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SUMMARY November 10, 2016 Meeting

Indiana State Advisory Council (SAC) on the Education of Children with Disabilities

Central Indiana Education Service Center Indianapolis, IN

Present Council Members: (Yes/No) Tiffany Ball, parent representative N Sirilla Blackmon, Division of Mental Health & Addiction, FSSA N Rich Burden, Council Chair, IN*SOURCE and parent representative Y Michael Dalrymple, Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired N Kim Dodson, ARC of Indiana Y Gina Fleming, Archdiocese of Indianapolis N Melaina Gant, Department of Child Services Y Carol Guess, parent representative N James Hammond III, Indiana Assoc of Rehabilitation Facilities/INARF N Kylee Hope, Division of Disability & Rehabilitation Services, FSSA N Jan Huffman, parent representative Y Latha Joseph, Indianapolis Public Schools Y Lisa Kovacs, Hands & Voices International and parent representative Y Jodi Logman, community representative N John Nally, Indiana Department of Corrections Y Danny O’Neill, parent representative N Shirley Payne, Indiana State Department of Health N Patty Reed, About Special Kids and parent representative N Dr. Sharon Johnson-Shirley, Lake Ridge Schools Y Kristi Tesmer, parent representative N Dr. George Van Horn, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation Y Lucy Witte, Indiana School for the Deaf Board Y Dr. Pam Wright, Indiana Department of Education Y

Also Present: Traci Tetrick, Esq., IDOE

Call to Order Chair Rich Burden called the meeting to order at 9:40 a. m. Eleven of twenty-three members were present.

Action Items

Approval of the September 2016 Meeting Summary was tabled due to lack of quorum.

Information Items 1. Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Updates State Director of Special Education Dr. Pam Wright reported that the Office of Special Education now has a full staffing complement and currently has two temporary employees helping with Part B grants reviews. She advised that the status of Indiana ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) Plan development is uncertain following the results of the November election of a new State Superintendent of Public Instruction who will take office in January, 2017. At present the Department continues work on this during the transition period. Pam informed the council that she had presented information on the proposed Certificate of Completion to the State’s Accountability Committee and was asked to share feedback from Special Education constituents. She then

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shared the federal ESSA language describing which “students with significant cognitive disabilities” who take the State’s Alternate Assessment may be counted toward school accountability measurements such as graduation and dropout rates. One council member pointed out that, in the past, if such students did not complete high school within four years, they have been included in these accountability measurement calculations, which has resulted in counting them as a negative or against the school’s graduation rate. Pam also showed slides explaining the Certificate of Completion Work Group’s recommendation for implementation of the ESSA-defined “State Alternative Diploma for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities.” Following the Q&A on this topic, Pam and Council Chair Rich Burden restated and confirmed that they correctly understood the Council’s feedback on the proposed recommendations, noting that the information would be shared with the Accountability Committee as requested. Complaint Investigator Traci Tetrick, Esq. presented the annual Due Process Update to the State Advisory Council. In addition to statistics on complaints, hearings and mediations over the past year, she shared information about the functionality and stakeholders’ use of the recently implemented web-based ICHAMP (Indiana Complaint, Hearing and Mediation Process) system. There was brief discussion about availability of technical assistance for parents regarding the new system and whether capability to initiate Due Process proceedings online has significantly affected the number or nature of formal filings and requests. Traci fielded questions and agreed to check on progress toward posting a Spanish translation of Article 7 (Indiana’s Special Education Rule). 2. Council Member Reports

SAC Legislative Committee: SAC Legislative Committee Chair Kim Dodson briefly described how the results of the recent election will affect the composition of legislative committees, state work groups and other committees working on education and special education issues in Indiana. She encouraged council members to share with her any input they may have about incoming legislators’ interest or specialized expertise to serve on education-related legislative committees and subcommittees or summer study groups. Members present had no other reports or concerns for discussion at the November meeting. Discussion Items

Under the standing item to discuss any items pertaining to the Council’s statutory responsibilities per IC 20-35-3-1, council members shared the following information:

Advise SPI & SBOE on rules pertaining to children with disabilities in Indiana Advise IDOE of unmet needs in the education of children with disabilities in Indiana Provide public comment on rules proposed by SBOE Advise IDOE in developing evaluations/reporting data to USDOE Advise IDOE in developing corrective action plans to address findings in federal monitoring

reports Advise IDOE in developing and implementing policies related to coordination of services for

children with disabilities

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Public Comments There were no public comments. Next SAC Meeting Date The Chair noted that the advisory council’s next meeting is scheduled for __. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 11:26 p.m.

Significant Cognitive Disability Definition

Indiana Department of Education

November 15, 2016

SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITY

• Most students with significant cognitive disabilities have intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, or autism, but not all do, and, not all students with these disabilities are considered to have a “significant cognitive disability”

• Performing 3-4 grade levels below peers without disabilities is one indicator of a significant cognitive disability but not, by itself, evidence of a significant cognitive disability

• A significant cognitive disability will be pervasive, affecting student learning across content areas and in social and community settings

• Students with significant cognitive disabilities are likely to need substantial daily supports to live as independently as possible after high school and throughout their adult lives

Update onCertificate of Completion Work

Prepared for COC Sub-committee on August 19, 2016

HISTORY/COLLABORATION

• Pam asked by SPI to revise COC • In response to comments made on Diploma work group recommendations

• COC needed revision to be more meaningful for the student, family and employers

• Fit into work of the Interagency Transition Team• Subgroup formed as key advisors – then a core work group

• Adult service providers need actual info about student when they leave high school

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Students with disabilities leaving high school with a certificate of completion, rather than a high school diploma, could be capable and willing to work, however, their opportunities for employment are limited.

Why?? Why?? Why??

COC is not valued by employers, parents and students.

1) Why? Because employers and adult providers are unaware of the skills and abilities that students possess.

2) Why? Because it does not appear to stand for anything other than attending 4 or more years of school.

3) Why? Because students who are awarded a COC are often unprepared to enter the workforce.

What do we need to do?

If employers and adult providers are unaware of the skills and abilities that students possess, we need to find better ways to inform them by:

Developing a system for demonstrating knowledge and skills of students.

Developing self advocacy skills.

Developing better communication links between schools, students, employers and adult providers.

What do we need to do?

If the COC does not stand for anything other than attending 4 or more years of school, then we need to make it meaningful by:

Setting criteria (course of study) for EARNING a certificate of completion based on grade level or alternate grade level content standards.

Meeting requirements in order to count for school accountability purposes.

What do we need to do?

If students who are awarded a COC are unprepared to enter the workforce we need to:

Raise expectations for students in all areas

Provide training and tools for teachers that help students meet raised expectations

Increase opportunities for developing employability skills

Set the stage for a more

robust and informative

Certificate of Completion

DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER AND ESSA

Dear Colleague and ESSA

SHARED MESSAGE

• All students have the right to access equal opportunities to learn and develop into productive citizens.

• All students are capable of meaningful learning aligned with grade level standards.

• All school personnel, parents and the community at large share the responsibility of educating all students.

• High Expectations lead to higher performance.

November 2015 Dear Colleague

Shared Responsibility

High Expectations

Meaningful Access

Grade Level Standards

High Expectations=Increased Outcomes

Low Expectations=Low Outcomeshttp://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/guidance-on-

fape-11-17-2015.pdf

• Curriculum – requirement to adopt challenging standards that apply to all. Alternate standards must align with grade level content standards for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

• Instruction-Must be designed to meet diverse needs and close gaps. Multi-tiered systems of support provide foundation.

• Assessment – All students must be measured annually using UDL principles; only 1% assessed may participate in an alternate assessment. This 1% can count for accountability purposes if meet ESSA criteria.

• Collaboration- Improving Outcomes is a shared responsibility.

Key Provisions of ESSA that Impact Students with Disabilities

ESSA: ALL Students Count

Accountability:

Graduation Rate may include SWDs with significant cognitive disabilities who take the alternate assessment in a school’s adjusted cohort graduation rate as long as the student is awarded a state-defined alternate diploma that is standards‐based, aligned to requirements for the regular high school diploma, and obtained within the time period for which the State ensures the availability of a FAPE.

TRANSITION SUB-COMMITTEEAGREEMENTS:

Students must be presented with and follow a course of study that raises expectations, is aligned with grade level standards, and provides opportunities to gain employability skills necessary for employment.

• In order to be credible, expectations similar to a diploma need to be articulated.

• COC Course of Study should mirror the Diploma Course of Study

TRANSITION SUB-COMMITTEE: AGREEMENTS:

TRANSITION SUB-COMMITTEE: AGREEMENTS:

• Certificate of Completion should reflect the academic skills and employability skills of the student.

• A framework is needed that ties the grade level content connectors/standards to the student employability skills.

• The IIEP summary of performance is one vehicle that could be used to gather student information into one format that could be provided to employers and adult service providers.

COC ASSUMPTIONS

• High Expectations for all students is a shared responsibility

• General Education classes are accessed whenever appropriate to fulfil COC Course of Study

• Student’s IEP goals are aligned with grade level content standards that drive the curriculum

• Communication skills, reading skills, problem solving skills are woven into all classes

• Classes may be repeated with new goals if appropriate; more than four years may be needed for completion

• Course selection is driven by the Tranisition IEP and individual goals of students

NEXT STEPS

•Continue work on the Summary of Performance• Identify barriers and questions•Develop Course Descriptions by mid January and

roll out to schools.•Use the Transition Cadres to support employability

connection •Bring before the SBOE•Develop Additional Training Modules/PD for staff•Begin Roll out to the field in mid January