Special EDge
May 2018 FCPS Special EDge Hot Sheet
Special Education Bundle
Special Education has provided a Special Edition Bundle for May.
The bundle this month includes newly released MSDE Technical Assistance Bulletins.
- Improving Outcomes for Students with Disabilities Instruction,Curriculum, and Assessment Bulletin
- Home Hospital Instruction Technical Assistance Bulletin
- Home Hospital Instruction Supplemental for Students with Disabilities
- Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Assessment Guidelines Bulletin
- Early Intervention Services for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing and Their Families Bulletin
- Transition Planning Guide for Individuals with Disabilities-NEW 2017
The bundle link is below entitled Meet Google Drive. It is organized in folders by month.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week
Thank you for your dedication to FCPS and everything you do for our students.
We appreciate you. You are awesome!
ESY Preparation
Extended school year (ESY) is fast approaching. We are excited to provide services to students with disabilities July 9-August 2, 2018.
Some reminders to keep in mind...
- Complete the ESY Transportation Forms- Form is located on Form Finder (Special Education, Transportation, ESY Transportation Form). Please send completed forms to Bill Crabill (william.crabill@fcps.org) by Wednesday, May 23rd.
- Complete the ESY Health and Emergency Form- Form is located on Form Finder (Special Education, ESY, Health and Emergency Info). Please send completed forms to your Special Education Coordinator by Wednesday, May 23rd.
- ESY Provider Professional Learning- Teaching staff (teachers and speech language pathologists) that have been selected to work ESY occurred on May 8th.
Observation in the Area of Need for Specific Learning Disability (SLD) Eligibility
- A special educator is to observe the student in the areas of concern discussed at the IEP team using the SE 4 Student Observation found on FormFinder as a part of the evaluation process (For example: Student has difficulty in reading and writing, this area must be marked as observed and include documented observation data in these areas on the SE 4)
- The IEP team use the IEP Team Eligibility Report for Specific Learning Disability found on FormFinder when determining eligibility, The completed SE 4 Student Observation must be attached to the completed Eligibility Report.
IEP Teams Selecting the Right Reading Intervention for the Student
The present level needs of each student tells a story to the IEP team. This story helps the IEP team to determine if the student requires an evidence-based or research-based reading intervention to meet the student's needs.
It is critically important that the parent is meaningfully engaged in this discussion and that all questions are clarified regarding their student's programming. Additionally, the decisions must be outlined clearly in the Prior Written Notice of the IEP team meeting notes.
The IEP team should collaborate with the experts around the table to determine the right reading intervention for the student. Beyond the selection of the reading intervention, the student's progress toward their reading IEP goals should be monitored, in order to determine if the intervention continues to be appropriate.
Rely on your school's literacy specialists to ensure that the student is paired with the right intervention that aligns to their present level needs. Additionally, you can reference the FCPS Intervention Program Hot Sheet for Reading on Curriculum NOW for more information about accurate reading intervention selection based on student need.
ACTT Rolls out a NEW Equipment Transfer Process & Summer Equipment Collection Process
* New: ESY ACTT Equipment Transfer Process*
The ACT Team is proud to announce a new ACTT Equipment/Material Transfer Form and Transfer Process for ESY 2018! We appreciate your continued help to facilitate our students having access to their communication devices as outlined in their IEPs.
Case managers will need to complete the NEW SE: 20 ACTT Equipment/Material Transfer Form by following PROCESS TWO on the form for any student using ACTT assigned equipment or a device for a student when the student is:
Attending ESY at another location other than their assigned school year location
Attending ESY and using the device over the summer
Taking the device home for summer use*
*Please note: If the student is taking the device home for the summer the case manager must get parent/guardian signatures to safeguard the equipment.
Please refer to the updated SE 20 ACTT Equipment/Material Transfer Form available via Form Finder. Please see second page of the form for specific directions.
If you still have questions about the process please email the ACT Team Leader assigned to your school. Please refer to the website for your assigned ACT Team Leader: www.fcpsactt.weebly.com
* Also New: ACTT Summer Equipment Collection*
The ACT Team will collect non- ESY, non-summer use iPads and Chromebooks by June 15th and redistribute in the fall unless the ACT Team Leader makes an exception for the purposes of communication or other extenuating circumstances.
Additional information about this process will be coming soon as well as the pick up schedule for your building.
Reflecting on Your Year of Co-Teaching
A collaborative teaching approach creates the best chance of success for students, especially for students with disabilities or other special needs.
Of course, like with any teaching philosophy, implementing and having success with co-teaching can be difficult. If you're reflecting on a year of co-teaching or preparing to start a new co-teaching partnership next year, here are five points of parity that will provide a great start to any co-teaching partnership.
- Both teachers’ names should be on the classroom door or other visible locations as indicators of room ownership.
- Both teachers’ names should appear on documents going home with students.
- Both teachers should deliver instruction and lead class routine and activities on a daily basis.
- Both teachers should share in classroom management, including discipline.
- Both teachers should plan lessons and grade papers
Check out this tip sheet: Co-teaching Tip Sheet
*Adapted from Exceptional Child at ExceptionalChild.com by Vector Solutions
Discipline
As we near the end of the school year, please be reminded that administrators must consult the Department of Special Education and Psychological Services to request discipline suspensions beyond 10 days for any student with a disability, IEP or 504 so we may support you in the next steps of the process to meet the needs of our learners.
Here are our regulations related to discipline of students with disabilities:
- Discipline Process for Students with Disabilities
- 400-17 Suspension/Expulsion of Students with Disabilities
Please be reminded that schools must follow a process for consideration of suspension for ALL students in Pre-K through grade 2, with and without a disability, before issuing a suspension. The process is linked below.
Better Hearing and Speech Month
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month as recognized by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). ASHA celebrates making effective communication, a human right, accessible and available to all.
Speech-Language Pathologists work very hard to develop appropriate plans that support language development, facilitating successful access to the general education curriculum for students. To learn more about speech and language, visit the ASHA website: https://www.asha.org/default.aspx.
Helping Families Understand Their Child's IEP Programming Through Prior Written Notice (PWN)
Prior Written Notice means prior to the action going into effect, not prior to the decision being made. This means it is given to the parents after the completion of the meeting and before implementing the decisions as a part of the student's programming.
What is Prior Written Notice (PWN)?
PWN is a written description and explanation of each decision proposed or refused in the areas of:
- Identification
- Evaluation
- Educational placement
- Provision of a free and appropriate education (FAPE) to the student (this includes all IEP additions/revisions).
Some tips to document PWN accurately...
- List every decision made in the areas listed above.
- Explain why the decision was made clearly and concisely.
- Remember: the purpose is not just to inform the parent what decision was made, but why that decision was made.
- It is OK to refuse a proposal, made either by the team or the parent, as long as you explain why.
- If IEP proposal or refusals are not written, then the documentation is missing to prove the discussion happened. PWN should NOT be blank.
IEP team meeting notes are located on FormFinder under Special Education. The IEP notes include a discussion narrative, meant to be a summary of the discussion and a Prior Written Notice (PWN) form on the last page which guides the IEP team through the proposals and refusals, with explanations of the required decisions made through the IEP process.
Not only is this a mandate through IDEA and COMAR, but it is another way to meaningfully engage families in the the IEP process and help them understand their child's IEP programming.
Rochelle's Special Education Tip
Tip: Respect at IEP Team Meetings
Have you noticed a remarkable deterioration in the way educators are treated at IEP team meetings and in communications outside of the IEP meetings? This occurs only in a minority of situations, but those cases eat away at the morale of staff. It is just not parents who act this way, but their attorneys, advocates, educational consultants, and even expert witnesses also engage in disruptive behaviors. The other day, a neuropsychologist came to an IEP team meeting and was so verbally inappropriate that a team member was brought to tears. In another meeting, a parent brought a team member to tears by making unfounded claims of poor teaching. The teacher had to leave the meeting. This is ugly, not productive, and must be halted. While this problem has been discussed previously in Tips, here are some thoughts on how to handle these problems.
- Start the meeting with a short opening about the need to treat one another with respect. State that if this does not occur, the team will need to take a break.
- If you have taken a break and the rudeness continues, stop the meeting and reschedule. (Of course, if you are dealing with a timeline, such as a review of a report, or determination of ESY eligibility, then try to finish that part of the meeting.)
- If a parent bullies the team by saying that If you do not agree on a particular issue the parent will leave and the meeting will have to end, advise the parent that the parent may leave but the team will continue to complete the business at hand.
- Do not sit too close to one another. Keep a little space. Otherwise, the animosity of the rude person will feel intimidating to the persons sitting next to her. You may need to move the meeting to another building to get a larger room.
- Stay as formal as possible. Never call the parent “Mom.” Call each other “Mr.” and “Ms.”
- Some people say things that are not true to get the statements on tape. Make sure to refute erroneous statements when made. You may even say, “That is not accurate. Are you saying that just to get the statement on the tape.?” Otherwise, the repetition of the erroneous statements becomes the truth and is thrown at the team over and over. We find that these tapes are being turned over to MSDE and OCR, whose employees tend to believe what they hear without the benefit of knowing all of the background or watching the body language of the speakers.
- When the discussion at an IEP team meeting over a particular issue becomes repetitive, the Chair should say, “We will note your disagreement and put it in the PWN.” Don’t allow the meeting to become unduly tied up in an argument.
- As soon as someone uses a curse word, stop the meeting. Take a break. Likewise, if a parent stands up during the meeting, direct the parent to sit down. If the parent does not immediately comply, stop the meeting. Take a break.
- When these types of incidents occur, notify the administration so they will be prepared when a complaint is made.
When you are dealing with difficult people, keep the meetings to 2 hours. State ahead of time how long the meeting may take. If you have to go beyond 2 hours, be sure to take regular meeting breaks. People need to eat lunch and visit the restroom. It is unhealthy, physically and emotionally, to sit in one place for too long.
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