USING GUIDELINE DOCUMENTS TO DETERMINE SPECIAL EDUCATION ELIGIBILITY INFORMED DECISION MAKING

PRESENTER INFORMATION Ben Hicks- Special Education Supervisor Rob Higgins- School Psychologist Aaron Riley- School Social Worker

SESSION OBJECTIVES Understand the development and content of Char-Em ISD’s Special Education Eligibility Guideline Documents Gain a better understanding of the Michigan Rules for special education eligibility Gain ideas to effectively implement use of the documents

GETTING TO KNOW YOU Raise your hand if… General Education Teacher Special Education Teacher Administrator School Social Worker Speech and Language Therapist School Psychologist Student Parent Other

CLASSIFICATION

AGAIN, WITH GUIDANCE

WHY THE GUIDELINES WERE DEVELOPED Ensure that eligibility recommendations are accurate Clarify the legalese Create consistency within Char-Em ISD Provide a resource for all educators and families within our ISD

PROCESS FOR CREATION Compiled many documents from around Michigan and from other states Reviewed for format and substance Revised, added, edited Created template Edit, edit, edit Gained feedback from evaluation teams

ACCESSING THE DOCUMENTS Direct link to documents here or…here Visit Char-Em Website Academic Services Special Education Evaluation Services

UNDERSTANDING THE GUIDELINE DOCUMENTS

GUIDELINE OVERVIEW Emotional Impairment Read pg. 3, Michigan Rule (1) Read pg. 7-8 Adverse Impact Chart p. 13

GUIDELINE OVERVIEW Specific Learning Disability Tools Decision Rules p. 24 Summary of Data p. 27 Adverse Impact p. 28

GUIDELINE OVERVIEW Autism Spectrum Disorder Component breakdown p Data analysis process p. 16 Tools Observation Questionsp Quadrant p. 28 Summary of Eligibility p. 29

REPORT EXAMPLE Summary of Eligibility Autism Spectrum Disorder Criteria Michigan RuleSummary of Evidence MetNot Met Qualitative impairments in reciprocal social interactions (at least two of the following): Student does meet criteria in at least two of the four areas. X Marked impairment in the use of multiple non-verbal behaviors such as eye to eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction.  Inconsistent eye contact  Limited facial expressions  When offering too much information, student does not seem to pick up on nonverbal cues that listener may not be interested  Awkward stance, atypical gait X Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level.  Parent reports that student prefers interaction with younger children or adult interaction  Teacher observes a lack of same-age friendships  Socially motivated but difficulty developing relationships  Peer relationships are impacted by his misperceptions of others’ intentions and motivations X Marked impairment in spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people.  Offered spontaneous comment to peers during indoor recess, outdoor recess, and lunch.  Spontaneous comments seem to occur less frequently in the classroom; less verbal expression and sharing in the classroom setting X Marked impairment in the areas of social or emotional reciprocity.  Misperceives and lacks an understanding of another’s point of view (including multiple reasons for another’s actions)  His lack of understanding another’s point of view impedes resolution of disagreements with peers and adults even with direct instruction  Limited vocabulary of emotions or feelings (i.e., “great, bad, not great”)  Emotional reaction is out of proportion to the situation

IMPLEMENTATION Evaluation Staff Special Education Teachers General Education Teachers Administrators Parents Outside Agencies

HELPFUL RESOURCES Direct link to Char-Em ISD Guideline DocumentsGuideline Documents Cognitive Impairment Early Childhood Developmental Delay Other Health Impairment Speech and Language Impairment MARSE rules

QUESTIONS?

CONTACT INFORMATION Ben Hicks Rob Higgins Aaron Riley