Special needs evaluation process at Shining Stars Montessori

[Anonymous]

Hello!
My child is a student at SSMA and we are beginning the special needs evaluation process through the school (already have evals from dev ped and SLP) in order to hopefully get services. Are there any other SSMA parents on here who wouldn't mind sharing their experiences so that I could know what to expect? Or maybe other charter parents, if the process is the same across charters? Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Do you know if SSMA is its own LEA (local education agency)? That is important as it will influence the process. Most charters , but not all, are.

[Anonymous]

We have been going through the same process there for the last six months. Our experience is that the staff are interested in doing what's best for the child. They have recommended services that we had heard from others are hard to get. The psychologist hired to evaluate our son totally missed his autism, though, literally calculated the numbers wrong. So be careful if you are in that situation. They are slow (but within their federally required timeline, so maybe "average pace" if you go by those standards). Request in writing ASAP that your child be evaluated. We didn't sign that paper until a month or two after we first learned there was concern, and that time set us back. Once you request it in writing, their clock starts. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Are you seeing outside providers or had a developmental eval? If not, I recommend it. Our outside providers are far superior and have a better, more continuous relationship with my DS. They've also been much better at developing goals and strategies that were focused on his whole development, not just the academic parts.

[Anonymous]

There may be some Lee parents who have experience with this in a Montessori setting as well. The school has a robust special needs program and has identified challenges in my kid that I so glad they did.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the above replies! Yes, SSMA is its own LEA, that's the part that I'm confused about. Thank you to the above SSMA parent - that's encouraging that the staff are interested and your child was offered services!