1. Special Education Linda S. Chase, Director of Student Services
Ellen Sugita, Director of Special Education

2. New Organizational Structure (proposed for next year)
Elimination of Student Services Department and Director of Student Services Position
Special Education Department
Ellen Sugita, Director of Special Education
Addition of a full time Assistant Director of Special Education (Kay Slusser)
Elimination of K-8 Supervisor positions
Addition of 3 Evaluation Team Supervisors at K-5 – one per elementary school (TBD)
Guidance and School Counseling
Valerie Viscosi, K-12 Director of Guidance
Addition of a full time Assistant Director of Guidance (.75 LHS, .25 district wide, TBD)
Health Services
Jill Gasperini, Coordinator of Health Services

3. Federal and State Disability Laws
MA Public Education Law Section 28.00
guarantees free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment regardless of disability
implies inclusion
requires evaluation and Team development of IEP
implies access to general curriculum and State Frameworks

4. Federal and State Disability Laws
Federal Rehabilitation Act: Section 504
Organizations who receive federal funds such as public schools must provide equal opportunity and access for all people with disabilities, i.e., reasonable accommodations
Americans with Disabilities Act: 1990
Mandate for elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities, i.e. transportation, public accommodations

5. Federal and State Disability Laws
Individuals with Disability Education Act IDEA
guarantees free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment regardless of disability
implies inclusion
requires evaluation and Team development of IEP

6. Life before an IEP
Principal’s role:
ensure that efforts have been made or will be made to meet the needs of diverse learners in the general education program.
promote instructional practices responsive to student needs and shall ensure that adequate instructional support is available for students and teachers.
Instructional support shall include remedial instruction for students, consultative services for teachers, availability of reading instruction at the elementary level, appropriate services for linguistic minority students, and other services consistent with effective educational practices and the requirements of
M.G.L. c. 71B, § 2.

7. Life before an IEP (cont’d)
Such efforts and their results shall be documented and placed in the student record. Additionally, if an individual student is referred for an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education, the principal shall ensure that documentation on the use of instructional support services for the student is provided as part of the evaluation information reviewed by the Team when determining eligibility
Response to Intervention
Tiered intervention
Child Study
Request Child Study for other areas of concern

8. Response To Intervention
Appears in Federal Special Education Law and regulations – use of RTI to determine eligibility for Specific Learning Disability.
RTI is a systematic and collaborative method of academic intervention designed to provide early, effective assistance to children through early intervention, frequent progress monitoring, and increasingly intensive instructional interventions. It is a model within general and special education areas. RTI has three basic components: school-wide screening, progress monitoring, and tiered service delivery.
General education responsibility

10. Disability Categories
Autism (Asperger’s, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Autism)
disability affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction
Developmental Delay (ages 3-9)
receptive /expressive language, cognitive abilities, physical, emotional, adaptive functioning, self-help skills
Intellectual Impairment
slower rate of learning, mental retardation
Sensory Impairment - hearing, vision, deaf-blind
capacity to hear, see, or concomitant hearing and vision is limited, impaired or absent

11. Disability Categories (Cont’d)
Neurological Impairment - traumatic brain injury
use of memory, control and use of cognitive functioning, sensory and motor skills, basic life functions
Emotional Impairment - serious emotional disturbance
inability to build or maintain interpersonal relationships, physical symptoms or fears associated with personal problems, over a long period of time and to a marked degree
Communication Impairment - expressive/receptive language
conveying, understanding, using spoken, written or symbolic language that adversely affects ed. performance

12. Disability Categories (Cont’d)
Physical Impairment
severe orthopedic impairments, congenital anomaly, cerebral palsy, basic life functions
Health Impairment
limited strength, vitality, alertness, heightened alertness to environment, asthma, leukemia, epilepsy, add/adhd
Specific Learning Disability
psychological processes in understanding or using spoken or written language, inability to think, speak read, write, write, spell or do mathematical computation, must meet federal requirements

13. Individual Education Program (IEP)
Evaluation data
Disability category/ies
Current performance level
Classroom accommodations
MCAS accommodations
Special education services
Reviewed annually
Three year reevaluation

14. The IEP Legal contract between school district and parents/student(18)
Special Ed teacher obligated to implement.
General Ed teacher obligated to read, implement accommodations, consult with service providers and attend TEAM meetings

15. Special Education Programs
Pre-school program
Integrated preschool classrooms
Intensive Learning Program (ILP) PDD/Autism program
Resource Room Services
All schools
Specialized Reading
PDD/Autism program
Intensive Learning Program (ILP)
Pre-school, Fiske, Diamond, Hastings, Clarke, and LHS

16. Special Education Programs
Emotional/Behavioral disorders
Therapeutic Learning Program (TLP)
(PALS – Bridge, CARE - Estabrook, COMPASS - Clarke, Diamond Program and MST - LHS)
Language Based Learning Disabilities
Language Learning Program (LLP)
Bowman, Diamond, Clarke and LHS
Intellectual impairments
Developmental Learning Program (DLP)
Harrington and Clarke
Transition Program
For students 14-22

17. Special Education (Cont’d)
Related Services
Speech and Language Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Applied Behavioral Analysis
Adaptive Physical Education
Counseling
Orientation and Mobility
Assistive technology

18. The IEP
Internal consistency – each section is built upon the previous section(s)
Special Educators and service providers
All components of IEP
Responsible for service delivery and progress reporting
General Educators –
Profile
Accommodations
MCAS accommodations
Current performance
Service delivery
Additional information

19. Proposed Intensive Learning Programs 2014-2015
Cost of In-House
Programs
Estimated # of students = 23
Cost Avoidance for Out-of-District
Programs
Tuition for 23 students $2,274,815
Day school tuition $98,905 per student
Transportation* $254,250
Tuition + Transportation $2,529,065
Proposed Program $1,262,581
Cost Avoidance $1,266,484
*Monitors not included
6 Teachers $458,010
9 Support Staff $303,903
4 Related Services Staff $305,340
1 BCBA $74,282
Sub-total $1,141,535
In-town transportation* $121,046
Cost of program $1,262,581

20. Questions…