Student Support Services

bowling The Waterford School District is proud of the programs and services that are provided to meet the needs of students. Parents are important members of the educational team that help to determine the appropriate programs and services for their child. The Waterford School District offers a full continuum of services to identified students. Special education services are available at all of the District's schools. Student Support Services is the primary referral source of all suspected and certified special education students under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). Also, the department services all students eligible under Section 504.

Parent Advisory Committee

The Waterford School District Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) is made up of parents of children with disabilities. The PAC meets on a regular basis with the Executive Director of the Student Support Services Department to discuss, give feedback and advice on the special education programs and services with the district. The purpose statement of the PAC is, "Collectively grow a family and school partnership that fosters mutual capacity, involvement, communication, relationship, and collaboration around students with disabilities." The members of the PAC work hard to stay knowledgeable about changes and issues in special education.

Special Education Parent Handbook

Parent Handbook - English
Parent Handbook - Spanish

Initial Evaluation Procedures for Special Education and Services

Initial Evaluation Procedure for Special Education Programs and Services

Process for Determining a Specific Learning Disability

Specific Learning Disability (SLD) Each local educational agency and public school academy in Michigan is required to publicly post the process used to determine the existence of a Specific Learning Disability. For determination of a SLD, a Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses (PSW) process is used for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, which includes: Oral Expression, Listening Comprehension, Written Expression, Reading Comprehension, Reading Fluency, Math Calculation, and Math Problem Solving. It is noted that regardless of the process used, all schools must follow all of the regulatory requirements in the IDEA, the MARSE, and Michigan laws, policies and procedures for special education.

What is a SLD? A Specific Learning Disability is "a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia that adversely affects a student's educational performance. A SLD does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities; mental retardation; emotional disturbance; or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage." (34 CFR 300.8(c)(10)).

What is a PSW Process? Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses is a process that is used to determine if a student has a SLD. This process involves the collection of data to determine the following:

• The student does not achieve adequately for the student's age or to meet State approved gradelevel standards in one or more of the areas identified at 34 CFR 300.309(a)(1)(i) when provided with learning experiences and instruction appropriate for the student's age or State-approved grade-level standards.

• The student exhibits a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in performance, achievement, or both, relative to age, State-approved grade-level standards, or intellectual development, that is determined by the Multi-disciplinary Evaluation Team (MET) to be relevant to the identification of a SLD, using appropriate assessments, consistent with the IDEA Evaluation Procedures and Additional Requirements for Evaluations and Reevaluations.