Two New Checklists for your IEP Writing Pleasure

November 5th, 2013  

7. Checklist

The most common question on this transition checklist is #3. This question is only asking if the team discussed DVR services and whether the student should apply for the service. This question is not asking whether the student applied. This question should be answered “Yes” in nearly all cases as information can and should be provided about DVR to all students with transition plans. Brochures are available through Denise Kelly if you are not ready to invite DVR to a meeting, but want to provide information to the student and family for consideration or discussion later.

If there are transition agencies (agencies that will be providing transition services to the student) involved with the student, then the contact information would be included in the table at the bottom of the checklist.  If you have questions, contact Pupil Services.

 

7. Placement Checklist

The most common question / error on this LRE checklist is question #2. This question will generally be “No” as a student who is receiving any type of pull out instruction is not “satisfactorily educated in the general ed environment for the entire school day.” #5 is also one that is difficult in some circumstances. #5 is only a “No” if the student’s IEP placement is implemented at a school other than his / her homeschool. So, for students who are at Marathon, for instance, #5 would be “Yes” still because the IEP team did not place the student at Marathon. #5 would be “No” if the student’s IEP placement or LRE is a self-contained setting and the district had to change the location due to a school not having that LRE. The placement is the IEP team’s decision. The location, if different than the home area school, is the district’s decision.

Any “No” responses require a justification specific to the question that had a “No” response.

If you have questions, please contact Pupil Services.

 

April 2013 FAQs

April 4th, 2013  

FAQs

Q: I have a student on my caseload who is also enrolled with Connections. Who should be invited to the IEP or 3-year reevaluation meeting?

A: If a student is dually enrolled, staff from the school and from Connections should be involved in meetings. To ensure that the right people from Connections makes it to the meeting, contact the special education teacher at Connections who will ensure that all appropriate players from Connections will be invited. Your meeting invitation can list, “Connections staff” as an invitee.

Q: What is that Indicator 13 checklist?

A: This checklist refers to the requirements regarding secondary transition. A link to the requirements and the checklist can be found here. We will continue to work on and monitor the components of this checklist as new state reporting requires districts to report on ALL 8 indicator 13 questions beginning July 2014.

Q: When considering ESY eligibility, isn’t it about whether students would “benefit” from the service?

A: No!! Almost all students would “benefit” from services over a long break like summer. Students who are     eligible for ESY services “need” the service in order to fully access their free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and make progress towards their IEP goals and objectives.

Cover Page Reminders – Secondary Transition

April 4th, 2013  

The IEP cover page has a section for parents to give consent for transition agencies to attend a student’s IEP meeting. Here are some additional guidelines that will hopefully be helpful.

1. If the student is a junior, DVR must be considered for participation in IEP meetings.

2. If, after careful consideration, no transition agencies are appropriate, there should not be a signature on the parent signature line. Instead write “Not appropriate for this meeting.”  Be sure to consider participation annually.


IEP Cover

 

Ask any non-KPBSD representative present at the meeting to write the name of their agency/company on the line next to their signature or next to the word “other” under their signature line.

IEP Cover2

 

Call your friendly neighborhood Pupil Services if you have any questions!!

March 2013 FAQs

March 17th, 2013  

FAQs

Q: Who contacts the transportation office when students need to have transportation added to or removed from their program?

A: The case manager is responsible.

Q: When I print my IEP, the last line of the PLAAFP cuts in half. What can I do?

A: The most important thing is that you notice that this has happened so that you are not     sending it home difficult to read. The best thing to do is to check where the line is cutting off and hit “enter” a few times to move that line down to the next page. Reprint and check again. Repeat until it is a clean line.

Q: What was I supposed to do with that consent for transition agency section on the IEP signature page?

A: By law, we are required to invite transition agencies, as appropriate, to IEP meetings starting when students turn 16 years old. We are also required to have consent to have any agency that we invite participate. The section on the signature page of the IEP is for parents/ adult student to provide their consent. If no transition agencies were invited to the meeting, write “none at this time” on the signature line, and the parent does not need to sign. Please also  reconsider the need for a transition agency to be invited for the next meeting.

High School Courses in Sped Database

February 6th, 2013  

The high school courses listed in the SpEd database have been updated to reflect the courses that are currently listed in PowerSchool.

As always, to enter courses in a student’s secondary transition plan you need to select a Course Category from one of the drop down lists at the left.  Once the category is chosen you can choose from a drop down list of available courses in that category (see images below).

For diploma-bound students, this section of the transition plan should lay out a minimum of 22 planned credits—the number of credits required to earn a high school diploma. The small box to the lower left of the courses will keep a running count for you as you enter courses and their corresponding credits into the grid.

Snapshot of course category dropdown list

Snapshot of course dropdown list