Department of Student Services
Exceptional Students…Exceptional Staff 10.6.15
CELEBRATE!
Congratulations to the hard-working staff at these schools, who are currently 100% compliant through the transition to Ed Plan!
AMIS
AWL
Chase
Covedale
Fairview
Hayes Porter
Mt. Washington
Sayler Park
Walnut Hills
Tips From Tony
DSS EdPlan Lifeboat Sessions will be held in Mayerson Room 201 on these dates and times:
Tues, October 6 - 3:00 - 5:00p
Tues, October 13 - 3:00 - 5:00p
Tues, October 20 - 3:00 - 5:00p
Weds, October 21 - 3:30 - 5:30p
Tues, October 27 - 3:00 - 5:00p
It's possible that more dates and times will be added depending on the availability of the ITM Computer Lab, 3rd floor, Ed Center. More details to come.
IEP Section 7
It is important for everyone to remember that section 7 of a student's IEP cannot be filled out before the IEP meeting. The elements that make up this section are a team decision, so the entire section must be filled out during the meeting when the team is present.
Filling out section 7 during the IEP meeting eliminates any chance of predetermination, and insures that everyone on the team has an equal say in the final outcome. If you have any questions about this, please contact your Student Services Manager.
Early Literacy
Congratulations to Mt. Airy, Pleasant Hill, and Westwood! Last school year, they participated in a collaborative partnership with the Department of Student Services and the University of Cincinnati to create the Early Literacy Project. All kindergarteners in the three schools were screened in August using DIBELS. In addition to receiving core instruction, students were placed in tier 2 small group instruction three times per week using an evidence-based intervention. One hundred twenty-four students were assigned to 32 groups among the three schools. UC graduate students teamed with building psychologists to benchmark, provide training to building tutors, progress monitor, analyze data, and make instructional decisions with grade level teams.
Students in these three schools made significant gains. This year, Rothenberg has joined the project as well and hopes to see the same level of success!
Last week, the Early Literacy Project results were presented at the Ohio Special Education Leadership Conference in Columbus. Soon, the results will "go national" as the presentation will be shared at the National Association for School Psychologists in New Orleans. Congratulations to all who have participated!
English Language Learners
DIBELS Next and AIMSweb Assessment for ELLs: Why do we need to do this?
CPS is federally required as part of an Office of Civil Rights Agreement to collect academic universal screening measures (i.e. DIBELS Next for grades K-6; AIMSweb for grades 7-12th) for ALL ELLs that are part of the district’s LEP subgroup (including ELL students who have been exited from LEP status for 2 years or less). The rationale includes:
To determine what ELL students’ specific English proficiency and academic needs are and whether or not they are making progress for AMAO purposes.
To prioritize level of ESL supports provided by DSS OSLA
To assist in targeting interventions that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for ELLs and revise LEP accommodation plans accordingly.
Compliance Corner
What I Have to Say is Important Too!
Congratulations to Jill Garrett, Speech-Language Pathologist, and Charlene Younger, Intervention Specialist! They received a Learning Links grant for students in the Multiple Disabilities classrooms at Roberts Academy. The grant entitled “What I Have to Say Is Important Too!” reflects improved communication tools for student use.
Project Description and Objectives:
There are three classrooms at Roberts Academy for students with multiple disabilities. Several of these students have no means or very limited means of expressing their basic wants and needs and accessing the curriculum. The materials acquired through the Learning Links grant will allow the students to use tablets and GoTalk Communication Devices - which were acquired through a different grant - to communicate throughout the school day and participate in the classroom and other environments in the school.
The materials to be purchased include:
- 15 protective tablet cases
- Talk Tablet Alternative Augmentative Communication App
- GoTalk Overlay Software
The program will allow us to create unique picture and word grids, including many pre-made grid templates, in addition to templates for The Attainment Company’s entire line of GoTalk communication devices.
Gifted News
Testing is happening now to screen and identify gifted students!
September 25-October 19
Gifted Referral Testing: Any grades
Fall
MAP session for Elementary students: K-3 Reading and Math, 4-6 Reading, Math and Science
Week of October 5
2nd and 6th grade students: Terra Nova and InView
Duck, Duck, Misdiagnosis
The misdiagnosis of any student can have serious implications. ADHD, Aspergers, ODD, OCD, and Bipolar are serious diagnoses. But sometimes, G/T students whose quirky tendencies may mimic those serious disorders may or may not be suffering from them.
Interested in learning more about misdiagnosis of gifted students? Check out this article and short course:
Please contact Betsy Singh for any questions relating to gifted students at singhbe@cps-k12.org
PBIS World
PBIS (positive behavior interventions and supports) is a model for addressing behavior through the prevention-oriented structuring of research-based interventions and supports in a hierarchical and progressive manner for the purpose of improved behavioral and academic outcomes. This generally appears as 3 tiers of increasingly intensive and individualized behavior interventions and supports as well as a system of data collection and analysis.
PBIS World is a website containing links to hundreds of interventions, supports, resources, and data collection tools, all of which are organized into the tier 1 through 3 framework. It is designed to help guide users through the PBIS implementation process, starting with behavior identification and offering suggestions for interventions and data collection tools.
Take a few minutes and look through the site. You will be amazed at the amount of endless resources. You can visit PBIS World by clicking here.
Transportation Accommodations
A DSS Manager must be notified when requesting the following transportation accommodations:
Any type of safety restraint for a student
Seatbelt
Harness (Provide Height and Weight)
Car Seat (Provide Height and Weight)
Padded Window
Any type of accommodation out of medical necessity
Skilled Nursing Service (needs medical orders)
Air Conditioning
*Parents must know that these accommodations may take longer than a reroute to implement, due to ordering and installation requirements
Goalbook
Go, Go, Goalbook!
A whooping 50% of our Intervention Specialists volunteered to be trained to use Goalbook in September! What a fantastic turnout for such an extremely busy time of year!
Thank you to all teachers who stayed late multiple days that week due to all of your building obligations! You commitment to students is evident.
We are well on our way to meeting the goal that we make it possible for 100% of Inclusion Intervention Specialists be trained and licensed by January 2015!
If you participated in the September training please take two minutes to complete the Goalbook PD evaluation at http://tinyurl.com/goalbooksurvey
You will need to know the following information:
◦Facilitator: Erin and Shara
◦Name of PD session: UDL and Rigor
Everyone who received training through DSS should be able to login to Goalbook. Login information is below.
◦Login: long CPS email address
◦Password: CPS123 (CPS has to be all caps)
If you were unable to participate in the September training you will still have an opportunity to acquire the information! Please click on the link below to enter your information and we will follow up with you!
http://tinyurl.com/cpsgoalbookFinally: Remember that as you are co-teaching and collaborating to share how you are using Goalbook with the regular education teachers!
We are looking forward to hearing stories of success with Goalbook. Please email successes big or small, in any environment, to
Thea Staley staleyt@cps-k12.org so they can be celebrated and shared! Don't be bashful!
Progress Monitoring
Learning Teams
Intervention Specialists Curriculum Council
ESP Curriculum Council
ESP Curriculum Council
Who: Audiologists, Counselors, OT/PTs, School Psychs, SSWs, HI/VI Intervention Specialists, SLPs
When: 10/20/15 @ 4:00 pm
Where: Mayerson Rm 112
Topic: Increasing Parent Involvement with Rolanda Smith, Family & Community Engagement Coordinator
Preschool Disabilities
Co-teaching Roundtables are Here!
WHO: All intervention specialists, general education teachers, (it would be great to attend as a co-teaching pair if possible), building administrators
WHEN/WHERE: Mayerson, course number- 1991.6452
10/14/15: Communication
12/9/15: Lesson Planning
1/13/16: Specially Designed Instruction, Accommodations, and Modifications
2/10/16: Instruction and Strategies
3/9/16: Instruction and Strategies
4/13/16: Data Collection
5/11/16: Becoming a Co-Teaching Model in Your Building
You may attend all offerings or select dates that are most interesting to the co-teaching team. We look forward to seeing you!
Upcoming Testing
Upcoming Terra Nova Testing: 2nd grade and 6th grade
October 5th - October 15th
Co-Teaching Demonstration Classrooms
Co-teaching teams at all grade levels and in all subjects are invited to visit the demonstration classrooms. CPS Co-teaching Demonstration Classrooms are inviting and innovative learning environments that employ committed educators who inherently believe co-teaching models improve student performance. This is an opportunity for teachers to observe instructional strategies that they can bring back to their classrooms and implement with their own students. Participants will have the opportunity for demonstration coaches to follow up with them in their own classrooms and provide feedback and coaching. Demonstration classes are taught in the mornings.
For more information on visiting the demonstration classrooms, contact
Joelle McConnell: mcconnj@cps-k12.org or Chrissy Reeves: reevech@cps-k12.org.
You can also talk to your building principal.