Charter SELPA — Offer of FAPE / Educational Setting Field Guide

Physical Education

Include the setting for which the student participates in Physical Education.

☐ General — Student participates in the standard general education PE program, with or without supports/accommodations.

☐ Specially Designed Physical Education — Adapted PE delivered by a credentialed Adapted PE specialist. Required when a student cannot safely or meaningfully participate in general PE due to their disability.

☐ Other — Describe the specific alternative arrangement (e.g., home PE program, community-based physical activity).

⚠ If the team checks "Specially Designed," an APE assessment by a credentialed specialist is required. APE services must be documented in the Services section of the IEP with frequency and duration.

A student cannot be excluded from PE without an IEP team decision and documented rationale.

School of Residence

Within the EDCOE Charter SELPA, all LEAs are considered a school of choice. Therefore, this should be marked No because the student is not attending school within their district of residence.

Preschool Program Setting (Ages 3–5 / TK/Kgn)

Complete this section for students ages 3–5 in a Regular Early Childhood Program, and for 4-year-olds in TK/Kindergarten.

For preschool students (3–5), IDEA requires the IEP team to consider placement in a Regular Early Childhood Program (RECP) — a setting where at least 50% of children are non-disabled peers.

Options typically include:
• Regular Early Childhood Program (Head Start, preschool, TK/K) with supports
• Special education preschool with reverse mainstreaming
• Home-based services
• A combination setting

⚠ For 3–5 year-olds, the LRE principle applies differently than for school-age students. The presumption is still toward the most integrated setting, but "regular classroom" means RECP rather than a general education academic classroom.

Location of Majority Services & RECP Hours

The location where the student receives the majority of their special education services:

☐ Same as above — Services are delivered primarily in the setting already identified (school of residence or program setting above)
☐ Different from above — Majority of services are delivered in a different location; specify in the IEP

Is the Regular Early Childhood Program ten hours per week or greater? Yes/No
This applies only to students ages 3–5 in a Regular Early Childhood Program. This is a federal reporting requirement for preschool LRE data. "Ten hours or more per week" in a RECP is a threshold for how the child's placement is classified in state and federal reporting. If Yes, the child is counted in a more integrated placement category.

⚠ This field directly affects SELPA's state performance plan data. Accurate completion is required for compliance reporting.

Program Setting & Percentage of Time (Ages 5–22)

Complete for students TK/Kindergarten or older (ages 5–22). The percentage of time is REQUIRED for these students.

Enter the percentage of time the student spends IN the regular class (including extracurricular and non-academic activities). The percentage of time outside will auto-populate based on what you enter.

Federal LRE placement codes are based on time outside the regular class, but you calculate and enter the time INSIDE:
• 80–100% inside → 0–20% outside (most integrated)
• 40–79% inside → 21–60% outside
• Less than 40% inside → 61–100% outside (least integrated)

⚠ The percentage must be calculated accurately — it determines the student's LRE code for federal reporting and directly impacts the SELPA's Indicator 5 (LRE) compliance data.

Include all settings when calculating: academic classes, lunch, recess, PE, assemblies, and extracurricular activities.

Plan Effective Start Date

The date services listed in the IEP begin being provided to the student.

For annual IEP reviews: Typically the date of the IEP meeting, unless the parent withholds consent or the team agrees to a later start date.

For initial IEPs: Cannot be earlier than the date the parent provides written consent. Services begin upon parental consent — not the IEP meeting date.

For students transferring from another district: The new district must provide comparable services while developing a new IEP. The effective start date may reflect the date comparable services began.

⚠ The Plan Effective Start Date must match across all IEP pages and the Services section. Inconsistent dates across IEP documents are a common compliance finding.

LRE Justification — Non-Participation

"Student will not participate in the regular class and/or extracurricular and/or non-academic activities:"

This is the LRE justification statement required by IDEA (34 CFR 300.114). When a student is removed from the general education environment, the IEP team must document WHY — not just WHERE.

The justification must explain:
• Why the nature or severity of the disability prevents satisfactory education in the regular class even with supplementary aids and services
• What supplementary aids and services were considered and why they are insufficient

⚠ "Student needs a smaller setting" or "Student has significant needs" are NOT sufficient justifications. The statement must be individualized, specific, and data-referenced.

The presumption in IDEA is always toward the general education environment. Removal requires documented, individualized reasoning — not a disability label.

Other Agency Services

Check all outside agencies currently providing services to the student. This section coordinates IEP planning with non-school services.

☐ County Mental Health — Intensive mental health services for students whose needs exceed what school-based supports can address. Requires a referral and coordination between the SELPA and county agency.
☐ California Children's Services (CCS) — Medically-based services for specific conditions (cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, orthopedic impairments). CCS and IEP services must be coordinated to avoid duplication.
☐ Regional Center — Developmental disability services for eligible individuals. The IEP team should coordinate goals and services to avoid duplication and ensure complementary supports.
☐ Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) — Employment and independent living services. Should be referenced for students 16+ with employment-focused transition goals.
☐ Department of Social Services (DSS) — Foster care, protective services, or other DSS involvement.

⚠ Written parent consent is required before inviting outside agency representatives to the IEP meeting.

Promotion Criteria & Progress Reporting

Promotion Criteria:
☐ District — Student is subject to the district's standard grade promotion criteria
☐ Progress on Goals — Promotion is based on progress toward IEP goals rather than standard district criteria. This is appropriate for students whose disability significantly impacts academic progress.
☐ Other — Specify alternative criteria

Parents will be informed of progress:
Must be as often as general education parents receive report cards. Select the frequency used in the district (Quarterly / Trimester / Semester).

How?
☐ Progress Summary Report — Written report documenting current performance on each IEP goal compared to baseline and annual goal criterion
☐ Other — Specify alternative method

⚠ "Progress Summary Report" must contain actual data — not just ratings like "Making Progress." Parents have a right to meaningful, specific information about their child's progress toward IEP goals.

Activities to Support Transition

Document specific, planned activities to support the student's transition between educational environments or levels.

This is a different type of "transition" than the post-secondary ITP — this section addresses programmatic transitions:
• Preschool to Kindergarten — Visits, kindergarten orientation, teacher meetings, peer buddy programs
• Special education to general education — Gradual inclusion plan, co-teaching arrangements, peer support
• NPS to public school — Re-entry planning, school visits, coordination with NPS staff
• 8th to 9th grade — High school orientation, counselor meetings, graduation planning begins
• Elementary to middle school — Schedule acclimation, locker practice, social navigation

Activities should be specific, scheduled, and have a responsible person assigned — not just generic statements like "student will visit the new school."

Supporting Resources