Special EDge
November 2017 FCPS Special EDge Hot Sheet
Special Education Bundle
Special Education has provided a Special Edition Bundle for November.
The bundle this month includes:
- MD IEP Process Guide (2017)
- MD Determination Services Newsletter
- SOP Service Start/End Dates and Closing the IEP
- Updated Parent Consent Technical Assistance Bulletin Under MD Law Nov 2017
- New Model Consent Form
- Important Documents in Appendix D PARCC Human Reader ELA Decision-Making
The bundle link is below entitled Meet Google Drive. It is organized in folders by month.
Celebration of Life
On Sunday November 5th, we received with great sadness the news of the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Steve Welty. According to colleagues, he was quite simply one of the best. He could be a man of few words but when he spoke everyone listened. Steve was an extraordinary man and we remember him as a great husband, father, friend and educator.
He was well known throughout the county having worked as an assistant principal in many schools and initially as a special education teacher at Heather Ridge School. In his most recent role of Coordinator for Secondary Schools, he supported many staff, families and students while ensuring that all students received the best services possible. Steve had a contagious smile and he will be deeply missed. We continue to send his family our most heartfelt condolences and sympathy.
2017-2018 Special Education & Psychological Services Professional Development Calendar
It is also on our website under the professional development tab.
Training Provided to Special Educators and Administrators on Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia
The presentation is linked here and on the Special Education Website under Professional Learning: https://tinyurl.com/3DNov15
The resource page is linked here: http://bit.ly/D3Resources
Additionally, a resource was shared called OpenDyslexic which is an open sourced font created to increase readabilty for readers with dyslexia. The extension overrides all fonts on webpages with the OpenDyslexic font, and formates pages to be more easily readable.
How to make this available to students:
· Login to Chrome
· Type in Opendyslexic
· Install as an extension
· The icon will appear in the upper right hand corner
· Turn on/off the feature (as needed)
Standard Operating Procedures Individual Education Plan (IEP) Service Dates and Closing the Online IEP
This operating procedure outlines:
- Start and end dates on the IEP for supplementary aids, goals, services and related services
- Guidelines for closing an IEP
- Guidelines for closing an IEP when decisions require parental consent with the Model Parental Consent Form
The FCPS Parent IEP Team Meeting Survey 2017-2018
The Department of Special Education and Psychological Services is continuing the online FCPS Parent IEP Team Meeting Survey for easy use to engage families meaningfully in the IEP process for school year 2017-2018.
The FCPS survey supports FCPS Aspirational Goal 4: FCPS will nurture relationships with families and the entire community sharing responsibility for student success and demonstrating pride in all aspects of our school system.
- Use the Parent IEP Survey postcards you have at your school. If you have not already done so, make them available to families in your IEP team meeting conference room and encourage parents to complete the survey at the conclusion of their IEP team meeting.
- Although the survey is anonymous, your administrative team has viewing rights to the responses of the survey for your school.
- If your school is in need of more postcards, contact The Department of Special Education and Psychological Services at (301) 644-5289.
Please ensure you share the survey opportunity with families in the IEP process.
You can have the survey available on a device, at your school, for parents to complete after the IEP meeting.
Extended School Year Dates 2017-2018
ESY will run Monday though Thursday.
All ESY decisions should occur by March 2nd, 2017. Ensure IEPs are updated with ESY services and ESY transportation forms are sent to transportation in a timely fashion following March 2nd.
REVISED: Parental Consent Under Maryland Law Technical Assistance Bulletin November 2017
Maryland Technical Assistance Bullentin Parental Consent Under Maryland Law November 2017.
The Model Parent Consent Form was revised to seperate the check boxes for restraint and seclusion. This revised form is located on FormFinder under Special Education and Consent Forms.
The new Model Parent Consent Form is linked here. Please destroy any previous versions of this form and use the new form on FormFinder.
Changes to the Online IEP System Version 13
Assistive Technology Training Opportunity-Two Hour Early Dismissals 2017-2018
The Augmentative Communication Technology (ACT) Team understands that time is short and needs are great for providing school staff, especially SEIAs, the tools & learning opportunities needed to shape effective and engaging learning environments for kids.
The ACT Team would like to make the most of the time staff do have to provide this essential support during upcoming two-hour early dismissals in December, January, February and March.
ALL staff are WELCOME to attend...including Special Education teachers, General Education teachers, SEIAs, Service Providers, Teacher Specialists, & Administrators.
- Please click the link to the flier below for additional information on topics, dates, locations and the registration link. https://goo.gl/9Q4tx9
Teachers and administrators: Please forward this training opportunity to SEIAs.
Human Reader of Entire Test, Text-to-Speech Accommodation on ELA PARCC
Regarding the Human Reader/Text-to-Speech accommodation on the PARCC ELA assessment, the criteria remains the same from last year. As always, the most current information can be found on the PARCC Live Binder linked below.
- Appendix D
- This form MUST be completed for any student in grades 3-12 who currently have Human Reader of Entire Test or Text-to-Speech on his/her IEP, regardless of whether they qualify for the accommodation on PARCC.
- This is the only form for PARCC that gets filed in the student's blue folder.
- Aligned Reading Data Table for Human Reader
- A student MUST have two aligned data points that show a significant deficit in decoding. A team may have more data to support this deficit, but only two are required.
- Data used to determine eligibility for PARCC accommodations must be collected within 90 days of when the team discusses these in an IEP meeting.
- Aligned Reading Interventions for Human Reader
- A student MUST have been enrolled in an aligned reading intervention that focuses on decoding skills for at least two years to be eligible for Human Reader/Text-to-Speech on PARCC. If a student has unusual circumstances (i.e. new to FCPS, significant regression due to sudden medical condition, etc.), please contact our office to discuss prior to the IEP meeting where PARCC accommodations is being discussed.
- EBIP Foundational Skills
- EBIPs may be an aligned intervention that meets PARCC criteria if the EBIP focuses on specific Reading Foundational Skills. This document outlines the specific aligned standards.
- IEP Team Meeting Notes Documentation
- The determination of whether or not a student is able to access Human Reader/Text-to-Speech on PARCC must be documented in the Prior Written Notice of IEP Team Notes. This document provides an outline of how to document this decision.
Also, please note that if a student accesses Human Reader/Text-to-Speech on PARCC, it is imperative that a student's IEP aligns with these decoding needs. The Present Levels of Performance should identify this need and there should be corresponding goals to address services related to this need.
Please keep in mind that the Appendix D is only for accessing Human Reader/Text-to-Speech accommodation on the PARCC ELA assessment. There is a different accommodation for accessing Human Reader/Text-to-Speech accommodation on the PARCC Math assessment (i.e. 1r: Text to Speech for the Mathematics, Science, and Government Assessments and 1s: Human Reader or Human Signer for Selected Sections of the Mathematics, Science, and Government Assessments).
Rochelle's Special Education Tip
Data Collection: It keeps happening. Data is supposed to be taken to see if the student is making progress on IEP goals. But when the special educator is questioned, it turns out there is no data or very little data. The Present Levels and goals and objectives are being written on the progress the special educator “thinks” or “hopes” or “assumes” the student is making. It is so easy to cure this. An administrator in each school should be spot checking to see if data is being taken. The administrator does not have to look at the records for each student. Just a couple of file reviews will tell the administrator if the special educator is keeping records. At the least, do this as part of the observation; maybe not at the same time as the observation takes place because you do not want to interrupt instruction, but in connection with the observation. Suddenly you will see what is really going on.
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