Exceptional Students Education (ESE)
What is the Purpose of the Program?
Exceptional Student Education (ESE) programs provide students with disabilities and gifted students the opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.
Who is Eligible for ESE Services?
Students aged 3-21 who have a disability and gifted students in grades K-12 are eligible for ESE services. Children with disabilities under the age of 22 may receive Exceptional Student Education services if they have not graduated with a standard high school diploma. Qualifying disabilities, eligibility standards, referral information, and evaluation requirements are defined in State Board of Education Administrative Rules available at the on-line links shown below.
Who Provides ESE Services?
Every school in the district provides ESE services to students in prekindergarten though twelfth grade based on the individual needs of the child. School districts also have the option of serving children from birth who meet the disability criteria for participation. In addition to programs provided by school districts, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) provides educational programs and services to qualifying students.
How Are ESE Services Provided?
Schools use a variety of settings to provide services to meet the needs of
exceptional students, including self-contained and mainstream classrooms, separate
resource rooms, separate day schools, residential schools, hospitals, homes,
or other non-educational settings. Schools work with parents to determine
which of these placement settings will 
provide students with appropriate educational
opportunities in the least restrictive environment. Some students receive
exceptional student services full-time; others receive ESE services as a fraction
of their school day; and others have instructional accommodations and modifications
in the regular classroom.
How Are Children Identified As Eligible for ESE Services?
Although the specific procedures used to identify eligible students vary for each exceptionality, the process includes the requirements listed below.
- Two or more interventions (changes in teachers, instructional techniques,
materials, etc.)
- Two or more parent conferences
- Screening for speech, hearing, and vision
- Observations by at least two qualified persons
- Valuation (testing, medical and psychological examinations, etc.), referral
of the student for testing and evaluation
- Review of evaluation results and comparison with eligibility criteria
- Determination that the student is (or is not) eligible for a special program
- Development of an individual educational plan, educational plan, or family
support plan
- Implementation of the program described in the student’s plan
Child Study Team Members
School Year 2007-2008
- Dr. Gwendolyn Purcell- LEA/Director
- Nadia Seignon-Flambert- School Psychologist, North Central Area Office
- Dempuls Glabog- Primary Grades Representative
- Shelly Alvarez- Intermediate Grades Representative
- Evangeline Belono-ac- ESE Specialist
- Ma. Rotessa Wahing- ESE Teacher
