Special Education Monitoring

Event # 3339September 15, 2014

Agenda

•Foster Care Students•RF Tracker•PBM and RF Staging for Interventions•Frequency and Duration•Nonpublic Placements

Foster Care Students

RF Tracker

•A To the Administrator Addressed letter was sent to districts and charter schools on Monday, September 8, 2014, announcing that the RF tracker was open.

•November 14, 2014 is the deadline for having initial data entry completed.

RF Tracker

RF students are

students with

disabilities who

reside in a residential

facility.

RF Tracker•Students who received an end-of-year event at the end of the 2013-2014 year were rolled over into the 2014-2015 year. Make any updates to students’ and facilities’ information.•Delete any student who no longer resides at the RF.•Enter any new students residing in RFs, and continue to enter new students.

PBM and RF Staging for Interventions

PBM Staging

Changes in RF Staging

Minimum Criteria for Evaluation

At least 6 students in the LEA who reside in an RF more than 30 days

Changes in RF Staging

Calculations from RF TrackerLeast Restrictive Environment

% of RF students in instructional arrangements of 86, 96, 01, 02, 30, 43, 44, 84, 85, 94, 95

% of RF students receiving a full school day

% of RF students receiving less than half of the full school day

Changes in RF Staging

Students who reside in a facility where they cannot leave due to detention, corrections or security personnel and mechanical barriers such as cells, secured windows and doors, and/locked fences are not counted in the LRE calculation.

Percentages for full school day are converted to a value. ( 1-10)

If % is:

• greater than 99 = 10 points• greater than greater than 89, but less than 99 = 9• greater than 79, but less than 89 = 8• Greater than 69, but less than 79 = 7• greater than 59, but less than 69 =6• greater than 49, but less than 59 =5• greater than 39, but less than 49 = 4• greater than 29, but less than 39 = 3• greater than 19, but less than 29 = 2• greater than 9, but less than 19 = 1• less than 9 = 0

Percentages for LRE and less than half a school day is converted to a value. If % is

• greater than 99 = 0 points

• greater than greater than 89, but less than 99 = 1

• greater than 79, but less than 89 = 2

• Greater than 69, but less than 79 = 3

• greater than 59, but less than 69 =4

• greater than 49, but less than 59 =5

• greater than 39, but less than 49 = 6

• greater than 29, but less than 39 = 7

• greater than 19, but less than 29 = 8

• greater than 9, but less than 19 = 9

• less than 9 = 10

Changes in RF Staging

Data Integrity

LEA completed end-of-year RF Tracker data entry by closing date and did not have to re-enter RFT to make corrections

Value of LRE + Value of full day + Value of less than ½ day 35 points possible The higher the %, the better!

RFM Determinations

Changes to RF Staging

LEAs who only have facilities where students are prevented from leaving:

Documenting Frequency

and Duration for Special Education and

Related Services

Guidance on TEA Websitehttp://rite.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/guidance/

• August 14, 2006, Federal Register provides guidance within its discussion of the comments regarding proposed 2006 IDEA regulations:

“What is required is that the IEP include information about the amount of services that will be provided to the child, so that the level of the agency’s commitment of resources will be clear to parents and other IEP team members. The amount of time to be committed to each of the services to be provided must be appropriate to the specific service, and clearly stated in the IEP in a manner that can be understood by all involved in the development and implementation of the IEP.”

Requirements for Documenting Provision of Related Services

•Frequencyhow often the student will receive the service(s)—number of times per week or day. If service is less than daily then the conditions for the provision of the services must be clearly specified within the IEP using a weekly reference.

Requirements for Documenting Provision of Related Services

•Durationhow long each session will last (number of minutes)

Additional Guidance—FAQ—August 2009

• If a term is used in the IEP to define duration of service, the term must be defined in the IEP Examples:

1 class period= 50 minutes 1 unit = 15 minutes

Is it clear when the student will have services?

To the parent, classroom teacher, a new provider, the next school or district?

Could you map it out on a calendar?

60 minutes per 6 week periodDoes that mean:•10 minutes every week?•60 minutes every sixth week?•20 minutes every other week?•30 minutes every three weeks?

Could you map it out on a calendar?

1620 minutes per semesterDoes that mean:1-90 minute session each week?324 minutes per day during the last week of the semester?18 minutes per day per semester?

Could you map it out on a calendar?

30 minutes 8X in a 6 weekDoes that mean:2-30 minutes session for the 1-3 week; then 1-30 minute session for the 4 and 5 week; no session the 6 week?

REMEMBER

Services do not have to be daily or weekly.

The amount of time a student needs is left up to the provider and ARD committee.

However, the frequency and duration of that service must be clear and specific.

Also remember,

The frequency/duration of services stated in an IEP is the

anticipated frequency/duration

Contracting with Nonpublic Schools

Things to Remember

Students may not be placed in a facility by a school district or charter school that has not been approved by the agency.

Contracting with Nonpublic Schools

Initial Approvals60 days to get process of approval completedThe district should make the initial visit to the school prior to beginning the approval process.

Make sure that the facility wants to be approved and is willing to do what is expected.

Contracting with Nonpublic SchoolsPlacements into facility already approvedIEP must be sent to PMI for review to determine if it meets federal and state requirementsIEPs must include:

Statement of the services the district/charter school cannot provide that nonpublic can

The criteria and date for returning student to district

The date the district visited the nonpublic

Questions?

Comments?

Concerns?

Future SPED Monitoring TETNs

November 12January 29April 16

1:00-3:00