Student Services

Definition: A student is eligible for special education in Vermont if they meet the following three criteria.

 

1. The student has a disability

Developmental delay (age 3 through 5), Autism Spectrum Disorder, Deaf-Blindness, Emotional Disturbance, Hearing Loss, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, Speech or Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, or Visual Impairment.

For children ages 3-5, “developmental delay” is defined as a 40% delay in one or more developmental domains, or a 25% delay in two or more developmental domains, or a 2/0 standard deviation in one or more developmental domains, or a 1.5 standard deviation in two or more developmental domains as determined through a comprehensive evaluation as measured by at least two appropriate assessment measures. Developmental domains are defined in the following five areas: speech and language, adaptive development, social or emotional development, physical development including fine or gross motor skills, or cognitive skills.

 

2. For children ages 6-21, the disability results in an adverse effect in 3 out of 6 measures on the student’s educational performance in 1 or more of the basic skill areas

 

Basic Skill Areas:

Oral expression
Listening comprehension
Written expression
Basic reading skills
Reading comprehension
Mathematics calculation
Mathematics reasoning
Motor skills

 

3. The student needs special education services to benefit from his or her educational program and this support cannot be provided through the educational support team (EST), standard instructional conditions or supplementary aids and services provided in the school.