Well Written IEPs That Support Students to Increase Achievement

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Well Written IEPs That Support Students to
Increase Achievement

• Presented by
• Bob Farran
• Southwest SELPA Director
• Sydney Quon
• Southwest SELPA Senior Program Specialist

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Purpose

• The purpose of this session is to give charter
  school developers an introduction to developing
  an inclusive educational program that fits their
  charter vision, while ensuring compliance and
  meeting the needs of students with disabilities.

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Session Objectives

• Have a better understanding of
• A) How to determine and develop levels of
  support, services, and program model
• B) IEP compliance concerns
• C) The tools to build a partnership with your
  local SELPA

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Introduction

• 1) What is your charters mission and vision and
  how does it meet the needs of all students?
• 2) Why spend time developing your program
  model, support, and services for special
  education?
• 3) Who cares about compliance?
• 4) What is a SELPA and what can they do for me?

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Part I

• Program Models, Support, and Services

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Program Models
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Program Models
Charter Schools
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Inclusion

• Students are in all general education classes for
  all core subjects and electives
• Professional Development
• Collaborative Model
• Lesson Planning
• Setting up the Master Schedule

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Know Who You Are Servicing

• What is your application process?
• Make sure you ask about special education.
• What are the enrollment procedures?
• Again, ask about special education, IEP, speech
  therapy.
• When and how do you know who your special
  education students are?
• Review all files.

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Cont.

• How do you get IEPs and psycho-educational
  reports?
• Require current IEP and assessment reports. Have
  release of information signed.
• When and where do you hold intake and transition
  meetings?
• Try to do this at your charter school site.

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Staffing

• How many credentialed SPE teachers will you need?
• Think about sharing a staff member with general
  education.
• How about paraeducators?
• Who will act as the SPE administrator and/or
  designee?
• Teachers can be trained to be designee.

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Cont.

• When will you hire a counselor?
• How will you provide related (DIS) services
  speech, OT, school psych, nurse, etc?
• Work with your SELPA. Try to have staff feel
  like part of your school.

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Intervention Programs

• Integral part of the educational program at
  charter schools
• Available to all who need it
• Target language arts and math
• Spans a wide ability level so SPE students can
  access
• Build into the school day
• Can also offer before and after school
• Be mindful that they do not conflict with more
  preferred activities (sports, extracurricular
  activities)

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Cont.

• With careful planning, special education needs
  can be addressed via intervention programs and
  special education can also support other non
  special educaton pupils needing support.

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Part I Summary

• Align your SPE program to fit your mission and
  vision
• Know the students you will be serving
• Provide training and collaboration time
• Determine staffing needs and how they will be
  provided
• Offer intervention programs that increase the
  achievement of SPE students

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Part II

• IEP Compliance

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The IEP Ten Most Common Out of Compliance Items

• 1.     IEP Team members missing.
• 2.     IEP does not show parental input or
  consent.
• 3.     Key IEP components are missing.
• 4.     IEP goals are incomplete, inadequate, or
  not measurable.
• 5.     IEP transition component is deficient or
  missing.

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The IEP Ten Most Common Out of Compliance Items

• 6.     The LRE is not properly addressed.
• 7.     The IEP services/placement offered is
  inadequate.
• 8.     LEA fails to implement all or part of the
  IEP.
• 9.     The IEP is not developed or revised in a
  timely manner.
• 10.   The IEP fails to include positive
  behavioral interventions.

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IEP Team Members

• Parent
• Student
• Special Ed Teacher
• General Ed Teacher(s)
• Administrator/Designee

• Related Service Provider(s)
• Others with knowledge or expertise
• Agency representative or advocate
• Other staff indicated on invite, family guests

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IEP Components

• 1) Present Levels of Performance (PLOP)
• - strengths, needs, involvement in GE,
  assessment results
• 2) Parent Concerns
• 3) Special Factors
• 4) Measureable, standards based goals
  objectives

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IEP Components

• 5) Services
• 6) Accommodations and modifications
• 7) Extent of participation in GE
• 8) Testing participation and accomm./modif.
• - alternate assessments, district, state

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IEP Components

• 9) Address Extended School Year (ESY)
• 10) Report of IEP progress
• 11) Placement (FAPE offer)
• 12) Team Meeting Notes
• 13) Signature Page

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Other Items as Applicable

• Behavior Support Plan (PBSP, BIP)
• Transition Plan (ITP and Goal(s))
• - diploma track
• - transition statements at 14 years
• Manifestation Determination
• LD documentation (for initials and triennials)

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ActivityHandout ___

• Review the sample pages of the IEP. There are 6
• errors (2 per page) that would constitute a
  compliance concern. See if you can identify the
  errors.

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Standards Based Goals

• See Handout PG 7

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Grading
See Handout
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Clarifying the Offer of Placement

• Related/Supplemental services (frequency,
  duration, location)
• ESY services if any
• Description of any special equipment (AT) that
  will be provided
• Description of any additional relevant features
  (intervention classes, (peer) tutoring, social
  skills groups, non-DIS counseling groups, etc)

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Clarifying the Offer of Placement

• The type of program (RSP, Inclusion, etc) and for
  what portion of the school day
• School site
• Amount of time in GE setting
• Accommodations/modifications

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Parent Involvement

• Must make concerted effort to get them involved
• Address there concerns/comments/needs
• Opportunity to participate beyond the IEP
• - at school or district
• Provide access to Resources
• - Community and School Resources
• - Statewide Family Resource Center Network
• - Health services, tutoring, extra-curricular
  activities, counseling, etc

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Critical Timelines

• 5 days Request for records
• 30 days Interim IEP
• 30 days Request for IEP review
• 15 days Request for Assessment
• 60 days Convene IEP team meeting

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Part II Summary

• Clarify placement offer describe your program
  and any other services offered
• Be sure to have ALL team members present
• Be sure you have assessment information before
  hand
• Review progress on previous goals
• Ensure goals are standards based and appropriate
  to the students level

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Part II Summary

• If there is a need, then address it in goals and
  services!
• Clearly state the service levels
• Be clear about summer school services
• Build relationships with your families
• Create a schedule to ensure meetings are held on
  time

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Part III

• SELPA Partnership

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SELPA
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California is divided into 117 Special
Education Local Plan Areas (SELPA)
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• Each LEA charter must
• become a member of a
• SELPA for purposes of
• special education funding,
• compliance and support.

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A dependent charter is automatically a member of
the SELPA that the authorizing LEA is in.
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SELPAs have a wide range of opinions regarding
SELPAs. Many still do not have any charter
schools as members.
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• What should you expect from your SELPA?
• What questions should you ask?

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Funding

• How are charters funded for special education?
• Is this the same as districts who are members of
  the SELPA?
• If the SELPA is holding money back, how is that
  calculated?

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Funding Issues

• Charters sometimes serve a smaller percent of
  pupils with disabilities.
• Pupils with severe disabilities have not selected
  charters for placement at the same level as
  traditional districts.

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Funding

• If you are not receiving funding, what services
  are to be provided by the SELPA?

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Services

• Can the SELPA provide
• Speech Therapy.
• Occupational Therapy.
• Physical Therapy.
• Psychological services.
• Low incidence services.

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Program Specialist Support

• How do we get training?
• How do we get technical assistance?
• Who helps us with problem IEPs?
• What about due process representation/costs?

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Parent Support

• What services are available for our families?
• How do our parents attend the SELPA Community
  Advisory Committee (CAC)?

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Contractual Assignments

• Ask to review
• Memo of Understanding (MOU)
• Local Plan (Governance, roles, responsibilities)
• Finance Committee (allocation plan)

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Relationship Building

• Be proud of your school.
• Form relationships with SELPA and district staff.
• Share ideas and resources.
• Expect the relationship to be positive.
• Ask questions and learn the system of SELPA and
  special education.

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Resources

• www.swselpa.org
• www.cde.ca.gov
• www.ldonline.org
• www.interventioncentral.org

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Questions and Comments
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Thank you.Sydney QuonEmail Quon_Sydney_at_lacoe.ed
uBob FarranEmail Farran_Bob_at_lacoe.edu