Special Education Chairpersons as Instructional Leaders Facilitating Proper IEPs for Continuous Improvement Process in Student Academic Performance

C/I/A-2 Continuous Improvement Process Needs Assessment Data collection Analysis Goals & Objectives Strategies & Activities Professional Development & Sustained Support Implementation Who? What? What do we need? Ongoing Formative Evaluation Quality Summative Evaluation Student Performance

Special Education Chairperson  In order for students who receive special education services to gain the most from their educational experiences, the Special Education Chairperson must be knowledgeable of proper planning to facilitate an Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meeting to develop an Individual Education Program (IEP). In other words, their role is imperative to the student’s continuous improvement process.

Needs Assessment According to the Operating Guidelines, the ARD committee consists of:  The parent of the child with a disability  At least one general education teacher of the child  At least one special education teacher  The campus principal  An evaluation specialist  The child with the disability, whenever appropriate  A member of the language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC)  The Career and Technology Education (CTE) teacher of the child Data Collection & Analysis

Goals and Objectives  The Chairperson must be able to communicate how to formulate appropriate goals and objectives to the committee members. The general education teacher is knowledgeable about the area curriculum and the special educators and evaluation representatives are knowledgeable of how the student’s disability affects how the student accesses the curriculum. The group works together, in conjunction with the parent and student, to promote success through measurable goals and objectives. Goals & Objectives

Strategies and Activities  Special Education Chairpersons support curriculum and instruction. This provides an avenue to help with curricular and instructional issues as well as extend training. Providing instruction on strategies and activities will catapult learning in the general education setting. Strategies & Activities

Implementation  The role of the chairperson is to assist the campus principal in finding the best combination of educational programing and other services for each individual student requiring special education services. Who? What? What do we need?

Implementation  The chairperson must not only serve as facilitator during the ARD but must be abreast of instructional implementations. In essence, they would serve as the instructional leadership in the area of special education. Who? What? What we need?

Professional Development and Sustained Support  Instructional support for implementing accommodations and the use of supplemental aids is vital to how students access grade-level curriculum. The chairperson should be able to train the campus instructional staff on not only how to navigate but properly use various accommodations and supplemental aids according to the student’s IEP. Professional Development & Support

Ongoing Formative Evaluation  Special educators must have insight to the general education curriculum well enough to adapt it to the student’s ability to access. Being able to recognize and utilize data to make data-driven decisions is of the utmost importance when facilitating the ARD committee. This provides a picture of continuous collective feedback on how well the student is progressing or if further changes should be made to the IEP. Formative

Summative Evaluation  When all goals and objectives have been measured and the data is collected, the team members can provide information on progress. This data will provide a picture of how the student has performed. This is the student’s Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP). This information allows the team to gather insight of the summative evaluation in terms of goals and objectives. Summative

Conclusion  The foundation of a student’s success, who requires special education services, is the Individual Education Program (IEP). The goals and objectives must be appropriate and measureable to provide substantial data. This will generate a road map of how the team should progress in making student success a reality. The facilitator in making sure all components are met is the Special Education Chairperson.

Resources  Concordia University Instructional Leadership Development (ILD) documents  Erickson, H. L. (2007). Concept-based curriculum and instruction for the thinking classroom  Houston Independent School District.  Houston Independent School District. Special Education Leadership video  Special Education Operating Guidelines (2014)  Texas Education Agency  Webster, J. The gold standard for special education teachers  Winebrenner, S.(2006). Teaching kids with learning differences in the regular classroom