Great Ideas Convention 2015

Learning Labs

The Administrative Quagmire for 18+ Programs

in Texas

Vickie J Mitchell, Ed.D., Mitchell-Panter Consulting, LLC and

Christopher P Borreca, JD, Thompson & Horton LLP

THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  QUAGMIRE  FOR  18+  PROGRAMS  IN  TEXAS  

Vickie  J  Mitchell,  Ed.D  Christopher  P  Borreca,  JD  

2014-­‐  What  to  do  about…  

• LiRgaRon  and  TransiRon• The  18+  ConRnuum  of  Services:  Campus,  District,  andCommunity-­‐Based

• TEKS  and  TransiRon-­‐Based  IEPs,  ARD  CommiZeeMembership,  and  ExiRng  18+  Services  

• Do  the  assessments,  to  plan  the  IEP,  look  different  for  18+?  

• InstrucRonal  Arrangements  and  the  18+  • Travel  Training  and  TransportaRon    • Data  CollecRon  and  Grading  • Postsecondary  EducaRon,  Who  Pays?  

Li'ga'on  and  Transi'on  

• Chris  Borreca,  JD  • LiRgaRon  and  TransiRon  Services  

• Current  Cases  

• ImplicaRons  for  adult  students  in  18-­‐21  TransiRon  Services  

18+  ConRnuum  of  Services  

Life  beyond  the  classroom  (P.  Wehman)  

LocaRon:  HS  Campus  (the  HUB)  

TransiRon-­‐Based  IEP  

InstrucRon  occurs  at  the  campus  &  in  the  community  

LocaRon:  a  district  owed/rented/borrowed  locaRon  

Yes,  even  if  the  room  is  at  the  community  college!  (The  HUB)  

InstrucRon  occurs  at  the  ISD  locaRon  &  in  the  community  

LocaRon:  the  community  

The  student’s  schedule,  instruc>on  and  support  to  facilitate  Transi>on,  mirrors  adult  life.  

Home  to  community  &  back  home  

Campus-­‐Based    18+  

District-­‐Based    18+  

Community-­‐Based    18+  

TEKS  and  Transi'on-­‐Based  IEPs?  

• 18+  Services  are  for  adult  students  who  have  completed  the  state  curriculum  (TEKS)  and  meet  general  educaRon  requirements  for  graduaRon  for  the  School  FoundaRon  Program  

• The  IEP  of  an  18+  adult  student  is:  – Transi>on-­‐Based  NOT  TEKS-­‐Based  

ARDC  Membership  and  the  18+  

• ARD  CommiZee  Membership  

– RepresentaRve  knowledgeable  about  the  resources  within  the  local  district  

– Adult  Student  – Parent/Surrogate  Parent/Guardian  

• Surrogate  parents  of  students  in  ResidenRal  Facility  (RF),    must  meet  eligibility  requirements  to  serve  as  an  RF  surrogate  parent.  

• ResidenRal  facility  staff  members  may  not  sign  as  the  parent  of  adult  students  residing  in  the  RF.  

– Appraisal  Staff,  if  new  evaluaRon  is  being  considered  

– Special  EducaRon  Teacher,  or  if  appropriate  special  educaRon  provider  

– Related  Services,  if  applicable    

– RepresentaRve  of  parRcipaRng  agencies  likely  to  be  responsible  for  providing  or  paying  for  transiRon  services;  invited  with  the  consent  of  the  adult  student  or  parent/guardian/surrogate  parent  

ARDC  Membership  and  the  18+  

• General  EducaRon  Teacher?  – not  less  than  one  regular  educaRon  teacher  of  the  child  (if  the  child  is,  or  may  be,  parRcipaRng  in  the  regular  educaRon  environment)      89.1050(c)(1)(B)  

• Career  and  Technical  EducaRon  Teachers?  – The  student  is  no  longer  par>cipa>ng  in  CTE,  nor  is  CTE  being  considered,  therefore  there  is  no  requirement  for  a  CTE  teacher  as  a  member  of  the  ARD  CommiGee.  

If  vocaRonal  training  is  needed,  go  where  other  young  adults  go…  community  

college,  OJT,  etc.  

Exi'ng  18+  Services    

• If  everyone  ages  out,  then  are  the  18+  services  truly  individualized  or  do  ALL  of  the  adult  students  simply  run  out  of  >me  to  meet  the  IEP?  – IEP  Planning  for  18+  Services  

• Meaningful  partnerships  with  adult  students  and  parents  to  conduct  TransiRon  Assessment,  analyze  the  results,  plan  the  IEP,  and  develop  the  adult  schedule  

• Everyone  develops  and  knows  the  goals  and  what  each  will  look  like  when  met  

• Everyone  develops  and  agrees  on  the  adult  schedule    • Every  partners  helps  to  teach,  monitor,  and  communicate  • Everyone  “RECOGNIZES”  when  the  IEP  has  been  met  …  the  student  has  met  the  IEP  and  the  Exit  ARD  is  completed.  – Discuss  the  request  to  return  opRon  at  the  Exit  IEP  MeeRng  for  the  18+  

adult  student.  

Example  of  18+  Transi'on  Assessments  

This  is  an  example.  

What  tools  does  your  district  have?  

You  need  the  PCT  or  PCTA  and  Life  

Plan  

Instruc'onal  Arrangements  and  18+  

• If  we  do  not  follow  the  school  calendar  and  bell  schedule,  how  do  we  address  the  commensurate  day  requirement?  

• Review  of  exisRng  IEP  • Assessment  results  • Needs  • Goals  and  objecRves  • Courses    • Number  of  minutes  required  to  implement  the  adult  IEP   This  is  an  ARDC  Decision!  

 Case  Law?  “Length  of  school  day”?  

§89.63:  Instruc'onal  Arrangements  and  SeSngs  

The  “Old”    and  

 the  “New”  as  of  Jan.  1,  2015  

Travel  Training  and  Transporta'on  

• Yes,  we  sRll  teach  travel  training  if  we  do  not  have  metro  – Pedestrian  – Bicycle  – Taxi  –Metro,  Metro-­‐Liq  – City  bus  versus  point  to  point,  limited  metro  – Carpool,  friends,  family,  etc.  

Urban  families  in  ci'es  with  buses  have  

the  same  problems  as  suburban  and  rural  

families  living  in  areas  without  buses.  

Transporta'on  

• Do  we  use  the  yellow  bus/district  van  for  adult  services?  

– You  may  use  the  yellow  bus/district  van  to  implement  the  18+  services  but  this  is  NOT  a  research-­‐based  pracRce  nor  does  it  facilitate  transiRon  services.  (Fade  the  Bus/Van!!)  

– The  purpose  of  transiRon  is  to  transiRon  to  the  adult  world  of  work,  educaRon/training,  and  independent  living,  AND  to  transiRon  to  community  services  that  provide  access  adult  environments.  The  yellow  bus  won’t  exist  aAerpublic  school!  

Is  the  “y

ellow  bus

”  LRE  

in  an  adu

lt  transi'

on  

program

?????  Independent  Living  ?????  

Progress  Reports  and  Grading  

• What  is  the  standard  for  determining  the  grading  procedures  for  a  student  whose  educaRon  takes  place  in  the  community  instead  of  the  high  school  campus?  – Tests  versus  hands-­‐on  demonstraRon  of  skills  

– The  value  of  task  analysis,  producRvity  charts,  levels  of  support,  etc.  

– Technology  and  Video  Modeling  

– Determining  the  grading  process  and  the  ARDC  discussion  – Monitoring  progress  reporRng  

Progress  Reports  and  Grading  

A  liXle  something  to  help  you  figure  it  out!  

Postsecondary  Ed:  Who  Pays?  • If  the  student  in  the  18+  program  parRcipates  in  

postsecondary  educaRon  classes  at  the  local  community  college,  who  pays  for  the  course,  the  district  or  the  parent?  

• CFR  300.39(a)(1)  “at  no  cost  to  parents”  

• Defined:  “at  no  cost  means  that  all  specially-­‐designed  instrucRon  is  provided  without  charge,  but  does  not  preclude  incidental  fees  that  are  normally  charged  to  nondisabled  students  or  their  parents  as  part  of  the  regular  educaRon  program.”  –  BUT  THIS  MAY  OR  MAY  NOT  BE  SPECIALLY-­‐DESIGNED  INSTRUCTION  

• What  are  your  district’s  policies  and  pracRces?  

TEA  Dual  Credit  FAQ  August  12,  2011  

Page  8;  Ques'on  27  

Does  your  district  pay  for  general  ed  students  who  are  dually  enrolled?  

Make  18+  Happen  With  Quality    

• Vickie  J  Mitchell,  Ed.D  Mitchell-­‐Panter  Consul>ng,  LLC  

936-­‐494-­‐9080  vickie@mitchellpanter.com  

• Christopher  P  Borreca,  JD  Partner;  Thompson  &  Horton  LLP  

713-­‐554-­‐6740  cpb@thlaw.com  

hXp://tcase2015.wikispaces.com  

Developed  by  Dr.  Vickie  J  Mitchell;  Mitchell-­Panter  Consulting,  LLC    (2012;  Revised  2014,  2015)  

Coding  Guidance  for  18+  Adult  Transition  Services  (ATS)    

TCASE  2012    Dr.  Vickie  Mitchell  and  Chris  Borrecca  (Horton  &  Anderson)  presented  this  information  to  Special  Ed  Directors  at  the  January  2012  TCASE.  It  was  based    on  information  provided  by  Vickie  to  districts  since  2008.  Chris  verified  the    information.  The  TCASE  presentation  was:  “Barriers  to  18+  Services  in  Texas”.    

   

 ADDITIONAL  INFORMATION:  18+  CODING  ASSIGNMENTS:  The  non-­‐traditional,  18+  ATS  utilizes  the  community  as  an  extension  of  the  high  school  campus  (97-­‐off  home  campus-­‐community  class).  Services  are  provided  in  the  community  to  transition  skill  acquisition  and  maintenance  into  adult  environments.  Therefore,  18+  students  are  coded  as  members  of  their  home  campus.        

18+  ATS  Coding  Matrix  for  Students  in  Residential  Facilities  (From  Mitchell-­‐Panter  18+  Procedures  Manual)  Parent/Legal  Guardian  is  a  

Non-­‐Resident  of  DISTRICT  and  Adult  Student  is  in  RF  

Parent/Legal  Guardian  Resides  in  DISTRICT  and  Adult  Student  is  

in  RF  Non-­‐RF  Student  

85  18+  regular  campus;  >  60%  

44  18+  regular  campus;  >  50%  

44  18+  regular  campus;  >  50%  

86  18+  on  a  separate  campus  

96  18+  on  a  separate  campus  

96  18+  on  a  separate  campus  

87  Not  Employed;  community  class  

97  Not  Employed;  community  class  

97  Not  Employed,  community  class  

88  VAC  (paid  or  unpaid)  

08  VAC  (paid  or  unpaid)  

08  VAC  (paid  or  unpaid)  

 

ESC  13:  Guidance  on  Coding  for  18+  (Elizabeth  Danner)  This  is  from  an  18+  Q&A  Document  developed  by  Elizabeth  Danner  at  ESC  13  (Updates:  Nov.  2011).  

 

 

Adopted  Dec.  2015  by  SBOE:  Effective  Date  1/1/2015  -­‐  §89.63  IA  08:  Vocational  Adjustment  Class/Program  This instructional arrangement/setting is for providing special education and related services to a student who is placed on a job (paid or unpaid unless otherwise prohibited by law) with regularly scheduled direct involvement by special education personnel in the implementation of the student's IEP. This instructional arrangement/setting shall be used in conjunction with the student's individual transition goals and only after the school district's career and technical education classes have been considered and determined inappropriate for the student.  IA  97:  Off  Home  Campus-­‐Community  Class  A student in a community setting or environment (not operated by a school district) that prepares the student for postsecondary education/training, integrated employment, and/or independent living in coordination with the student's individual transition goals and objectives, including a student with regularly scheduled instruction or direct involvement provided by school district personnel, or a student in a facility not operated by a school district (other than a nonpublic day school) with instruction provided by school district personnel;  

(2012)  Developed  by  D

r  Vickie  J  M

itchell;  Mitchell-­‐Panter  Consulting,  LLC.,  M

ontgomery,  TX  

18+  TRANSITIO

N  ASSESSM

ENT  M

ATRIX  

 

Transition  Assessm

ent  

Employment  Skills  

PS  Educ.  /  Training  

Independent  Living/Daily  Living  Skills  

Community  Participation  &  Access  

Transportation  

Health  

Self-­‐Determinatio

n  

Social  Skills  

Communication  

Levels  of  Support  

Time  Management  

Productivity  

Aptitude  

Rec/Leisure  

Brigance  Em

ployability  Skills  Inventory  

X    

   

   

   

 

Brigance  Transition  Skills  Inventory  

x    

x  x  

x    

   

   

   

X  

Vineland  A

daptive  Behavior  Scales  

X    

X  X  

   

   

X    

 

MPC  Productivity  

Chart  X  

   

   

   

   

Person-­‐Centered  Thinking  

Assessm

ent  (PCTA)  

   

X  X  

X    

X  X  

   

 X  

Life  Plan  –  (M

itchell-­‐Panter/M

PC)  X  

X  X  

X  X  

 X  

X  X  

X  

   

X  

Reading-­‐Free  Vocational  Interest  

Inventory  X  

   

   

 X  

   

Enderle-­‐Sevenson  Transition  Rating  Scale  (ESTR)  

X  X  

X  X  

X  X  

(Severe/  Multi)  

 X  

   

   

   

Transition  Planning  Inventory  

X  X  

X  X  

X  X  

X  X  

   

   

 X  

Task  Analysis  

X    

   

   

   

 

ARC  Self-­‐

Determ

ination  Scale  

   

   

   

X    

   

AIR  Self-­‐

Determ

ination  Scale  

   

   

   

X    

   

Community  A

ccess  Assessm

ent*    

   

 X  

   

   

(2012)  Developed  by  D

r  Vickie  J  M

itchell;  Mitchell-­‐Panter  Consulting,  LLC.,  M

ontgomery,  TX  

Transition  Assessm

ent  

Employment  Skills  

PS  Educ.  /  Training  

Independent  Living/Daily  Living  Skills  

Community  Participation  &  Access  

Transportation  

Health  

Self-­‐Determinatio

n  

Social  Skills  

Communication  

Levels  of  Support  

Time  Management  

Productivity  

Aptitude  

Rec/Leisure  

Ansell-­‐Casey  Life  

Skills  (III)  X  

X  X  

X  X  

X  X  

MPC  Levels  of  Support  

X  X  

X  

Functional  Analysis  

of  Transportation*  X  

MPC  Social  Mapping  

X  X  

Informal  M

easure  of  Productivity  

X  X  

School  &  

Community  Social  

Skills  Rating  Checklist*  

X  X  

X  

THEA

 Practice  Test  X  

Assistive  

Technology  Needs  

Inventory-­‐Com

munications  

Application*  

X  X  

X  

Technology  and  Adult  Environm

ents  X  

X  X  

X  X  

X  X  

X  X  

X  X  

X  X  

X  

*From

 the  ProEd  Series:  (1)  Informal  A

ssessments  for  Transition  Planning,    (2)  Inform

al  Assessm

ents  for  Employm

ent  and  Career  Planning,  (3)  Informal

Assessm

ents  for  Independent  Living  and  Community  Participation.  

Framework for Data Collection and Grading on 18+ IEP Progress

Data Collection Rationale

Why is data collected?

Instructional and related service personnel collect and maintain records to chart the student’s progress and needs. The collection of data provides documentation that the adult student is benefiting from instruction.

Type of data collected

The records can be anecdotal reports, portfolios, task analysis, productivity or time charts, videos, criterion-referenced tests, teacher made tests, interviews, adult student work samples, etc. (Use Technology, both for the teachers and student-monitored progress)

When should data collection begin? Data collection should begin as soon as the IEP is developed and continue until the next scheduled IEP review.

How often is data collected?

Usually progress is reported at the same time that typical students receive report cards, but this can change based on an ARD/IEP committee decision.

• Teachers should collect data at least 1 time per weekon IEP goal progress.

• The frequency of data collection is increased for newinstruction or based on the individualized needs of the adult student.

What if the adult student master’s his/her IEP goals?

As the student masters goals, work to maintain the skill and implement instruction for other goals on the IEP not met or introduced. If the adult student has made progress and mastered many of the IEP goals, recommendations for new goals and objectives will begin to be generated. (What is your district’s policy for Amend ARDs, Telephone ARDs, or does this need to be a full ARD Meeting? Do the proposed goals create a change of placement? Then you must go back to ARD.)

What if the student does not master or make progress on the IEP goals?

If the adult student has not made progress or mastered IEP goals, consider the following:

• Was the IEP implemented appropriately?• Did you vary instructional strategies or materials• Is a referral for evaluation for additional services or

supports needed?• Is the placement appropriate?

What about grades? The ARD Committee will determine how progress grades will be determined and document the discussion and decisions in the Deliberations.

** Adapted from the Texas First Project: Texas Continuous Improvement Process

Note: The ARD Committee should discuss grading and progress monitoring and document the decisions in the IEP deliberations. As noted above, the frequency of collecting data is based on individual student need. For example, a student participating in travel training as a new skill may need a higher frequency of data collection to identify skill strengths and barriers to skill acquisition for the purpose of making individualized instructional and support decisions.

© 2011; Revised 2013, 2014. Mitchell-Panter Consulting, LLC. Montgomery, TX. All rights reserved.

Grading Options and 18+ Grading: What is the purpose of grading? What will be graded? What documentation will be used to monitor progress and report the progress? What will the grade look like to report the progress? How will the adult student and parent receive the information and how often? Remember:

• Educators are evaluating student performance and reporting the results.• Good reporting is based on good evidence (Thomas R. Guskey)• Grades/progress monitoring is part of the instructional process (Thomas R. Guskey).

Progress evidence helps the teacher know what is working/not working with instructionas well as used to develop grades or progress reports.

• Student-monitored progress is a excellent strategy for meaningful” studentinvolvement”.

Criterion-Referenced: Grading in an 18+ is criterion-referenced (compares the student’s performance to clearly stated performance standards), NOT norm-referenced (compares student performance to other students. What are the performance standards? Reporting Frequency for 18+: Discuss this in the ARD Meeting. Will the reporting occur on the same time schedule as IEP Progress Reporting or the “School Report Card” schedule. Connecting the Dots: Progress reporting must match the IEP goal. (i.e. If the IEP states 7 out of 10 trials or with 90% accuracy then does the data show how the adult student is progressing toward the IEP standard? It is not that you have to be gruelingly technical, but you have the standard in the IEP so how is the adult student doing in regards to meeting the standard the ARD Committee set?

Grading Model The ARDC Conversation

Traditional A, B, C, D, F

• What documentation will be collected to evaluateperformance?

• How will you determine the grades?• Consider using a grading rubric.• How will the results be used to determine progress on

the IEP?• Frequency?

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Or

Met/Not Met

• What documentation will be collected to evaluateperformance?

• How will you determine what constitutes “S” versus“U” when evaluating student performance?

• Consider using a grading rubric.• How will the results be used to determine progress on

the IEP?• Frequency?

IEP Progress Report as the Grade

• What evidence would verify progress on each of the IEPgoals/objectives?

• How will the evidence be shared with the adult studentand parent to support the rating on the IEP ProgressReport?

• Frequency: Will you follow the ISD policy on this or theARDC set a different reporting frequency?

© 2011; Revised 2013, 2014. Mitchell-Panter Consulting, LLC. Montgomery, TX. All rights reserved.

Regulations, Interpretations and Grading the IEP Progress

300.320(a)(3)(i) Definition of Individualized Education Program (a) General. As used in this part, the term individualized education program or IEP means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in a meeting in accordance with §§ 300.320 through 300.324, and that must include —

... (3) A description of — (i) How the child ’ s progress toward meeting the annual goals described in paragraph (2) of this section will be measured; and …

Special Education Bulletin: OCR Letter to Runkel; July 1995; to the Dept of Ed-Montana Question #2. May a student with a disability enrolled in a general education class for reasons other than master of the course content (example, learning social skills) be excluded from the class grading and evaluation on specific objectives on the IEP? We agree with our response that classes taken for no credit as part of the IEP may solely be graded based upon criteria outlined in the particular student’s IEP.

OCR Letter to Mary Hudler; July 26, 2006; Director of Special Education, California Page !: “IDEA does not have specific provisions on report cards or transcripts, but does require that the IEP for a child with a disability include a description of how the child’s progress toward meeting the annual goals will be provided (Such as through the use of quarterly or other periodic reports, concurrent with the issuance of report cards). These periodic progress reports may be separate from, or include as part of, the regular report cards of students with disabilities with an IEP.

Question #2: Can a report card assign grades for a child with a disability based on the student’s grade level standards? …To the extent that a disabled student is not participating in such classes and is being taughtdifferent course content or taught using a modified or alternate education curriculum for a portion of the day, it would be up to the SEA and the LEA to establish standards to reflect progress or level of achievement for this different course content or modified or alternate education curriculum. The grades on a disabled student’s report card for classes with a different course content and classes taught using modified or alternate education curriculum would be based on these standards.”

U.S. Department of Education; Office of Civil Rights Website: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-qa-20081017.html

Nothing in Section 504 or Title II prohibits SEAs and LEAs from deciding how to establish standards to reflect the progress or level of achievement of students with disabilities who are taught using different course content or a modified or alternate education curriculum. To the extent that a student with a disability is not participating in regular education classes, but is receiving modified course content or is being taught under a modified or alternate curriculum, it

© 2011; Revised 2013, 2014. Mitchell-Panter Consulting, LLC. Montgomery, TX. All rights reserved.

would be up to the SEA and/or the LEA to determine the standards to be used to measure the student’s progress or level of achievement.

Region 20 ESC: IEP Annual Goal Development Q&A Document 1.32 How does master of annual goals relate to grading and promotion? “…Mastery of an IEP goal does not automatically constitute passing a course and passing an course does not automatically equate to mastering an IEP goal. If the IEP goal is not academic in nature, it may not figure into mastery of the course (and, thus the assignment of a course grade) at all.”

1,36 How should progress be reported in IEP periodic progress reports to parents? “Progress must be reported in the same manner as the goal and associated objectives is measured. For example, if the goal/objective state that the child will master a goal/objective 4 out of 5 times, then progress reported must reflect how many times out of 5 times the student is able to accomplish the goal/objective. If the goal/objective is written as a percentage, then progress must be reported as a percentage. Simply noting things such as “progress being made” or “Continuing” are not adequate for reporting progress”.

3.4 Must measurable annual functional goals be standards-based? “No. Because there are no state adopted standards for functional goals, there is no standard on which to base these goals. For example, if the ARD committee decides the student needs a goal to help him/her transition independently between class periods, there are no TEKS related to this skill. The goal must still be written in measurable terms (including timeframe, condition(s), criterion, and behavior), but it should be based on the student’s PLAAFP and the skills the student needs…”

© 2011; Revised 2013, 2014. Mitchell-Panter Consulting, LLC. Montgomery, TX. All rights reserved.