SPED SPEAK
November 18, 2013
Second Quarter is Well Underway!
My Student is Failing a Class. Now What?
The following is a list of suggestions from Inter-related teachers that can be used to help those students who are failing classes.
- Meet with student individually: Check grades; Set goals; Develop a Plan of Action: before/after school support and/or have student access Resource Room/Learning Lab to complete assignments.
- Case manager follows up with classroom teacher: Determine if accommodations and modifications are appropriate.
- Weekly monitoring of assignment completion and progress by case manager and student
- Contact parents with plan of action: Email, Phone call, Student participation in contact
- Case manager sends or accompanies student to speak with classroom teacher or counselor
- Set up conference with student, parent, case manager, counselor and classroom teacher
Tri-State Regional Special Education Law Conference
Recently, the Special Education Leadership Team and two of our school psychologists attended the 3-day law conference in Omaha, Nebraska. Much information was shared that was beneficial to all. Below are a few take aways...
1. Be weary of predetermination of placement/services when developing an IEP, as the parent must be part of the decision making. Predetermination can be considered a denial of FAPE. A draft IEP should be provided to parents prior to the IEP meeting and will serve as a starting point for discussion. Do not limit the discussion during the meeting. In addition, be careful when using email to 'discuss' a student. This communication should not indicate that predetermination occurred before the IEP meeting and without the parent's involvement.
2. The general education teacher must be present for the entirety of the IEP meeting or the excusal process must be followed.
3. Be careful in adding too many accommodations or modifications into the IEP. Make sure they are specific and can be clearly understood by the general education teacher. Once accommodations are adopted through the IEP process they must be fully implemented. Failure to do so results in non-compliance.
4. Schools can consider RTI (MTSS) programs prior to deciding to evaluate. However, the use of RTI strategies cannot be used to delay or deny the provision of a full and individual evaluation to a child suspected of having a disability.
SEAS: Behavior Intervention Plans
We now have a new Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) form in SEAS. If you are currently serving a student with a Behavior Intervention Plan, please be sure to transfer that information to the new BIP in SEAS at the annual review time.
This document is part of the pre-existing forms. You will need to add this form to a student’s IEP packet. Below are the steps to follow:
- Open the student’s IEP.
- On the right-hand side of the screen, click on the “Add Form” button.
- Click on “Insert New/Pre-existing Form.”
- A new screen will pop up and "Behavior Intervention Plan" will be the top selection of the list. Check the box next to the form.
- Click on the button, "Insert Forms" at the top of the screen on the left-hand side.
- It will state, “The forms have been added to the packet."
- You can click on the red X in the right-hand corner to exit that page and navigate back to the IEP.
If you have any questions regarding this process, the new BIP form, or need assistance in writing a BIP, please contact Sara Dilday via e-mail.
SEAS Reference Binder
- SEAS User Training Guide
- FAQ #1 and #2
- Newsletter #1, #2, and #3
- Email concerning File/Archive
- Future Correspondence
Progress Reports
When scanning a newly developed IEP to Alex Burland, be sure to include the completed progress report as well.
Process for Using the IEP Amendment Form
The IEP Amendment form is to be used for IEP changes that do not require a meeting of the IEP team. Generally speaking, teams should follow the revision process. In the event a team member deems an amendment to be appropriate, the case manager should consult with their school psychologist to determine the appropriate course of action.
Important Reminder!
Upcoming Important Dates:
December 19 End of 2nd Quarter
December 20 No School for Students/Teacher Workday
December 23-January 3 Winter Break-No School
January 6 No School for Students/Professional In-Service Day
January 7 Classes Resume/Start of 3rd Quarter