Schedule a Consultation
Dr. Hannah Gbenro floating image
Dr. Holly Galbreath floating image

NPA & Out-of-State Placement Support

Expert guidance for out-of-district placements, from first referral to return home.

When a student needs a nonpublic agency placement, districts carry the legal and educational responsibility, often from hundreds of miles away. DECS gives your team a dedicated partner to manage the process, monitor services and keep every placement accountable.

Schedule a Consultation
Fran McCarthy floating image

The Opportunity

Finding the Right Placement Takes Time Most Districts Don't Have

Finding the right nonpublic agency (NPA) or residential treatment center (RTC) can mean searching a wide region, sometimes across state lines, while the district stays responsible for FAPE. Special education directors rarely have the internal staff or time to run that search on top of everything else.
  • A time-intensive search, often across a wide region, to find the right fit
  • Limited internal staff and time to manage referrals, applications and placement meetings
  • Complex state approval and renewal requirements for NPAs and RTCs
  • Difficulty confirming IEP services are delivered as written
  • Unclear plans for graduation, post-secondary goals or return to district
  • Educational consultants with high up-front costs whose involvement often ends at placement

The Result:

Searches stall, placements drift, and students can stay in restrictive settings longer than needed.

When outside help ends at placement, districts are left to carry the oversight and compliance risk alone.

Our Approach

A Single Partner for the Entire Placement

Through a single case agreement, DECS works directly with your district to oversee one student’s placement from start to finish. We stay connected to the placement, keep the IEP team informed, and focus every step on FAPE, measurable progress and the student’s long-term outcomes.

Areas of NPA/RTC Placement Support

Choose the full start-to-finish model, or bring DECS in for the specific support your team needs. Each area below is included in our Four-Phase model or available on its own.

AREA 1 OF 7

Four-Phase NPA Placement Support

PURPOSE
  • One partner from the first records review through placement and beyond
  • Clear deliverables at every phase, so districts always know where a case stands
  • Placement decisions grounded in data and the least restrictive environment

PHASE 1

Discovery & Assessment

Records review and case-specific needs analysis; parent/guardian and staff interviews; on-campus observation as needed.

Deliverable:

Student Summary Report and Pre-Application Materials.

PHASE 2

NPA Targeting & Application
A targeted list of primary and secondary placement options with program profiles, then the applications completed and submitted.

Deliverable:

NPA Options List and Submitted Applications.

PHASE 3

Evaluation, IEP & Placement
Timeline coordination and advisory support for evaluations, FBAs and IEP meetings; participation in IEP meetings; follow-up with potential placements.

Deliverable:

Placement Analysis (Least Restrictive Environment) for the IEP team.

PHASE 4

Implementation Oversight or Case Resolution

When a placement is reached, oversight through a 90-day implementation review. When it is not, a final case summary and a structured case closure.

Deliverable:

90-Day Implementation Review or Final Case Summary Report.
Phased, with a defined deliverable at each stage; remote and on-site, under a single case agreement
Districts that need a defined, start-to-finish process for a student who may require an NPA placement
Schedule a Consultation

AREA 2 OF 7

State NPA/RTC Application Site Visits

PURPOSE
  • Support districts and agencies through OSPI's approval requirements for NPAs
  • On-site visits for initial NPA applications
  • On-site visits for renewal applications
  • Documentation of findings to support the application
On site at the agency, with a written summary afterward
Districts considering a new NPA, or renewing approval for one already in use

AREA 3 OF 7

Case Management During Placement

PURPOSE
  • Keep the district connected to, and informed about, the student's program
  • Attending regular meetings with the placement
  • Monitoring that FAPE is provided and IEP services are delivered
  • Tracking progress toward graduation and post-secondary outcomes
  • Regular updates to the IEP team
Ongoing, remote and on site, for the length of the placement
Districts with students already placed who need closer oversight

AREA 4 OF 7

Placement Screening & Consultation

PURPOSE
  • Help IEP teams decide whether an NPA is the appropriate next step
  • Review of current supports and least-restrictive-environment options
  • Guidance on placement criteria and documentation
  • Recommendations to the IEP team
Consultation with the district team, remote or on site
Teams weighing an NPA referral, or needing a second opinion

AREA 5 OF 7

Single Case Agreement Coordination