Special Education Parent Newsletter
November 2021
Welcome Dr. Whitbeck!
Special education department website
The homepage shares the mission of the department as well as contact information for our Executive Director as well as our Directors. You will also find the FBISD Special Education Support Request Form on the homepage.
To the left of the page, you will find tabs for our Administrative Procedures, Program Contact Information, SEPAC, Parent Training Opportunities, and Parent and Community Resources, among several others.
Required Postings:
Please also be sure to review the required postings on the following pages on the website:
Required SB 139 Special Education Updates
Delayed/Denied Evaluations and Compensatory Services
Be sure to visit our website and bookmark it!
Weekly Emails
If you would like to receive weekly emails from us about community events and resources, please fill out the opt-in form to be added to our weekly mailing list. All parents will always continue to receive this monthly parent newsletter; however, we often receive information about events after the newsletter has been published and mailed to parents. We understand that not everyone would like to receive an additional weekly email, so the opt-in form lets us know your preference. You only need to complete the form if you would like to opt-in. If you do not wish to opt-in at this time, no action is needed on your part. The form will remain open for submissions and you can opt-in at any time.
Program and Service Highlights
Adult Transition Services
Adult Transition Services (ATS) will allow students to begin experiencing adult life activities in the community while having the support of the school system. Locations can include community based vocational instruction sites, paid employment sites, post-secondary education options, and community sites such as grocery stores, and adult agencies. Community sites for recreation/leisure are included in the transition programming options for ATS students. The specific locations where the instruction occurs, and the supports needed are based on the individual needs of the adult student’s IEP developed by the IEP committee. Age-appropriate settings can include, but are not limited to business, community services, living arrangements, transportation and recreation/leisure locations.
ATS is a community-based program that uses the community to facilitate the transition to adult life. Adult students collaborate with their families and ATS staff to work on the IEP for each adult student which is designed to be implemented in a natural environment in the community. All current evaluation data is used to identify strengths, preferences, and student interest related to the student's post-secondary goals. The IEP is the guiding framework to implement instruction for work-based learning, postsecondary education, independent living, service learning, recreation/leisure activities, or other areas of need identified by the IEP committee.
The ATS program goal is to serve young adults with disabilities as they transition from public school to adult life, which may include one or more of the following:
- To assist adult students in obtaining full or part-time employment
- To assist adult students in participating in post-secondary education and/or training
- To assist adult students and family in developing viable transportation opportunities as appropriate to ensure access to the community
- To facilitate the learning and use of self-determination skills
- To refine skills necessary to living with family, in a group home, or independently
- To assist adult students in developing skills related to accessing recreation and leisure activities in the community
- To connect adult students and their families with the process of accessing adult agencies for continued services
- To provide training, support, and opportunities for adult students with disabilities to increase their level of independence
Program Contacts for Adult Transition Services:
Patrick Monaghan, Assistant Director, Dispute Resolution and Parent Support
Darin Quintero, Program Manager, Adult Transition Services
Debbie Jebbia, Program Specialist, 18+ Community Services
Check out some of our students hard at work on different job sites!
Traevon Regas, DHS
Brandon Feather, CHS
Hale Johnston, CHS
Hale has a paid part-time job at Enchanted Forest.
Hale Johnston, CHS
SallyAnn Roesch, AHS
James Brady, RPHS
Nick Mayer, THS
Aidan Loredo, KHS
Aidan working on stocking at Dollar Tree.
Jian Potato and Justin Alvarez, THS
Carlos Mendez, KHS
Ian Rimando, BHS
Michael Ayoade, Carlos Mendez, and Bruce Lam, KHS
We're also proud to share this credited post from Chick-fil-A about our wonderful students!
"For this week's #teammembertuesday we're featuring Cutter & Asha from Ridge Point HS! We've partnered with FBISD's Work Based Learning Program and we're excited about this new opportunity to support students in our community! Cutter (a RPHS senior) & Asha (an adult transition program student) are doing an outstanding job working in our Dining Room, and it is a joy to have them as part of our team! Next time you're in our Dining Room please say hello to Cutter & Asha!" - Chick-fil-A Sienna Crossing via Instagram/Facebook
our amazing business partners
A huge shout out to businesses that support our students by partnering with us as job training sites. Our heartfelt gratitude for their support; we could not offer such a wide variety of opportunities for our students without them!
Broken Egg Cafe
Brite Touch Cleaners
Dollar Tree
Goodwill
Hilton Garden Inn
Happy Faces Pet Ranch
Kroger
HEB
Enchanted Forest
Pottery Barn
Superior Dry Cleaners
Aww! Pet Spa
Walgreens
Texas Roadhouse
Grand Parkway Baptist
Edible Arrangements
Walgreens
Goodwill
Panera Bread
Dollar Tree
Home Depot
Sugarland Baptist
Safe Ship
Eudybelles Furniture
Tri Resale
Chuy's
BJ's Brewhouse
Harvest Market
Chick fil A
Transition Teachers and Job Coaches
- Survey community and contact businesses for employment opportunities and possible training sites
- Develop job opportunities, assist students with completion of applications, participate in job interviews, and provide job coaching according to the individual needs of students
- Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate student progress on the training site and receive regular feedback from employers and co-workers
- Evaluate student vocational skills to determine work readiness, abilities, interests and preferences
- Develop task analysis for job skills and create adaptations/modifications to assist with student progress
- Assist with providing instruction to students in the area of pre-employment training, skills, self-advocacy, and self-determination
- Organize and facilitate college visits for students
- Develop Life Plans for students
Transition Teacher Contacts:
- Austin HS: Rochelle Fowkes
- Bush HS: Stephanie Hodge
- Clements HS: John Spelce
- Dulles HS: Debra Wingard
- Elkins HS: Marcus Ballard
- Hightower HS: Judy Phillips
- Kempner HS: Joe Lepore
- Marshall HS: Ruth Viranda
- Ridge Point HS: Jessica Treybig
- Travis HS: Kathleen Murch
- Willowridge HS: Marcus Ballard
- James Reese CTE Center: Rochelle Fowkes
- Project SEARCH: Kathleen Murch
Job Coaches provide the following services to students:
- Work directly with students and provide job coaching on job sites to assist students in learning job skills
- Provide students with work-related instruction on campus & at various training sites in the community
- Collect data for determining student progress on campus and community training sites
- Assist in implementing recommended assistive technology devices used on training sites
- Assist in implementing activities as described in the student’s IEP under the supervision of the Transition Teacher
Job Coach Contacts:
- Austin HS: Tatesha Hopkins
- Bush HS: Shamekia Cloud
- Clements HS: Joan Yanker
- Dulles HS: Leah Nylander
- Elkins HS: Leah Nylander
- Hightower HS: Erma Torres
- Kempner HS: Shamekia Cloud
- Marshall HS: Johnny Hurst
- Ridge Point HS: Kathy Guel
- Travis HS: Shamekia Cloud
- Willowridge HS: Johnny Hurst
- James Reese CTE Center: Kathy Guel
- Project SEARCH: Joezett Austin
District Updates
Unique Learning System
The Unique Learning System™ is an award-winning, online, standards-based set of interactive tools specifically designed for students with special needs to access the general education curriculum. It has lessons for pre-K to transition students with various learning needs. There are three programs within the Unique Learning System™. They are Unique Learning System™, News-2-You™, and SymbolStix PRIME™. Unique Learning System™ provides our teachers with monthly standard-aligned lessons on ELA, math, science, and social studies. News-2-You™ gives them weekly adapted news stories. SymbolStix PRIME™ is a symbol communication tool. It provides students with symbols that support learning, language, and expression.
Students in our SAILS, FLaSH, ABC, and ATS classes use Unique on a daily basis as it provided them with rigorous, standards-based materials specifically designed to meet their instructional needs. Students interact with differentiated, thematic units of study with text-to-speech, interactive components, hundreds of activities and multiple opportunities to show what they know.
Unique Learning System’s differentiated materials provide a means of access to standards-based instruction for students with different needs. Given appropriate materials and adapted methods for instruction, all students participate in rigorous daily classroom instruction. Each student’s academic profile in Unique Learning System generates his or her instruction. The support levels are:
Level 1: Students require extensive and pervasive support. Increasing participation is the main objective.
Level 2: Students may require symbol support and other direct instruction for learning and comprehension.
Level 3: Students read text, produce simple writing, perform basic math processes, and demonstrate comprehension of modified learning information independently.
To learn more, visit the Unique website.
Student Led ARDs
Our students are always invited and supported to attend their ARD meetings, however, beginning this year, it is one of our department's goals to empower our students further and teach them to lead their ARDs. We want to build self-determination and self-advocacy skills in our students and believe that leading their own ARDs is an important step to learning and imbibing these lifelong skills.
Additionally, research demonstrates that students who actively participate during their IEP meetings are more likely to be employed and/or enrolled in higher education after graduation. Students who understand their IEPs are more likely to become familiar with IEP vocabulary and components, understand their special education rights, share and explain their IEP data, accomplish their goals, advocate for themselves in the classroom, be invested in learning and educational progress, and understand the role that related services play in their success.
Legal Updates
House Bill 4545
SUPPLEMENTAL SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES
SB 1716 passed in the 87th Legislative session expanded the current Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) program which gives $1,500 grants to families of qualifying Special Education students. Beginning November 1, 2021, new eligibility guidelines will go into full effect, making all currently enrolled Texas public school students served by Special Education eligible! Visit the SSES Homepage to apply and review program information.
Academic Resources
October is AAC Awareness Month
AAC or Augmentative Alternative Communication can occur through low, mid, or high technology. In FBISD, our focus for AAC use tends to be on Core Vocabulary as that is what 80% of any human says in a day. Please check out the following resources on AAC and Core Vocabulary:
October Core Words:
A year of CORE words 1:
https://praacticalaac.org/praactical/a-year-of-core-vocabulary-words/
A year of CORE words 2:
https://praacticalaac.org/praactical/another-year-of-core-vocabulary/
District Events and Trainings
CHS Fall Festival
This event is organized by the Clements HS National Honor Society and serves to offer transition information to our parents. The campus provides activities for the students while the parents visit vendor booths and attend informational sessions.
November Parent Learning Opportunity
Audience: Parents wanting a clearer understanding of the ARD Process and how IEP goals impact instructional decisions.
This session will provide parents with an overview of the ARD process and an understanding of the components of standards based IEPs. It will address the monitoring/documentation process used to ensure that IEPs are followed with fidelity.
November 11, 2021, 6:00 pm-7:00 pm
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86943007874?pwd=NndEWTRRL3RyMWVLTnFQdlhIblg2dz09
Please visit the Parent Training Opportunities page on our department website to access the complete list of upcoming trainings as well as view recordings of previous trainings.
Inclusive Schools Week
We will be celebrating Inclusive Schools Week, December 6-10, to recognize the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to all our students. This year, the Inclusive Schools Week’s theme is “Rebuilding our Inclusive Community Together.” The week also provides an important opportunity for educators, students and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that we continue to improve our ability to successfully educate all children.
Please be on the lookout for further communication from our campuses including details of our week long celebrations.
Community Resources, Events, and Trainings
To access recordings of past statewide webinars, please visit the Partners Resource Network website.