Essential resources for understanding the world of special education in Howard County and beyond.
Formal Concern Form and Process
Resolving school concerns and disagreements Howard County Public School System When concerns outside special education arise, parents and guardians are encouraged to direct their concerns to the persons most closely involved. However, when an informal process fails to provide resolution, a parent may file a formal complaint
The New Alternate Assessment
The National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) is a project led by five centers and a consortium of states to build an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. This new assessment will replace Maryland’s current Alternate Maryland School Assessment (Alt-MSA) in the 2015-16 school year.
Students with Developmental Delay
The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) provides states with the discretion of adopting developmental delay (DD) as an additional categorical option for students. Maryland establishes the age range of three (3) through nine (9) years of age for the use of the DD option. Read more.
HCPSS Transition Planning Timeline, Checklist, and Work Study Coordinators
Formal post-secondary goals are set during the year a student reaches the age of 14. At each annual IEP meeting, the team discusses the student’s post secondary goals.



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