1. Special Education Meeting
April 6, 2017

2. Agenda Welcome December Meeting Review Funding SpS updates
Knowledge Share
Discussion
Questions Suggestions
Next meeting is June 15, 2017

3. December Meeting Review
Reply from Anne Skaggs 
Question: At what point do you start reporting the student’s disability?  The day of the IETR or the day of the IIEP?  We were always told a student is reported as handicapped when he is both identified and served. That would be the IIEP date. Others say it is the date he is identified so the IETR date.
Answer: The start date of the disability category is the ETR date; the dates of the IEP actually will determine when funding for special education services begins.
Assumption is this is referring to an OHIO IEP and ETR
Also, the NIEP date should be the first day service is being provided.

4. Since the December meeting
FY17 Period S Reporting Checklist for Traditional districts, JVSDs and ESCs, Task 27 explanation:
If a student is exempted and later that exemption is removed, you only report the removal one time with the IEP that removed the exemption. You don’t have to continue to report it was removed.

5. EOC exemptions (FE)
Michaelene talked about this at the December Special Education meeting. We don’t see any reason why a student can’t be exempted from an EOC test  he has already taken. This is from the EMIS manual, FA section.
Students Exempt from Consequences. All students in a tested grade level are required to participate in the statewide assessments; however, a school district may exempt a student with disabilities from meeting the passing standard on one or more of the required graduation tests. If the student is exempt from the individual consequences for any subject test and therefore not required to meet the passing standard of that subject test in order to graduate, a Student Special Education Graduation Requirement (FE) Record is required to be reported. The record is reported whenever an IEP determination is made to continue an exemption, add an additional assessment area for an exemption, or cancel a prior exemption from the consequences of any graduation test.
If after the initial administration, the IEP team determines that the student is no longer exempt from the individual consequences and is now required to meet the passing standard on one or more of the graduation tests, the student will need to take and pass the subject test(s) identified by the IEP team in order to meet graduation requirements. A new Student Education Graduation Requirement record must be reported indicating the IEP event and date when this determination was made.
Date of the FE matches the IEP date.
Example, student has an EOC score in DASL dated March, October 24, 2016, his IEP says he is exempt from that one. Put the October 24, 2016 RIEP in DASL and at the same time add the Grad Required record dated October 24, 2016.
There is no place on the EOC test record (FA) where we have to put exemptions like we did for the OGT.

6. EOC Exemption in StudentInformation (DASL)
IEP Exemptions for End of Course:
Must be reported with every IEP as long as the exemption is continued
If a student is IEP exempt and in a later IEP that exemption is removed, report the removal one time with the IEP that removed the exemption
If never IEP exempt, no record is needed
Grad Points will use this for the most recent IEP
ODE is concerned that Special Education exemptions are underreported
Exemption counts as 3 points toward graduation
Test accommodations are available in SpecialServices (SpS). Suggest using a text box to mark “Exempt” from the test.

7. EOC Exemption IEP 12 TESTING PAGE
As soon as a test is selected, the lower window opens.
ODE is concerned that Special Education exemptions are underreported
Exemption counts as 3 points toward graduation
Software Answers cannot change the ODE forms without ODE permission. This is a workaround to get the exemptions on the Data Collection Form (EMIS
Does not print on IEP
Will populate the Data Collection Form (EMIS)

8. EMIS / Verify Special Education
Toggle on Student Special Ed. Grad. Req. and you get this.

9. Reminder Reminder: Exemption counts as 3 points toward graduation
Remember with every IEP event the Grad Required (FE) needs to be reported again
ANY IEP event

10. Funding
If the IEP is expired or not reported and you DON’T report an NIEP, your funding in the SWD category will be reduced. This will show on the EMIS FTE report.
“…The NIEP code should be reported with a beginning date that reflects the first date that services were provided.  Because the timeline requirements for review of previously existing IEPs are captured in the subsequent data codes “RIEP” and “TIEP,” it is unnecessary to add an end date to the NIEP code.  However, this does NOT mean that special education staff are permitted to delay or omit the required prompt reviews of IEPs. Districts and charter schools MUST STILL COMPLY with federal timelines in updating IEPs and will be found to be noncompliant if there is a pattern of annual IEP reviews being conducted late or new students not having timely IEP reviews. …”

11. FTE Adjustment Report Adjustment Result Code FT0005
Disability – No IEP Not Funded
Impacts special education weighted funding and not the base FTE
JVSDs and ESCs are dependent on the District of Residence or sending district to report the special education events
Be sure all students with disabilities have active IEPs in place that are reported to EMIS
14 Day Grace Period
Report an NIEP special education event if the situation qualifies
Use XX or first day of service if newly enrolled student

12. FTE Adjustment Report Adjustment Result Code FT0030
Scholarship Program
Adjustment for overlapping dates with scholarship program
The adjustment report will show a FTE Fund Pattern Code of a scholarship situation and the LEA Type will be SCHLRSHP
Districts may need to contact the scholarship program to resolve the issue. If the issue cannot be resolved, then submit an EMIS helpdesk ticket.
ODE uses the educating entity’s data

13. SpecialServices 16.3 Release
Enhancement - View Medicaid Roster
A new View Medicaid Roster screen has been added to SpecialServices and can be accessed from the Admin section of the main menu. On this screen, users can select a building and export its Medicaid roster to a csv file.
Resolved Issues
IEP Testing Form Previously, when Safari users entered End of Course selections from the Area drop-down lists, the End of Course on the IEP testing form did not display. Now, the area correctly displays at the bottom of the form when the proper criteria is selected.
Completed Tasks Previously, Part 3 of the ETR Cover Page contained incorrect wording. Now, the wording matches the official ODE form.

14. Enhancements More banks on more forms and tasks
Copy Task info to all Progress Reports
Enhancement Request Form

15. New Report Builder Reports
Improved Reports
Student Demographics
Accommodations

16. Knowledge Share ACT or SAT Exemptions
The Ohio Department of Education is announcing that students with disabilities who take the Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (AASCD), instead of the general Ohio State Tests, are exempt from the requirement that all 11th grade students participate in the ACT/SAT. This does not, however, prohibit a student with a significant cognitive disability from taking the ACT or SAT if the student and/or parent requests to participate in the test.
The Ohio General Assembly passed Senate Bill 3 on Dec. 8, 2016, which provides for additional exemptions and requires the Department to provide guidance on test participation for certain student populations. (ORC ). The Department will release additional guidance in the coming weeks.

17. ACT/SAT for AA for SWD
The Ohio Department of Education is announcing that students with disabilities who take the Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (AASCD), instead of the general Ohio State Tests, are exempt from the requirement that all 11th grade students participate in the ACT/SAT. This does not, however, prohibit a student with a significant cognitive disability from taking the ACT or SAT if the student and/or parent requests to participate in the test.
The Ohio General Assembly passed Senate Bill 3 on Dec. 8, 2016, which provides for additional exemptions and requires the Department to provide guidance on test participation for certain student populations. (ORC ). The Department will release additional guidance in the coming weeks.

18. ACT or SAT
State law requires that schools administer the state-funded ACT or SAT to all grade 11 students, who entered grade 9 after July 1, 2014, in the spring of the school year. Senate Bill 3 exempts the following students from the requirement to take the assessment:
A student who has significant cognitive disabilities and is administered an alternate assessment in accordance with the student's individual education program (IEP);
A student who has a disability that includes an intellectual disability. 
A student who is a limited English proficient student who has been enrolled in United States schools for less than two years and for whom no appropriate accommodations are available.
A student who received a "remediation-free" score on the required nationally standardized assessment and has presented evidence of that fact to the student's district or school.

19. ACT or SAT
A board may not prohibit an exempted student from taking the nationally standardized assessment if the student would like to take the assessment.
To ensure that every student can participate in the state-funded administration of the ACT or SAT, districts and schools should prepare to test all students. This includes registering all students and requesting accommodations that may be required for a student. For exempted students, the Ohio Department of Education encourages, but does not require, schools to request that a parent place in writing a decision not to participate, so there is a record of why the student was not tested. 
November 7, 2016 Education Week

20. ACT or SAT Cont.
Can students with disabilities receive accommodations on the ACT or SAT? Districts and schools should consult with the test vendors about the available accommodations.  

21. Wrong student’s data
If you have SpecialServices (SpS) open twice in the same browser, working on two students, the browser may not save data to the student you expect.
If you must work on 2 students simultaneously, use two browsers like Chrome for one and Firefox for the other.

22. Wait for Save
If data you think you saved disappears, did you wait for the confirmation message?
If you move away too quickly, it may not save!!!
The audit report will not show it saved.

23. Discussion
Districts process for acquiring the special education data for EMIS reporting (all spring GE event records)
Staff leave in May or June and reporting ends in July
Grad Requirement (FE)
Enhancement request to redesign the FE Grad Required section so that you don't have to enter each test by itself
504 Plans
Several ITC special education support staff are trying to put together an enhancement request for Software Answers to be presented at the next user group meeting.  The enhancement concerns are how districts would like to use them.  I already put several enhancement requests in but if you have any further ideas, please let me know. 

24. Please email enhancement requests to me
504 Enhancements
One district request is a better tracking system of due dates for 504s, similar to what they have when they log in for an IEP in DASL. They  would like some way to log in info on DASL -504E event date, 504P event date and due date, Accommodations:  STA or STR.So that when they pull a report, it will give them - Student name, student grade, 504 P dates, 504E event date
Another request, on the 504 Consent and 504 Meeting Notification pages, option to input parents' contact information from the system (like we are able to do in the ETR documents). 504 Evaluation signature page was its own separate document page (again, like it is on the ETR document).
Please enhancement requests to me

25. Meetings Thursdays, 1:30 to 3:30 The last meeting for 2016-2017.
June 15, 2017
Discuss day and time.
August 24, 2017 ?
October 19, 2017 ?