Abstract
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 calls for parent involvement in the development of education plans for those students identified as needing special education (SPED) services. Further, meaningful parent involvement has been shown to increase a student’s academic performance and school attendance. For those students in special education, parent involvement can support the development of appropriate education plans and individualized services. Although there are multitudes of positive implications, along with a federal call for parent involvement in their students’ special education process, parents share that educational jargon and lack of understanding of the SPED procedures contribute to feelings of alienation throughout the SPED process. This project focuses on supporting parents of students suspected of having or identified with a specific learning disability (SLD), as this category houses the highest number of overall students when compared to the other twelve SPED categories. According to the 2017 statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics, among the 6.6 million students receiving special education services, 35% qualified for special education under the SLD category. The goal of the current project is to develop a program and brochure to help educate parents of students with suspected or identified SLD on the SPED referral and assessment process.