Hello and Welcome Back s1

Hello and Welcome Back,

I hope you all had a nice summer

Here are some reminders as we start off the year. Some of this is “old hat” and some just gentle reminders in order to get off to a good start.

TEAM MEMBERS: If it hasn’t been done already, go into Infinite Campus and under the TEAM MEMBERS tab, add your name to the student’s team member list as their current CASE MANAGER for this school year. Put in an “End Date” to last years’ case manager and add your name to each students’ team member as their current case manager.

SPECIAL EDUCATION STATUS REPORT: Ask the Due Process EA to run off a copy of the Special Education Student Summary Report. This is a report offered on Infinite Campus which should have your caseload for this school year (2011-2012) of when each student’s IEP, Re-Evaluation is due. It is a great tool to help you “stay ahead of due dates” in order to meet the timelines for due process. Remember, it’s all about staying organized!

CASE MANAGER’S RESPONSIBILITIES: *Re-acquaint yourself with your caseload for the 2011-2012 school year. As a case manager you are responsible for signing the front of the special education file as well as becoming familiar with the students’ educational history. Also, review past evaluation reports to learn how the student has progressed educationally, review any medical information on the student, adaptations that were used with the student and any past contact log information to learn more about the individual student. It is very important to make sure the assessment date on the IEP is correct and to make sure that the students’ disability category is reflected correctly on both the Evaluation report and the current IEP. *When looking at evaluation and IEP due dates, keep evaluations and IEP’s in logical sequence; evaluate, then write the IEP, review IEP and then rewrite. Try to look at your entire caseload to coordinate Evaluations to happen prior to an annual IEP rewrites. Also, to space out your 3 year Re- evaluations. If you have several due around the same month, you can move up the Re- evaluation or space them out so you are not holding 4 Re-evaluations simultaneously and needing to write IEP’s following the Re-evaluation. THINK AHEAD and PLAN FOR THE ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR OF THOSE STUDENTS’ YOU KNOW YOU NEED TO HOLD EVALUATION PLANNING MEETINGS FOR.

*When reviewing your caseloads remember that you need to have staff invited to any meeting on the student who has the correct licensed area for the students’ disability category (i.e. if the student has a primary disability category of Physical Impairment a staff person who holds that licensure needs to be part of the team and invited to all meetings). Also, as a case manager it is your responsibility to collaborate with anyone who is listed on the IEP and providing direct or indirect services to the student.

CONTACT LOG: Use this to document all phone calls, written reports, correspondence, meetings held on the student with the parent. Be sure to enter the dates documents are sent home to the parents and the name of the document sent. It is also important to write into the contact log when documents are received by the school.

*Check the student’s folder for evaluations to make sure that the assessment date on the IEP is correct. Make sure the evaluation is the most recent comprehensive triennial evaluation. The Infinite Campus (IC) program will print an evaluation date on the IEP and on the Status Report which is most recent even if it is only an updated FBA or Speech/Language evaluation for added services.

*Be careful not to unlock IEP’s when viewing past documents.

IEP’s

*Use an agenda. If you do not have one I can supply a generic one. *Enrollment Page: Make sure the disability category and service level is accurate on the IEP sent for approval. If this is not accurate, please inform the Due Process EA in your building and work with them to correct this information into Infinite Campus.

*IEP team meeting must be printed into the IEP with those attending checked off. There is a comment box in which you can write any additional information, if needed. The comment section can be used to enter names of people attending the meeting that the parents may have invited such as an ARC advocate, family friend, etc…

*NOTICE OF TEAM MEETING: The purpose of the meeting needs to be clearly noted on the meeting notice. Check the box, or write it on the notice under other. The expectation is that you inform and invite all the team members. All members present must INITIAL the Notice of Team Meeting at the time of the meeting. When a required member of the team cannot attend the meeting, the parent must sign the Excused Absence From Team Meeting form agreeing to go forward with the meeting even though a member is not present. [A meeting must include at least the District Representative/Administrative Designee, one General Education Teacher, Special Education Teacher, Parent, and student should be invited if appropriate.]

*REMINDER: At the top of the IEP is the team meeting date. Teams need to meet BEFORE that team meeting date in order to write a new annual IEP for the student. Remember the meeting date is not the same as the service start date. This is important when planning annual IEP meetings.

*NOTICE OF PROPOSED ACTION/DENIAL (NOPAD) should be completed after the meeting as a record of the IEP meeting. Include complete information as to the content of the meeting, what was discussed and the decisions made. Remember to include a discussion of ESY eligibility and the team’s decision. This document needs to be comprehensive in order to give parents accurate information on which to base their consent.

*On the Notice of Proposed Action/Denial form for a proposed IEP, when answering the 5 questions asked, you can NEVER say “NO OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED”. There are always OPTIONS that should be discussed as to the students’ placement decision, adding or deleting services, accommodations and modifications needed, location of service and/or adding or deleting service time. In addition, FACTORS considered in regards to the proposed IEP would include the students behavior, limited English proficiency, Blind or Visual Impairement, Communication needs, Assistive Technology and if an Interpreter and/or Bilingual Liaison was needed at this meeting and needs to attend future meetings. IF NONE OF THESE APPLY TO A PARTICULAR STUDENT YOU CAN SAY “No other factors are relevant at this time.”

* Use the NOTICE OF PROPOSED ACTION/DENIAL also when making changes to a current IEP. (increase or decrease of service minutes, services added or deleted also including special education transportation, goals and objectives added, and/or Federal Settings or type of site changed). Be sure to be descriptive as to the changes that are being made on the IEP.

*PROGRESS REPORTING: Use the following statement on your IEPs: Progress will be reported quarterly, through three written reports and one conference as per general education reporting. Remember to make a record of completing the progress report and type of report (i.e. IEP/Progress Report/ Conference) in the student’s Contact Log on Infinite Campus.

*Remember that the student’s progress needs to be written within the Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) in the IEP. This is where you would report the students’ progress on current goals/objectives as documented on PROGRESS REPORTS located in Infinite Campus.

* PRESENT LEVELS OF ACADEMIC AND FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE. (PLAAFP). Present levels of academic performance, progress on prior goals and objectives, statement as to how the student’s disability affects performance in the general curriculum and a statement of student’s needs are required in the IEP.

*EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR (ESY): Don’t forget to discuss ESY at the IEP meeting and make a plan for documenting the student’s need for ESY with respect to self sufficiency or regression recoupment for example. Include this discussion in the NOPAD. Now is a good time to look at collecting data for regression and recoupment. How long will it take the student to recoup skills after the summer break? Assess the skill level or knowledge level specified on the goals and objectives in the IEP. Then determine how long it takes to regain skill levels that are present prior to a break. Check Progress Report from June on and/or ESY information .

*LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT (LRE): Remember to state what the student misses when “pulled out” from the general education setting for their services.

GOALS *Remember to make a statement as to how each goal is to be measured. Teacher observation is not enough. Goals need to be written in the “from and to” form. (MUST BE MEASUREABLE AND DIRECTION OF CHANGE).

The name of the “SERVICE PROVIDER” must be included on the IEP Please remember to check the display on print box when writing the IEP so the provider’s name does not appear on the printed version of the document.

NOTICE OF EVALUATION/RE-EVALUATIONS (NEER): *Remember: if you wrote an assessment name or wrote an observation was to take place on the NEER you need to complete/do it and include this within the EVALUATION REPORT. Review the various disability category criteria in order to ensure that SHOULD a student need to meet INITIAL CRITERIA all of the components to a criteria are listed on the NEER. There is nothing more frustrating than to come to the end of evaluating a student and see that you did not complete a test needed to qualify the student for a disability area. EVALUATION REPORTS

*No acronyms unless first written out within the Evaluation report.

Background Information:

*Evaluation Reports must include present levels of the student’s academic performance in each of the areas of concern that are covered in the report. Include educational history, what did school look like, cultural information, behavior and attendance records, strengths and

weaknesses, interests , interventions and the results what works and does not work, prior assessments, MAP scores, district evaluation results, report cards and progress reports on goals and objectives if the student has had an IEP.

Summary of Evaluation data:

*Each report area must be summarized. All scores need interpretation as to how the student performed; strengths and weaknesses, item analysis etc. DO NOT report NUMBERS ONLY! What do the scores mean for example, with respect to student needs, strengths, weaknesses, progress from prior evaluation, compared to others of his/her same age.

Report Summary and Interpretation

*All Evaluation Reports/Re-Evaluation reports that have included SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES (SLD) criteria on the last page must have evaluation team signatures on this page. Check YES or NO as to agreement of results. If you check “NO” you must declare in writing WHY you disagree with the teams decision. *When addressing the CRITERIA, eligibility statements must address the specific elements/components of each section of the criteria with summary data from the report. *The Evaluation report must include a FINAL SUMMARY PARAGRAPH which includes reasons why the team made the resulting determination regarding eligibility and statements of the student’s needs. This is the responsibility of the CASE MANAGER in collaboration with the team members involved in the evaluation. ie; SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST, PHYSICAL AND HEALTH DISABIITIES TEACHER, ELEMENTARY AUTISM RESOURCE REPRESENTATIVE, etc…

*Each evaluation must include a list of accommodations for successful participation in the general education setting. This can be located after the EDUCATIONAL NEED section at the end of the Evaluation report.

*FOLLOWING AN EVALUATION/RE-EVALUATION: It is the Case Manager's responsibility to tell the Due Process Ed. Assistant if the disability category for an individual student has changed or not. The Due Process EA will then need to access the student’s records on Infinite Campus and change the disability status for that student. THIS IS IMPORTANT as this information is "pulled into the IEP" and printed on the front page. If it is not corrected, the student could have the wrong disability category printed on the parent copy of the on the IEP which they are to approve!

Remember to do your best job with paperwork. Keep in mind if you want help just ask!! I am a resource to help provide assistance to you with due process procedures. Asking is not a character flaw.

Have a great year,

Deb Bomberg Elementary Due Process Facilitator New Hope Learning Center 8301 47th Ave. No. New Hope, MN 55428 763-504-8610