The U.S. Department of Education’s Using Functional Behavioral Assessments to Create Supportive Learning Environments guidance is designed to help schools and early childhood programs better support students’ behavioral needs. This guidance focuses on evidence-based practices to support students, with or without disabilities, whose behavior interferes with learning, and is part of the Department’s effort to reduce exclusionary discipline.
An FBA can help with understanding the function and purpose of a child’s specific, interfering behavior and factors that contribute to the behavior’s occurrence and non-occurrence for the purpose of developing effective positive behavioral interventions, supports, and other strategies to mitigate or eliminate the interfering behavior.
The guidance, developed by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), provides educators and families with information, tools, and resources to support the broader use of FBAs and behavioral plans for students with and without disabilities. The guidance describes an FBA, addresses common characteristics of an FBA and behavioral plans, explains how FBAs can inform instructional strategies, identifies guiding principles to support effective development and implementation, highlights federal funding sources for educator training related to FBAs, and provides technical assistance resources to support implementation.
FBA Guidance
Presented live on November 13. 2024, this webinar, FFF staff presents an overview of Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs). Content addressed when and why FBAs should be made at school, how families can partner throughout the process and what factors may be unique to children and youth in foster, adoptive and kinship families.
Presentation Slides for Functional Behavior Assessments webinar
Webinar Recording for Functional Behavior Assessments webinar
The 2022 Virginia Assistive Technology Tools and Strategies: Resource Guide provides instructional strategies, AT solutions, modifications, accommodations, and examples used to address areas of need identified through the AT consideration process to support student success.
There are two Resource Guide PDFs: an ADA Compliant version and a printable table version.
On August 16, 2024, the Virginia Department of Education shared new guidance on Special Permission Locally Awarded Verified Credit (SPLAVC) Accommodation for Students with Disabilities.
The one-pager resource for families.
The resource provides answers to the following questions:
This document from Virginia Department of Education provides a summary of resources and policy changes following the passage of House Bill 777 into law in 2024, Enrollment of and Provision of Free Public Education for Certain Students; Kinship Care and Foster Care.
The law provides that certain provisions of law relating to continuity of public-school enrollment and attendance, and immediate enrollment for students in foster care, apply to a student who has transitioned out of foster care and whose custody has been transferred to the student’s parent or prior legal guardian, or who has been emancipated.
If a student in a kinship care arrangement moves into a different school division during the school year as a result of safely returning home, being emancipated, or transitioning to a new kinship care arrangement, such student shall be deemed a resident in the previous school division of residence for the remainder of the school year for the purpose of tuition-free enrollment and attendance.
The first three fact sheets, published in June 2024, offer specific guidance on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act protections for students with Sickle Cell Disease, Cancer and Epilepsy.
The fact sheets include information on how the conditions may impact the student’s experience in school, what might a school need to do to address a student’s condition, and remedies if the school is not meeting its obligations.
Four additional fact sheets were published in December 2024 for students with Migrane, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Narcolepsy and students who Stutter.
Sickle Cell fact sheet
Epilepsy fact sheet
Cancer fact sheet
Stutter fact sheet
Narcolepsy fact sheet
Migraine fact sheet
Inflammatory Bowel Disease fact sheet
From the Parent Educational Advocacy and Training Center (PEATC), this 2024 fact sheet summarizes new guidance from the Virginia Department of Education on the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program. VAAP is a specialized assessment designed for students in grades 3-8 who have significant cognitive disabilities and are not in the Standards of Learning (SOL curriculum).
VAAP Resource Document
From the Virginia Department of Education:
The Video Guide to the Special Education Evaluation Process for Families provides additional guidance to support accurate and consistent eligibility determinations and access to special education services across school divisions.
These video modules will provide parents, families, and other stakeholders with a brief but comprehensive overview of the special education process on the following topics:
Introduction (Overview of the Series)
Identification
Evaluation
Eligibility
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Reevaluation, Early Intervention, and
What’s Next.
Each module is designed to be viewed as a stand-alone resource or viewed in succession.
On January 28, 2021, the Board of Education revised eligibility criteria and processes for the administration of locally-awarded verified credit due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. Please see the Board of Education’s Emergency Guidelines for Locally-Awarded Verified Credits for details on locally-awarded verified credit options.
This webpage clarifies options for locally-awarded verified credits needed for Virginia’s advanced studies diploma and standard diploma requirements.
VDOE webpage re: Credit Accommodations
From the Virginia Department of Education, these brief videos cover aspects of the process for special education evaluation and eligibility.
Link to Video Guide
Broadcast live on October 4, 2023, this webinar from FFF was the 2nd of 3 in the Fall 2023 Helping Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Families to Navigate Special Education series. The presentation focused on formal avenues for securing services and supports for children and youth with special needs including 504 plans and individualized education programs (IEPs), and addressed potential sticking points for foster, adoptive and kinship families.
Slides from webinar
Webinar Recording
This page on the Center for Family Involvement website offers links to video and print resources designed for Virginia military-connected families who are raising children and youth wtih disabilities. Additional resources from Formed Families Forward and PEATC are also linked.
Military Family Resources
Mental Wellness and Trauma-Informed Practices in Military Families video from FFF
Revised in 2023, this Guide from the Virginia Department of Education offers an overview of special education policies and procedures for the state.
Virginia Family's Guide to Special Education
This Virginia Department of Education page links to official technical assistance and policy guidance documents related to special education in the state.
These resources were developed to provide professional development and technical assistance to parents, school personnel, and other consumers. All resources are intended to provide guidance for addressing the regulatory requirements and instructional elements needed for a student’s free appropriate public education (FAPE).
VDOE technical assistance and guidance documents
Clarifications from the US Office of Special Education Programs and the Virginia Department of Education in spring 2023 that clarifies responsibilities of schools to allow a parent or caregiver to request an initial evaluation of child suspected of having a disability. Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multitiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) cannot be used to delay or deny an initial evaluation.
3/14/23 Federal clarifications including links to two earlier memoranda
4/21/23 Virginia Superintendents' Memo
This webpage provides updated information about available accommodations for earning credits needed for Virginia’s Standard and Advanced Studies diplomas.
VDOE Credit Accommodations for students with disabilities
This Toolkit from the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC, the Virginia statewide parent training and information center) reviews policy and procedures for filing a State complaint regarding an alleged violation of special education rules.
State Complaint Toolkit
From the US Office of Special Education programs, this set of guidance Questions and Answers addresses special education (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA) requirements applicable to children with disabilities placed by their parents or caregivers in private schools, who are not enrolled in public school system.
This was updated in February 2022.
Q & A guidance
This fact sheet from PEATC helps parents/caregivers and students understand the members of an IEP team.
Who's on the IEP team written fact sheet
Who's on the IEP Team visual
This brief article from Understood.org overviews some education issues specific to children and youth in foster care to foster/resource parents.