Student Support Services

Dear Parents and Families,

Welcome back to the 2023-2024 School Year! I hope that you have enjoyed a beautiful and restful summer break! Our special education staff have been working tirelessly to get ready to welcome your students back. They have been busy preparing their classrooms, organizing materials, and engaging in professional learning during the month of August.

As we enter the new school year, I'd like to introduce the department's leadership team, who will support students, parents, and staff. Katie LaMay and Amanda Vance are SSS Department Administrators responsible for support at their respective levels. Other team members, including Natalie McGowen, Kim Strader, Stephanie Simony, and Kerry Brueck, are district-wide department staff who will also be providing support this school year. Their consultation may be accessed through your student's building team members or SSS Supervisor.

I wish you and your students all a wonderful start to the school year!

Stacey Theophelis
Executive Director of Student Support Services

Specially Designed Instruction (IDEA)

Special Education Team Roles (MDE)

IEP Fact Sheet (MDE)

Initial Evaluation Fact Sheet (MDE)

Special Education Process Fact Sheet (MDE)

Early On & Early Intervention Services in Clarkston

Child Find Fact Sheet (MDE)

Early On Michigan

Determination of Eligibility for Michigan Mandatory Special Education for Infants and Toddlers, Birth to Age Three Introduction (MDE)

Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE - Updated June 21, 2021)

Procedural Safeguards (MDE)

Michigan Alliance for Families

Mediation and Dispute Resolutions (MDE)

Parent Resources (MDE)

SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY (SLD)

Each local education agency and public school academy in Michigan is required to publicly post the process used to determine the existence of a Specific Learning Disability.

Consistent with this requirement, Clarkston Community Schools reports the following:

For determinations of a SLD, a Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses (PSW) is used for students in kindergarten through 12th grade across all areas including: 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 development 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 grade-level standards in one or more of the areas identified at 34 CFR 300.309(a)(l)(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.Michigan Department of Education Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services (2010).

A student must be evaluated for special education and determined eligible in order to receive special education programs and services.

A multidisciplinary evaluation team (MET) evaluates students for suspected disabilities. The MET includes specialists with knowledge of the suspected disabilities. The Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE) outline the specialists needed for each suspected disability.

Evaluation Teams and Roles (MDE)

Initial Evaluation for Special Education (MDE)

Guidance for Timeline for Initial Evaluations

Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE - Updated June 21, 2021)

Clarkston Community Schools works collaboratively with the Oakland Schools Special Populations Department and other districts within Oakland County when student needs are not able to be addressed through programming located in the district.

All programs for students with disabilities in Oakland County are designed and operated by local districts, including center programs for students with the most significant needs.

Decisions regarding placement of students is individualized.  For questions regarding center-based programming options, contact the special education department at (248) 623-8080.