IEP Administrative Designee
Developed by Contra Costa SELPA
2001-2002
Facilitated byContra Costa SELPA Staff
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Purpose
The purpose of this training is to inform administrators, special
education and general education staff of the role of the Administrative Designee during the individual education planning meeting.
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Agenda IDEA 97 Parent Conference &
Student Study Team Role of the
Administrative Designee
IEP Meeting Chair, Role of the Parent and General Educator
Eligibility Disabilities
Timeline and Assessment
FAPE LRE Required Forms Individual Education
Program Parent Rights IEP Best Practices Alternative Dispute
Resolution
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Guiding Principles of IDEA ’97 High Expectations and Agency
Accountability Improving Results through the
General Curriculum Education with Non-disabled Peers Parental Involvement and
Partnerships Increased Efficiency and Flexibility
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Teacher Conference and Student Study Team Opportunities
Prior to referral to special education, meet with the teacher(s) individually or in a group to discuss strengths, weaknesses, modifications and accommodations
Identify concerns and needs Implement and document accommodations Develop accommodations and options Review and evaluate impact of
modifications and accommodations on the student’s progress
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The IEP Team Members
Parents General education teacher Special education teacher Administrative or designee
(Representative of the Local Education Agency authorized to commit LEA resources)
Individual who can interpret assessment results, if sharing assessment
Others (i.e. agency representative) Student, when appropriate and always
included in development of transition plan
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Role of the Administrative Designee at IEP MeetingsA representative of the LEA who is: Qualified to provide, or supervise
the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities
Knowledgeable about the general curriculum
Knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the local education agency
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Administrative Designed Role (cont.) District/County/ or SELPA employee
authorized by responsible district of residence
Authorized to commit district resources
Responsible for:– Eligibility– Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)– Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
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IEP Meeting Chair Responsibility for conducting the meeting Ensure that special education process is
followed by the IEP Team Ensure that the IEP paperwork is completed
and returned to the special education office Explain the Parental Rights to the parent
and answer any questions about their rights
Provide copies of assessment reports and IEP to all parties who need them
Follow-up on unresolved issues
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Role of the Parents Provide consent to assessment and
provision of special education services Participate in meetings for the
identification, evaluation, placement and determination of FAPE
Parents are included in eligibility and placement decisions
IDEA ’97 recognizes the importance for parent/school partnerships and non-adversarial dispute resolution.
Parents are offered mediation as a voluntary option for dispute resolution.
IDEA ’97 recognizes the importance for parent/school partnerships and non-adversarial dispute resolution.
Parents are offered mediation as a voluntary option for dispute resolution.
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Role of the General Education Teacher Provide information about the
general education curriculum Identify the need for
supplemental aids and supports Design program modifications Request support
for school personnel Consider request
for positive behavior intervention
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Eligibility
Specific Learning Disability
Hard of Hearing Visual Impairment Speech or Language
Impairment Other Health Impairment Orthopedic Impairment
Mental Retardation Traumatic Brain Injury Emotional
Disturbance Autism Deaf/Blindness Deaf Multiple Disability
A disability is listed in Federal law as one of thirteen disability categories, and because of the disability, the student requires special education and/or related services
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Timeline 15 days: After a written referral is
received to develop and offer an assessment plan or formally refuse to assess
15 days: For parents to provide informed written consent
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Timeline (cont.) 50 days to complete all the following:
– An assessment report– Determination of eligibility– An IEP team meeting– A written Individualized Education Plan
(if eligible)– Placement recommendations– Parent’s signature (approval)
Expeditious placement Annual Review one year from date of
last IEP meeting, or earlier if necessary
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Assessment: To Determine Eligibility Whether a student has a disability
If there is a need for special education and/or related services to benefit from education
Present level of educational functioning and needs
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Assessment Requires Parent notice and obtain written
consent The IEP team meets to review
assessment and existing information from parents, teachers and others
The IEP team’s determination of additional information needed
Collection of additional information and/or administer tests
A written report by individual assessors or by the team of assessors
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Reassessment
IEP team discusses need forre-assessment
Parents are notified Parents must provide written
consent to any individual testing After obtaining written consent,
LEA conducts the re-assessment
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Free and Appropriate Public Education, Definition (FAPE) Provided at public expense,
under public supervision and direction, and without charge
Meets the standards of the State Education Agency
Includes preschool, elementary and secondary
Provided in conformity with the IEP requirements of IDEA’97
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FAPE Definition (cont.) Requires specially designed instruction Meets unique needs of the student
with disability Provides related services when
required including: Transportation and such developmental, corrective and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education
Defines the relationship to the general education curriculum
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FAPE (cont.)
Requires that alternative services continue to be made available
to suspended or expelled students
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FAPE (cont.)Alternate Services During Alternate Services During
Periods of Disciplinary Periods of Disciplinary RemovalRemoval
Provide services to the extent determined necessary to:
Enable the child to appropriately progress in the general curriculum, and
Appropriately advance toward achieving the goals of his/her IEP
The IEP Team makes this service determination
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What Does FAPE Mean at the School Level?
It is the agency’s responsibility to immediately procure services and to ensure all services are provided in accordance with IEP goals and objectives
Special education services must be based upon the unique needs of a particular student rather than some “standard or service” offered to every student within a group
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What Does FAPE Mean at the School Level? (cont.)
Students must receive services on their IEP(Students cannot be placed on waiting
lists) Students who receive special
education and related services must have IEPs
The IEP team determines what is an “appropriate education”
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What Does FAPE Mean at the School Level? (cont.)
For most students an “appropriate education” will include involvement in the general education curriculum
Schools must make FAPE available to students who have been suspended or expelled for more than 10 days in a given year
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Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District, et. al. v. Rowley, et. ux. U.S. Supreme Court 1985 Federal law (94-142 or IDEA) requires a
“free appropriate public education” (FAPE) for disabled children. If child is placed in regular classroom, the IEP should be “reasonably calculated to enable child to achieve passing marks and advance from grade to grade.”
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Rowley (cont.) Other than this, there is no substantive
standard prescribing the level of education for disabled children. There is no requirement to maximize the potential of each disabled child.
The courts are only concerned with whether the agency has complied with the procedural requirements and if the IEP is reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefits.
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Least Restrictive Environment
The intent of IDEA 1997 is to ensure that children with disabilities receive their education:
In age appropriate environment With non-disabled peers In neighborhood schools
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Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) To the maximum extent appropriate,
children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions and other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the general education environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of the child is such that education in the general class with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. Section 612(a)(5)(A)
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Guidelines forLeast Restrictive Placement
Decisions regarding participation in general
education must be based on
Holland v. Sacramento City
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Holland v. Sacramento City The Four–Part Full Inclusion Test1. The educational benefits
available to the student in a regular education classroom, supplemented with appropriate aids and services, as compared with the educational benefits of a special education classroom
2. The non-academic benefits of interaction with children who are not disabled
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Holland (cont.)
3. The effect of the student’s presence on the teacher and other children in the classroom
4. The cost of mainstreaming the student in a regular classroom
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Key Concepts of LRE Must be individually determined and
based on a student’s individual needs Applies to all children with disabilities The general education class is always
the first choice Consideration and use of supplementary
aids and services to make the general education class a first and viable choice is required
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LRE Placements Must Be based on the IEP which must be
developed before the team determines the placement
Be as close to the child’s home school as possible and unless the IEP requires something else, be in a child’s home school
Consider any potential harmful effect on the child or quality of services
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Forms To Meet Requirements For Documentation Notice of special education referral Assessment plan Notification of team meeting Learning disability eligibility form (for
SLD only) Current levels of performance, goals
and objectives form Transition plan (14+ years) Program Description Summary
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Standards Based Learning
Establish which standards are absolutely essential for students to be successful at next grade level
Students demonstrate mastery of the standard
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Standards Based Learning
IEP Goals become focused on student achieving Essential Standards– Standards based goals– Skills needed to achieve standards– Accommodations required for instruction
Classroom instruction supported by– General education– Special education– Related services– Materials– Professional training– Support programs
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Goals and Objectives Addressing needs for involvement
and progress in general education based on standards and benchmarks
Addressing the student’s other educational needs
Written to represent expected progress over a period of one year
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Goals and Objectives (cont.) Progress measured by
providers
Reporting progress to parents(At least as often as for non-disabled peers)
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Goals and Objectives (cont.) Determine whether anticipated
progress is being achieved Meet to revise IEP to address
– Lack of expected progress– Results of assessment– Information provided by parents– Anticipated needs and other
considerations Meet and revise the IEP at least
annually
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Present Levels ofPerformanceStated in narrative form, Present Levels of
Performance must include the following:A description of: the strengths of the student in each area (i.e.,
speech and language, reading, social skills) the educational needs of the student that result
from the disability how the disability affects involvement and
progress in general education curriculum and/or appropriate activities.
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Annual Goals
Must reflect the major focus of the content area
Must relate to the general education curriculum’s standards or functional skills curriculum
Must be designed to be measurable
Must be designed to be attainable in one year
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Objectives Must be written incrementally either by date of accomplishment or in a task-analysis format of simple to complex Who Does what How Presented How much Evaluative method By when In a logical sequence
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Transition Plan By age 14: A statement of transition
needs that focus on the student’s course of study
By age 16: A statement of transition services and any interagency responsibilities or needed linkages
By age 17: A statement that the student was advised that all special education rights transfer to the student upon the 18th birthday (conservatorship)
Age 18: Transfer of rights, however must still notice parents as well as student
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Continuum of Placements Instruction in general education
classes (with supplementary services if needed)
Service specific classes Service specific separate classes Non public schools State school Home/hospital instruction Other
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Special Factors to be Considered Behavior intervention and strategies Language needs: Limited English
Proficiency (LEP) Instruction in and the use of Braille for a
visually impaired/blind student Communication needs and opportunities
for a hard of hearing/deaf student Assistive technology needs for a student
who requires assistive devices or services to benefit from education
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Special Factors to be ConsideredGoals and objectives are required for
any student needing: Behavior intervention and
strategies Assistive devices or services to
benefit from their education
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Required Content of the IEP: Aids & ServicesMust enable the child to: Advance appropriately toward annual
goals Be involved and progress in the general
education curriculum Participate in extracurricular and
nonacademic activities Be educated and participate with other
children with disabilities and non-disabled children
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Individual Education ProgramWhen reviewing and revising the IEP, the
IEP team must: At least annually review the IEP to
determine whether annual goals are being achieved
Revise the IEP as appropriate to address– Lack of expected progress– Results of reassessment– Information provided by parents– Anticipated needs or other matters
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Program Description Summary
Services determined by the IEP team: Dates: The start and end of the service Location: Examples - pull-out to special
education resource room (Learning Center) or provided in general education classroom with non-disabled peers
Frequency: At least 30 minutes per week which includes consultation
Duration: For the regular school year
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Parent Rights To receive prior
notification To participation in
decision-making To be informed of
options To provide written
consent to assessment and special education services
To access an independent educational evaluation, if they disagree with district’s assessment
To access to all records To settle disputes
voluntarily To Due Process through
state level hearing and complaint options
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IEP Best Practices Do not simply collect information,
consider where it fits in the puzzle. Do not lose the forest for the trees
in assessing the child’s progress. Keep the big picture in mind!
Make sure the goals and objectives match the child’s skill level and abilities.
Be wary of too many goals and objectives.
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IEP Best Practices
Make sure the goals and objectives are not too general.
Describe skills to be achieved instead of promising levels of achievement.
Make sure each service provider has a copy of at least that portion of the IEP he or she is responsible for implementing.
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IEP Best Practices
Make sure each service provider knows the evaluation schedule for assessing student progress on goals and objectives.
Make sure the child’s progress toward the goals and objectives is reported to the parents as agreed in the IEP.
Be mindful of the student’s privacy.
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IEP Best Practices
Listen to the parents’ concerns and expectations.
Communicate with the parents and keep them informed.
DOCUMENT! DOCUMENT! DOCUMENT!
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Alternative Dispute Resolution
1. Resource Parents (Parent to Parent Support)
2. Program Specialists (Placement Specialist Support)
3. Facilitated IEPs4. Solutions Panel5. Local Mediation
The opportunity to resolve disputes at the lowest level and in the most timely manner under
neutral,non-adversarial conditions.
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Alternative Dispute Resolution
Contact theSELPA Coordinator of Dispute Resolution
at (925) 827-0949 ext. 13
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Thank you for your attendance and interest in conducting Individual Education Planning Team Meetings relative to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1997