November 2012 FAQs

November 1st, 2012  


Q: I am using the Edmark program to teach reading to some of my students. Can I include the name of the program in the goals and objectives?
A: It is not best practice to include the names of specific programs in the goals and objectives for the students, but rather a general description or title of the program. For instance, for Edmark, you could say, “a sight word/ functional word based reading program.” In the PLAAFP and in the baseline for the goals, you can state where the student currently is in regards to the programs in which he/she is working. Including names of programs locks the teacher into a particular program, and if the student were to move, would lock another school into a particular program (or providing an explanation of why that program will not be used).

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Q: I have an IEP annual and a 3-year reevaluation due in the same year, but we did not hold the meetings together. Any thoughts?
A: The most important thing to remember is that our Special Education Database holds only the most recent IEP paperwork. Once new information is inputted, the previous is deleted. Because of that, it is imperative that you plan ahead.  When an annual and a 3-year are done in the same year, but not at the same meeting (for instance, two weeks apart), you will need to send the paperwork into district office for the first meeting, BEFORE the next meeting is started so that it can be reviewed and corrected, if needed, before it is erased with the paperwork for the subsequent meeting.

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Q: A student just transferred from Connections to my school. The IEP doesn’t make sense to be able to implement at my school. Now what?
A: When a student transfers from Connections, primarily with a consult-model IEP, the receiving school will need to amend the IEP to be able to implement the IEP at their school. This includes an amendment to the summary of services and possibly the goals and objectives to be implemented at the receiving school. Always feel free to contact the Connections special ed teacher if you have questions about the student.

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Q: I usually send paperwork home to parents at the same time I send it to district office. It is embarrassing to have to contact the parent to correct mistakes found by district office. What can I do?
A:  The hard copy of the IEP is the legal document that the school is to follow and is the educational record for both the district and the parent. Therefore, that document must not only reflect the decisions made by the team for the student, but must reflect our best work as school district employees. Always print out the IEP and proofread it. You may consider asking a colleague to proofread it for you. You may also wish to contact the district office secretaries or your program coordinator prior to printing and sending the document anywhere, and we will be happy to proofread it for you! Proofreading should be for typos as well as for content inconsistencies or errors.

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Transition IEP Cover Page – Consent for Outside Agency Participation

October 1st, 2012  

The following text has been added to the IEP cover page for transition age students:

The district must obtain parental consent regarding transition agency participation. (Checkbox) I give my consent for the following agenc(ies) to participate. (Checkbox) I do not give my consent for the following transition agenc(ies) to participate.

At  Friday’s transition training, the question came up as to how to document consent for students with more than one outside agency involved in the transition process. In some instances the family may wish to include one agency and not another. This new text will allow case managers to document which agencies the parent gives consent for participation, and which (if any) the parent does not provide consent for.

The text below has also been added to the printed meeting invite for transition age students:

Note: Districts must invite transition agenc(ies), as appropriate, if a student is at transition age. Please notify your child's case manager as soon as possible if you do not wish for the transition agency to participate in the meeting.

 

 

Please keep in mind that if an outside agency is included in a student’s transition plan, that agency should be invited to participate in the IEP meeting and must be included on the meeting invite. If the parent (or 18 y.o. student) chooses not to give consent for agency participation, we have met our obligation by inviting the agency.  Either way, the parent (student) needs to sign the consent section of the IEP cover page to indicate that they do or do not give consent.  Please use caution when including outside agencies as the provider for transition services if/when those agencies are not active participants in the IEP meeting.

 

Increase Parent Satisfaction with the IEP Process

September 1st, 2012  

Take these steps to increase parent satisfaction with IEP process

A recent study found that about 70 percent of parents of students with disabilities are satisfied with the IEP process. The study also identified two groups of parents that reported less satisfaction with the IEP process: parents of students with behavioral challenges and economically disadvantaged. Parents of students with challenging behaviors generally are frustrated with the IEP process when they don’t see dramatic improvement in their child’s behavior. Economically disadvantaged parents may have difficulty finding time to attend IEP meetings or understanding the IEP process. Here are some tips from special ed administrators:

1. Accommodate parents’ busy schedules. Get creative—break up one long meeting into several shorter meetings, suggest a conference call, or propose meeting before the school day starts.

2. Accommodate parents with language barriers. Contact your program coordinator if you think an interpreter is needed at the IEP meeting. Provide a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards and any PWNs in their primary language.

3. Be upfront about how long it may take to modify difficult behavior.  Discuss as a team the problem behaviors to address first, which should be the most disruptive or dangerous behaviors. This way, parents know what the district is focusing on and won’t expect all of the child’s problem behaviors to improve at the same time. Assure parents that you will monitor the student for incremental progress and changes in behavior and notify them of such changes. Explain that the team will reconvene if the child does not respond to interventions after one grading period.

4. Explain IEP process in simple terms.  Language barriers or unfamiliarity with special education can make it difficult for parents to understand complex special ed terminology and acronyms. It is imperative that parents believe there is a staff member who will help them to understand the IEP process. They should be aware of what they should never leave an IEP meeting without and what they should look for in their child’s IEP.

Source: Special Ed Connection®. Copyright 2012 by LRP Publications, P.O. Box 24668, West Palm Beach, FL 33416-4668. All rights reserved. For more information on this or other products published by LRP Publications, please call 1-800-341-7874 or visit our website at www.shoplrp.com/special_ed.html

May 2012 FAQs

May 1st, 2012  

Q: I want to make sure that I invite all the right district team members to my students’ IEPs. How can I be sure I haven’t missed anyone?
A: It can be difficult when the student has many providers. There are a couple of suggestions that we would like to share:

1. Always check the Summary of Services page and invite any service that is listed as direct service or consult. Whether consult or direct, related services providers are required at the meeting.

2. Double check the student’s schedule in PowerSchool—just in case (especially helpful for secondary). Making sure that the correct people are at the meeting is critical for making a full, legal team for the  benefit of a student. Because providers service several schools, always give as much notice as possible. Ideally, you will contact all providers immediately after scheduling with the parent 10 days prior,

 

Q: What do I need to do when the IEP team requests an assessment for an area outside of the three-year re-evaluation process? For instance, a parent requested an OT assessment (or other assessment) and the team agrees to conduct it. Once the assessment is completed, what do we need to do?
A: The first step is to understand that this situation requires a consent for evaluation. After the  completion of the assessment, you would hold a meeting where the assessor will review their report and the team will determine eligibility for the particular area/service or potentially continued eligibility for special education. You would then continue to an IEP meeting to amend the IEP with this new information in the PLAAFP, and determine if goals and objectives and/ or program modifications/ accommodations are required. Finish with a Prior Written Notice summarizing the actions to be implemented.

April 2012 FAQs

April 1st, 2012  

Q:  I keep getting reminded that I need to include more on the PLAAFPs. Where do I find the info I am being asked to include?
A: Information for all areas of the PLAAFP needs to be gathered from a variety of sources. You will get a lot of the information from your ESER, if the evaluation was held recently. If not, some of that information may still be relevant, but you will also need to get information from a variety of other sources, i.e. SBA or HSGQE scores, your IEP team members, curriculum based measures and classroom assessments, IEP progress reports, etc.

Please review December’s newsletter and ask your program coordinator if you have any questions!! And remember:  At each annual review, the PLAAFP must be updated with the student’s current information! 

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Q: What is the 45-day timeline from consent to ESER?
R: The day that parents sign consent for any evaluation, a 45-school day timeline begins. The team has 45 school days from the date consent is signed to the date of the determination of eligibility. The 45 schools days must be counted carefully from the date of consent to the date of the meeting to determine eligibility (ESER). Remember to count only school days. **Note: Ideally all individual evaluation reports will be completed and available to the team, including the parent, prior to the meeting—around the 30 day mark of the timeline.

There have been several situations in the past few weeks where the timeline has been miscalculated result ing in timelines that are past due. Be sure to count and recount!

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Q: Why does it feel like the paperwork that I turn in is being “nit-picked”?
R: The paperwork that is kept in the district office is a student’s official educational record. The file must be maintained with a high level of professionalism. Documents contained therein cannot have spelling errors, incorrect dates, white-out, crossed out dates and words, etc. If you think about it, as educators, would we accept work from our students that had those kinds of errors?

Here are some things to be extra watchful of in regards to the signature cover page:

–  Ensure that you have the correct student’s cover page at your IEP meeting.
–  Once you print it, check that ALL dates at the top of the page are correct and match the meeting date.
–  Check that you have secured the parent signature on all applicable lines and boxes.

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