1. Significant Changes to the Monitoring Process  Self-assessment by school districts.  Greater involvement of parents and other stakeholders.  Improved collaboration between school districts and the SEA.  A mechanism to analyze various data sources in order to focus on program effectiveness and student results.  Technical assistance and resources for program improvement planning and implementation.

2. Characteristics of the Revised Monitoring Process  Strong and diverse stakeholders input.  Effective methods for determining compliance with a focus on requirements that relate most directly to continuous improvement in learner results.  Planning for ongoing program improvement based on data.  Opportunities for highlighting strengths of local programs and providing technical assistance to other schools districts.

3. Objectives of the Revised SEA Monitoring System To move from a single event to a meaningful and continuous process that focuses on student results. To tie overall school district and school improvement efforts to compliance with IDEA ‘97 requirements. To empower school districts in the process of assessment implementation, and evaluation of their programs. To improve the working relationship between the SEA, school districts, parents, and their communities.

4. Benefits of the LEA Self-Assessment Process  Facilitates a shared responsibility in the implementation of a comprehensive accountability system.  Enhances the opportunity for school districts to identify and promptly correct unmet requirements.  Identifies areas of strengths that influence academic achievement and learner results.  Identifies areas needing improvement that allows priorities to be set, a plan of action to be developed, and fiscal resources and technical assistance needs to be determined.

5. ACCOUNTABILITY Over the past five years, the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has worked with states, parents, advocates, and other key stakeholders to shape its accountability work in such a way that drives and supports improved results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, without sacrificing protection of individual rights of children with disabilities and their families.

6. A NEW APPROACH Catch phrase: Focused Monitoring—A Closer Look at Results for Children with Disabilities.

7. STATE MONITORING SHIFT

8. THEME ONE Continuity: An effective accountability system must be continuous, rather than episodic, clearly linked to systemic change, and must integrate self- assessment with continuous feedback and response.

9. THEME TWO Partnership with stakeholders: OSE works in partnership with parents, students, LEA, and other agencies and stakeholders. This collaboration impacts all of the following: the setting of goals and benchmarks, collection and analysis of self-assessment data, district identification of critical issues and solutions to problems, and the development, implementation, and oversight of improvement strategies to ensure compliance and improved results for children and youth with disabilities.

10. THEME THREE District and agency accountability: Districts are accountable for identifying strengths and weaknesses, identifying and implementing strategies for improvement, and measuring and reporting progress.

11. THEME FOUR Self-assessment: Each district works with stakeholders to design and implement an ongoing self- assessment process that is focused on improving results for children and youth with disabilities, and facilitates feedback and use of information to support continuous improvement. OSE will periodically visit districts and agencies in the state to verify its self-assessment information.

12. THEME FIVE Data-driven process: The continuous improvement process in each district/agency is driven by data that focuses on improved results for children and youth with disabilities. Each district/agency collects and uses data on an ongoing basis. This data is then aligned with the district’s/agency’s performance goals and indicators, and submitted to OSE for review. Data that are available and can be critical to the self assessment and validation process include: graduation and drop-out rates; performance of students with disabilities on state and district-wide assessments; rates at which children with disabilities are suspended and/or expelled from school; and rates of identification and placement of students from minority backgrounds.

13. THEME SIX   Public process:   It is important that the self-assessment and monitoring process be public, with broad dissemination of self-assessment results, monitoring reports, and the design, implementation, and results of improvement plans.

14. THEME SEVEN   Technical assistance:   Because the focus of the monitoring process is on continuous improvement, technical assistance is a critical component to keep the process moving. Therefore, OSE makes the provision of technical assistance a priority component of its work in each district. Districts are encouraged to include a technical assistance plan as part of their improvement plan, and to utilize all available resources to facilitate the continuous improvement process.

15. CUSTOMIZATION The OSE customizes its Continuous Improvement Monitoring Process to meet the needs in each district/agency. In districts where there is evidence of substantial compliance with IDEA requirements, OSE focuses on maintaining the strengths of the district. In districts that are not demonstrating compliance, OSE works with the district to develop an improvement plan for their special education program. Districts that fail to correct identified noncompliance may be subject to enforcement actions.

16. Step 1: Appoint and Orient the Steering Committee The district appoints and works with a steering committee, composed of key stakeholders representing diverse perspectives, to develop and implement a self-assessment to analyze how successful the district has been in achieving compliance and improving results for children with disabilities and their families. This process may already be underway in the district.

17. MEMBERSHIP The steering committee may be the district’s advisory panel; however, membership on this committee MUST include, at a minimum, the following individuals: at least one general education administrator the district special education director or coordinator at least one general educator at least one special educator at least one parent of a student with a disability a student with a disability (current or former high school student) OSE regional liaison (consultant) related service personnel (if appropriate for the district )

18. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES   Gain an understanding of the state continuous improvement process.   Approach work as “advisory” not “advocacy”   Represent the views and perspectives of the various stakeholders.   Provide objective advice based on facts and reliable data.   Be a partner with school district staff and other committee members to improve results for infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities.   Be flexible and a reflective listener.   As requested, assist the school district during each phase of the improvement process.

19. Step 2: Collecting Assessment Data The self-assessment indicates how well the district improves results for children with disabilities, and establishes a baseline for measurement of progress in this area. In addition, a self-assessment can also show how well the district meets its own state requirements and provides a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to children and youth with disabilities.

20. Step Two The self-assessment must identify data sources, areas of positive results, areas that need improvement, and additional issues. In addition to measuring progress and defining the next steps, the self- assessment can promote collaborative efforts among stakeholders and can provide an opportunity for ongoing comprehensive planning and use of technical assistance.

21. Roles of the Steering Committee during Step 2   Gain an understanding of the school district self-assessment process.   Understand the special education process, federal/state laws and regulations, and the school district program.   Suggest self-assessment methodology.   Update self-assessment data and baseline levels.

22. SELF-ASSESSMENT DOCUMENTATION 1.Parent surveys 2.Student survey 3.Administrator survey 4.Educator surveys 5.Student file review forms 6.Indicator data. 7.Other: The steering committee has the option to collect other sources of information to evaluate their program.

23. Step 3: Data analysis and self-assessment The steering committee works with OSE staff to plan strategies for analyzing the self-assessment results including data collection. The data analysis stage includes child count verification and review of the self-assessment data.

24. Roles of the Steering Committee during Step 3   Suggest and coordinate data sources.   Validate and analyze data sources.   Provide feedback regarding the self- assessment document.   Assist in the identification of program strengths and deficiencies.   Identify spokesperson of the steering committee to contact the team leader and establish a date and time for a conference call.

25. Self-Assessment Checklist The self-assessment is the tool that a school district steering committee will use to guide the self-assessment process. While this process should be ongoing, it is a necessary foundation for the long-range improvement plan that will result following the OSE monitoring team’s visit. Following the gathering of data, conducting interviews, checking records, and the dissemination of surveys, the steering committee can make decisions about the school district’s strengths and determine the areas of focus for improvement and change. The school district will share these findings with the OSE staff prior to their onsite review.

26. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY An executive summary of the completed self- assessment must be prepared that summarizes the findings of the self-assessment checklist for each of the following seven areas. Principle one: General supervision Principle two: Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) Principle three: Appropriate evaluation Principle four: Procedural safeguards Principle five: IEP Principle six: Least restrictive environment

27. Step 4: Conference Call Preparing for Validation Data Collection Visit Conference Call with the Steering Committee and/or Committee designee The purpose of the conference call with the steering committee during the validation planning is to discuss the results of the self-assessment and any area of the self-assessment that may not have been addressed.

28. Roles of the Steering Committee during Step 4 ã ã Suggest school and program sites for state staff to visit. ã ã If asked, help chaperone state staff during the onsite week.

29. Preparing for the Data Collection Visit 1.Determine the issues to be reviewed during the validation data collection visit. 2.Select programs to be visited. 3.Plan daily schedules for the teams visit. 4.Prepare data collection forms.

30. Step 5: Onsite Validation Collection The purpose of the validation planning visit is to collect information from the district to begin the process of validating the findings of the self- assessment and to collect other data needed to assess the effectiveness of the district’s system for providing special education services. Validation data collection is customized based upon a review of the self-assessment, information collected during the validation data collection conference call, and other data.

31. Roles of the Steering Committee during Step 5 Participate in the exit conference.

32. Activities conducted in the district: a.)Introductions and overview of the OSE’s visit b.) Record reviews with special educators c.) Interviews with teachers, service providers, parents, students, principals, program directors, and/or administrator d.) Exit conference

33. Step 6: Reporting to the Public The OSE’s report reviewing the district’s performance in the implementation of IDEA Part B is made available to the public. The report is made available to the public in accordance with the dissemination plan agreed to by the steering committee and OSE.

34. Roles of the Steering Committee during Step 6: ã ã Suggest public awareness strategies for the district report and improvement plan. ã ã Assist in implementing public awareness strategies. ã ã Inform the stakeholders about the self- assessment and improvement plan.

35. School District Public Awareness Strategies The school district steering committee should develop and implement public awareness strategies to share self-assessment and monitoring results. Suggested public awareness approaches could include: - Post on the school district Web site. - Report at school board meetings. - Communicate results to school/community stakeholders. - Publish in various school district newsletters. - Post findings on the state Web site. - Place monitoring self-assessment documents in the local public libraries. - Summarize at various school district meetings. - Share with parents and advocate organizations. - Communicate on public television. - Share at local conferences and inservice training.

36. Step 7: Improvement Planning As a part of the improvement planning process, the steering committee meets, in an advisory capacity, to develop a plan to address the issues identified in the district’s self assessment, validated in OSE’s data collection visit, and discussed in the report. OSE will assist the district in finalizing its improvement plan. The assist from OSE could be in the form of a conference or through an onsite visit. The district must develop an improvement plan to address areas that need improvement.

37. Roles of the Steering Committee during Step 7: ã ãThe steering committee serves in an advisory capacity to develop the improvement plan. ã ãAssist in developing a draft improvement plan. ã ãAssist in developing the final improvement plan. ã ãSuggest improvement strategies and activities. ã ãIf assigned, assist with implementation strategies. ã ãAttend steering committee meetings to review progress of implementation plan as part of the continuous monitoring cycle.

38. VERIFICATION The purpose of verification is to ensure that: - the district implements, within established timelines, all of the agreed-upon improvement strategies; - those strategies are effective in ensuring correction at district levels; and -to the extent that the correction strategies implemented by the district have not been fully effective, the district initiates additional strategies to ensure effective correction. The information that districts submit for verification must ultimately demonstrate a change in practice, not just revisions to policy, procedure, or paperwork.

39. Step 8: Implementation and Verification of Improvement Strategies The district implements its improvement plan and evaluates the effectiveness of the plan. Based upon documentation that OSE receives from the district and its steering committee, as well as other sources, OSE verifies the effectiveness of the actions taken in implementing the improvement plan.

40. Roles of the Steering Committee during Step 8: ã ãHelp monitor and evaluate the improvement plan. ã ãAttend meetings to evaluate improvement strategies and revise the plan. ã ãAssist in updating present levels of systems performance.