Special
Education
Monthly
Newsletter
November 2015
Watch our launch video
IEP Compliance Update
by Assistant Director for Compliance, Judy Gudvangen
Does Not Qualify “DNQ”:
-PWN for DNQ – Please remember to complete a Prior Written Notice of SPED Action when a student does not qualify for services. This counts for students who are staffed out AND for students who don’t qualify at an Initial Eligibility meeting.
· Parent Input: should briefly describe the parent’s and/or student’s perception of the
following:
a) How the student’s disability affects his or her involvement and progress in the general
curriculum; and
b) How the disability affects the student’s participation in appropriate activities (e.g., for
preschool: student hits/kicks/bites peers to gain their attention and negatively impacts his relationships with his peers).
· Signature Page:
Populate the “Role” from the Team Meeting page in the IEP.
←---- Here.
Roles
* When one of the chosen “Roles” matches any of the 6 areas below, the person’s name
will auto-populate there. Place signature after the printed name. Names with “Other” only
will appear on the next signature page.
faqs you may be wondering
about..
· Who can serve as SPED Director/Designee for meetings?
o The Case Manager, or any licensed SPED team member can serve in this capacity. Typically, if a SPED administrator or Coordinator attends the meeting, they would sign as SPED Director/Designee.
o Any single member of the IEP Team may meet no more than two of the required roles at the IEP meeting (one of the roles must be his/her own role (for example, a SPED teacher cannot sign as both the Director/Designee and the general education teacher, because one of those two roles is not his/her role as a SPED teacher).
· Can I copy/paste the entire evaluation report into the Present Levels Section?
o Please don’t. It makes the IEP a more cumbersome document than it already is. However, you should include results of the most recent evaluation in every IEP you write. It can be a very brief paragraph that includes something like this: Marty was initially identified for special education services for a Specific Learning Disability in the area of reading fluency and math problem-solving when he was in the 3rd grade. He also qualified to receive Speech/Language
services at that time for language concerns. At his re-evaluation in 6th grade, the team
determined that Marty had met all of his language goals and no longer required services in that area. He continued to qualify for SLD. He is making progress in reading fluency and math problem-solving, but continues to require direct services at this time. His 3-year re-evaluation will occur during the next school year.
· What belongs in the Student Needs/Impact of Disability Section?
o A statement of how the student’s disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum and participation in general activities?
o Each identified need in this section is not required to have an associated goal, but every goal must be tied to an identified need.
o Do not list accommodations and modifications in this section. These are things that we will do for the student, and should be written in the appropriate section of the IEP.
· Do I really have to use Excusal Forms? If so, when and how?
o If you have been identified as a required member of the IEP Team (i.e., you are a service
provider) and/or If your name/area is listed on the Notice of Meeting, then an Excusal Form is required if you are unable to attend the meeting.
o If your area of service will be modified or discussed at the meeting, then you need to
complete the form in its entirety, in addition to having the parent sign it. o Possible short cuts:
1. If you call the parent a give your report over the phone prior to the meeting, you can write
on the Excusal Form, “I shared my report in the area of ___ by telephone with the parent prior to the IEP meeting, outlining progress, continued needs, and changes to services. Full written report is included in the IEP.”
2. Or, “Full report is included in the IEP and will be reported at the IEP meeting by another
qualified team member.”
o If the parent will not sign the excusal form, the meeting must be rescheduled for a time all
Compliance Checklists:
IEP Compliance Checklist· to find in 20Net: click on Learning Services/Special Education/20Net SPED
Documents/Audit Forms for the most updated version at all times. I am attaching it here as well.
· Case Manager checks IEP against this form. No need for a second building-level audit as
in the past. We will randomly select IEPs for audit at the EAC.
· The Checklist includes only the items that CDE highlights as critical for compliance, but it
does not mean that other areas are no longer necessary. Continue to fully complete the IEP as if your life depends on it, and ask questions if you need to. Your liaison or I will always be glad to help.
· Don’t make lots of copies of these forms at once – they are subject to change (I have
already updated them since the beginning of the year; just to clean up and clarify – no substantial changes. But still, it’s best to use the most updated version).
Evaluation Report Compliance Checklist
· to find in 20Net: click on Learning Services/Special Education/20Net SPED
Documents/Audit Forms for the most updated version at all times. I am attaching it here as well.
· Case Manager checks Evaluation Report against this form. No need for a second
building-level audit as in the past. We will randomly select Evaluations for audit at the EAC. · The Checklist includes only the items that CDE highlights as critical for compliance, but it
· Don’t make lots of copies of these forms at once – they are subject to change.
State Assessment Information in IEPs
*Please note: IEP development from Kindergarten onward must list state assessment accommodations and modifications even if they are not taking a particular state test in the given year. Consideration must be made for matriculation to the next grade and what tests will be given before the next IEP meeting as well as consideration that accommodations and modifications must be in-place at least 90 days prior to the testing window.*Since the READ Act is required from grades K-3, the district Assessment office will be able to more easily identify students taking alternate or grade-level assessments if they are delineated in the IEP.
Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) for
Academy 20
In September SEAC met for the first time this year and had a solid attendance. Over 30 parents and family members took part in the Spruce conference room at the EAC. The group had an interactive discussion with our Executive Director, Bob Barrows, and also listened to a presentation by local advocate Connie McKenzie from The Arc of the Pikes Peak region.
Other notables from this Council meeting were requests for Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) training for parents. In response to this request certified trainers Eric Purdy and
Stephanie Barron provided a training to families on October 21st. Future trainings will be offered to parents who are interested.
The next SEAC meeting is scheduled for December 2nd from 5:00-7:00p.m. in the Spruce conference room at the EAC.
PersonFirst Language
Person first language is the politically correct way to talk about disabilities. In talking
about children with disabilities, we may hear or say things like, "He's
ADHD,"
or
"He's a
Down's kid."
We have all heard and probably said these things without much thought.
Person first language is an alternative way to talk about children's disabilities that places
the focus on the person and not the disability.
* Please click here for an important reminder to use person-first language. This flyer can also be printed out and displayed or distributed by you.
