IDEA funding can be complex. We can help.
Our team can help schools understand and navigate IDEA funding channels, helping to optimize allocations and maximize student services.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a civil rights statute and federal education program created to ensure that all children with disabilities are not only provided the same opportunity for education as students without disabilities but also have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs. The end goal of IDEA is to prepare children with special needs for further education, employment, and independent living.
In addition, IDEA ensures that the rights of children with disabilities and parents of such children are protected and that educators and parents have the necessary tools to improve educational results for children with disabilities.
IDEA requires the Local Educational Agency (LEA) where the private school is located to conduct a Child Find* process to identify students who may have a disability. A child must be found to have one of the named disabilities under IDEA and be in need of special education and related services in order to become members of the group of parentally-placed private school students used to calculate funding.
Funding is determined by calculating the proportionate share of the total IDEA allocation of the district. The proportionate share equates to the number of parentally-placed private school students identified through the Child Find process, compared to all students in the LEA found to have a disability. The LEA cannot deduct administrative costs or the cost of Child Find from the proportionate share.
Timely and meaningful consultation is required on a list of topics, including:
- Child Find process and access to it
- Proportionate share of federal IDEA funds
- How the consultation process will be conducted throughout the year
- How, where, and by whom special education and related services will be provided
The LEA must provide a written explanation to the private school representatives if there is disagreement on the provision of services directly to students with disabilities or the use of a third party.
Catapult Learning’s IDEA Services
Catapult Learning’s school partnership experts consult with schools to understand and navigate funding resource channels to ensure a fair allocation and to optimize services for their students. While parentally placed private school children do not receive Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), they’re eligible to participate in the federal education benefits of IDEA.
Students selected for these services receive an Individualized Services Plan (ISP), which is similar to an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Equitable services are push-in and/or pull-out special education instruction and related services, determined in accordance with the requirements of IDEA, including the consultation process.
Catapult Learning offers a suite of special education and related services that can be funded using IDEA allocations:
Special needs students should have their achievements promoted—our job-embedded coaching, couple with a sequence of trainings, enables the implementation of new ideas and effective, evidence-based practices that drive toward that goal
Credentialed in accordance with state and district requirements, our school counselors and social workers provide counseling, resources, case management, and consultation to support students’ behavioral, social, and emotional challenges in order to improve academic performance
Outside-the-classroom support is also provided by our teachers, either to individual students or small groups
Our certified special education teachers provide substantial support in the regular education classroom by co-planning, co-teaching, supporting identified special needs students, and providing general instructional support.
Our credentialed speech and language professionals evaluate and address any speech, language, and hearing concerns
Catapult’s teachers support individual and/or multiple identified students in their social, emotional, behavioral, and academic activities
Catapult’s special education teachers also offer flexible intensive instruction and support to small groups or individual students outside the regular classroom