Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School

Special Education Federal and State Mandates

Roles and Responsibilities of General Education Staff

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Alphabet Soup

Take a look at ‘Alphabet Soup’

How many acronyms can you identify?

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Alphabet SoupIDEA ADANCLB DCAPLEA LREMCAS 504AYP DESEIEP FAPERtI ELLIST OCR

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DESE – Department of Elementary and Secondary

Education LRE- Least Restrictive Environment IEP – Individual Education Program FAPE – Free and Appropriate Public Education NCLB – No Child Left Behind Act IDEA- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act ELL – English Language Learners RtI – Response to Intervention IST-Instructional Support Team OCR- Office for Civil Rights 4

So Why Review State and Federal Regulations? “The school district shall provide training to all

school district staff, including general and special educators, administration, and paraprofessionals on the requirements of special education”.

MA DESE 603 CMR 28.03(1)(a)

To understand the relationship and connections between general education and special education, including roles and responsibilities of Principals, General Education and Special Education teachers

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Responsibilities of School Principal

Instructional Support (IST)

Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP)

Coordination with Special Education

Home/hospital Services

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Responsibilities of School Principal: Instructional Support

Promotes instructional practices responsive to student needs

Ensures adequate instructional support available (remedial, consultative, reading instruction, ELL)

Consults with Administrator of Special Education regarding accommodations and interventions. Efforts and results shall be documented in student record.

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Responsibilities of School Principal: Instructional Support

When a student is referred for an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education, the principal ensures that documentation on the use of instructional support services is provided as part of the evaluation information reviewed by the Team when determining eligibility.

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Early Intervening Team Under IDEA 2004, districts can

develop “early intervening services” for student in K-12

Services to students who have not been identified as needing special education but who require academic or behavioral support

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Early Intervening Team (EIT) Is the current terminology used by DESE.

At GNBVT, we have the “Instructional Support Team”

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Responsibilities of School Principal: Curriculum Accommodation Plan

Implements a curriculum accommodation plan developed by the district’s general education program to ensure all efforts have been made or will be made to meet the needs of diverse learners in general education

Implements a plan that assists general educators in providing appropriate services and supports

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Responsibilities of School Principal: Curriculum Accommodation Plan

Training in analyzing and accommodating diverse learning styles

Training in systematic reading instruction and behavioral interventions

Training in methods of collaboration among teachers and paraprofessionals

Opportunities for parent involvement

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Federal Law Requires IDEA: All students with disabilities have

the right to “access the curriculum”

NCLB: All students including students with disabilities must participate in district and state wide assessments

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Roles and Responsibilities in the General Education Classroom

Instructional Support Team (IST) and District Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP)

Involvement in the General Curriculum/Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Classroom teacher roles relative to the IEP (Individual Education Program)

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Involvement in General Education “District personnel reflect a full

understanding of the connection between the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and the expectations of the state for student performance as well as the rights of students with disabilities to be full participants in the general curriculum.”

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Involvement in General Education cont.

“At least one member of the IEP Team is familiar with the general education curriculum and is able to discuss an eligible student’s appropriate access to the general curriculum.”

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Educational Assessment Is a required assessment

Technically becomes part of the student record since it identifies the student by name and is shared with others at the team meeting

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Educational Assessment

Provided by a teacher(s) with current knowledge regarding the student’s specific abilities in relation to: Learning standards of the MA

Curriculum Frameworks and the district curriculum

Attention skills Participation behaviors Communication skills, memory and

social relations with groups, peers and adults

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Eligibility for Special Education Eligible student shall mean a

person aged 3-21 who has been determined by a Team to have a disability(ies) and as a consequence is unable to progress effectively in the general education program without specially designed instruction

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Disability means one or more of the following impairments: Autism Developmental Delay (age 3-9) Intellectual Impairment Sensory Impairment (Hearing, Vision, Deaf-

Blind) Neurological Impairment Emotional Impairment Communication Impairment Physical Impairment Health Impairment Specific Learning Disability

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Least Restrictive Environment

“Least restrictive environment (LRE) shall mean the educational

placement that assures that, to the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities are

educated with students who are not disabled.”

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General Education Classroom First Consideration

The Team must first consider placement of a student with disabilities in a general education classroom with supplementary aids, services and modifications.

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Reason for Removal from General Education “If the student is removed from the

general education classroom at any time, the Team states why the removal is considered critical to the student’s program and the basis for its conclusion that education in a less restrictive environment with the use of supplementary aids and services, could not be achieved satisfactorily”

MA DESE Special Education Regulations 603 CMR 28.06(2)23

Removal From General Education

“The district does not remove an eligible child from the general education classroom solely because of needed modification in the curriculum.”

MA DESE Special Education Regulations 603 CMR 28.06(2)

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IEP and the General Educator

Each teacher and provider described in the IEP is informed of his/her specific responsibilities related to the implementation of the student’s IEP.

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IEP and the General Educator Teachers and providers must be

specifically informed of :

Responsibilities Specific accommodations Modifications Supports required for the student

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FAQs What are accommodations? (PLEP A & B

of IEP) Accommodations are adaptations

typically provided by general educators within the general education environment. Accommodations do not fundamentally alter or lower the expectations of the test. They are changes in test/course presentation, location, timing, student response necessary to access the curriculum.

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Accommodations Examples Graphic organizers Editing/ self correction guides Models /exemplars Word banks Word walls

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FAQs What is specially designed instruction?

(IEP Goals and Objectives & Methodology)

“Specially designed instruction addresses the unique needs of the student that result from the student’s disability. SDI is a modification not regularly provided for students in the general education program. However, not all students will need SDI in all areas of educational need and not all students will require all types of SDI.” 29

Modifications“Changes in course/standards/test

presentation, location, timing/scheduling, expectations, student response, and/or other attributes which are necessary to

provide access for a student with a disability to participate in a

course/standard/test, but which do fundamentally alter or lower the standard

or expectations of the course/standard/test.”

PLEP A & B of IEP; MCAS Accommodations 30

Modifications Modify content, methodology

and/or performance criteria Examples could be:

One paragraph only, Given 10 math problems

Graphic organizer only Topic sentence provided Small group composition to review

vocabulary prior to and following instruction in gen ed

Oral testing Use of a calculator

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Examining the IEP

What are the essential details of this student’s learning profile? (strengths, disability)

How does the student’s disability impact his/her performance in my class?

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FAQs: Are regular education teachers responsible for services if they are listed in the service delivery grid?

“All teachers, including regular education teachers, listed on the service delivery grid are responsible for providing special education. Regular education teachers are listed on the service deliver grid only when they are receiving consultation from a special educator thereby facilitating the regular class teachers’ delivery of SDI. In this instance, it becomes a joint responsibility. In addition, administrator of special education signs the IEP ensuring that services will be provided as recommended by the Team and thus supporting the inclusive programming under this service delivery model.”

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IEP and the General Educator

All responsible teachers and service providers are informed of IEP changes and how it affects them when IEP is amended by district-parent agreement without a Team meeting.

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IEP and the General Educator

Provision of a copy of the IEP alone is insufficient!

What does this mean?Collaboration among general and

special educators

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Bullying and Students on IEPs “Whenever the evaluation of the

Individualized Education Program team indicates that the child has a disability that affects social skills development or that the child is vulnerable to bullying, harassment or teasing because of the child’s disability, the individualized education program shall address the skills and proficiencies needed to avoid and respond to bullying, harassment or teasing.” 36

Bullying and IEPs continued

The legislation makes specific reference

to students on the autism spectrum

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“Observation Law” In 2009, the State Legislature passed a law outlining

the rights to classroom observation by parents and their designees

A school district must “grant timely access by parents and parent-designated independent evaluators and educational consultants (designees) to a child’s current and proposed special education program so that the parent and named designees can observe the child in the current program and any proposed program”

The request must be reasonable as to length of time and conditions

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“Observation Law” The District is able to schedule the

observation after having time to coordinate the observation with school staff

The District may indicate times of the year when observations are not scheduled, i.e. MCAS testing, etc.

If this is to occur in your classroom, you will be given prior notice

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Data Sources for Presentation MA DESE Education Laws and Regulations, 603 CMR

28.00 Special Education, Amended May 27, 2011 MA DESE Coordinated Program Review Procedures: Civil

Rights and Other General Education Requirements, SY 2011-2012

MA DESE Student Record Regulations, Amended August 2006

MA DESE Coordinated Program Review Procedures: Special Education, SY 2011-2012

IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004 Americans with Disabilities Act as amended 2008 MA DOE Q & A Guide on the new Special Education IEP

and related Special Education Regulations, January 1996

MA DESE Educational Assessment B Form MA DESE Technical Assistance Advisory SPED 2009-2

Observation of Education Programs by Parents and Their Designees for Evaluation Purposes

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Quiz To Test Your Recall! Please complete the following ten

questions. If you are incorrect, please go back to power-point to locate correct response.

Good Luck!

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Question 1 The district is required to provide

training to only special educators on special education regulations.

TRUE FALSE

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Question 2

The Team must first consider placement of a student with disabilities in a general education classroom with supplementary aids, services and modifications

TRUE FALSE

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Question 3 At least one member of the IEP

Team is familiar with the general education curriculum and is able to discuss an eligible student’s appropriate access to the general curriculum.

TRUE FALSE

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Question 4 The educational assessment

completed by a teacher does not become part of the student record.

TRUE FALSE

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Question 5 Each teacher and provider

described in the IEP is informed of his/her specific responsibilities related to the implementation of the student’s IEP.

TRUE FALSE46

Question 6 A student is eligible for special

education services if they are between the ages of 3-21, have been determined by a Team to have a disability(ies) and as a consequence is unable to progress effectively in the general education program without specially designed instruction

TRUE FALSE47

Question 7

Accommodations are adaptations typically provided by general educators within the general education environment and do not fundamentally alter or lower the expectations of the test. They are changes in test/course presentation, location, timing, student response necessary to access the curriculum.

TRUE FALSE

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Question 8 The observation law may affect my

classroom since parents or designees may observe a current or proposed classroom setting once requested by the parent.

TRUE FALSE

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How did you do?

Check your responses on following slides

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Question 1 The district is required to provide

training to only special educators on special education regulations.

TRUE FALSE Required for both general and special educators

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Question 2

The Team must first consider placement of a student with disabilities in a general education classroom with supplementary aids, services and modifications

TRUE FALSE The Team must always consider the LRE (least restrictive environment)

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Question 3 At least one member of the IEP

Team is familiar with the general education curriculum and is able to discuss an eligible student’s appropriate access to the general curriculum.

TRUE FALSEReason why a general educator needs to be at every IEP Team Meeting

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Question 4 The educational assessment

completed by a teacher does not become part of the student record.

TRUE FALSEAll reports which identify a student by name and is shared with another party becomes part of the student record 54

Question 6 A student is eligible for special

education services if they are between the ages of 3-21, have been determined by a Team to have a disability(ies) and as a consequence is unable to progress effectively in the general education program without specially designed instruction

TRUE FALSE Kudos to you if you recall the impairment categories!

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Question 7 Accommodations are adaptations

typically provided by general educators within the general education environment and do not fundamentally alter or lower the expectations of the test. They are changes in test/course presentation, location, timing, student response necessary to access the curriculum.

TRUE FALSE Do you remember how this differs from modifications? If not, see slides 34 and 35

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Question 8 The observation law may affect my

classroom since parents or designees may observe a current or proposed classroom setting once requested by the parent.

TRUE FALSE The District will communicate with you and plan accordingly if this is to occur

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Finally ..

Thank you for your time and effort with this power-point, which fulfills the District requirement for annual training.

Any questions on any topic, please contact your Liaison or Special Education Director

Thanks for your continued collaborative

efforts for all students! 59