Day 2

SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL DISTRICT

JULY 30, 2015

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Agenda● Welcome● Foundations of the IEP● IEP Review Tool● Services Log● FAPE Continuum● School Roles and Expectations● Initial Evaluations and

Reevaluations● Lessons Learned● Documentation● Resources● Who is your Coordinator?

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July 2015, Foundations of the IEP

Meeting Notices

Part of the Foundations of the IEP Series

Meeting Notices for other actions

Meeting Notices for an Annual

Members of an IEP Team

The IEP team includes:

1.) The student’s parents;

2.) Not less than one general education teacher of the child;

3.) Not less than one special education teacher of the child;

4.) A representative of the school or the LEA representative;

5.) Related services personnel as appropriate;

6.) The student, if the student is of transition age.

Meeting Notices IEP meeting notifications must

include: the purpose, time, location of the meeting and who will be in attendance (positions,

not names)

This is why an email or phone call asking the parent to attend a meeting doesn’t suffice (even if they attend).

Meeting Notices There has to be documentation that a formal

invite that included all of the above was provided.

Which one shows that proper notification was provided:

Email

Email with invitation attached

Does this make sense? One notification method that says “phone.”

What if the parent does not attend and one of the two notifications were “phone?”

Even if the parent attends, the meeting could be determined null and void if proper notification wasn’t provided.

Meeting Notices If the student will turn 13 during the

course of the IEP, the student must be notified of the meeting as well.

Parent determines whether or not the student attends, but the student must be notified of the meeting.

If the student is 18, the primary notice goes to the student; parent gets a “courtesy” copy.

Excusing Team Members

The South Carolina Public Charter School District provides the possibility that certain IEP team members might be excused from attending an IEP meeting.

Specifically for the following IEP members:

1.) The student’s regular education teacher

2.) The student’s special education teacher

3.) The LEA representative

Present LevelsPart of the Foundations of the IEP Series

The LinkThere must be a link throughout the complete IEP. The link begins with the present level and it expands to all areas:

Accommodations Services Annual Goals LRE PSGs

THE IEP● The “I” in IEP means “individualized”● The IEP is “specially designed

instruction to meet the unique needs of the child”

● IEPs, which are the blueprint of a student’s free appropriate public education (FAPE), are legally binding commitments of resources from an LEA

● The IEP must be designed to confer meaningful educational benefit

The Enrich IEP

Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional

Performance

“The Foundation”

These are the basis from which all other Individualized Education Program (IEP) components are developed

The Present Levels statement is a brief, but detailed, description of all areas of academic achievement and functional performance that are affected by a student’s disability.

Accurate Present Levels statements provide the starting point for all decisions regarding a student’s IEP

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Common Present Levels Errors

▪ Writing vague descriptions of academic and/or functional needs

▪ Writing statements that are not related to a student’s disability

▪ Writing statements based solely on a standardized battery of tests

▪ Writing PLAAFP statements that are not individualized

▪ Using a student’s disability as the PLAAFP statement

Present Levels CAUTIONS

1. Are the Present Levels understandable and clear to everyone on the team?

2. Do the Present Levels identifies all areas of need?

3. Are the Present Levels precise enough to lead to measurable annual goals?

4. Do the Present Levels describe only the unique needs that will be addressed in the IEP?

5. Do the Present Levels lead to an annual goal, special education service, or both?

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Critical Elements of Present Levels• Identifies Educational Need• Connected to a goal and service• Potentially connected to an

accommodation

Present Levels

Strengths:• In reading, Jason is able to identify

letters of the alphabet and consonant sounds. He is able to sound out simple CVC words.

Needs:• Jason has difficulty with medial vowel

sounds and is unable to sound out words with digraphs and diphthongs.

Examples READING STRENGTH: John has good basic phonics skills

READING NEEDS: John was able to read 34 words per minute correctly on 3rd grade AIMSWeb passages; the typical 3rd grader reads 59 words per minute. John does not blend sounds fluently; he tends to read word-by-word which slows his reading rate. On the 3rd grade cloze measures, John earned an average of 6 points; to be within the average range, he would need to score 12 points.. y John is able to comprehend grade-level concepts when information is present orally to him, but because of his difficulties with word recognition, he has difficulty comprehending grade-level material when reading independently.

BEHAVIOR STRENGTH: John gets along well with his peers and has established friendships this year.

BEHAVIOR NEEDS: John has 7 discipline referrals this year, 4 for blurting out/disrupting class; 2 for fighting; 1 for disrespectful behavior toward an adult.

Academic and Functional Strengths and Needs:

READING STRENGTHS: Alex is able to access all grade level content standards with accommodations adjusting for a lower reading level. (This statement also addresses involvement in general curriculum)

READING NEEDS: Alex is currently reading below his eighth grade peers. Alex has a RIT score on the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) of 201 in the area of reading. This score is significantly below the mean score of 268. The median Curriculum-Based Measurement score from grade-level reading passages was 111 Correct Words Per Minute. An average score for this grade level is 164 Correct Words Per Minute.

Disability Statement

Disability Impact Statement Alicia’s reading and writing at a mid-first grade level

prevents her from keeping pace with reading and writing assignments of the third grade curriculum. Alicia’s math skills are nearly a year below grade level that presents a barrier to completing third grade math assignments/tasks.

Jason functions at a mid-fourth grade level in written language. The disability affects decoding and encoding words, retaining vocabulary and expressing himself/ herself in writing resulting in the ninth grade curriculum.

Difficulties with short-term auditory memory, concentration, and mental control adversely affect Sam’s ability to achieve fourth grade curriculum standards and require multi-sensory, individualized and/or small group instruction that could not be appropriately provided in the regular education setting.

Disability Impact Statement

Ramon’s multi-handicap interferes with time on task as well as the his ability to comprehend content material of the general education curriculum.

Dean’s learning disability in written expression affects his speed of completing written work in the general education curriculum.

Megan’s disability of autism interferes with her understanding of directions and content, remaining on task, and coping with transitions in the general education curriculum.

Suzie's acting out behaviors interfere with her ability to participate in large groups, maintain attention to academic tasks, and complete work in the general curriculum.

FindingsPart of the Foundations of the IEP Series

Findings• These are your baseline data and describe

where the student is presently functioning at the time the IEP was written

• These must include numbers

• These numbers are based on repeated formative assessments

• These are directly tied to annual goals and progress monitoring techniques

• Include both academic and functional, if appropriate

Findings - academic

Findings - functional

The highlighter test…THE GOAL IN ENRICH: In 32 weeks, when presented with a passage from the 2nd grade reading text, Sam will read aloud 48 words per minute with less than 2 errors on three consecutive trials as measured by oral fluency assessments.

HIGHLIGHTED GOAL: Sam will read aloud 48 words per minute with less than 2 errors.

The findings MUST INCLUDE: On three oral fluency assessments, using a 2nd grade reading text, Sam read aloud and average of 36 words per minute with 8 errors.

HIGHLIGHTED BASELINE: Sam read aloud 36 words per minutes with 8 errors.

The highlighter test…THE GOAL IN ENRICH: By the end of the IEP, when given a randomly selected worksheet of single digit multiplication problems Dean will write 23 correct digits in 2 minutes in three out of four attempts as measured by work samples.

HIGHLIGHTED GOAL: What would you highlight?

THE FINDINGS: On three randomly selected worksheets of single digit multiplication, Dean was able to write and average of 7 correct digits in 2 minutes.

HIGHLIGHTED BASELINE: What would you highlight?

The highlighter test…THE GOAL IN ENRICH: By the end of the IEP, when given a randomly selected worksheet of single digit multiplication problems Dean will write 23 correct digits in 2 minutes in three out of four attempts as measured by work samples.

HIGHLIGHTED GOAL: Dean will write 23 correct digits in 2 minutes.

The findings MUST INCLUDE: On three randomly selected worksheets of single digit multiplication, Dean was able to write and average of 7 correct digits in 2 minutes.

HIGHLIGHTED BASELINE: Dean was able to write 7 correct digits in 2 minutes.

TransitionPart of the Foundations of the IEP Series

Transition in Enrich

Transition components

Transition Requirements Age of Majority

Statement Transition IEP Goals Transition Services

Post-Secondary considerations

Post-secondary goals

Example of a post-secondary goal:

Upon completion of high school, John will enroll in courses at Ocean County Community College.

Non-example

Upon graduation, John will continue to learn about life skills and reading.

Post-secondary goals

Student Interests and Preferences

Global statement describing the student’s interests and preferences

Postsecondary Goal(s)

Articulation of what the student would like to achieve after high school phrased in the form of a measurable goal.

Written for both education or training and employment.

When appropriate, written for independent living.

Measurable Based on an outcome and not an

activity or process

Postsecondary Goal(s) Helpful Formula

SC Career Cluster

School can use up to sixteen clusters for reporting purposes but may modify these clusters (for example, Arts and Humanities in place of Arts, Audio-Video Technology, and Communications).

Course of StudyThe only options in our District:

Standard Course of Study towards a HS diploma

Modified/Functional Course of Study towards a district attendance credential

Standard Middle School Focus Modified/Functional Middle School

Focus

Transition Services

If any Transition Service is selected there must be a corresponding goal.

GoalsPart of the Foundations of the IEP Series

The annual goals tell us:

What we expect the student to learn or be able to do in 1 year, and

How we will know when they have reached the expectation.

Measurable Annual Goals

Goals should include academic and functional areas if needed

Goals should be directed at meeting a student’s needs related to the disability so he/she may be involved in and progress in the general curriculum

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Characteristics of Goals✓ The essential characteristics of IEP

goals are that they must be measurable and be measured

✓ If a goal is not measurable it violates the IDEA and may result in the denial of FAPE (Bateman & Herr, 2006)

✓ If a goal is not measured that violates the IDEA and may result in the denial of FAPE (Bateman & Herr, 2006)

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Goal Requirements in the IEP

✓The IEP must describe how the student’s progress toward the annual goals will be measured

✓The IEP must include schedule for reporting progress to a student’s parents as often as students in general education get report cards

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Every Measurable Goal Must:

a) Allow a clear yes or no determination of whether or not it has been achieved

b) Tell evaluators what to do the determine if the goal was achieved without adding anything to the goal

c) Pass the stranger test (different evaluators can agree if the goal has been achieved)

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Writing a measurableannual goal

Components of a measurable goal:

1. Target behavior (what we want to change) Behavior – clearly identifies the performance being monitored;

2. Stimulus material or conditions (how we will measure change) Condition – describes what must be present for the student to demonstrate the skill or behavior at the expected level of performance;

3. Criterion for acceptable performance (how we will know if the goal has been achieved)Level of Proficiency – how many, how often, to what standards the behavior must occur;

4. Timeframe –may be included;

Conditions or Given

How you will MEASURE the target behavior

Criterion for Acceptable

PerformanceHow you will know when the child has achieved the goal

Collect data NOT subjective opinion

Critical Elements of GoalsTarget Behavior

Condition or Given

Criterion for Acceptable Performance

1.

2.

3.

4.

Annual Goals

Annual goals, or objectives, CANNOT have a mastery statement that say:

As evidenced by an increase on MAP by 5 points

As evidenced by passing the PASS (or HSAP)

As measured by a passing grade in Math.

As measured by a final grade of 83% in English IV

As shown by a standard score increase of 5 points on the Woodcock-Johnson.

By meeting 4 out of the 5 short-term objectives.

IEP Goal and Objectives

Remember, for any student that participates in the SC-Alt (Alternate Assessment), the IEP team must develop goals AND objectives for any area of need identified in the Findings of the Present Levels section.

GOAL CAUTIONS

▪ Are the goals measurable (3 components)?

▪ Are the goals too broad or vague?▪ Do the goals misuse percentages?▪ Are the goals ambitious, but realistic?▪ Do the goals align with the Present

Levels and Services?

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ANNUAL GOAL CHECKLIST✓ Are goals linked to the assessment and the

Present Level Findings?✓ Are goals specific, clear, and measurable?✓ Does the goal section of the IEP contain

information on how the student’s progress will be measured?

✓ Does the IEP information state how progress will be communicated to the student’s parents?

✓ Is the student’s progress toward achieving the goals actually measured?

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Goals

Goal format: Reading

In (#) weeks when given a (#) grade level reading passage (Student’s name) will read aloud (#) words correctly in one minute on three consecutive trials as measured by curriculum based measures.

Goal format: Writing

In (#) weeks when given a story starter and 3 minutes to write (Student’s name) will write (#) correct word sequences on three out of four attempts as measured by curriculum based measures.

Goal format: Math

In (#) weeks when given a randomly selected worksheet of (type) problems (Student’s name) will write (#) correct digits in 2 minutes on three consecutive trials as measured by curriculum based measures.

Progress Monitoring

Part of the Foundations of the IEP Series

“Progress monitoring is a scientifically based practice that is used to assess students' academic

and functional performance and evaluate the effectiveness of

instruction.”OSEP Center on Progress Monitoring

Legal Requirements• Measure a student’s progress toward

his/her goal (formative evaluation)• Report a student’s progress to his/her

parents (reporting schedule)• Revising the special education program

if a student is not making progress• Continue to monitor progress

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How Progress Monitoring Works

1. The student’s current levels of academic achievement and functional performance are determined

2. Annual goals are identified that represent meaningful growth over an academic year.

3. The student’s academic or functional performance is measured on a regular basis (weekly or monthly).

4. Progress toward meeting the student’s goals is measured by comparing expected and actual rates of learning.

5. Based on these measurements, teaching is adjusted as needed.

Caution: Teacher Observation

“Although subjective teacher observation provides valuable information, teacher observation is not an adequate method of monitoring student progress.”

“Without supporting data, teacher observation is opinion which cannot be verified.”Board of Education of the Rhinebeck Central School District (39 IDELR 148, 2003)

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Data are numbers,

not words!!

Data-based Decision Making• Now that I am collecting the data

what do I do?• Is my student progressing at an

acceptable rate?• Do I need to change instruction?• Is the instructional change that was

made effective?• Should I raise the student’s goal?

Example: Data indicates raising the Long-Range Goal

Line

X

most recent 4 points

goal-line

Example: Data Indicates Making an Instructional Change

X

goal-line

most recent 4 points

Data Decision Rules Using Raw Data

Three consecutive data points below

the goal line

Change instruction

Four consecutive data points above

the goal line

Raise the goal!

Progress Monitoring: Checklist

✓ Was the student’s progress toward each of his or her goals measured at least as often as students in general education get report cards?

✓ Was a student’s progress toward the goals reported to his or her student’s parents at least as often as students in general education get report cards?

✓ Was the method of monitoring progress and the schedule/format for reporting a student’s progress to his or her parents included in the IEP?

✓ If the data showed that a student may not meet his or her goals, were needed instructional changes made to the student’s program and did the teacher continue to monitor progress?

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Purpose

“When the cook tastes the soup, that formative; when the guests taste the soup,

that’s summative.”Robert Stake

ServicesPart of the Foundations of the IEP Series

Services in Enrich

Service statements are what the LEA will do to help a student meet his or her goals.

SERVICE STATEMENTSService statements answer the question: What will the school do in response to the student’s needs?

○ Special education services○ Related services○ Supplementary Services○ Program Modifications○ Special factors (e.g., Assistive

technology)

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Peer-Reviewed Research

IEPs must include ”a statement of special education services and supplementary aids and services based on peer reviewed research.

-Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004-

Critical Elements of Services• Clearly specified• Address all needs in

Present Levels• Based on Peer Reviewed

Research

SERVICE STATEMENTS CHECKLIST✓ Are the service statements clearly based on the

student’s needs as described in the Present Levels statements?

✓ Do the service statements clearly describe what the school will do in response to the student’s unique educational needs

✓ Do the service statements include the anticipated amount of services, the frequency, location, & duration of these services

✓ Are the services that are in the student IEP based on peer-reviewed research?

✓ Were services that could allow the student to be involved in an progress in the general education curriculum considered by the IEP team?

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Supplementary Services

Aids services and supports that can be provided in general education, education-related settings and in extracurricular and nonacademic settings.

Related Services

Supportive services provided to students with disabilities to assist them in benefiting from Special Education

Accompanied by measurable annual goals that are denoted in section IV IEP Goals and Objectives

Prior Written Notice

Part of the Foundations of the IEP Series

Regulatory Requirements Regarding theProvision of Prior Written Notice

PWN shall be given to the parent(s) of a child with a disability within a reasonable time before the LEA proposes or refuses:

to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement (including graduation with a standard or advanced diploma) of the child;

or

the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for the child.

Examples of When Prior Written Notice Is Required

Evaluation/reevaluation

Identification

Placement

Provision of FAPE

Other

Mandated Requirements of Prior Written Notice

1. a description of the action proposed or refused by the LEA .

2. an explanation of why the LEA proposes or refuses to take action.

3. a description of any other options the IEP team considered and the reasons for the rejection of those options.

4. a description of each evaluation procedure, assessment, record or report the LEA used as a basis for the proposed or refused action.

5. a description of any other factors that are relevant to the LEA's proposal or refusal.

6. a statement that the parent(s) of a child with a disability have protection under the procedural safeguards.

7. sources for the parent to contact in order to obtain assistance in understanding the provisions of the notice requirements.

1. A description of the action proposed or refused by the LEA.

The description provided should be written as a statement that is factually grounded or informative, rather than being written in a vague, generic, and normative format.

It should be clear in this section what

happened in the meeting.

2. An explanation of why the LEA proposes or refuses to take action.

This section of the prior written notice is where the LEA will detail its rationale for its proposed and/or refused actions. It is from this section that the parent should understand how the LEA reached its decision on a specific action.

3. A description of any other options the IEP team considered and the reasons for the rejection of those options.

In this section the school must describe in detail any other options which were considered and why they were rejected.

4. A description of each evaluation procedure, assessment, record or report the LEA used as a basis for the proposed or refused action.

PWN must identify each evaluation procedure, assessment, record or report used as a basis for the proposed or refused action. If all of these are not identified the school is excluding critical information.

5. A description of any other factors that arerelevant to the LEA’s proposal or refusal.In this section the school must describe in detail any other relevant factors that were used by the IEP team, in formulating its decision to propose and/or refuse an action.

Other factors that may affect an LEA’s proposed and/or refused action include, but are not limited to, language and/or cultural issues, communication concerns, health concerns, behavior concerns, consideration of the harmful effects of the program or placement proposed and/or refused, and assistive technology.

6. A statement that the parent(s) of a child with a disability have protection under the procedural safeguards.You will need to add a statement to meet this requirement (meets numbers 6 & 7).

7. Sources for the parent to contact in order to obtain assistance in understanding the provisions of the notice requirements.This section of the PWN explicitly requires that the school division identify specific sources for the parent to contact should they need assistance.

Timelines for Prior Written Notice

What do your school’s policies and procedures say?

The SCPCSD policies and procedures state specifically that “The parents may receive a copy…within seven calendar days of the IEP meeting. The PWN must be provided to the parents prior to initiating the changes agreed upon by the IEP team.”

Parental Disagreement With the Contents of the

PWNThe PWN is completed by the LEA, not the parents. It is based on the information which was provided by the parent, along with other members of the team, orally and/or written, during the decision making processes associated with the evaluation, identification, placement, and provision of FAPE for their child.

IEP Review Tool

IEP REVIEW TOOL

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SERVICES LOGS IN ENRICH – THE ADDED VALUE

RELATING TO IEPS

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SERVICE LOGS

● Common way of tracking contracted services like Speech, OT, PT, etc.

● Keeps an active account of each time a child is seen and what is reviewed, taught or keeps track of student performance.

● Services rendered – an easy way to prove that a child received services related to their IEP Service Area. (State Audit, OCR, Complaints)

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WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL STEPS THAT MUST BE COMPLETED TO LOG SERVICES?

Services must have a provider assigned to them

Services must be marked as NON-Billable

Services must have one or more of the three options defined

• Treatment (OT, PT, Nurse)• Progress (any)• Goals (if applicable, can be linked)

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FAPE CONTINUU

M 104

Every “eligible child” under IDEA is entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) through the services of his/her IEP.

Charter schools are expected to provide a continuum of services and placement options.

CONTINUUM OF SERVICES

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THE ROLE OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION

COORDINATOR

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In a traditional district, your responsibilities would be divided among:

● School Psychologists● Curriculum Coordinators● LEA reps● Special Education Coordinators● Special Education Director● Guidance Counselor● Data clerks● Special Education Teachers

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Child Find activities• Referrals• Evaluations• Eligibility Determinations

Service Provision• Special education services as written in

the IEP• Related service providers• Reevaluations

Compliance• All deadlines are met• All IEPs are compliant• All documentation accessible

Data Reporting• State and federally required data • PowerSchool• Enrich

SUM OF THE PARTS…

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Process for identifying, locating, and evaluating all children with disabilities enrolled in the school

• Referrals from parents or school staff• Coordinating the evaluation process

• Evaluation planning

• Gathering additional information within timelines

• Coordinating eligibility determinations• Coordinating IEP development

CHILD FIND

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SERVICE PROVISION

Ensuring services are provided as written in the IEPs

• Comparable services for transfers

• Progress monitoring

• Appropriate type and amount of services

• Communication with parents, teachers, staff, and students

Securing related service providers

• School Psychologist

• OT• PT• Vision teacher• Counselor

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Ensuring that special education services are provided, not only in accordance with the

philosophy of your charter, but also in accordance with state and federal laws and

regulations

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All IEPs are compliant

All paperwork is complete and attached in Enrich

All deadlines are met

COMPLIANCE

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•Discipline data in Incident Management in PowerSchool

•Enrich• Attachments• IEPs

•Deadlines met• 60-day timeline• IEPs updated annually• Reevaluations at least every 3

years

DATA REPORTING

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We use an online program called Enrich to manage IEPs and special education data.

Mandated by the SCDE; used by all districts in the state except Greenville.

Enrich doesn’t talk with other districts (yet), so you’ll need to obtain previous IEPs.

Enrich does talk with PowerSchool (every night), so Enrich contains every child who is entered into PowerSchool.

You can’t enter a child in Enrich until he’s been entered in PS.

ENRICH

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Each school must have a confidentiality statement and procedures for file access. The statement includes “authorized employees.”

District’s sample statement

CONFIDENTIALITY

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IDEA FUNDS

Funding is weighted by school type (B&M vs virtual) and weighted by disability.Based on the “last official” child count for returning schools or 5th day count for new schools (informal).Funds are reimbursed ~14%

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IDEATimelines:

• September – SCDE informs District of the allocation

• September (within a week of SCDE informing District) - Schools receives allocation and blank budget form. Schools submit budget request to District (10 days)

• October – District submits IDEA application to the SCDE for approval

• January – SCDE approves IDEA application• January (within a few days of SCDE notification) –

budgets are loaded • March – school gets one-time amendment

opportunity for IDEA funds (funds 203) 117

See Calendar

We will provide training for every one of these reports. However, it is ultimately the school’s responsibility to submit timely and accurate data.

DATA REQUIREMENTS

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REFERRAL PROCESS (CHILD

FIND)119

CHILD FIND PROCEDURES

In accordance with federal law, the South Carolina Public Charter School District assumes responsibility for the location, identification and evaluation of all children age 3 and 21 who are enrolled in any of the schools chartered with the South Carolina Public Charter School District and who reside within the State of South Carolina and who require special education and related services. This includes children who are suspected of having a disability even though they are advancing from grade to grade (34 C.F.R. § 300.111(a)(c)).

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District’s Policy: The District’s Child Find notification and procedures are posted on the district’s website

Each charter school is responsible for implementing the district’s child find procedures. Schools use a variety of methods to publicize their Child Find procedures. These methods include posting on individual school websites, posting in prominent places throughout the school, and notification through school newsletters and student handbooks.

Schools will have to develop their own child find statement (sample).

CHILD FIND

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CHILD FINDMust be publicized

Easiest way to do this is on your school’s website

• See district-provided sample

Could send this out in the school newsletter

Post on bulletin boards at school

Must include information about how parents and staff refer a child for an evaluation if there is a reason to suspect the child may have a disability under IDEA (contact name, contact information)

Must also include contact information for the school district in which your school is located or a link to the OEC coordinators’ list 122

Key Words

Teach your staff the keywords to listen/look for:● IEP● testing● evaluation● disability (or any specifically named disability)● diagnosis

Your Child Find procedures will tell your school’s staff what to do when they hear these words - who to contact, how to document, when to tell parents to expect follow-up contact.

The law requires that 1 of 2 things happens “within a reasonable amount of time” following a parent request for evaluation - convene an evaluation planning meeting or issue a PWN refusing to evaluate.

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REFERRAL PACKETS

These are to be sent to your District Special Education Coordinator

Packets must be complete

Referral information must be gathered promptly when there is reason to suspect the child may have a disability

A referral cannot be delayed to implement RtI process if there is a reason to suspect the child may have a disability

If the child has not been through the RtI/SIT process prior to referral, you’ll have to run the RtI process during the evaluation process

• The RtI progress monitoring data become part of the evaluation process 125

Gather all information within 60 calendar days

of receipt of signed parent

consent.126

GATHERING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The school special education coordinator is responsible for coordinating all initial evaluations and reevaluations and ensuring that the evaluations and reevaluations are completed within time lines

• This means coordinating any outside assessment the team has requested (OT, speech, doctor’s documentation for OHI, school psychologist)

You must have a school psychologist present for all initial evaluation planning and eligibility meetings (except for speech-only evaluations where you must have an SLT)

Staff assigned to gather additional information as part of initial evaluations and reevaluations are responsible for notifying you as soon as he/she has gathered his/her assigned information

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ROLE AS SPECIAL EDUCATION COORDINATOR

To complete the gathering of additional information within the specified time line, this may mean you’ve got to

NAG, NAG, NAG 128

Timeline

● Within a reasonable time from when someone has reason to suspect a disability/parent request, hold evaluation planning meeting.

● Complete evaluation (gather all additional information requested by team) within 60 days of receipt of signed parent consent.

● Within 15 days of completing evaluation, hold eligibility determination.

● Within 30 days of eligibility determination, develop IEP.

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Evaluation is complete when you have gathered all info requested by the team:

Tested Scored Interpreted

The date all of this has been done is your evaluation completion date; this gets entered into Enrich (at the bottom of the page) and stops the 60-day timeline.

The eval completion date is not the eligibility determination date

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SIGNATURES

Make sure to note anyone who attended via phone conference

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LESSONS LEARNED

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LESSONS LEARNED We’ve had quite a few situations where the child came from a self-contained class (extensive minutes) to one of our schools. In order to keep with the “school’s schedule and inclusive philosophy of the charter,” the child’s minutes were automatically lowered from 1,800 minutes per week to 250 minutes. Or the parent says “But I don’t want my child to be self-contained anymore.”

The school almost ended up in a due process hearing that would have cost them several thousands of dollars to provide compensatory services to the child. Side note – compensatory services cannot be paid for out of your IDEA funds.

Lesson Learned: Follow the district’s policies and procedures. It will save you lots of time and money.

Another Lesson: Never make a change to an IEP that you don’t have data to support

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LESSONS LEARNED

While no one wants to call to say they made a mistake, CALL when you’ve made a mistake or are not sure what to do. The worst thing is to let the District discover the systemic non-compliance before you let us know about it.

Two-way communication is a must!

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DOCUMENTATION

Services

Accommodations

Modifications

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Resources

● The BookShelf● The BookShelf● The BookShelf

http://sccharter-public.sharepoint.com/Pages/IDEA.aspx

● AxCrypt (encryption software available for free download on ….)

● All presentations from the previous year● Cheat sheets for Enrich

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Intervention Central

http://www.interventioncentral.org/

CBM Warehouse: free materials

Has tools to generate you own CBM probes

 

EasyCBM

http://easycbm.com/

easyCBM.com is a free progress monitoring system that provides a variety of reading assessments based on the National Reading Panel's recommendations for literacy assessments as well as math assessments based on the NCTM Focal Point Standards in Mathematics.

 

AIMSweb http://www.aimsweb.com/

AIMSweb is a benchmark and progress monitoring system based on direct, frequent and continuous student assessment. The results are reported to students, parents, teachers and administrators via a web-based data management and reporting system to determine response to intervention.

 

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities http://nichcy.org/

A central source of information on disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth.

 

What Works Clearinghouse http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/

A central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education.

 

National Center on Student Progress Monitoring http://www.studentprogress.org/

Downloadable articles, PowerPoint presentations, FAQs, and additional resources

about student progress monitoring, Curriculum-Based Measurement, applying decision making to IEPs and other researched based topics.

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National Center on Response to Intervention http://rti4success.org/progressMonitoringTools Screening and progress monitoring tools

 

Bateman, B.D. (2007). From Gobbledygook to clearly written annual IEP goals. Verona

WI: Attainment Company (www.attainment.com or www.behavioralinstitute.org).

 

Bateman, B.D., & Linden, M.A. (2006). Better IEPs (3rd ed.). Verona WI: Attainment

Company (www.attainment.com or www.behavioralinstitute.org).

 

Johnston, T.C. (2010). Data without tears: How to write measurable educational goals and collect meaningful data. Champaign, IL: Research Press (www.researchpress.com or

www.behavioralinstitute.org).

 

Wright, P.W.D., Wright, P.O., O'Conner, S.W. (2010). All about IEPs: Answers to frequently asked questions about IEPs. Hartfield, VA: Harbor House Law Press (www.wrightslaw.com)

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WHO HAS WHAT SCHOOLS

Nicole EmilyMary

SCVCS FCHSEPA

Connections ProvostCoastal

GCP BridgesPee Dee

Gray CREECSCalvert

SC Science MontessoriLCL

Cyber PSAMMC

YPA RLOAImagine

Riverwalk WhitmoreMSI

Quest High Point

Next YLA

Lead SPS

GREEN

CFHS

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