SUPPORTING SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS TO...

SHERRI YBARRA, SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

SUPPORTING SCHOOLS AND

STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE

Special Education Directors Webinar

August 12, 2015

Presented by:

Special Education Team, Idaho State Dept. of Education


SUPPORTING SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE

WEBINAR OVERVIEW

• Personnel Updates

• Idaho SESTA

• New Teacher Training

• SSIP Update

• Summer Workgroups Update

• Transition Update – “Connections”

• Fiscal – Guidance and Due dates

• OSEP Guidance/Dear Colleague Letter

• Webpage Updates

• Dispute Resolution Reminders

• Upcoming Trainings


SUPPORTING SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS TO ACHIEVEAugust 2015 page 3

PERSONNEL UPDATES

• MTSS Coordinator –

Alayna Gee begins August 24th

• Secondary Special Education Coordinator-

Position is Open - Link

• Special Population Coordinator-

Position is Open - Link

• Special Education Statewide Assessments

Coordinator-

Position is Open, Link , an interim has been delegated....



https://labor.idaho.gov/DHR/ATS/StateJobs/jobannouncement.aspx?announcement_no=NONCLS017914



PERSONNEL UPDATES

Karlynn Laraway

NAEP Coordinator and

Interim Special Education Statewide

Assessments Coordinator

(208) 332-6824

[email protected]





Idaho SESTA – Special Education Support

and Technical AssistanceCathy Thornton, Associate Director of

Operations

[email protected]

(208) 426-4853

Renee Miner, Associate Director of

Technical Assistance

[email protected]

(208) 426-4858

Deborah Haley-Hughes, Results Driven

Accountability Coordinator

[email protected]

Instructional Coordinators

• Sue Shelton, (University of Idaho

Partnership) [email protected]

• Andrea Cox [email protected]

• Mary Robinson

[email protected]

• Tyler Oram [email protected]

• Whitney Schexnider

[email protected]

• Nichole Kristensen

[email protected]

August 2015 page 6

mailto:[email protected]









Idaho Special Education

Support & Technical

Assistance - ISESTA

IDAHO-SESTA

Idaho SESTA is a statewide capacity

partnership through the Center for School

Improvement & Policy Studies with the State

Department of Education.



August 2015 page 8

IDAHO-SESTA PURPOSE

To provide statewide professional

development, technical assistance and

compliance support related to special

education in Idaho school districts and other

local education agencies for the State

Department of Education (SDE).



IDAHO-SESTA: PROVIDING SUPPORT AND RESOURCES

• Currently working on

finalizing a process

for districts to

request support and

access resources.



NEW SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER TRAINING



New Special Education Teacher Training (NSETT) has

been redesigned and will be provided by Idaho SESTA.

2015-2016 TENTATIVE dates are: Nampa Sept 17

Boise Sept 22

Twin Falls Sept 24

Idaho Falls Sept 29

Moscow Oct 13

Coeur d’Alene Oct 15

*New Teachers will be contacted directly by SESTA to register.

Contact: [email protected]

August 2015 page 11


SSIP (STATE SYSTEMIC IMPROVEMENT PLAN) UPDATE

• SSIP Workgroup met July 23 -24

• Met to review phase I and begin

planning Phase II

• Facilitated by representatives

from OSEP-funded centers.

• Consisted of SDE SPED team,

SESTA, and representatives from

SDE’s Assessment team,

Content team, LEP team, and a

SDE senior staff representative



Why is it happening?

How well is the solution working?

What is the problem?

What shall we do about it?

SSIP

NEXT STEPS – PHASE II

Improvement Plan

Develop plan focusing on:

• Infrastructure development

• Support for implementing evidence-

based practices

• Evaluation of implementation

August 2015 page 12

SUMMER WORKGROUP UPDATE

• IEP Handbook Committee

• Forms Committee

• SLD Committee



TRANSITION UPDATE: “CONNECTIONS”



• We are pleased to announce a new transition focused curriculum “Connections”.

• This curriculum is designed for students 3rd through 8th grade.

• It promotes self-determination.

• Provides educators with relevant curriculum aligned to the Idaho Core Standards.

• Assists students in understanding the relationship of academic instruction to the world outside of school.

August 2015 page 14




• Teachers should review the activities to determine the most effective method of incorporation for their classroom.

• The curriculum includes all the lesson plans, linkage to standards, and worksheets needed to immediately incorporate the content into their instruction.

• WARNING: The curriculum is 615 pages, so consider only printing the worksheets or using the worksheets electronically.

August 2015 page1 5



http://idahotc.com/secondary-

transition/Documents#2155132-

miscellaneous /

Where to find “Connections”


August 2015 page 16

http://idahotc.com/secondary-transition/

http://idahotc.com/secondary-transition/

http://idahotc.com/secondary-transition/Documents#2155132-miscellaneous



FISCAL- MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT Q&A PUBLICATION

• A new memorandum from OSEP was issued on

July 27, 2015 which answers questions on the final

regulations that were published in the Federal

Register on April 28, 2015 on MOE. Those

regulations became effective on July 1st.

• Here is the link: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/osep

memo1510leamoeqa.pdf

(It is also posted in ITC in the Directors Portal under

“Resources from OSEP/NASDE”)

August 2015 page 17

http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/osepmemo1510leamoeqa.pdf

http://idahotc.com/sped



FISCAL – IMPORTANT FUNDING DUE DATES

• Funding Due Dates Calendar is located at:

http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/special_edu/funding_fiscal.htm

• Data Acquisition Calendar is located at:

http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/finance_tech/forms.htm

August 2015 page 18



FISCAL - IDEA PART B & PRESCHOOL APPLICATION

Now Open! Linked here

VIB or 6B IDEA PART B

August 2015 page 19

https://apps.sde.idaho.gov/IDEA/Year/22/Home/Home

OSEP GUIDANCE

OSEP Dear Colleague Letter regarding services to children with ASD (linked here and posted on ITC)

Growing number of children with ASD not receiving needed speech and

language services.

Speech-language pathologists and appropriate professionals

not included in evaluation and eligibility determination or IEP meetings.

• Evaluation must identify the following areas: Cognitive development; physical

development, including vision and hearing); communication development; social or

emotional development; and adaptive development. (34 CFR §303.321(b)).

• Assessed in all areas related to suspected disability including, if appropriate: Health,

vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance,

communication status and motor abilities. (34 CFR §300.304 and 300.17)

• Infants, toddlers and children identified as early as possible, including children with ASD

Must ensure that FAPE is made available to all eligible children with disabilities (34 CFR

§300.101 and 300.17)



http://idahotc.com/Portals/27/Docs/Directors 2016/Services to ASD - 7-6-15.pdf?ver=2015-08-11-160054-213

OSEP GUIDANCE

The Directors’

Portal on ITC has

a NEW section:

“Resources from

OSEP/NASDE.”

• Sorted into four

categories

• All items dated

and archived by

month.



WEBSITE UPDATE - FORMS

Forms have been grouped by

category by language and by

form number on our webpage.

• The forms have NOT been

changed or updated.

• The forms committee work is

completely separate from this

web update.

TO FIND FORMS:

1. Go to website

www.sde.idaho.gov

2. Scroll down, select

“Special Education.”



#2

#1

August 2015 page 22




TO FIND

FORMS:

3. Select

“Manual and

Forms”

4. Select

“Learn More”

button on

Forms.

5. Navigate

forms by

selecting a

category.

#3#5

#4

August 2015 page 23

DISPUTE RESOLUTION OFFICE - REMINDERS

1. Facilitation of any IDEA-related meeting is a free

option for districts and parents.

• Facilitators are neutral parties who are trained in

running meetings, managing conflict, and are

knowledgeable about special education.

• Facilitators can help districts and parents have

focused and productive meetings.

• Facilitation is voluntary for all parties.

• Facilitation can improve relationships with parents

and help conflicts from escalating.



DISPUTE RESOLUTION OFFICE - REMINDERS

2. At the beginning of each school year, a district must

have in effect each student’s IEP. 34 CFR §300.323(a)• The IEP, including related services, begins on day one.

• Starting IEPs the second week of school or ending them

two weeks before school ends may result in a denial of

FAPE.

• If a student is absent (not school-related) for a scheduled

related service, best practice is to make it up.

• Field trips, school in-service, provider illness, school

activities, scheduling conflicts, or anything outside of the

student’s control, are not justifiable excuses for denying

delivery of services.





UPCOMING TRAININGS

IDEA Application & Funding Overview Webinar

• August 20 at 2:00 pm MDT

New Directors’ Training

• September 17 (all day) and 18 (morning)

• Boise Centre, Boise

• For ESEA and IDEA Federal Programs

How to register:

• Detailed information on both trainings will be

emailed by this Friday.

August 2015 page 26



SUPPORTING SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS TO ACHIEVETitle of Presentation | Page x of y

Forms are grouped by both

category and form number.

Dr. Charlie Silva – Special Education

Director (208) 332-6806

Ivana Hotchkiss - Data & Reporting

Coordinator (208) 332-6919

Alisa Fewkes – Data Program

Specialist - (208) 332-6925

Shannon Dunstan - Early Childhood &

Interagency Coordinator (208) 332-6908

VACANT– Special Populations

Coordinator

Wendy Lee – Funding & Accountability


Grace Dehner: - Contracts and Fiscal

Specialist (208) 332-6910

Alison Lowenthal – Secondary Special

Education Coordinator (208) 332-6918

Dr. Melanie Reese – Dispute Resolution


Lily Robb – Dispute Resolution Program

Specialist: (208) 332-6912

SPECIAL EDUCATION SDE STAFF


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