What is Special Education?

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) 2004, special education is the specially designed instruction and related services required to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and at no cost to a student or student’s family.

At The Next Step PCS, students found eligible for special education services, which includes students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan, are provided comprehensive services in an inclusion setting model in a general classroom environment. We also provide in-house counseling services and specialized instruction for students identified as needing special education services.

Referral Process for Special Education Services

Teachers and Case Managers are instructed during professional development at the start of the school year to input any observed concerns, which include academic or behavioral challenges, into our internal student database. Members of the Student Support Team (SST) meet bi-weekly to discuss concerns inputted in Quickbase and to provide Response to Intervention (RTI) strategies to support the student for 60 days. If no progress is shown after this period, the student is referred for a comprehensive psychological evaluation, which is completed within 30 days of the referral.

In addition to capturing student concerns in our internal database as an LEA (Local Education Agency), we provide comprehensive special education services to students enrolling at our LEA with an IEP or 504 plan from their previous LEA or for a student self-reporting that they may need additional academic support.

Student Assessment and Evaluation

A Student interview, work sample, standardized evaluation, needs screening assessment, and a comprehensive psychological evaluation are used to determine eligibility for special education services.

Home and Hospital Instruction

The Home and Hospital Instruction Program (HHIP) provides instruction and support to students whose educational programs are interrupted because of a physical disability and health impairment, resulting in home confinement and a hospital for three weeks or more.

This service must be requested by the student’s school and certified by the student’s physician. It is an instructional program sensitive to the medical factors related to the disability and the health impairment indicated. The goal is to establish a continuous, individualized education program closely associated with the student’s local school.

Please find the TNS Home and Hospital Instruction Policy located here.

For more information about Special Education at The Next Step PCS or any of the individual services listed here, please contact
Marquise Anderson, Special Education Coordinator, at marquise@nextsteppcs.org or 202- 319-2249, select 3, then choose 4.