Eligibility for the Early Childhood Special Education program is determined through an evaluation conducted by a multidisciplinary team, of which the parent is a member. A child is eligible for services when:

A child's development is significantly below that of his/her peers. Significantly below is defined as performance at/or below 1.5 standard deviations of the mean in any TWO developmental areas listed below,
***or***
At or below 2.0 standard deviations in any ONE area of development.

Areas of development that can be used for eligibility determination include:

• Cognitive
• Adaptive Behavior
• Communication
• Physical
• Social/Emotional

The DIAL-4 Screening results are used for criteria in placing peer model students. Due to the Language and Concepts subtests assessing pre-academic skills, these subtests are used as placement criteria. Placement is based on the following percentile ranges: 0-60th. Once students within these percentage ranges have had to opportunity to enroll, students with percentages 60th and above will be considered for placement.

Class options for peer model students are as follows:

Child’s attendance of am or pm session is determined by location of child’s residence. If child is picked up and/or dropped off at a location other than his/her residence, am or pm session is determined by location of bus stop. Preschool classes for peer models are held at Carthage Early Childhood Center and Pleasant Valley Elementary.

Determination for children attending preschool at Pleasant Valley Elementary is based on the following:

• AM Session (Monday-Friday 7:50-11:00 am)
• PM Session (Monday-Friday 12:15-3:25 pm)
• If home school is Pleasant Valley, child will attend Pleasant Valley
• Eligibility for free/reduced lunch
• Location for pick up and drop off for transportation efficiency