Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School
Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School Special Education Federal and State Mandates Roles and Responsibilities of General Education Staff 1
Alphabet Soup Take a look at ‘Alphabet Soup’ How many acronyms can you identify? 2
Alphabet Soup IDEA NCLB LEA MCAS AYP IEP Rt. I IST ADA DCAP LRE 504 DESE FAPE ELL OCR 3
n n n DESE – Department of Elementary and Secondary Education LRE- Least Restrictive Environment IEP – Individual Education Program FAPE – Free and Appropriate Public Education NCLB – No Child Left Behind Act IDEA- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act ELL – English Language Learners Rt. I – Response to Intervention IST-Instructional Support Team OCR- Office for Civil Rights 4
So Why Review State and Federal Regulations? n “The school district shall provide training to all school district staff, including general and special educators, administration, and paraprofessionals on the requirements of special education”. MA DESE 603 CMR 28. 03(1)(a) n To understand the relationship and connections between general education and special education, including roles and responsibilities of Principals, General Education and Special Education teachers 5
Responsibilities of School Principal n n Instructional Support (IST) Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP) Coordination with Special Education Home/hospital Services 6
Responsibilities of School Principal: Instructional Support § § § Promotes instructional practices responsive to student needs Ensures adequate instructional support available (remedial, consultative, reading instruction, ELL) Consults with Administrator of Special Education regarding accommodations and interventions. Efforts and results shall be documented in student record. 7
Responsibilities of School Principal: Instructional Support n When a student is referred for an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education, the principal ensures that documentation on the use of instructional support services is provided as part of the evaluation information reviewed by the Team when determining eligibility. 8
Early Intervening Team n n Under IDEA 2004, districts can develop “early intervening services” for student in K-12 Services to students who have not been identified as needing special education but who require academic or behavioral support 9
Early Intervening Team (EIT) n Is the current terminology used by DESE. At GNBVT, we have the “Instructional Support Team” 10
Responsibilities of School Principal: Curriculum Accommodation Plan n n Implements a curriculum accommodation plan developed by the district’s general education program to ensure all efforts have been made or will be made to meet the needs of diverse learners in general education Implements a plan that assists general educators in providing appropriate services and supports 11
Responsibilities of School Principal: Curriculum Accommodation Plan n n Training in analyzing and accommodating diverse learning styles Training in systematic reading instruction and behavioral interventions Training in methods of collaboration among teachers and paraprofessionals Opportunities for parent involvement 12
Federal Law Requires n n IDEA: All students with disabilities have the right to “access the curriculum” NCLB: All students including students with disabilities must participate in district and state wide assessments 13
Roles and Responsibilities in the General Education Classroom Instructional Support Team (IST) and District Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP) Involvement in the General Curriculum/Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Classroom teacher roles relative to the IEP (Individual Education Program) 14
Involvement in General Education n “District personnel reflect a full understanding of the connection between the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and the expectations of the state for student performance as well as the rights of students with disabilities to be full participants in the general curriculum. ” 15
Involvement in General Education cont. n “At least one member of the IEP Team is familiar with the general education curriculum and is able to discuss an eligible student’s appropriate access to the general curriculum. ” 16
Educational Assessment n n Is a required assessment Technically becomes part of the student record since it identifies the student by name and is shared with others at the team meeting 17
Educational Assessment Provided by a teacher(s) with current knowledge regarding the student’s specific abilities in relation to: n Learning standards of the MA Curriculum Frameworks and the district curriculum n Attention skills n Participation behaviors n Communication skills, memory and social relations with groups, peers and adults 18
Eligibility for Special Education n Eligible student shall mean a person aged 3 -21 who has been determined by a Team to have a disability(ies) and as a consequence is unable to progress effectively in the general education program without specially designed instruction 19
Disability means one or more of the following impairments: n n n n n Autism Developmental Delay (age 3 -9) Intellectual Impairment Sensory Impairment (Hearing, Vision, Deaf-Blind) Neurological Impairment Emotional Impairment Communication Impairment Physical Impairment Health Impairment Specific Learning Disability 20
Least Restrictive Environment “Least restrictive environment (LRE) shall mean the educational placement that assures that, to the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities are educated with students who are not disabled. ” 21
General Education Classroom First Consideration n The Team must first consider placement of a student with disabilities in a general education classroom with supplementary aids, services and modifications. 22
Reason for Removal from General Education n “If the student is removed from the general education classroom at any time, the Team states why the removal is considered critical to the student’s program and the basis for its conclusion that education in a less restrictive environment with the use of supplementary aids and services, could not be achieved satisfactorily” MA DESE Special Education Regulations 603 CMR 28. 06(2) 23
Removal From General Education n “The district does not remove an eligible child from the general education classroom solely because of needed modification in the curriculum. ” MA DESE Special Education Regulations 603 CMR 28. 06(2) 24
IEP and the General Educator n Each teacher and provider described in the IEP is informed of his/her specific responsibilities related to the implementation of the student’s IEP. 25
IEP and the General Educator n Teachers and providers must be specifically informed of : n n Responsibilities Specific accommodations Modifications Supports required for the student 26
FAQs n What are accommodations? (PLEP A & B of IEP) Accommodations are adaptations typically provided by general educators within the general education environment. Accommodations do not fundamentally alter or lower the expectations of the test. They are changes in test/course presentation, location, timing, student response necessary to access the curriculum. 27
Accommodations Examples n n n Graphic organizers Editing/ self correction guides Models /exemplars Word banks Word walls 28
FAQs What is specially designed instruction? (IEP Goals and Objectives & Methodology) “Specially designed instruction addresses the unique needs of the student that result from the student’s disability. SDI is a modification not regularly provided for students in the general education program. However, not all students will need SDI in all areas of educational need and not all students will require all types of SDI. ” n 29
Modifications “Changes in course/standards/test presentation, location, timing/scheduling, expectations, student response, and/or other attributes which are necessary to provide access for a student with a disability to participate in a course/standard/test, but which do fundamentally alter or lower the standard or expectations of the course/standard/test. ” PLEP A & B of IEP; MCAS Accommodations 30
Modifications n n Modify content, methodology and/or performance criteria Examples could be: n n n One paragraph only, Given 10 math problems Graphic organizer only Topic sentence provided Small group composition to review vocabulary prior to and following instruction in gen ed Oral testing Use of a calculator 31
Examining the IEP n n What are the essential details of this student’s learning profile? (strengths, disability) How does the student’s disability impact his/her performance in my class? 32
FAQs: Are regular education teachers responsible for services if they are listed in the service delivery grid? “All teachers, including regular education teachers, listed on the service delivery grid are responsible for providing special education. Regular education teachers are listed on the service deliver grid only when they are receiving consultation from a special educator thereby facilitating the regular class teachers’ delivery of SDI. In this instance, it becomes a joint responsibility. In addition, administrator of special education signs the IEP ensuring that services will be provided as recommended by the Team and thus supporting the inclusive programming under this service delivery model. ” 33
IEP and the General Educator n All responsible teachers and service providers are informed of IEP changes and how it affects them when IEP is amended by district-parent agreement without a Team meeting. 34
IEP and the General Educator Provision of a copy of the IEP alone is insufficient! What does this mean? Collaboration among general and special educators 35
Bullying and Students on IEPs n “Whenever the evaluation of the Individualized Education Program team indicates that the child has a disability that affects social skills development or that the child is vulnerable to bullying, harassment or teasing because of the child’s disability, the individualized education program shall address the skills and proficiencies needed to avoid and respond to bullying, harassment or teasing. ” 36
Bullying and IEPs continued n The legislation makes specific reference to students on the autism spectrum 37
“Observation Law” n n n In 2009, the State Legislature passed a law outlining the rights to classroom observation by parents and their designees A school district must “grant timely access by parents and parent-designated independent evaluators and educational consultants (designees) to a child’s current and proposed special education program so that the parent and named designees can observe the child in the current program and any proposed program” The request must be reasonable as to length of time and conditions 38
“Observation Law” n n n The District is able to schedule the observation after having time to coordinate the observation with school staff The District may indicate times of the year when observations are not scheduled, i. e. MCAS testing, etc. If this is to occur in your classroom, you will be given prior notice 39
Data Sources for Presentation n n n n MA DESE Education Laws and Regulations, 603 CMR 28. 00 Special Education, Amended May 27, 2011 MA DESE Coordinated Program Review Procedures: Civil Rights and Other General Education Requirements, SY 2011 -2012 MA DESE Student Record Regulations, Amended August 2006 MA DESE Coordinated Program Review Procedures: Special Education, SY 2011 -2012 IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004 Americans with Disabilities Act as amended 2008 MA DOE Q & A Guide on the new Special Education IEP and related Special Education Regulations, January 1996 MA DESE Educational Assessment B Form MA DESE Technical Assistance Advisory SPED 2009 -2 Observation of Education Programs by Parents and Their 40 Designees for Evaluation Purposes
Quiz To Test Your Recall! n n Please complete the following ten questions. If you are incorrect, please go back to power-point to locate correct response. Good Luck! 41
Question 1 n The district is required to provide training to only special educators on special education regulations. TRUE FALSE 42
Question 2 The Team must first consider placement of a student with disabilities in a general education classroom with supplementary aids, services and modifications TRUE FALSE 43
Question 3 n At least one member of the IEP Team is familiar with the general education curriculum and is able to discuss an eligible student’s appropriate access to the general curriculum. TRUE FALSE 44
Question 4 n The educational assessment completed by a teacher does not become part of the student record. TRUE FALSE 45
Question 5 n Each teacher and provider described in the IEP is informed of his/her specific responsibilities related to the implementation of the student’s IEP. TRUE FALSE 46
Question 6 n A student is eligible for special education services if they are between the ages of 321, have been determined by a Team to have a disability(ies) and as a consequence is unable to progress effectively in the general education program without specially designed instruction TRUE FALSE 47
Question 7 Accommodations are adaptations typically provided by general educators within the general education environment and do not fundamentally alter or lower the expectations of the test. They are changes in test/course presentation, location, timing, student response necessary to access the curriculum. TRUE FALSE 48
Question 8 n The observation law may affect my classroom since parents or designees may observe a current or proposed classroom setting once requested by the parent. TRUE FALSE 49
How did you do? Check your responses on following slides 50
Question 1 n The district is required to provide training to only special educators on special education regulations. TRUE FALSE Required for both general and special educators 51
Question 2 The Team must first consider placement of a student with disabilities in a general education classroom with supplementary aids, services and modifications TRUE FALSE The Team must always consider the LRE (least restrictive environment) 52
Question 3 n At least one member of the IEP Team is familiar with the general education curriculum and is able to discuss an eligible student’s appropriate access to the general curriculum. TRUE FALSE Reason why a general educator needs to be at every IEP Team Meeting 53
Question 4 n The educational assessment completed by a teacher does not become part of the student record. TRUE FALSE All reports which identify a student by name and is shared with another party becomes part of the student record 54
Question 6 n A student is eligible for special education services if they are between the ages of 321, have been determined by a Team to have a disability(ies) and as a consequence is unable to progress effectively in the general education program without specially designed instruction TRUE FALSE Kudos to you if you recall the impairment categories! 56
Question 7 Accommodations are adaptations typically provided by general educators within the general education environment and do not fundamentally alter or lower the expectations of the test. They are changes in test/course presentation, location, timing, student response necessary to access the curriculum. TRUE FALSE Do you remember how this differs from modifications? If not, see slides 34 and 35 57
Question 8 n The observation law may affect my classroom since parents or designees may observe a current or proposed classroom setting once requested by the parent. TRUE FALSE The District will communicate with you and plan accordingly if this is to occur 58
Finally. . n Thank you for your time and effort with this power-point, which fulfills the District requirement for annual training. Any questions on any topic, please contact your Liaison or Special Education Director n n Thanks for your continued collaborative efforts for all students! 59
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