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Home » Departments & Services » Pupil Personnel Services » Committee on Special Education (CSE)

Committee on Special Education (CSE)

The Committee on Special Education (CSE) is an interdisciplinary team which is authorized to do the following: evaluates the data presented about students with respect to eligibility for special education services; designs and recommends an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) for each student determined to have a disability and reviews annually the placement of all students with disabilities in the Goshen Central School District.

Referrals to Special Education

A referral is a written statement asking that the school district evaluate your child to determine if he or she needs special education services. This written statement should be addressed to the chairperson of your school district’s Committee or your school principal. The referral may result in a request to have your child tested to see if he or she needs special education services. In some cases, you may want to meet with the principal before agreeing to test your child to discuss other ways to assist your child. As a result, the referral may be withdrawn.

Who can make a referral to Special Education?

In addition to the parent/guardian, your child’s teacher or a professional in your child’s school may also make a referral to the Committee. Additional people who may make a referral include doctors, judicial officers (such as a family court judge or a probation officer) or a designated person in a public agency.

Components of a Comprehensive Evaluation

  • Physical Examination: sight, hearing, physical development, medical needs, physical and health factors which affect school progress (usually conducted by: physician/nurse practitioner)
  • Psychological Evaluation: general intelligence, learning strengths and weaknesses, instructional needs, social interactions and relationships (usually conducted by: school psychologist)
  • Social/Medical History: social and medical background; medical issues and social factors within the home, school and community which may contribute to student’s difficulties (usually conducted by: school social worker; school psychologist)
  • Classroom Observation: performance in the current educational setting, relationship to teachers and other students, learning styles, attention span (usually conducted by: school psychologist, guidance counselor, school social worker)
  • Educational Evaluation: educational achievement; learning strengths and weaknesses; vocational and academic needs (usually conducted by: special education teacher, school psychologist, reading/math specialist)

Other assessments may be required based upon the results of the standard battery. These assessments may include, but are not limited to:

  • Speech and Language Evaluation: an assessment for the identification of articulation, language and communication disorders (usually conducted by: speech pathologist or speech therapist)
  • Occupational Therapy Evaluation: an assessment of primarily fine motor skills involving balance, coordination, strength, visual motor control, speed and dexterity (usually conducted by: occupational therapist)
  • Functional Behavior Assessment: A process of gathering and analyzing information about a student’s behavior and accompanying circumstances in order to determine the purpose or intent of the actions (usually conducted by: school psychologist)
  • Hearing Evaluation: an assessment of a student’s ability to hear sounds and understand the spoken word, and in some cases, an assessment of a student’s ability to understand sign language and/or lip reading (usually conducted by: teacher of the hearing impaired, teacher of the deaf)
  • Vision Evaluation: an assessment of a student’s ability to visually process information (usually conducted by: teacher of the visually impaired)
  • Psychiatric Evaluation: an assessment based on behavior in relation to physical, genetic, environmental, social, cognitive (thinking), emotional, and educational components that may be related to learning difficulties (usually conducted by: psychiatrist)
  • Vocational Assessment: possible areas of future employment, work-related skills, interests (usually conducted by: counselors, school psychologist, special education teacher, worksite evaluators, rehabilitation counselors)

Committee on Special Education Membership

At its yearly reorganization meeting in July, the Board of Education appoints a Committee on Special Education comprised of at least the following mandated members: 

  • the parents or persons in parental relationship to the student; 
  • the regular education teacher of the student if the student is, or may be, participating in the general education environment; 
  • the special education teacher or special education service provider of the student; 
  • a school psychologist; 
  • a representative of the district qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of special education and is knowledgeable about the general curriculum and about the availability of the resources of the school district, provided that the individual who meets these qualifications may be the same individual appointed as the special education teacher or the special education provider of the student or the school psychologist; 
  • an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results, who may be a member of the team selected from the general or special education teacher or special education provider or school psychologist or district representative described above or a person having knowledge or special expertise regarding the student when such member is determined by the school district to have the knowledge or expertise to fulfill this role on the committee; 
  • the school physician, if specifically requested in writing by the parent or by a member of the school at least 72 hours prior to the meeting; 
  • an additional parent, if requested, in writing, at least 72 hours prior to the CSE meeting by the parent, student or CSE member, who is a parent of a student with a disability residing in the school district or a neighboring school district, provided that such additional parent member may be the parent of a student who has been declassified or has graduated within a period not to exceed five years 
  • other persons having knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate, as the school district or the parents shall designate. The determination of knowledge or special expertise of that person shall be made by the party who invited the individual to be a member of the CSE 
  • whenever appropriate, the student.

The Board of Education also appoints subcommittees of the Committee on Special Education. Subcommittees may perform all the functions of the Committee on Special Education except when the student is being considered for initial placement in a special class, initial placement in a special class outside the student’s school of attendance, or initial placement in a school primarily serving students with disabilities, or a school outside of the student’s district. Membership of each subcommittee shall include, but not be limited to: 

  • the parents of the student; 
  • the regular education teacher of the student if the student is, or may be, participating in the regular education environment; 
  • not less than one special education teacher or, if appropriate, 
  • not less than one special education service provider of the student; 
  • the subcommittee chairperson who is a representative of the district and is qualified to provide, administer, or supervise special education and who is knowledgeable about the general curriculum and about the availability of the resources of the school district, who may also be the member attending as the special education teacher, the special education provider or the school psychologist;
  • an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results, who may be a member of the team selected from the regular, or special education teacher, or provider, or school psychologist, or person with special knowledge, or expertise, or district representative described above; 
  • such other persons having knowledge or special expertise regarding the student, including related service personnel as appropriate, as the committee or parent shall designate. The determination of knowledge or special expertise of that person shall be made by the party who invited the individual to be a member of the CSE; 
  • a school psychologist whenever a new psychological evaluation is reviewed or a change to a program option with a more intensive staff/student ratio is considered 
  • the student if appropriate 
  • a representative of a private school, BOCES or educational facility when the CSE is considering an out-of-district placement. 

Legal and other agency services

ACCESS: Supports for Living
15 Fortune Road West
Middletown, NY 10941
(845) 750-2266
http://accesssupports.org/

Albany Law School Developmental Disabilities
Legal Clinic-Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY 12203
(518) 445-2311

American Civil Liberties Union of NY State
84 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212) 549-2500

Children’s Rights Society
7 Coates Drive
Goshen, NY 10924
(845) 291-2670
http://www.childrensrightsinc.org

Independent Living, Inc.
30 Industrial Drive
Middletown, NY 10941
(845) 342-1162
http://www.myindependentliving.org

Legal Aid Society of Orange County
14 Scotchtown Avenue
Goshen, NY 10924
(845) 291-2454

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
60 Erie Street
Goshen, NY 10924
(845) 495-4305
http://lshv.org/contact/

Mid-Hudson Legal Services
Protection and Advocacy Unit
54 Noxon Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 471-0058

Office of Advocates for Persons with Disabilities
1 Empire Plaza- Suite 1001
Albany, NY 12203
(518) 473-4129

Open Doors Educational Advocates
4 Christopher Avenue
Highland, NY 12528
(845) 978-7970
http://opendoors-sped.com/

Orange County Dispute Resolutions Service
15 Scotchtown Avenue
Goshen, NY 10924
(845) 294-8082

State Department Education Office of Counsel
Educational Building-Room 148
Albany, NY 11234
(845) 474-6400

Westchester Independent Living Center, Inc.
Protection and Advocacy Legal Unit
200 Hamilton Avenue- 2nd Floor
White Plains, NY 10061
(914) 682-3926