There will be some exciting changes that will be implemented this year for service plans under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As of July 1, 2022, the Connecticut State Department of Education has implemented a new document format and database system for the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and 504 titled CT SEDS (Connecticut Special Education Data Systems).
The new document and database will assist planning and placement teams (PPTs) in navigating the special education process, leading to the development of high quality IEPs for Bloomfield’s students as well as provide us with the ability to use electronic communications with families more readily. It will include a parent portal for families to access their student’s IEP and other important information as well as a language translation feature to ensure that parents receive information in their native language. Linked here for your convenience is the CT SEDS Parent Portal Quick Start Guide.
There will not be any change in IDEA or ADA federal law related to the identification and provision of services for students with disabilities. Our service plans will just look a bit different.
Earlier this year the Connecticut Parent Advisory Center (CPAC) offered a virtual training titled CT Has a NEW IEP! which can be accessed by clicking the hyperlink.
Additionally, the CSDE has created this Side-by-Side Comparison resource to help explain the differences with the new IEP document as well as the Individualized Education Program: A Guide for Parents and Families video in order to help parents better understand the IDEA process. I hope you find these resources helpful. Later during this school year we will also be holding parent training sessions to assist in accessing the parent portal.
Support Services Staff has engaged in a variety of training opportunities, including IEP Quality Training, for the development of the new IEP format and training on the new data management system (CT-SEDS). Expert training on the new system was launched by the CSDE on July 1. Support Services Staff has been working diligently through the summer to learn this new system to make this transition as seamless as possible, but we know we still have a mountain of learning in front of us! We will require your patience and partnership while we all work together through this learning curve. We look forward to the teamwork!
Wendy Shepard-Bannish
Director of Student Support Services
860-769-4261
" You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
Mahatma Gandhi