SPAN/FCSN Annual Meeting—DESE Update
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SPAN/FCSN Annual Meeting—DESE Update December 4, 2020 Chicopee Public Schools Assessment Center Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 3 Randolph Public Schools Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education ACCEPT Collaborative Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 5 01 Welcome and Ignite 02 DESE Updates CONTENTS 03 New Information 04 Q&A 01 Welcome Operate from confidence, QRWIURPIHDU We're better together 02 DESE Updates Improved COVID Help BinaxNOW Student Line Supports Truancy Audit Team Guidance IEP Improvement Project: Early Adopters • 19 schools and districts across the Commonwealth o Comprised of public schools, charter schools, regional vocational technical school, and approved special education schools • Schools and districts represent Massachusetts socio- economically, regionally, linguistically, racially and culturally o Rural, suburban and urban populations o High incidence IEPs Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 11 IEP Improvement Project: Early Adopter Cohort • Blackstone Valley Regional • Marblehead Public Schools • Carver Public Schools • Mashpee • Chelsea Public Schools • Medfield Public Schools • Clinton Public Schools • New Bedford Public Schools • Foxborough Regional Charter • Norton Public Schools School • Perkins School for the Blind • Groton-Dunstable Regional • Pioneer Valley School District • Quabbin Regional Public Schools • League School of Greater Boston • The Guild for Human Services • Lenox Public Schools School • Malden Public Schools • Waltham Public Schools Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 12 IEP Improvement Project: Stakeholder Engagement-Schools and Districts • Abington • Hampden Charter School of • Marblehead Community Charter • Pioneer Valley Chinese • Acton-Boxborough Science East Public Immersion Charter (District) • • Agawam • Hanover • Martha's Vineyard Charter RCS Learning Center School • Alma del Mar Charter • Sabis International Charter • • Medfield Harvard • Sandwich • Amego School, Amego, Inc., • Medford Boston • Haverhill • Somerville • Milford • Bristol County Agricultural • Holbrook • South Shore Educational • Milton • Brooke Charter School • Ipswich Collaborative (SSEC) • Monomoy Regional School • • Center for School Crisis • JRI The Victor School Southborough Intervention and Assessment District • Southern Worcester County • Judge Baker Children's Center, • Children's Center for • Monson Regional Vocational Technical Communication • KIPP Academy Boston Charter • Mystic Valley Regional Charter • Southwick-Tolland-Granville • City on a Hill Charter Public School • Northampton-Smith Vocational Regional School District • School-Circuit Street • Lee Agricultural Spencer-E Brookfield • Collaborative for Educational • Sturgis Charter Public • Lexington • Northborough Services • Sudbury • Ludlow • Northern Berkshire Regional • Dighton-Rehoboth, • Sutton • Dr Franklin Perkins School, • Lynnfield Vocational Technical • Swansea • Fall River, Frontier • Mansfield • Norwood • Weston • Gloucester • Manville School • Old Rochester • Westwood • Granby • Paulo Freire Social Justice • Winchester Charter School Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education • Pilgrim Area Collaborative (PAC) 13 IEP Improvement Project: Stakeholder-Organizations, Partners and Advocacy Groups • ARC of Mass or Affiliates Asperger/Autism • Massachusetts Association of Approved Private Schools Network • MABENE • Autism Alliance • MASERS • Braille Literacy Advisory Council • Massachusetts Advocates for Children • Bureau of Special Education Appeals • Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change • Burlington SEPAC • Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of • Chelsea SEPAC Hearing • Community Legal Aid • Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association • Decoding Dyslexia • MHLAC • Department of Children and Families • Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives • Department of Developmental Services • NESCA • Department of Youth Services and Special • Special Education Advisory Panel Education in Institutional Settings • Special Needs Advocacy Network • Department of Public Health • SPEDWatch, Inc. • Federation for Children with Special Needs • University of Massachusetts Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education • Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts 14 • Guidance on Collecting MCAS-Alt MCAS Alt. Evidence Produced During Remote Evidence Instruction Collection • Guidance document has been posted Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 15 03 New Information Serving English Learners with Disabilities During In- Person, Hybrid, and Remote Learning New ESLWD Guidance Released This Week Serving English Learners with Disabilities During In-Person, Hybrid, and Remote Learning can be found at this link. Developed for English learner education, special education, and general education administration and staff, and should be read and applied in conjunction with all other applicable guidance, including: x Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance x Comprehensive Special Education Guidance for the 2020-21 School Year x Remote Learning Guidance for Fall 2020 x Guidance to Plan and Provide Remote Learning for English Learners x Guidance for Supporting English Learners with Disabilities x Guidance for Courses Requiring Additional Safety Considerations for Fall 2020 x Career/Vocational Technical Education Reopening Guidelines. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 18 ELSWD guidance provides additional What’s information, key considerations, and teaching New in the strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic for in- ELSWD person, hybrid and remote learning that are critical to ensure that ELs with disabilities receive Guidance ELE services and special education services that meet their unique needs. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 19 • ELs with disabilities are entitled to receive both ELE services and special education services to ensure that they receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). • Districts and schools must adapt their ELE services and IEP services to account for in-person, hybrid and remote learning to ensure that EL students with Important disabilities receive appropriate and effective English Information language development and content instruction. • Teachers and parents/caregivers should actively collaborate and communicate regularly to support students’ access to the curriculum and to help students meet their English language proficiency and IEP benchmarks and goals. • There are no changes to requirements regarding progress monitoring and reporting. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 20 Key Considerations 1. Prioritization for in-person learning; 2. Special education evaluation process and consideration of the need for primary language and alternative assessments; Highlighted in the New 3. IEP Team process; Guidance 4. Organizing opportunities for staff collaboration and professional Are Six Key development; Areas: 5. Technology use and provision of training and support for parents and caregivers of ELs with disabilities; 6. Engaging families and communities. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 22 1. Prioritization for In-person Learning o ELs with disabilities should be prioritized for receiving in- person instruction during the 2020-2021 school year. o Parents/caregivers have the option to choose a district’s remote learning program for their child’s instruction if they prefer. MassachusettsM h DDepartment off El ementary andd S Secondaryd EdE Educationd i 23 o DESE recognizes that, due to COVID-19 closures in March, annual review Team meetings, evaluations and/or parts of evaluations may have 2. Special been postponed. o Schools and districts will need to address the Education backlog of assessments and meetings while simultaneously addressing the need to meet Evaluation timelines for annual review Team meetings and evaluations for students who are newly referred Process and/or due for an evaluation. o Disability evaluations may not be delayed because of a student’s limited English language proficiency or the student’s participation in an ELE program. 24 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education How to Begin • Once a referral is received, to understand a student’s strengths and needs, the district should review all existing relevant information in the student’s record, and that parents/caregivers may make available to the district. • Consider information from parents/caregivers regarding their children’s experiences during the spring of 2020, including primary areas of need, ability to access remote learning, and other information critical to meet students’ needs as schools reopen. • Use professional judgment in determining whether the existing data review provides sufficient information for some aspects of a student’s evaluation and, if not sufficient, develop a plan for completing special education assessments in- person or remotely. Decision-making should include collaboration among special education and ELE personnel. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 25 “Professional Judgment” Professional judgment on decisions relating to remotely conducting special education assessments should take into account the following factors: Referring to guidance of the relevant Taking into consideration current professional organization(s) of the