SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE NEW IEP Denise Khatri, Sandy Lenon, Phyllis Rochester Division of Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners July.

SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE NEW IEP

Denise Khatri, Sandy Lenon, Phyllis RochesterDivision of Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners

July 19, 2011

• Denise Khatri [email protected]

• Sandy Lenon [email protected]

• Phyllis Rochester [email protected]

Reflections…

• What are your earliest memories of, or experiences with people with disabilities?

• What messages did the people around you (parents, teachers, friends) pass on to you about people with disabilities?

One last thought….• As an adult, what

impressions, thoughts, feelings, or beliefs do you have about people with disabilities?

• • How have they changed or

stayed the same over time?

Reflections…

Disabilities

BACKGROUND WHAT I KNOW

WHAT I WANT TO KNOW

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

NEW QUESTIONS I HAVE

Agenda• Welcome• Reflections• Special Education Law and Regulations• Myths and Facts about Students with Disabilities• Categories of Disabilities• Response to Intervention• Special Education Process• The New IEP• Scenario• Closing Activity

• SECTION 504• IDEA• NCLB• ADA• NYS Part 200 Regulations

Laws Impacting Students With Disabilities

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/lawsregs/part200.htm

NYSED/IDEA Part B State Performance Plan 2005 - 2010

Indicator 1: Graduation RatesIndicator 2: Drop-Out RatesIndicator 3: Statewide AssessmentsIndicator 4: Suspension/ExpulsionIndicator 5: Least Restrictive Environment – School AgeIndicator 6: Least Restrictive Environment – PreschoolIndicator 7: Preschool OutcomesIndicator 8: Parental InvolvementIndicator 9: Disproportionality in Special Education by Race/EthnicityIndicator 10: Disproportionality in Classification/Placement by Race/EthnicityIndicator 11: Child FindIndicator 12: Early Childhood TransitionIndicator 13: Secondary TransitionIndicator 14: Post School OutcomesIndicator 15: Identifies and Corrects Noncompliance

Myths and Facts About Students with Disabilities

• Inclusion jeopardizes the education of the “other” students.

• Segregating students with disabilities has been effective.• Don’t go into special education. It’s being phased out

because of inclusion.• It is unfair to require children with disabilities to take

those tests. It will endanger their already fragile self-esteem and increase the likelihood that they will drop our of school.

• School accommodations, and individual education plans give students with learning disabilities an unfair advantage.

Myths and Facts About Students with Disabilities

What is a Disability?

There are 13 specific primary terms included in

IDEA under the lead definition of “child with a disability." These federal

terms and definitions guide how States define

disability and who is eligible for a free appropriate public

education under special

education law. 

What is a Disability? Continued…

• In order to fully meet the definition (and eligibility for special education and related services) as a “child with a disability,” a child’s educational performance must be adversely affected due to the disability.

Considering the Meaning of “Adversely Affects”

• “Adversely affects educational performance” appears in most of the disability definitions. This does not mean, however, that a child has to be failing in school to receive special education and related services.

• According to IDEA, states must make a free appropriate public education available to “any individual child with a disability who needs special education and related services, even if the child has not failed or been retained in a course or grade, and is advancing from grade to grade.” [§300.101(c)(1)]

Definitions of Disability Categories as Defined in NYS Regulations 200.1 (zz)

• Autism• Deafness• Deaf-Blindness• Emotional

Disturbance• Hearing Impairments• Learning Disability• Intellectual Disability• Multiple Disabilities

• Orthopedic Impairment • Other Health-

Impairment • Speech or Language

Impairment • Traumatic Brain Injury • Visual Impairment

(including Blindness)

Definitions of Disability Categories as Defined in NYS Regulations 200.1 (zz)

Who Are Our Students with Disabilities in NYC Schools?

• During the 2010-11 school year, approximately 164,650 students in the New York City public schools received special education services, making up 6.34% of the total student population.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN NYC SCHOOLS 2003-04

LEARNING DISABILITIES 46%

SPEECH & LANGUAGE 24%

EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE 13%

OTHER 7%

Who Are Our Students with Disabilities in NYC Schools?

CPSE/CSE PROCESS

1.Before the meeting

2.

ReferralReferral

EvaluationEvaluation

3. Eligibility

4. IEP Development

At the meeting

5. Implementation

6. Annual Review/Reevaluation

After the meeting

1-5% 1-5%

5-10%

80-90%

%

Tier III Interventions•Individual Students•High Intensity

Intensive Individual Interventions•Individual Students•Intense, durable procedures• Wraparound Plans

Tier II Interventions•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Group Interventions•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Tier I Interventions•All students•Preventive, proactive•All Academic Areas

Universal Interventions•All settings,all students•Preventive, proactive• School-wide Programming

Designing School-Wide Systems for Student Success

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems

5-10%

80-90%

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The IEP is the Cornerstone of the Special Education Process

Identifies how the student will be prepared for adult living

Identifies how the resources of the school need to be configured to support the student’s needs

Provides an accountability tool

Guides the provision of instruction designed to meet a student’s needs

Ensures a strategic and coordinated approach to address a student’s needs

Supports participation in the general education curriculum and learning standards

IEP

The IEP is a strategic planning document that should be far reaching in its impact. An IEP identifies a student’s unique needs and how a school will strategically address those needs.

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New York City Department of Education | Special Education Student Information System

NYC Summary - Student Information381) Present Level Of Performance

9) Participation in State Assessments, and with Students without Disabilities

8) Coordinated Set of Transition Activities

2) Measurable Post Secondary Goals and Transition Needs

7) Testing Accommodations

6) 12 month Services (if needed)

5) Programs and Services–Modifications & Supports

4) Reporting progress to parents

3) Annual Goals, Objectives / Benchmarks (if needed)

10) Special Transportation

11) PlacementSections

of the IEP

New York City Department of Education | Special Education Student Information System

Special Education Services in NYC

•Address Special Education Law (IDEA)

which entitles all students to an education

aligned with their individual needs in the

least restrictive environment (LRE) as

appropriate

• Ensure that special education is a service,

not a place

• Provide a broad range of services and

supports for all students with disabilities

• Require schools to provide intervention in

academic and social/emotional areas in

general education prior to a referral for

special education services

§300.101 Free Appropriate Public Education

…must be available to all children residing in the State between the ages of 3 and 21, I inclusive, including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school.

§300.114 Least Restrictive Environment

… to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular education environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

Sara’s Story• When Sara was in the first grade, her teacher started

teaching the students how to read. Sara’s Mom was really surprised when Sara had a lot of trouble. She was bright and eager, so she thought that reading would come easily to her. It didn’t. She couldn’t match the letters to their sounds or combine the letters to create words. Sara’s problems continue in second grade. She is not reading and she is having trouble with writing too. Mom thinks Sara may have a learning disability. Sara’s Mom comes to you for help before talking to Sara’s teacher.

The Parent Coordinator in Action

What can you do?

Discuss the school’s RTI process with the parent

• Referral to the Pupil Personnel Team• Review intervention services offered at your school• Coordinate meetings between parents and teachers• Request/arrange parent literacy workshops for parents• Provide information about and referrals to community-

based resources

Effective Parent Coordinator Strategy:

ACRONYMS

• IEP ________________________• FAPE ______________________• IDEA _______________________• RTI ________________________• LD _________________________• LRE ________________________• PLP ________________________• SETSS ______________________• ACCES ______________________• ICT _________________________• CSE _________________________• FBA _________________________

Special Education Resources

• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disability http://nichcy.org/

• NYSED Special Education http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/formsnotices/

• NYC Department of Education http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/SpecialEducation/ParentResources/default.htm