Transcript Policies Procedures At A Glance

Special Education . . .
No challenge too great, no victory too small!
SPECIAL EDUCATION
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
AT A GLANCE
THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER
•The majority of administrators receive little to
no training in the area of special education.
Trying to navigate the nuances of special
education can be like “trying to put together a
1000 piece puzzle without the box top”.
•Special Education services should be
considered under the umbrella of General
Education, not as a separate entity. These
services provide students with disabilities
access to the core curriculum.
COMPLETE HANDBOOK
The complete policies and procedures
handbook can be found on the district
website: nlmusd.org
To access:
•Log on
•Scroll down departments and click on Special
Education; menu will appear on the left
•Click on “Policies and Procedures”
•Click on the blue title “Sp. Ed. Policies and Procedures
Handbook”; handbook will download on your desktop
•This is a work in progress; it will be updated as needed.
For this reason, a hard copy is not being provided to
administrators.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The district website special education
department page also includes several
other resources that can support
students in both special and general
education classrooms.
RESOURCE BANK
The Resource Bank can be accessed on the special
education department web page.
Created by the Special Education Action Team, the
resource bank is filled with suggestions and links that
general education teachers can use to increase
access to the core curriculum for all students. The
resources will help the general education teacher
understand different disorders and disabilities as well
as realize how they manifest themselves in the
classroom.
RESOURCE BANK, con’t.
By clicking on the sub-pages within the
Resource Bank, teachers can easily access
information on the following disorders:
•Visual Processing
•Auditory Processing
•ADD/ADHD
•Receptive Language
•Expressive Language
•Memory Deficit
SECTION 504 PLANS
•General ed support for students with
disabilities.
•Revised forms are available on the
website.
•Copies of 504 plans should be sent to
the Special Education office.
•All 504 plans should be revised during
the first month of school.
504 PLANS VS. IEPS
CAPSS
The Collaborative Action Process for
Student Success is a three level
process for providing differentiated
instruction and appropriate
interventions, documenting progress,
and determining if special education
services are warranted.
CAPSS Chart
Level 1 Procedures
Teacher provides differentiated instruction, standard accommodations, and
interventions to student and documents all efforts as well as the student’s response to
these efforts.
If concerns continue, teacher collects baseline data on student including web based (IReady, Accelerated Reader, I-Pass, etc.) and other assessment data. At least four
different assessment measures are required.
Teacher sends Teacher Concern Letter** to parents.
Teacher meets with his/her grade level/department team and/or CAPSS Coordinator to
develop an Intervention Plan (using Action Plan/Progress Check forms**). Document
discussion using Initial Meeting Minutes **(pgs. 1 and 2). Attach all documentation to
intervention plan and place copies in CAPSS folder.
Teacher implements classroom interventions per intervention plan, documents
progress each week (using Action Plan/Progress Check forms**) and reassesses
student after four to six weeks.
Teacher reviews results with his/her grade level/department team and/or CAPSS
Coordinator and determines next steps. If no significant improvement is noted, try
another intervention (and repeat step 5), or refer to CAPSS Level II.
Level II Procedures –
Referred by Parent
Send Prior Written Notice** letter home. Include copies of the prior written
notice letter and the written parent request in the CAPSS folder.
CAPSS Coordinator schedules Student Study Team meeting within 10 days of
parent request
Teacher or CAPSS Coordinator sends questionnaire to parent (and student for
middle and high school) along with invitation to the SST meeting; teacher
completes Level II referral**.
CAPSS Level II meeting (SST) is held; document SST discussion on Initial
Meeting Minutes (pgs. 1 and 2)
Intervention Action Plan is developed (use Action Plan/Progress Check
form**) is developed.; if parent still wants assessment after SST meeting; sign
assessment plan and proceed to CAPSS level III.
If parent decides to rescind request, document on signature page and in the
minutes. Designate a team member to monitor action plan.
Calendar a follow up meeting within 4-6 weeks.
Determine at follow-up meeting whether to repeat or try a new intervention. If
no significant improvements, proceed to CAPSS Level III.
Level II Procedures –
Referred by Teacher
Teacher submits CAPSS Level II Referral to CAPSS Coordinator; CAPSS
Coordinator schedules Student Study Team (SST) meeting.
Teacher or CAPSS Coordinator sends Parent Questionnaire home (and
student for middle and high school) along with invitation to the SST meeting.
CAPSS Level II meeting (SST) is held; document SST discussion on Initial
Meeting Minutes **(pgs. 1 and 2)
Intervention Action Plan (use Action Plan/Progress Check form**) is
developed.
CAPSS Level II team designates a team member to monitor action plan; if
needed, a follow-up meeting is calendared within 4-6 weeks. If little to no
improvements are noted, proceed to CAPSS Level III.
Determine at follow-up meeting whether to repeat or try a new intervention. If
no significant improvements, proceed to CAPSS Level III.
Level III Procedures
CAPSS Coordinator brings referral,
screening,and observation data to
Multidisciplinary Assessment Team (M.A.T.)
meeting.
MAT determines additional interventions and
refers back to CAPSS Level II.
If no further interventions are appropriate,
develop an assessment plan.
Level III Procedures, con’t.
60 day timeline begins
MAT completes the multidisciplinary
assessment.
Hold staffing to review information
gathered.
Hold IEP
If student qualifies, determine needed
services.
Level III Procedures, con’t.
If student does not qualify, implement
recommendations in MAT report;
develop action plan and/or 504 plan.
CHILD FIND
•All schools are required to have procedures in place for
identifying children who have or are suspected of having a
disability and needing special education and related services.
•Utilize the CAPSS process for students already enrolled in the
school.
•For students placed in private school, provide assessment plan
for parent and complete process within the 60 day timeline;
services are limited to eight (8) sessions.
ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES
for students with active IEPs
•Enroll student at school of residence;
Do Not send the student home!
Place student temporarily in most
appropriate classroom on site.
•Contact psychologist and program
specialist within 24 hours. They will
contact the school within 48 hours to
determine the appropriate placement.
TIMELINES
Issue
Within . . .
Provide parent with requested copies
5 business days
Provide requested assessment plan
15 calendar days
Hold IEP requested by parent
30 calendar days
Assess and hold initial IEP
60 calendar days
Update parents about student progress
At each reporting period
Review and refine/rewrite goals
1x a year on/before date of previous IEP
Re-evaluate eligibility
Once every three years on/before date of
last triennial
Initiate services
2-3 days of IEP
IEP PARTICIPANTS
Mandatory participants
-Parent(s)
-Administrator/designee
-General Ed teacher
-Special Ed teacher or
service provider
Optional participants
-Psychologist (must be
at triennial or initial)
-Student (must be
invited if 16 or older)
-Other service providers
-Others who are
familiar with the
student
IEP NOTES ARE MANDATORY
Notes should document key aspects of the meeting:
Who was there, type of meeting, date
Whether parents were provided Procedural Safeguards
and whether they waived a reading/ explanation of these
rights.
A statement indicating that the document is a draft and that
parents may provide input
Documentation that team members had meaningful input
Any requests or concerns (especially parent concerns)
The essence of all discussions
What options were considered
A written offer of FAPE (services and placement)
-
SCHEDULING IEPS
It is strongly recommended that
administrators meet with their special
education teams at the beginning of the
school year to schedule annual and
triennial IEPs for the school year.
RESCHEDULING IEP MEETINGS
Schools have an obligation to schedule a mutually agreeable IEP
meeting date. Document in writing all attempts to schedule the
meeting.
•If parent does not show up, call to see if s/he will agree to hold
the meeting without them or to hold the meeting via phone
conference
•Offer an alternate date and time; send an invitation by mail
(keep copy for documentation).
•If they do not show up, reschedule a third time, send a letter
by certified mail informing parent that this is your third attempt
to hold the meeting and that the meeting will be held with or
without them (you can legally hold a meeting without parents
after three attempts.) Contact the special education office after
your third attempt so that we can decide whether to file for due
process or not.
WHEN PARENTS DISAGREE
If parents disagree with one or more parts of the IEP:
•encourage them to sign for the parts they do agree
with e.g. goals
•have them note on the signature page what they
disagree with
•within 24 hours, call the Special Ed office and send a
copy of the IEP with the parent comments to the
Director, Program Specialists, or our Alternative
Dispute Resolution Specialist. They will call parents
and attempt to resolve the critical issues. If
unsuccessful, they will write a prior written notice to
the parents.
PRIOR WRITTEN NOTICE
Under 34 CFR §300.503(a), the school district must give parents a written notice
whenever the school district: (1) Proposes to begin or change the identification,
evaluation, or educational placement of their child or the provision of a free
appropriate public education (FAPE) to their child; or (2) Refuses to begin or
change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of their child or
the provision of FAPE to their child.
The Program Specialists, Director of Special Education, or the General
Counsel will be responsible for writing and sending Prior Written Notice
Letters. The school administrator should notify the special education
department within 24 hours when a parent disagrees with IEP
provisions or the offer of FAPE so that we can try to resolve the issue
and if not, so that the Prior Written Notice Letter can be sent in a timely
fashion.
ROLE OF THE
ADMINISTRATOR
The administrator is the person who is
responsible for ensuring that the IEP is
compliant and that the services and
placement being recommended constitute an
offer of FAPE.
The administrator or district representative
should either facilitate the meeting or take the
IEP notes. S/he should also make the offer of
FAPE.
CASE MANAGER
ACCOUNTABILITY
The administrator plays a vital role in
ensuring case manager accountability,
IEP compliance, and effective use of
fiscal resources.
Administrators should review their IEPS
on SEIS on a monthly basis (e.g. on pay
day).
EVALUATING CASE MANAGERS
Site administrators are responsible for evaluating all special
education personnel assigned to their site with the exception of
the school psychologists and the school nurses.
Since writing and reporting IEPs are an integral part of a case
managers job, they can be evaluated on how well they perform
these duties:
•writing appropriate goals (#1,3,4 of evaluation document)
•reporting student progress (#1,5)
•holding IEPs on time and meeting all timeline dates
(#3)
•writing compliant IEP documents (#3, #4)
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE PARAEDUCATORS
Please follow established protocol when considering the need for
additional adult support.
•Do NOT promise additional adult support.
•If a parent requests an aide, explain that the team must follow
protocol to determine whether adult support would be essential
to FAPE.
•As a team, complete the referral packet for consideration of
additional adult support. A final decision will be made by District
office staff.
•If a para-educator is assigned, a fade-off plan must be part of
the IEP and the need for continued assistance must be
reviewed at each annual/triennial IEP.
PROVISION OF SERVICES
•Services must be provided within 5
school days of the IEP signature date.
•DIS services (Speech, RSP, OT, PT, etc)
must begin by the first full week of the
start of school and should continue
through the last full week.
Compensatory Services
•When the service provider is absent or unavailable,
that time must be made up.
•Service providers are not required to make up time lost
due to the absence or unavailability of the student.
However, if the time can be made up, that
is strongly recommended.
•It is recommended that service times exceed the
minimum outlined in the IEP so that if time is missed
the student still receives more than the required time.
MANIFESTATION
DETERMINATION
Under §300.530(e), a manifestation determination must
occur within 10 days of any decision to change the child’s
placement because of a violation of a code of student
conduct.
Legal Issues
IDEA 2004:
limits the requirement to perform a manifestation
determination to removals that constitute a change of
placement under IDEA’s disciplinary procedures;
does not require a manifestation determination for
removals for less than 10 consecutive school days that do
not constitute a change in placement.
MANIFESTATION
DETERMINATION
PROCEDURE
The LEA, the parent, and relevant members of the IEP Team
(as determined by the parent and the LEA) are involved in
conducting the review.
Their purpose is to determine:
(i) If the conduct in question was caused by, or had a direct and
substantial relationship to, the child’s disability; or
(ii) If the conduct in question was the direct result of the LEA’s
failure to implement the IEP. [§300.530(e)(1)-(2)]
M.D. con’t: IF THE DETERMINATION IS:
YES
There are two scenarios under which
the manifestation determination would
be “yes.” These are when the conduct:
-was a manifestation of the child’s
disability, or
-the direct result of the LEA’s failure to
implement the child’s IEP.
If either condition is met, the student’s
conduct must be determined to be a
manifestation of his or her disability
[§300.530(e)(2)-(3) and (f)]. In other
words, the manifestation determination
is “yes.”But it matters which of the two
conditions was the basis for the
determination of “yes.”
NO
A manifestation determination of “no”
means either that:
the child’s behavior was not caused
by or did not have a direct and
substantial relationship to the child’s
disability; or
the child’s behavior was not the
direct result of the LEA’s failure to
implement the IEP.
M.D. con’t: PLACEMENT
YES
“yes”. The child must be returned to the
placement from which he or she was
removed as part of the disciplinary
action, with two exceptions:
if the behavioral infraction involved
special circumstances of weapons,
drugs, or serious bodily injury; or
if the parents and LEA agree to change
the child’s placement as part of the
modification of the BIP.
If either of these exceptions apply, then
the child need not necessarily return to
the same placement
NO
“no,” school personnel have the
authority to apply the relevant
disciplinary procedures to the child
with disabilities in the same manner
and for the same duration as the
procedures would be applied to a
child without disabilities,
except—whatever special education
and related services the school
system is required to provide the
child with disabilities under
§300.530(d).
SPECIAL ED SUPPORT STAFF
Sherry Herrera, Director
Codean Reed, Program Specialist PK-5
Jerell Hill, Program Specialist 6-Adult
Gail Nugent, Alternative Dispute Resolution
Dina Wilson, mental health services
Richard Liston, technology support
Jana Porcelli, Workability
ASSIST Team (Autism support)
Rita Galvan
Renee West
ext. 2086
ext. 2092
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ext. 2219
ext. 2037
ext. 2275
ext. 2254
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Cathy Addcox ext. 2080
Angie Herndon ext. 2099