Special EDge
November 2019 FCPS Special EDge Hot Sheet
Special Education Bundle
Special Education has provided a Special Edition Bundle for November.
The bundle link is below entitled Meet Google Drive. It is organized in folders by month.
There are critically important documents in this bundle, including memos and technical assistance bulletins that are mandated for circulation. Please ensure you read this information carefully.
Maryland's IEP Process
- Referral
- Assessment
- Eligibility
- IEP Development
- IEP Implementation
- Progress Monitoring
- Annual Review
- Reevaluation
These steps are outlined in this handy MSDE Parent Resource: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Your Individualized Education Program (IEP) Rights and Responsibilities in Maryland. Please feel free to print and share with parents as an informative resource.
Dyslexia Resource-Article on the Neurobiology of Dyslexia
Special Education Simplification While Reinforcing the Basics
The Simplification Process will occur quarterly in Department of Special Education Department Meetings held on October 21, 2019. December 16, 2019, March 16, 2020, and May 18, 2020.
If you are a special educator, related service provider, or school based administrator and you would like to participate in this critically important work, please complete the following survey: Survey to Sign Up for the Special Education Simplify Work Group
Special Education 2019-2020 Compliance Reviews
This school year we will synthesize the (1) IEP desk audit, (2) classroom observation, and (3) blue folder internal monitoring reviews. Each Compliance team's goal will be to provide timely constructive feedback to schools.
This synthesis is purposeful to combine a review of compliance and instruction with the purpose of supporting school teams in closing the achievement gap. We are hopeful that the synthesis will allow school teams to use the timely feedback to celebrate successes and to mitigate any patterns of missteps in the IEP process to ensure optimal instructional delivery to our students.
Central Office staff 's goal is to provide meaningful, cohesive, and timely feedback to schools and school teams that promote the development of standards aligned IEPs, effective progress monitoring, and support to close the achievement gap.
Compliance review teams will be reaching out to designated schools starting in November 2019.
To see if your school is selected for the 2019-2020 Compliance Review, the calendar of Compliance Review by school is located here and in the October Special Education Bundle: 2019-2020 Special Education Compliance Review Schedule by School.
Professional Learning Opportunities on Writing Behavior Intervention Plans from the Coordinator of Behavior Interventions and Supports
Please see the link below to register for upcoming professional learning opportunities on writing Behavior Intervention Plans. The Behavior Intervention and Supports team will offer this session three times this school year. If the sessions listed don’t work for you for some reason and you feel your school team needs this training please reach out so we can make other arrangements.
Here is the link to register:
FCPS Restraint and Seclusion Regulation Update (400-44)
FCPS regulation on restraint and seclusion has been updated and is located here: 400-44.
The regulation revisions include:
- Definitions and parameters of exclusion, physical restraint, mechanical restraint, and seclusion.
- Documentation of restraint and seclusion to include "less intrusive interventions attempted".
- Training for crisis intervention teams in trauma-informed practices and CPR.
Recommendations for immediate implementation to school-based IEP teams:
- Restraint and/or seclusion are only used in the event of serious threat of imminent harm or danger to the student or others.
- Always document "other less intrusive interventions attempted" on the Physical Restraint and Seclusion Incident form.
- The IEP team must convene within 10 days of a restraint of seclusion of a student who does NOT have restraint and/or seclusion documented on their IEP to address and document the necessary IEP revisions.
The FCPS County IEP (CIEP) Process
FCPS makes every effort to educate students with disabilities in their home school or within a specialized program in FCPS. Therefore, IEP teams have a duty to ensure that school staff have implemented strategies and interventions to address educational and/or behavioral challenges before a referral to CIEP is made. If the following have occurred and the student does not make progress on IEP goals and objectives, a referral to CIEP is recommended. A Central Office Special Education Coordinator/Teacher Specialist must be in attendance at the school IEP meeting where this referral is made.
The steps in the process are as follows:
Contact Central Office Special Education Coordinator/Teacher Specialist to discuss student needs and set up an observation.
Review instructional practices, collect data, and determine appropriateness in consultation with Central Office Special Education Coordinator/Teacher Specialist.
Review academic interventions, collect data, and determine appropriateness in consultation with Central Office Special Education Coordinator/Teacher Specialist.
Ensure the IEP is up to date with present levels of academic and functional performance, accommodations, supplemental aids and services, and goals to address students’ areas of weakness.
If there are behavioral concerns, a BIP is in place and being implemented.
Recommendations from school based and/or central office staff have been implemented.
Once these steps have been followed a referral to county is appropriate. Please note, incomplete packets will be returned to the school for completion.
- CIEP Regulation: Regulation 400-09
- County IEP Referral: CIEP Referral
- Instructional Framework to Support Struggling Students: Struggling Students
- 2019 CIEP Memorandum from Directors
Special Education Instructional Assistant Quarterly Review
For the 2019-2020 school year, the Special Education Department will monitor and review any requests for additional IEP/504 Special Education Instructional Assistants (SEIA) support for schools. SEIAs have been assigned to schools based on the collective needs of the students receiving special education services. In addition, SEIAs are assigned on a temporary basis via the request process to support students needing assistance to address needs in the area of: (1) health and safety, (2) Navigation/Mobility, (3) Accessibility, or in the case of (4) reciprocal placements.
If there are students requiring student support as documented on their IEP or a highly enrolled specialized program is in need of additional support, please use the following links to fill out the SEIA Request Form for elementary, the SEIA Request form for secondary, the SEIA Request Form for elementary specialized programs, or the SEIA Request Form for secondary specialized program.
When a student receiving adult support no longer requires an SEIA to provide the supports outlined on the IEP, you will maintain the SEIA in your building for the duration of the quarter. While maintaining the SEIA in the building, feel free to reassign the adult support to other students with disabilities and/or specialized programs within the building to collect data and support students as deemed appropriate. Be prepared to share the quantitative data with the Instructional Coordinator and Supervisor prior to the review deadlines. The Instructional Coordinator or Coordinator of Specialized Programs can support your team in scheduling and reassignment of SEIAs, as needed.
The supervisors of special education will conduct the quarterly review of assigned SEIAs and communicate next steps.
The quarterly reviews and notifications will occur on the following dates: October 18, 2019, January 10, 2020, March 20, 2020 and June 5, 2020.
Please communicate any questions regarding these changes to the respective Instructional Supervisor, Sonya Robinson (x45283) or Christie Flayhart (x45299).
Resource
Linked here: SEIA Quarterly Review Standard Operating Procedure
2019 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resource Fair
Join FCPS along with various Agencies and Vendors for a FREE and informative evening.
Check out the resources from area Agencies and Vendors to learn what services are available to you and your family between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm on 11/14/19 at North Frederick Elementary School.
All information from vendors will be presented via sign language.
Some confirmed Agencies and Vendors in attendance:
- Deaf Camps Inc.
- Purple Communications
- American Society for Deaf Children
- Maryland Assistive Technology Financial Loan Program
- and many more
Registration is requested, but not required. See the attached flyer.
If foreign language interpretation is needed, please call or email cara.phillips@fcps.org / 240.236.8744 no later than 5 days before the program. Childcare is not provided.
Extended School Year Guidance
At your first IEP meeting this school year, you will review progress of students who participated in ESY 2019.
IEP teams should defer the ESY decision for 2020 to later in this school year when you have data to reflect the ESY decision points (consider decisions between January and March).
**Dates to remember**
All decisions relating to considering critical life skills, chance of regression, emerging skills or breakthrough opportunities, AND interfering behaviors should be made in a reasonable time to the start of ESY so that all data is current and accurate.
Best practice is for ESY considerations to be made between January and March of the school year to ensure the use of appropriate current and accurate data.
All decisions that are deferred to a later meeting should be completed by the end of the first week of March.
If you are unable to make a decision by the end of the first week of March, or if you have students move in after that date, please contact the appropriate Coordinator.
Pre-K Application Guidance
This memo is for the purpose of bringing clarity and consistency of practice when parents request an application for their child to participate in our Prekindergarten Inclusive 3 or 4 year old classrooms. Please review and share with all pertinent staff.
Process for Considering Related Services of Music and/or Art Therapy in the IEP Process
The following is a Standard Operating Procedure of the IEP Process for Music and/or Art Therapy related services consideration: SOP for Music & Art Therapy
October is Physical Therapy Month
Attached here is the Occupational & Physical Therapy Assignments for the 19-20 school year.
New Faces in Special Education
Specialized Program Coordinator (504 and Montessori Charters)-Tracey Frank
Transition Teacher Specialist-Greta Harrison
Elementary Teacher Specialist-Alisa Gordon
Specialized Program Coordinator (NMMS Pyramid)-Cathy Altomare
Secondary Instructional Coordinator-Heather Shevtsov
Pre K Coordinator-Lauren Perry
Rochelle's Special Education Legal Tips
(Rochelle Eisenberg is a Maryland Special Education School System Attorney. These are her legal advice based upon her experiences in cases around the state.)
Do you ever sit in meetings and it is déjà vu all over? Here the reference is to IEP or 504 meetings where the parent recounts the bullying that occurred to her child which has caused all of the child’s problems—except the bullying did not occur. At least, the thorough investigation conducted by the school staff showed it did not occur. Or the school staff investigated and took remedial measures. But as time goes on, the parent continues repeating the notion that her child was bullied and that the school did nothing . . . . It is VERY IMPORTANT that each time this allegation is made, the school-based attendees should refute the statement verbally and in writing. The written part occurs when you include the allegation and the staff response to the allegation in the Prior Written Notice or in the notes of the meeting. You do not have to write a term paper. Just write a reference to the discussion and the statement that the matter was investigated and the response to the investigation.
It is human nature that we tend to believe that which we are told over and over. Whatever is being said somehow becomes true when said often enough. Some ordinary individuals as well as some politicians use this method to communicate what they want you to believe, despite the facts. Sometimes they begin to think that the fabrication or their version of the facts is the truth. So the record must be set straight to avoid inaccurate information from becoming the truth of the matter.
Rochelle’s Special Education Tips (“Tips”) are designed to be helpful and thought provoking, but should not be considered legal advice as they may not be accurate for use in all situations. Tips are based on my opinions and positions in accordance with federal and Maryland law and my over 35 years of experience in the special education legal field. – Rochelle S. Eisenberg, Esquire
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