IEP Basics for General Education Staff Developed by Ventura County SELPA June 2016

The Basic Promise All children with disabilities are entitled to A free, appropriate, public education (FAPE) In the least restrictive environment (LRE) Pursuant to an Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Background Information Federal and state laws provide certain services, free of charge, to preschool and school-age children with disabilities Ages 3 – 21 Eligible children qualify for an IEP – Individualized Education Program Assessment process takes up to 60 calendar days Interventions have been tried prior to making referral to special education

What is an IEP? IEP is the blueprint for the child’s special education Defines area(s) of need for the student Contains annual goals Specifies accommodations/modifications Specifies the setting and frequency in which the services will be delivered IEP must be written by a team of persons knowledgeable about the child and the child’s needs, including parents The IEP is a legal document that must be followed IEP must be reviewed at least once a year Parent or team member may request a review at any time

Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI²) Input Gen Ed teachers give all students opportunities to access the core curriculum before referring to more intensive or less integrated settings and services. Using the RtI2 process, data can answer the following questions: Is the general education curricular instruction effective for most students? Which students are not responding sufficiently to the general education curriculum? Has targeted intervention been effective? Have individual students made sufficient progress when provided with a range of interventions directed toward targeted skills?

Principles of RtI² Tier I Tier II Tier III Students Data Materials All Students 15% 5% Data Universal Screening Progress Monitoring Materials Standards-based Research-based Ventura county has 17,315 students with IEPs, which is approximately 12% of all students in the county. This is 2% above the expected state average Input In Tier I, teachers expose students to grade-level curriculum, provide differentiated instruction, use instructional strategies, implement behavioral strategies, and complete universal screenings. Tier II interventions and strategies are provided for students whose needs are not met in Tier I, including small group pull-out or push-in services utilizing research and evidence-based practices. Individual behavior strategies, such as contracts and star charts, may be used. More frequent assessment—progress monitoring—is completed in Tier II. Approximately 5% of students in the grade level may require highly intensive interventions, referred to as Tier III. The intensity and frequency of the interventions are increased, and students at this level may be referred to and monitored by the SST/IPT/CST process.

The Special Education Referral Process Child must be referred for a special education evaluation Referral: in writing, dated, addressed to school or district personnel, state reason for referral in terms of lack of educational performance Child can be referred by the parent or an educator The parents must consent/agree to the assessment plan

District or School Site Procedures for Referral to Special Education Assessment Check with your site administrator regarding process/procedure for referring student for assessment. Districts can add their own information here How far behind does the student need to be to be assessed? Do we use discrepancy or PSW model?

Assessment Process Students are assessed in all areas of suspected disability Multi-disciplinary assessment conducted by multiple qualified individuals Administered in native language or native communication No single criteria will be used to determine eligibility and programming Cannot be biased Must rule out the following prior to determining eligibility: Attendance/ limited school experience Environmental factors Cultural differences or economic disadvantage

Eligibility Eligibility for special education has two prongs: Child must have a disability that interferes with educational progress AND 2. Need specialized services (specialized academic instruction and/or related services) Disability must fit in one of the 13 eligibility categories Discuss students with disabilities vs. eligibility for SPED Eligibility does not determine services, assessment determines need for services, eg student with autism may/may not have a SDC class or Speech

10/13/2017 DISABILITIES WHICH MAKE A STUDENT ELIGIBLE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AUTISM MULTIPLE DISABILITIES DEAF/BLINDNESS OTHER HEALTH IMPAIRMENT DEAFNESS ORTHOPEDIC IMPAIRMENT EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY ESTABLISHED MEDICAL DISABILITY (Preschool Only) SPEECH OR LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT HARD OF HEARING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Specific Learning Disability Specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may have manifested itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The basic psychological processes include attention, visual processing, auditory processing, sensory-motor skills, cognitive abilities including association, conceptualization and expression.

Other Health Impaired A disability category that includes any – Chronic or acute health problem that Results in limited strength, vitality, or alertness OR a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, and Adversely affects a child’s educational performance Examples: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, Tourette syndrome Written verification of health impairment by the student’s primary health provider, if available.

IEP TEAM Minimum membership shall include, but not be limited to: 10/13/2017 IEP TEAM Minimum membership shall include, but not be limited to: One or both of the pupil’s parents, a representative selected by the parent, or both. Administrator or administrative designee. Special education teacher. The student, when 15 or over. At least one general education teacher. Surrogates, CASAs (court appointed special advocates) and foster parents may attend if appropriate. Parents may invite anyone they want to the IEP. Parents cannot tell the district which staff can/cannot be in attendance at the IEP (if a parent doesn’t care for a particular staff member, they can’t say that person can’t be at the meeting). District may excuse attendance of the gen ed teacher PRIOR to the IEP meeting and parent must approve the excusal

What is least restrictive environment? The least restrictive environment (LRE) is the setting in which children with disabilities may be educated with typical children to the maximum extent possible. The IEP team considers a continuum of services in developing the student’s program.

What is FAPE? A free, appropriate public education (FAPE) is Special education (i.e., specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of the child); and/or related services (such as speech/language, occupational therapy, etc) that allow the child to make reasonable educational progress -- in academics, socialization, adaptive skills, language and communication, and behavior

PRIMARY SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES 10/13/2017 PRIMARY SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) in a variety of settings: In General Education with supports provided as needed in the classroom In General Education with “pull out” services in area of need In Special Education Classes In Nonpublic School (NPS) Speech and Language Intensive Individualized Instruction-(Extra Adult Support) Adapted P.E. Vocation Assessment/Guidance Travel Training (including mobility) Individual – Small Groups – (Preschool) Not an inclusive list of settings, may include charter schools, county programs, continuation school, NPS, RTC, home/hospital

RELATED SERVICES Speech and Language Audiological Services 10/13/2017 RELATED SERVICES Speech and Language Audiological Services Adapted Physical Education Orientation and Mobility Instruction Occupational Therapy Recreation Services Physical Therapy Specialized Services for low incidence disabilities Specialized Vision Services Individual Counseling Interpreter Services Counseling and Guidance Assistive Technology Services Psychological Services (Other than Assessment and Development of IEP) Specialized Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Behavior Intervention Services Parent Counseling Braille Transcription Health and Nursing Services Specialized Orthopedic Services Social Work Services Notetaking Services Any related service must be added through an assessment- speech, adult support, etc

Compliance State requires 100% compliance on all timelines and all IEPs General education teachers are required members of the team General education teachers are also responsible for implementing the IEP accommodations/modifications Goals Behavior plans Data collection/work samples

Questions?

Thank you to the team! Joanna DellaGatta, SELPA Dedra Dobson, Santa Paula Debbie Erickson, VUSD Andrea Heisser, SVUSD Regina Reed, SELPA