gross motor skills and/or cognitive skills. Children who demonstrate a delay are eligible for services and an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed to meet their needs; and/or
2. Children who have a medical condition diagnosed by a physician that poses a high probability of a developmental delay before entering kindergarten are eligible for services.
3. Children who are identified by Children’s Integrated Services and have at least a 25% delay in one area may potentially be eligible by the time they reach their third birthday are also eligible for services.

Section 504 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits discrimination based upon disability. Section 504 is an anti-discrimination, civil rights statute that requires the needs of students with disabilities to be met as adequately as the needs of the non-disabled are met. This law is about ensuring that the student is able to access his/her educational program.

Students with disabilities that substantially limit a major life activity such as learning, working, hearing, speaking, etc. may require an individual accommodation plan or specific services to ensure access to education and school sponsored activities. Section 504 is not special education.

Resources:

• Civil Rights Legislation
• Vermont’s Guide to 504
• Vermont Family Network Guide
• Section 504 Student Testimonial

The following OESU personnel provide leadership and planning for 504 plans:

• Bradford Elementary: Edith Fogarty,  Principal
• Newbury Elementary: Loretta Cruz, Principal
• Oxbow Union High: Kenneth Cadow, Sarah Jalbert, Co-Principals
• Thetford Elementary: Caitlin Toleno, Principal
• Waits River Valley: Carlotta Simonds-Perantoni, Principal

For Parents New to OESU Schools:

Are you the parent or caregiver of a child who may be considered an English language learner? Please make sure that you fill out the Primary/Home Language Survey when you enroll your child in his/her new school.

For Educators and School Support Staff

State and federal laws require that school personnel ensure the identification of students who are eligible for ELL services. The first step is to use the Primary/Home Language Survey on all incoming kindergartners and any new K-12 students ​during the enrollment process.

English Language Learners (ELL)

Eligibility for ELL Services

OESU is committed to supporting the academic and social needs of all English Language Learners (ELL) attending our schools and ensuring that ELL students can participate meaningfully and equally in educational programs.  An ELL student is a student with a home language other than English and who is limited English language proficient based on results from an English language proficiency assessment approved by the state of Vermont. Historically terms have been used to describe the ELL students, including English as a Second Language (ESL), Limited English Proficiency (LEP), English Learner (EL) and English Language Program (ELP). The CCSU ELL Program is inclusive of students who fall into all of these categories.

Students are determined to be eligible for ELL Services through a screening and identification process.

1. At the time of registration, parents/guardians of each new student will complete the state required VT Primary/ Home Language Survey.  If any other language is indicated on the Survey, the ELL teacher assigned to that school is notified and provided with a copy of the Survey.
2. The ELL teacher assigned to the student’s school will review the survey, conduct any necessary interview and/or testing, and complete the OESU Screening Form for English Language Learner (ELL) Student Identification which can be found in the full OESU Lau Plan (below).
3. If it is determined that this student is an ELL student, the ELL teacher will develop an ELL Student Service Plan which outlines the nature and frequency of ELL services provided to the student that year.  The Service Plan will be revisited throughout the year and may be revised to meet the changing needs of the student. Parents/guardians will receive notification of assessment results and ELL status determination, as well as a copy of the ELL Student Service Plan (if applicable). Parents will be given an opportunity to ask questions or share their concerns.

Based on the screening and identification process, ELL students fall into one of three categories:

• Current ELL: An ELL student who qualified and is receiving services.
• Monitoring: An ELL student who has passed the ACCESS test must be, per VT regulations, monitored by a qualified ELL teacher for two years prior to fully exiting the program.  Students are listed as Monitoring Year 1 (MY1) or Monitoring Year 2 (MY2).  During this time, ELL teachers will review student academic records, assessment results and consult with teachers to ensure that the student’s academic progress is not being hindered by language proficiency.
• Exited: Following two years of monitoring an ELL students will exit the ELL program.

ELL Standards

Vermont is a member of the WIDA Consortium.  ELL instruction and Assessment Programs in Vermont are aligned with the WIDA Standards.  To learn more about the Standards and the WIDA Consortium visit the WIDA site. The WIDA standards include “Can Do” Descriptors for each grade level which outline what a student at each language proficiency level should know and be able to do.

• ​Translation Services​: Parents and guardians who are unable to access All parents and guardians, including non-native speakers, are entitled to meaningful communication in a language they can understand. OESU will provide translation services for families in order to support access to their child’s educational program, including parent conferences, special education meetings, truancy hearings, open house events, field trip permission forms, report cards/progress reports and other critical school events and documents. Translation services provided by OESU are limited to only to school-related events and materials.
• State Assessments: Vermont regulations require that an ELL student continue with ELL programming until he or she passes the state ACCESS for ELLs assessment or the school determines that the student is eligible to exit services based on other compelling local assessment data. ELL students are required to take all other state assessments unless he or she qualifies for an exemption as outlined by state or federal regulations.  For example, currently newcomer ELL students are exempt from participation in the state assessment SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) for English Language Arts if they have moved into the U.S. within one calendar year of the assessment window.  The student is, however, required to take the state math and science assessment.
• ELL Staff: Students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) in grades K-12 are provided with a comprehensive ELL Program that is staffed by a highly qualified ELL teacher. The teacher focuses on meeting the needs of all students in the program in two areas: becoming proficient in the English language and adjusting to the school and community culture.

Lau Plan

All school districts are required to maintain a current Lau Plan. The Lau (ELL) Plan is named from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1974 decision in Lau v. Nichols to ensure that all students have equal access and that identical education does not constitute equal education under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The OESU Lau Plan will be updated periodically to ensure compliance with state and federal statutes and regulations.

“The federal Migrant Education Program was initially created as part of Lyndon Johnson’s war on poverty in the 1960’s. Currently running strong across our entire nation, Migrant Education Programs serve hundreds of thousands of migrant students each year.”

– VTAOE

Eligibility For Vermont Migrant Education Program Services

From https://www.uvm.edu/extension/agriculture/farmworker/vmep

There are more than 300 students enrolled in VMEP in the state of Vermont every year. An eligible student can be of any race and/or ethnicity and speak any language.

In order for there to be a migratory child, there must be a migratory worker. Migratory means a worker who has moved at least once within the last 36 months across school district lines to engage in seasonal or temporary agricultural work. A child who moves with a migratory worker across school district lines qualifies for VMEP.

Examples of qualifying agricultural work may include dairy, livestock, fruit, vegetable, hemp and crop work, food processing, maple sugaring, logging, planting trees, and fishing. VMEP will help the worker to determine whether his/her current or past employment includes eligible work.

A child may qualify if the following apply:

• Child is under the age of 22 and has not graduated from high school or another accreditation program; and
• Child has moved across school district lines with a farmworker (parents, guardians, etc.); and
• Parent/guardian has engaged in qualifying agricultural work.

A farmworker without children may qualify if the following apply:

• Farmworker is under the age of 22 and has not graduated from high school or another accreditation program; and
• Has moved across school district lines; and
• Has engaged in qualifying agricultural work after the move.

Brochures

In English (PDF) | En Español (PDF)

Agricultural Employment Survey

In English (PDF) | En Español (PDF)

Vermont Migrant Education Program Contact Information

• Kelly Dolan, Migrant Education Program Coordinator, 802-651-8343 x504 or 802-503-2312, kelly.dolan@uvm.edu

Field Staff:

• Rebecca Heine, Central West Regional Coordinator, 802-476-2003 x507 or 802-503-2375, rebecca.heine@uvm.edu
• Monica Pineda Hernandez, Northeast Kingdom Coordinator, 802-751-8307 x355 or 802-503-2022, monica.peneda@uvm.edu
• Jeffrey Maier, Northwest Regional Coordinator, 802-476-2272 x508 or 802-503-2003, jeffrey.maier@uvm.edu