SPECIAL EDUCATION March 13, 2013 Curriculum and Instruction
Committee Question and Answers Meeting Developing tomorrows leaders
today
Slide 2
Referrals to CSE
Slide 3
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CHILDREN NEED TO BE CLASSIFIED? PROCESS?
Slide 4
IS IT APPROPRIATE TO MODIFY A STUDENTS CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
AND ASSESSMENT WITHOUT AN IEP OR 504 ?
Slide 5
WHO MAKES THE FINAL DECISION IN A CSE MEETING?
Slide 6
CAN ANY STAFF MEMBER WORKING WITH A CHILD MAKE A REFERRAL?
Slide 7
SHOULD REGULAR EDUCATION TEACHERS BE CONSULTING AND/OR ADVISING
PARENTS ON SPECIAL EDUCATION ISSUES OR CONCERNS IN ANY WAY?
Slide 8
SHOULD TEACHERS/STAFF BE ADVISING FAMILIES TO PUT THEIR
CHILDREN ON MEDICATION OR SUGGESTING POTENTIAL DIAGNOSIS TO
PARENTS?
Slide 9
WHY DO SOME REFERRALS TO CSE NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH IST?
Slide 10
WHO DETERMINES THAT THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST IS THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT DESIGNEE?
Slide 11
DO THE ACTUAL CURRICULUM APPROACHES AND INSTRUCTIONAL
METHODOLOGIES NEED TO B E PROVIDED FOR A CSE REFERRAL? WHEN SHOULD
WE EXPECT DISCUSSION OF THAT INFORMATION?
Slide 12
WHAT INTERVENTIONS ARE WE CURRENTLY USING TO ADDRESS STUDENT
NEEDS PRIOR TO CLASSIFICATION?
Slide 13
IT WAS SAID THAT WE HEAVILY RELY ON RTI DATA. FOR WHAT TO
CLASSIFY CHILDREN? TO CONTINUE RTI? WHAT SPECIFIC DATA ARE WE
TALKING ABOUT? AIMSWEB?
Slide 14
HOW LONG DO CHILDREN TYPICALLY HAVE TO STAY AT THE TIERS BEFORE
WE HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO CONSIDER CSE?
Slide 15
NOW THAT WE HAVE RTI WHAT DOES THE CSE REFERRAL PROCESS/FORM
LOOK LIKE?
Slide 16
Classification and Declassification
Slide 17
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN IEP, 504, OR DECLASSIFICATION
DOCUMENT?
Slide 18
WHY IS IT SUCH A BIG DEAL TO CLASSIFY A STUDENT?
Slide 19
WHY DO CHILDREN WHO HAVE LOW STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES WHEN
EVALUATED, NOT QUALIFY FOR CSE?
Slide 20
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ADDRESS THE FAMILIES WHO FEEL PRESSURED BY
STAFF TO ACCEPT CSE SERVICES OR TO PUT THEIR CHILD OUT OF DISTRICT?
WHY ARE SOME CHILDREN SENT OUT OF DISTRICT WITHOUT THE EVIDENCE
THAT THE BIP HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY FOLLOWED OR WITHOUT THE SUPPORT
OF AN FBA?
Slide 21
BEHAVIORAL DATA TRACKING IS BEING DONE BY SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS
WHO ARE RECORDING WHAT THEY WANT AND CHANGING WHAT THEY WANT. WHAT
BEHAVIORAL DATA TRACKING ARE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS RESPONSIBLE
FOR?
Slide 22
DO WE FOLLOW DISCREPANCY MODEL OR RTI TO QUALIFY CHILDREN AT
THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL? RTI IS MANDATED ONLY FOR GRADES K-4 READING,
RIGHT?
Slide 23
WHAT ARE THE PATHWAYS A CHILD CAN QUALIFY FOR A LEARNING
DISABILITY (LD) IN NYS?
Slide 24
WHAT DOES A PATTERN OF STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES MEAN IN TERMS
OF A LEARNING DISABILITY (LD)?
Slide 25
WHAT MAKES A STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT VALID AND RELIABLE? WHAT
IS A GOOD RELIABILITY COEFFICIENT? WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? DO THE
TESTS USED IN PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL EVALUATIONS MEET THIS
CRITERIA?
Slide 26
DOES THERE NEED TO BE EVIDENCE OF VARIED CURRICULUM APPROACHES
TO JUSTIFY A LEARNING DISABILITY (LD)?
Slide 27
WOULD CURRICULUM GAPS OR PROBLEMS BE RELEVANT IN A LACK OF
INSTRUCTION AS IT RELATES TO A LEARNING DISABILITY (LD)
DISCUSSION?
Slide 28
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A READING DISABILITY AND A
LEARNING DISABILITY?
Slide 29
WERE ANY CHILDREN PUT ON THE CSE REGISTER LAST YEAR OR THIS
YEAR?
Slide 30
ARE THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS PRESSURED TO DECLASSIFY
STUDENTS?
Slide 31
WHAT IS THE POINT OF RE-TESTING STUDENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN
FULLY ASSESSED AND PUT ON DECLASSIFICATION SUPPORT? IS THERE AN
IMPACT TO THE CHILD?
Slide 32
WHAT SUPPORTS HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE IN REGULAR EDUCATION FOR
DECLASSIFIED STUDENTS?
Slide 33
WHY AND WHERE ARE WE USING THE LINDAMOOD-BELL LIPS, SEEING
STARS, AND VISUALIZING/VERBALIZING PROGRAMS? WHAT ARE THE FIVE
PILLARS OF READING?
Slide 34
WHAT HAS CHANGED SO DRASTICALLY IN OUR TEACHING THAT CHILDREN
HAVE GROWN TO GRADE LEVEL AND BEEN DECLASSIFIED TO BRING OUR
NUMBERS FROM 20% TO 15%? HOW/WHAT DID OUR DISTRICT DO TO DECREASE
OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION PERCENTAGES 3-5% FROM 09 -10 TO 13-14?
Slide 35
Professional/Certifications
Slide 36
CAN TEACHERS/STAFF OTHER THAN THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST INTERPRET
TEST SCORES UTILIZED AS PART OF A STUDENTS PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL
EVALUATION (REGARDLESS OF THE EVALUATION HAVING BEEN CONDUCTED BY
DISTRICT STAFF OR NOT)?
Slide 37
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER REGARDING
PROGRAMMING, IEP DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS?
Slide 38
WHAT READING TRAINING HAVE THE PSYCHOLOGISTS HAD?
Slide 39
WHAT TRAINING HAVE READING TEACHERS HAD TO ANALYZE OR INTERPRET
TEST RESULTS (SPEECH, AND PSYCH EVALUATIONS)?
Slide 40
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A READING TEACHER AND A READING
SPECIALIST, AND HOW DOES THE SCOPE OF THEIR PRACTICE DIFFER? PLEASE
PROVIDE EXAMPLES.
Slide 41
Programming
Slide 42
IS IT TRUE THAT STATE ED CAME OUT TO REVIEW THE ICM PROGRAM
LAST YEAR? IF SO, WHAT DID THEY SAY?
Slide 43
HOW MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO STATE ED WITHIN THE LAST
5 YEARS REGARDING SPECIAL EDUCATION?
Slide 44
HAS STATE ED PROVIDED US ANY FEEDBACK ON OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS
AND PRACTICES?
Slide 45
IM SURE THAT THE POSITIVE ROLE MODELS OF THE GENERAL EDUCATION
STUDENTS ARE HELPING OUT THE ICM KIDS, BUT ARE WE TRACKING HOW THE
NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS OF THE ICM KIDS ARE AFFECTING OUR GENERAL
EDUCATION STUDENTS?
Slide 46
Communication
Slide 47
WHAT IS THE FEEDBACK ON PSYCHO- EDUCATIONAL EVALUATIONS FROM
OTHER DISTRICTS?
Slide 48
WHAT IS PREDETERMINATION AND PLEASE PROVIDE EXAMPLES? DO
PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS COUNT? DOES GOING
OVER PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORTS AHEAD OF TIME COUNT?
Slide 49
TEACHERS ARE ASKED FOR A LOT OF INFORMATION TO BE COMPLETED
PRIOR TO THE PSYCHOLOGISTS REPORT BEING COMPLETED AND WE DO NOT
HEAR A BOUT IT UNTIL THE MEETING. CAN A PROCEDURE BE ESTABLISHED TO
FOLLOW UP BEFORE THE MEETINGS SO EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE?
Slide 50
IS THERE A FORMAL PROCEDURE IN PLACE FOR THE RE- EVALUATION
PROCESS FOR THE COMMITTEE THAT WILL BE AT THE MEETING? (THE
PSYCHOLOGIST DOES ALL THE TESTING, SEND HOME RATING SCALES TO FILL
OUT, TEACHERS ARE ASKED TO FILL OUT SURVEYS AND SCALES AND GIVE
NARRATIVES ON THEIR STUDENTS, AND MAYBE WE GET AN EMAIL BACK ABOUT
THE RESULTS)
Slide 51
WHY ARE WE TELLING PARENTS THAT OUR NUMBERS ARE TOO HIGH;
THEREFORE, THEIR CHILD WILL NOT GET SERVICES ON THE CSE
REGISTER?
Slide 52
Training
Slide 53
WHEN WILL TRAINING BE PROVIDED THAT HELPS DISTINGUISH BETWEEN
INTERVENTIONS AND ACCOMMODATIONS/MODIFICATIONS?
Slide 54
WOULD ADDITIONAL TRAINING IN ACCURATE DATA COLLECTION (WITHOUT
THE USE OF SUBJECTIVE OR INFLAMMATORY LANGUAGE) BE HELPFUL?
Slide 55
Additional Comments
Slide 56
PBCS ISM CLASS WAS NOT INITIALLY MODELED AFTER ANYTHING. A
BRAND NEW TEACHER WAS (AND LET GO) AND NEVER REALLY GIVEN ANY
GUIDELINES. GUIDELINES CAME MID-YEAR AFTER STAFF PUSHED AND
QUESTIONED AND PUSHED AND QUESTIONED. VISITS WERE MADE TO
BETHLEHEM, A DESCRIPTION WRITTEN, ETC. AROUND FEBRUARY OF 2012.
LAST YEAR WAS A HORRENDOUS YEAR FOR BOTH TEACHERS, TEACHER
ASSISTANTS AND STUDENTS AT PBC DUE TO THE LACK OF PLANNING FOR THE
ICM CLASSES. THE UNDERSTANDING IS IT HASNT CHANGED MUCH BUT THAT
TEACHERS ARE EITHER AFRAID TO SPEAK UP OR DO NOT HAVE THE TIME
BECAUSE THEY ARE TRYING TO KEEP THEIR HEADS ABOVE WATER. NOT SO
SURE PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS ARE WRITTEN SO PARENTS CAN
UNDERSTAND THEM. ALSO THE INITIAL LETTERS SENT TO PARENTS ARE OFTEN
DECEIVING AND/OR DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND; THEREFORE, HOLDING UP OR
EXTENDING THE PROCESS. I KEEP HEARING TEAM BUT THAT IS NOT REALLY
PUT IN TO PRACTICE.
Slide 57
AIMSweb and RtI Follow Up Meeting Being Scheduled with an
AIMSweb Representative to Address Questions Related To These
Topics.