Special Education
A Principal's Perspective
Council of Administrators of
Special Education
It’s not too late to register for the “Most
Comprehensive Legal Special Education Conference
in Alabama.”
The Annual SEACASE Conference will be February 23-25th at
the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama! Don't
miss out on the opportunity to learn about legal issues which
impact every area of special education. Highly sought-after
presenters include Jim Walsh, Julie Weatherly and Rod Lewis.
Hot Topics will include current legal issues and updates in
special education, parent’s right to revoke consent for special
education, new ADA/Section 504 guidelines, practical
compliance strategies, and what administrators and educators
need to know to provide legally compliant special education
programs. Don’t miss this opportunity to register today!
Click here to register!!
This information is also available at www.clasleaders.org . Click
on Affiliate Associations, then on the CASE link. Scroll down to
the Professional Development section! You may also contact the
CLAS office at (800) 239-3616 for more information.
Caveat
• “Special Education- A Principal’s Perspective” is a
presentation intended for educational purposes only and do
not replace independent professional judgment. Statements of
fact and opinions expressed are those of the presenter
individually and, unless expressly stated to the contrary, are
not the opinion or position of the United States Department of
Education, the Alabama State Department of Education, Troy
University, or Crenshaw County Board of Education. Said
parties do not endorse or approve, and/or assume the
responsibility for, the content, accuracy or completeness of
the information presented. EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN
MADE TO ACCURATELY REPRESENT THE ROLE OF THE
PRINCIPAL IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCESS.
Special education is unpredictable and will change. THE
PRESENTER IS NOT AN EXPERT OR A FINAL AUTHORITY
OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. Please proceed with caution.
Qualifications: Experience is what you get when you
do not get what you want. And experience is often
the most valuable thing you have to offer.
• Special Education Coordinator 2004 to Present
(Crenshaw County)
• Federal Programs Coordinator 2006 to Present
(Crenshaw County)
• Principal Highland Home School 1997 to 2004
(Crenshaw County)
• Assistant Principal Highland Home School 1996 to 1997
(Crenshaw County)
• Applied Physics Teacher/Coach- 1993 to1996 Luverne
School (Crenshaw County)
• Math Teacher/Coach- 1989 to 1993 Charles Henderson
High/Middle School (Troy City)
The Elephant in the Room!
I am one of you; a principal, a coordinator, but most of all, a parent.
Leadership
You do not have to be the Lone Ranger.
• Captain Kurt
– Not the smartest guy on the ship;
• Dr. Spock, first officer, was the logical intellect on
board.
• Dr. McCoy had all the medical knowledge of the 2260s.
• Scotty had the technical know-how to keep the ship
running.
– How does this apply to your school?
– was a dynamic manager;
– knew how to delegate;
– never professed to have greater skills than his
subordinates;
– established the vision and the tone; and
– was responsible for morale.
Top Special Education Issues Facing
Building Level Administrators
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Legal Pitfalls and Liabilities (impact of selected Supreme Court decisions);
Student Discipline and Change in Student Placement- “10 Tickets”;
To Walk or not to Walk- Participation in Graduation Exercises;
Collaborative Teaching and Scheduling;
Highly Qualified and Special Education Teacher Requirements;
Revocation of Special Education Rights;
Response to Intervention (Appropriate Math and Reading Instruction);
Effects of State Performance Plan Indicators;
Implications of First Choice; and
The Woeful IEP.
Extra- Communicating with Parents of Exceptional Students
Extra- SETS Web
Issue #1
Legal Pitfalls and Liabilities:
The Impact of selected
Supreme Court decisions
Free Appropriate Public Education
(FAPE)- Cadilac vs. the Pick-up
•
In its landmark decision in Board of Education v. Rowley (1982), the
Supreme Court faced the parents of a deaf child who wanted, beyond the
other services in her individualized education program (IEP), and a district
that refused to provide a full-time interpreter for her academic classes; they
argued that “appropriate” in FAPE meant an entitlement to an equal
educational opportunity by learning, or receiving via interpreter, all the
instructional information that her nondisabled peers heard. Concluding that
Congress’s primary purpose was to provide access, or a door of opportunity
more than a floor of opportunity, to students with disabilities, who had a
history of exclusion from public schools and special education, the Court
interpreted “appropriate” in the IDEA’s FAPE mandate to have a dual
meaning, which was primarily procedural and only secondarily substantive.
First, the school district must provide procedural compliance with the Act.
Second, the substantive standard is that the eligible child’s IEP must be
reasonably calculated to yield educational benefit. The result has been a
focus on the many procedural requirements of the Act, such as the various
provisions for parental participation, with a relatively relaxed standard for
how much FAPE the eligible child is entitled to. The Rowley child lost her
bid for interpreter services, but the numerous post- Rowley cases have had
varying outcomes based on the individualized emphasis of the IDEA and the
far from precise standards established by the Rowley Court.
FAPE Components
• Special education services need to extend beyond
that which general education students are receiving.
• Annual goals appropriate, measureable, ACOS
related and achievable.
• Progress towards annual goals must be
documented,
– If it is not documented, it did not occur.
• Initial due process, that ends in settlement, will cost
the district approximately $5,000 dependant on
compensatory services.
Related Services
In both Irving Independent School District v. Tatro (1984) and Cedar Rapids
Community School District v. Garret F. (1999), the two eligible children had
severe physical disabilities, one requiring clean intermittent catheterization
and the other requiring constant specialized nursing services. The
defendant districts did not dispute that what these children needed fit under
the broad definition of “related services” under the IDEA; rather, they argued
that these services fit within the definition’s express exclusion for “medical
services” and, thus, were not part of their FAPE obligation. In these
successive cases, the Court established a relatively clear boundary for the
medical services exclusion in the related services component of FAPE: only
if the service must be provided by a physician, it fits in this exclusion. Thus,
each of these two children won. Although the determination of related
services remains an individualized matter, the key question is whether the
child needs the proposed service to benefit from special education. If the
answer is yes, the district must provide it as part of FAPE unless only a
physician may provide said service. Thus, the traditional narrow meaning of
education and the accompanying concern with costs do not constitute the
primary considerations under the IDEA.
Tuition Reimbursement
•
In two successive decisions (Burlington School Committee v. Department of Education,
1985; Florence County School District v. Carter, 1993), the Court had to balance the IDEA’s
FAPE obligation of school districts with the Act’s “stay-put” provision, which requires the
child to remain in their pending placement upon either party filing for a due process
hearing, and until the disputed issue is resolved. In each of these cases, the parent
unilaterally placed the child rather than maintain the “stay-put,” but the reason was that, in
the parents’ perception, the district was not meeting its FAPE obligation and, thus, should
do so by reimbursing the parents for the tuition of the unilateral placement. The district
disputed this requested remedy, and the lower courts were split on the issue. In these two
successive decisions, the Court established a 3-step test for parents who unilaterally place
the child outside the district and seek tuition reimbursement: (1) Was the district’s proposed
placement appropriate?; (2) If not, was the parents’ unilateral placement appropriate (but
with relaxed procedural standards for the parents); and (3) If so, do the “equities,” such as
the reasonableness of the cost in comparison to available private alternatives, warrant a
reduction or elimination of the amount sought? The initial emphasis was on the district’s
FAPE obligation. The second step’s relaxed requirements for parents was based on their
disadvantaged, secondary position in terms of resources and knowledge. The finishing
addition of the equities put a reasonableness boundary on both sides’ conduct. The result
has been a multitude of tuition reimbursement cases, with the parents taking a measured
risk on the outcome depending on the ultimate determination of this flowchart-like set of
criteria.
ADA/504
•
The Court has issued various decisions that are applicable to students
with disabilities in K-12 schools, although none has arisen in this
specific context, in terms of the eligibility and nondiscrimination
requirements under Section 504 and the ADA. In Southeastern
Community College v. Davis (1979), the Court concluded that Section
504 requires educational institutions to provide “reasonable
accommodation,” not substantial modification, to students who meet
the three-pronged definition of disability: (1) physical or mental
impairment, (2) substantially limiting, (3) a major life activity. In more
recent decisions, the Court interpreted the second and third prongs of
this definition rather narrowly (e.g., Sutton v. United Airlines, 1999;
Toyota Motor Manufacturing v. Williams, 2002); yet, the Court also
interpreted “reasonable accommodation” to require waivers in athletics
(PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin, 2001). The result is that districts and parents
must consider the federal requirements not only under the IDEA, but
also the overlapping requirements under Section 504 and the ADA. For
example, for students with IEPs who are otherwise eligible to
participate in interscholastic athletics, absolute rules, such as No Pass,
No Play, warrant careful consideration for individualized waivers.
Further for students who are not eligible for IEPs under the IDEA,
districts must have defensible procedures for determining whether the
child meets the Section 504/ADA three pronged definition of disability
and, for if so, providing FAPE—whether accommodations, such as
extra time for testing, or related services—typically via a Section 504
plan.
Discipline
•
In Honig v. Doe (1988), the defendant district had suspended for a long
period of time two students with emotional disturbance who had victimized
their classmates with dangerous behavior that related to their disability.
Revisiting the exclusionary history that led to the IDEA and the Act’s
procedurally prescribed placement process, including the “stay-put”
provision, the Supreme Court ruled that school districts do not have
unilateral authority to exclude a special education student from school for
more than 10 consecutive days for conduct that was a manifestation of the
student’s disability; rather, if the parents do not consent to such a change in
placement, the only way under the IDEA was a preliminary injunction from a
state or federal court. More recent amendments to the IDEA have preserved
the Honig interpretation but have added refinements, such as setting forth
the criteria for determining whether the behavior is a manifestation of the
child’s disability and providing impartial due process hearing officers with
authority to approve 45-day interim alternate placements where the
student’s behavior poses a substantial danger to self or others.
Issue #2
Student Discipline and Change in
Student Placement“10 Tickets”
Crenshaw County's
Discipline Procedure
• Crenshaw County’s General Rule of Thumb– 3-5 Days Suspension: Conduct FBA and Develop BIP
– 10 Days Removal from LRE- Conduct MDR
• Each school needs a procedure for notifying case manager
• Limitation of SETS- Coordinators and teachers cannot review the
disposition
• To view CCBOE’s FBA, BIP And MDR go to
http://crenshawcounty.schoolinsites.com/?DivisionID='1573'&Toggle
SideNav=
• In School Suspension: 290-8-9.09(8) “A day of in-school
suspension is not a removal from a child’s educational program for
disciplinary reasons as long as the child is afforded the opportunity
to continue to appropriately participate in the general education
curriculum, continue to receive the services specified on the child’s
IEP, and continue to participate with nondisabled children to the
extent they would have in his or her current placement.”
FBA, BIP (Inclusive of PIS) and the
MDR
• 290-8-9-.09 (1) (c) “After a child with a disability has
been removed from his or her current placement for ten
(10) school days in the same school year, during any
subsequent days of removal, the public agency must
provide services to the child with a disability who is
removed from the child’s current placement. The child
must continue to receive educational services, so as to
continue to participate in the general education
curriculum, although in another setting, and to progress
toward meeting the goals set out in the child’s IEP, and
receive, as appropriate, a functional behavioral
assessment and behavioral intervention services and
modifications, that are designed to address the behavior
violation so that it does not recur. “
Manifestation
• Whenever an action involving a removal that constitutes a
change of placement for a student with a disability is
contemplated, a functional behavior assessment, behavioral
intervention, an IEP, and a manifestation determination review
is required.
– If the results of the manifestation determination review are that the
behavior of the student with a disability was not a manifestation of
the student’s disability, the relevant disciplinary procedures,
applicable to students without disabilities, may be applied to the
student in the same manner in which they would be applied to
students without disabilities except that Free and Appropriate Public
Education (FAPE) will be provided and educational services will not
cease.
– If the misconduct is a manifestation of the student’s disability, school
personnel shall not remove the student from school. The IEP Team
must consider modifications to the student’s program, IEP and/or
Behavior Modification Plan.
Process for Additional Referrals
beyond the First MDR
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Review and update the existing FBA to include the most recent dispositions.
Is the hypothesis accurate?
Review and modify if needed the BIP. Is he receiving consultation? If so,
what is the notion of the counselor. If he is not seeing an out of school
counselor he will need to see in the least a school counselor 1 time per
week, 30 minutes or otherwise as deemed necessary by the IEP Team.
Within the BIP, is there evidence of proper positive intervention strategies?
Have they been utilized?
Conclude with the MDR.
Review the IEP in SETS and make sure that the profile “behavior impedes”
learning is marked.
In the end, you will want an amended profile page followed by the FBA, BIP,
and MDR. Final page will be the signature page of the IEP in SETS.
Don’t forget to get a signed NOPM.
Special CircumstancesWeapons and Drugs
• 290-8-9.09(2) (d)(e) Special Circumstances. School
personnel may remove a student to an interim alternative
educational setting for not more than 45 school days
without regard to whether the behavior is determined to
be a manifestation of the child’s disability, if the child:
1. Carries a weapon to or possesses a weapon at school, on
school premises, or to or at a school function under the
jurisdiction of the SEA or an LEA,
2. Knowingly possesses or uses illegal drugs, or sells or solicits the
sale of a controlled substance, while at school, on school
premises, or at a school function under the jurisdiction of the
SEA or an LEA, or
3. Has inflicted serious bodily injury upon another person while at
school, on school premises, or at a school function under the
jurisdiction of the SEA or an LEA.
Special Circumstances- Bus
Suspension
• “Riding a bus is a privilege not a right” unless
transportation is noted as related service in a
students IEP.
– If suspension from the bus prohibits the specialeducation student from attending the educational
portion of his or her program, then the bus
suspension is equivalent to suspension from school
and is counted as one of the 10 days.
Special CircumstancesPart of a Day, Time-Out at Home, & Preschool
• Part of a day suspension equals a whole day of
suspension.
• Sending the student home relative to behavior
as a time-out, even though not coded in STI
Office as a suspension, may be perceived as a
day of suspension.
• In general, rules that apply to student K-12 apply
to preschool programs.
Changes in Placement and
Exceptionalities
• Changes in Placement
–
–
–
–
In School Suspension
Out of School Suspension
Alternative School
Homebound (LRE- 08)
• Exceptionalities
–
–
–
–
–
OHI- ADD And ADHD
ED
TBI
MR
SLD
Placement During AppealsStay Put”
“
• 290-8-9.09 (4) Placement During Appeals. When
an appeal has been made by either the parent
or the LEA under this rule, the child must remain
in the interim alternative educational setting
pending the decision of the hearing officer or
until the expiration of the time period specified in
this rule, whichever occurs first, unless the
parent and the SEA or LEA agree otherwise.
Special Education Rights Extend to
Students who are in the "Process"
• 290-8-9.09(5)(a) A child who has not been
determined to be eligible for special education
and related services under these rules and who
has engaged in behavior that violated a code of
student conduct, may assert any of the
protections provided for in these rules if the
public agency had knowledge, as specified
below, that the child was a child with a disability
before the behavior that precipitated the
disciplinary action occurred.
Returning from the
Judicial Authorities
• 290-8-9.09(6) Whenever law enforcement or judicial
authorities are contacted by a public agency
personnel reporting an alleged crime committed by a
child with a disability, the IEP Team must, within two
weeks of the child’s return to a school setting:
1. Conduct a functional behavioral assessment, unless the
LEA has conducted a functional behavioral assessment
during the previous 18 months before the behavior that
resulted in the change of placement occurred, and
implement a behavioral intervention plan for the child, or
2. If a behavioral intervention plan already has been
developed, review the behavioral intervention plan and
modify it, as necessary, to address the behavior.
Issue #3
"To Walk or not to Walk"
Participation in Graduation
Exercises
Participation in Graduation
Ceremony
• 290-8-9.10(8)(r)(9) Graduation Activities and Diplomas. Each
student with a disability must be given the opportunity, consistent
with the decision of the IEP Team, to participate in the public
agency's graduation activities and diploma procedures including the
opportunity to earn Carnegie Units. For students who are eligible to
graduate, the following rules must be used:
– (a) Each student with a disability who earns the appropriate number of
Carnegie Units, based on the approved State courses of study, and passes
all portions of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE) must
be awarded the Alabama High School Diploma or Alabama High School
Diploma with Advanced Endorsement. Students with disabilities as defined
by IDEA, including those pursuing the Alabama Occupational Diploma
(AOD), are eligible to receive the Alabama High School Diploma if they pass
all but one subject-area test of the AHSGE, meet all other requirements for
graduation, and have the required alternate documentation (which includes
documentation of the disability(s) in the area of the one subject area test of
the AHSGE that was not passed).
•
•
•
(b) Each student with a disability as defined by IDEA must earn the course
credits outlined in Ala. Admin. Code r. 290-3-1-.02(8)(g) and take the
AHSGE at least once (Spring of the 11th grade) in order to be awarded the
AOD. Each student with a disability that is pursuing the AOD must be
provided the opportunity to continue working toward earning the AOD if that
student is determined, through the reevaluation process, to no longer qualify
for special education services.
(c) Each student with a disability who accumulates the required number of
Carnegie Units for graduation, but does not pass the AHSGE must be
awarded a graduation certificate and afforded the opportunity to participate
in public agency activities related to graduation.
(d) Each student with a disability who passes the AHSGE, but does not
accumulate the required number of Carnegie Units for graduation must be
awarded a graduation certificate and afforded the opportunity to participate
in public agency activities related to graduation.
• (e) Each student with a disability who successfully completes his or
her IEP must be awarded a graduation certificate and afforded the
opportunity to participate in public agency activities related to
graduation.
• (f) Where a student with a disability has participated in graduation
activities with nondisabled age-appropriate peers but has not earned
an Alabama High School Diploma, that student is entitled to FAPE
until he or she exits school with a regular diploma or to age 21.
• (g) It is the intent and desire of the State Board of Education that
graduation activities and procedures for awarding the standard,
advanced or any other diploma or graduation certificate to an eligible
student, including a student with a disability, be integrated and
identical with no distinctions/differentiations made in regard to the
way the exit document is awarded or presented.
Issue #4
Co-Teaching
Models of Collaboration- Alabama
School Improvement Grant (SIG)
• Models of Collaboration is a three-part project that features
elementary, middle, and high school collaboration/co-teaching
teams.
• Each DVD comes with an instructional resources CD
containing training materials, a facilitator’s guide with talking
points, and a viewing guide for general audiences.
• Schools Represented on video are:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Pike County Elementary School
Oak Mountain Intermediate School
Oxford Middle School
Alba Middle School
Oxford High School
Montevallo High School
Contents of SIG Videos
• Each DVD contains the following format:
– Introduction
– Models of Co-Teaching
• Clips in this section feature collaborative teaching teams from
elementary, middle, and high school delivering instruction
through five common co-teaching models.
–
–
–
–
Supportive & Station Teaching
Dual Supportive Teaching
Alternative Teaching
Parallel Teaching
• Collaborative Planning
– Clips in this section demonstrate general and special
education teachers planning during scheduled, sustained,
and protected times, for temporary and/or sustained coteaching.
Contents of SIG Videos
• Conversations with Collaborative Teachers
– Clips in this section feature powerful conversation between
general and special education co-teaching teams discussing
challenges and rewards of collaboration.
• Seamless Collaboration Continuum
– This section features a delivery system of seamless
collaboration, by addressing collaborative activities that range
from minimally intensive to extremely intensive.
• Administrative Interviews
– Successful collaboration requires support from the top down.
Clips in this section address collaboration from the
administrator’s perspective. Building administrators (and one
superintendent) discuss their role in creating, maintaining, and
sustaining collaboration in their schools and among staff.
Co-Teaching- Interview with High
School Administrators
• Title II, Chapter 1, 20:23- 29:00
• Terry Holladay, Principal Oxford High School
Biting off more
than you can
chew?
Scheduling
Most Important Responsibilities
of a Principal
• Recommend Personnel
• Develop a Master Schedule
– Process starts in January or does it ever end
Gather Data
• By grade level make a list by name of each type of
student:
– Special Education Students
• Request a list of all special education students and their need for
services
– Honor Students
– Advanced Diploma Students
– Retentions
• Align the Curriculum by Grade Levels
– Consider limits
– Include all of the State Required Courses
• Foreign Language
• Health
• Computer
– Consider AHSGE Remediation
Determine Your Faculty Needs
•
•
•
Note that student needs determine faculty needs, not vice versa.
Speak to your local superintendent.
Note the national and state news.
–
–
–
–
Grades K-3 ... 15.4
Grades 4-6 ... 23
Grades 7-8 ... 21.7
Grades 9-12... 19.6
•
•
•
(represents raising the divisors by 1.6 in every grade which would result in a decrease of
3,753 teaching units)
Know that your master and student schedules will change, perhaps even
after school starts.
Determine, by subject, your needs. Must consider:
– HQ Status
– Area of Certification
– Source of funding (i.e. Should you use a special education teacher whose salary and
benefits are paid from IDEA to run an ACCESS lab?)
– Know the state now requests the name and position of every teacher funded with
Federal Funds. Recently, the SDE requested information regarding other fund
sources used to pay employees.
– Full FTE’s
– ACCESS Use
Determine Which Section(s) Your
IDEA Students Will Best Fit Into
• What is the probability of appropriate co-teaching
services if the IDEA population is disbursed over the
entire master schedule? (Slim to None)
• Always consider the highest diploma option first.
• Determine which students may require AOD course
offerings.
• Know that most may not pursue an Honors Diploma
and that most may pursue a General Diploma.
• What to consider?
– Discipline: As you would with any group
– General Rule of Thumb: IDEA students should not exceed
50% of total class population
Legality of GroupingsBlue Birds and Robins
•
•
Grouping students based on their achievement or ability levels is not
impermissible in itself. However, such grouping programs are open to challenge
on the basis that they are culturally or racially biased. In Hobson v. Hanson, 269
F. Supp. 401 (D.D.C 1967) aff’d sub nom. Smuck V. Hobson, 408 F2d 175 (D.C.
Cir. 1969), plaintiffs challenged the sue of intelligence test scores as a means of
placing students into ability groups or tracks. Although the court found the use
of the IQ tests to be discriminatory, the court did not specifically find the tracking
scheme unconstitutional. The court held that tracking schemes that are
reasonably related to educational purposes are constitutionally permissible,
unless they create discrimination against identifiable groups of children. Such
reasoning was followed in Georgia, where the courts supported ability grouping
that allow more resources to be provided to low-achieving students. Georgia
State Conference of Branches of NAACP v. Georgia, 775 F. 2d 1403 (11th Cir.
1985).” Dr. Dave Dagley, Education Law Training, Superintendents’ Academy.
Metaphor of Interstate Highway System
–
–
–
–
Easy Off
Easy Off
May Move Between
Parallel Curriculums
Putting the Puzzle Together:
Developing the Master Schedule
• It is not magic but a simple process of “trial and
error.”
• Two Spreadsheets
– Teachers
– Students by Sections
• Begin with what is most important?
–
–
–
–
Lunch?
Athletics?
Special Education Students?
No, your senior class.
Developing the Master- By Teacher
Teacher
Eng. T. A.
Eng. T. B.
Eng. T. C.
Math T. B
Math T. C
Math. T. A
PE T.
Sci. T. A
Sci. T. B
Sci. T. C
SS T. A.
SS T. B.
SS T. C.
Rem. T.
Rem. T.
1
12 Eng. A
9 Eng. C
7 Eng. C
9 Math A
8 Math B
10 Math B
7 PE
9 Sci. B
11 Sci. B
8 Sc. B
12 SS B
10 SS A
8 SS C
B. Sk.
AG T.
B/ Mar. T. B
B/Mar. T. A
Band T.
FCS T.
For. Lang. T
Ag
6 Band
F & C Sc.
Span. I
2
11 Eng. B
10 Eng. B
7 Eng. A
9 Math B
7 Mth B
8 PE
12 Sc. B
10 Sc. A
8 Sc. C
11 SS A
10 SS C
7 SS C
B. Sk.
Ag
Comp I A
Bus. Com.
5 Band
F & C Sc.
Span. II
3
12 Eng. B
10 Eng. A
7 Eng. B
11 Math C
8 Mth C
11 Math A
9 SS A
11 Sci. A
10 Sc. C
7 Sc. A
11 SS B
10 SS B
8 SS A
Comp I B
8 B KB
4
9 Eng. A
8 Eng. A
11 Math B
12 Math B
9 SS B
12 Sci. A
12 SS A
Sociology
8 SS B
5
11 Eng. A
9 Eng. B
6
11 Eng. C
8 Eng. B
10 Math A
7 Mth A
12 Math A
9 SS C
9 Sci. A
10 Sc. B
7 Sc. C
11 SS C
7 SS B
7
AHSGE
10 Eng. C
8 Eng. C
9 Math C
8 Mth B
AHSGE
7 Mth C
10 Math C
Girls' Atletics
9 Sci. C
Girls Athletics 11 Sc. C
7 Sc. B
8 Sc. A
AHSGE
Boys' Athletics Boys' Athletics
7 SS A
B. Sk.
B. Sk.
7 Ag
Comp I C
8 C KB
7 Band
7 F & C Sc.
8 Ag
Comp II
Bus. Com.
8 Band
8 F & C Sc.
Ag
Yr. Bk.
8 A KB
Mus. Theo.
F & C Sc.
Ag
Comp. II
Acct.
Band
F & C Sc.
Math Y
Read. Z
Lang. X
Sci. Y
Enrich. Z
SS X
Math Z
Read. X
Lang. Y
Sci. Z
Enrich. X
SS Y
Sped. T. A
Sped. T. B
Sped. T. C
Sped. T. D
Sixth Grade A
Sixth Grade B
Sixth Grade C
Math X
Read. Y
Lang. Z
Sci. X
Enrich. Y
SS Z
Developing the Master- By Sections
12 A
12 B
Total No.
of S.
26
25
No. Of
IDEA
11 A
11 B
11 C
22
24
21
10 A
10 B
27
22
10 C
22
9A
9B
9C
25
23
26
Math
SCI
12 ENG
8A
22
MTH
8B
8C
25
24
7A
7B
7C
22
23
22
6X
6Y
6Z
24
24
20
1
Eng.
10 SS
2
3
4
5
6
7
Span. II
Sci
Sci
ENG
SS
MTH
Math
SS
ENG
Math
SS
Math
Sci.
Math
PE
ENG
BIO
ENG
ENG
SS
HEA/SOC
HEA/SOC
SS
BIO
HEA/SOC
Math
Sci.
COMP
II
Math
ENG
COMP I
Math
SS
COMP I
PE
ENG
SS
COMP I
SCI
ENG
SS
Math
PE
SS
ENG
SCI
SCI
9 SS
PE
SCI
KB
MTH
SS
KB
AG
KB
HOME
EC
ENG
BAND PE
PE
PE
9 ENG
ENG
MTH
SS
SCI
ENG
PE
AG
FCS
BAND
MTH
SS
SCI
SS
SCI
MTH
BS. SK.
BS. SK.
BS. SK.
MTH
READ
LANG
SC
ENR.
SS
MTH
READ.
LAND
SC
ENR.
SS
MTH
READ.
LANG
SC
ENR.
SS
SPAN I
SCI
8
SS
Math
6
PE
PE
10 PE
SS
ENG
SCI
SCI
MTH
ENG
Developing IDEA Schedules
• Locate and identify the IDEA sections.
• Consider amending the master to increase IDEA coverage.
• Consider the faculty member’s ability and willingness to make
accommodations. Is there a need for a co-teacher?
• Consider coverage of elective classes?
• Note problems and make changes.
Teacher
1
2
3
Eng. T. A.
12 Eng. A
11 Eng. B
12 Eng. B
4
Eng. T. B.
9 Eng. C
10 Eng. B
10 Eng. A
9 Eng. A
Eng. T. C.
7 Eng. C
7 Eng. A
7 Eng. B
8 Eng. A
Math T. B
9 Math A
9 Math B
11 Math C
11 Math B
Math T. C
8 Math B
7 Mth B
8 Math C
Math. T. A
10 Math B
PE T.
7 PE
Sci. T. A
5
6
7
11 Eng. A
11 Eng. C
AHSGE
9 Eng. B
10 Eng. C
8 Eng. B
10 Math A
8 Eng. C
9 Math C
7 Mth A
7 Mth C
8 Mth B
AHSGE
11 Math A
12 Math B
12 Math A
10 Math C
8 PE
9 SS A
9 SS B
9 SS C
Girls' Atletics
9 Sci. B
12 Sc. B
11 Sci. A
12 Sci. A
9 Sci. A
9 Sci. C
Sci. T. B
11 Sci. B
10 Sc. A
10 Sc. C
10 Sc. B
Girls Athletics
11 Sc. C
Sci. T. C
8 Sc. B
8 Sc. C
7 Sc. A
7 Sc. C
7 Sc. B
8 Sc. A
SS T. A.
12 SS B
11 SS A
11 SS B
12 SS A
SS T. B.
10 SS A
10 SS C
10 SS B
Sociology
SS T. C.
8 SS C
7 SS C
8 SS A
8 SS B
11 SS C
AHSGE
Boys' Athletics
7 SS B
7 SS A
Boys' Athletics
IDEA Teacher Schedules
• Determine to assign your IDEA teachers either
by subject or grade.
• Consider the relationship between case load
and co-teaching assignment.
• Consider the pros
Sped. T. A
12 SS B
12 Sc. B
12 Eng. B
12 Math B
PLAN
11 Eng. C
11 Sc. C
Sped. T. B
9 Eng. C
10 SS C
10 Sc. C
PLAN
9 SS C
9 Sci. C
9 Math C
Sped. T. C
7 Eng. C
7 SS C
11 Math C
PLAN
7 Soc. C
7 Math C
10 Eng. C
Sped. T. D
8 SS C
8 Sci. C
8 Mth C
PLAN
11 SS C
10 Math C
8 Eng. C
Other Considerations
• Use the “grouping” feature in STI to schedule
sections of students.
• Other problems will occur. Master as presented
does not allow Section C to participate in athletic
period. Solution: Move or separate athletic
periods.
• Consider similar scheduling for elementary
students
– ALSDE Gifted Specialists recommend grouping gifted
and IDEA students together.
Issue #5
Highly Qualified and Special
Education Teacher Requirements
Highly Qualified
• The first provider of core instruction must be the highly qualified teacher.
• New PRAXIS Prep Tool
– Give Your Teacher Candidates Tools for Success on The Praxis Series™
Assessments
– To help you prepare teacher candidates to meet the stringent requirements for
teacher licensure, we've developed a workshop series for both your faculty and
teacher candidates:
– Faculty Workshops — specifically designed to offer your faculty strategies to
prepare your teacher candidates for the Praxis™ tests. This 6-hour workshop
provides critical information about the tests and the factors that contribute to testtaker success, as well as offers methods to better support teacher candidates.
– Teacher Candidate Workshops — designed to provide your candidates with a
solid understanding of how to prepare for the Praxis I® and Praxis II® tests.
Each of these 6-hour workshops will help candidates understand how the tests
are structured, how to approach various types of questions, how to combat test
anxiety and how to develop their own individual study plans.
– Request more information or call us at 1-866-925-4162. You may also visit us
online.
Alabama Administrative CodeSpecial Education Teacher Certification
• Proper Certification- p. 112
• Penalty- p. 113
• Qualifications- p. 302-310
• Case Load- p. 571
Proper Certification
290-3-2-.02 (2)
(a) Each person who serves as a teacher or in an
instructional support personnel position in the public
schools of the State is required to hold a valid Alabama
certificate as prescribed in Ala. Code §16-23-1 (1975).
9d) Proper certification is defined as having a valid
Alabama certificate in the teaching field(s) and/or area(s)
of instructional support in which the person is assigned
throughout the school day. The current edition of the
Subject and Personnel Codes of the Alabama State
Department of Education, which is updated annually,
shall be used to determine whether a person holds
proper certification for his or her assignments throughout
the school day.
Penalty for Improper Certification
290-3-2-.02(2)(e)
An individual who is assigned one or more periods
per day in a teaching field in which he or she is not
properly certified will cause a penalty of a minimum
of $500.00 per teacher per year to be assessed
against the employing board of education. Additional
information about proper certification is in Rule 2903-2-.01(30). Additional information about the penalty
is in Rule 290-2-1-.01(5)(c). All teachers must be
paid according to the State Minimum Salary
Schedule. Additional information about the schedule
is in Rule 290-2-1-.01(1)(a)2.
Qualifications of Special Education
Teachers
290-3-3-.34 Special Education. Additional information about specific programs within special education is provided in
Rules 290-3-3-.35 through 290-3-3-.41.
(1) Curriculum. In addition to meeting Rules 290-3-3-.03 and 290-3-3-.04, programs to prepare the prospective
special education teacher shall meet the target special education rules (Rules 292-3-3-.35 - .41) and shall require a
teaching field with a minimum of 32 semester hours of credit with at least 19 semester hours of upper-division credit but
does not require a major in Arts and Sciences. The curriculum to prepare the prospective special education teacher
shall provide the teacher with:
(a) Knowledge of:
1. Current federal and State laws and regulations governing and/or impacting on programs for exceptional students.
2. Student assessment instruments and techniques, including functional and vocation communication
skills, and the impact of communication on all learning.
3. Individualized education program (IEP) format, development, and implementation.
4. Stages of speech and language development, characteristics of 12. The coordination and collaboration of special
education services and general education.
5. Five core components of a research-based reading program: phonological awareness, alphabetic principles or
phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
6. Student learning styles and instructional strategies, including collaborative teaching and direct instruction.
7. Research-based discipline structures, which include school-wide, classroom, and individual proactive positive
behavior supports
8. Skills and services which students need as they make the transition from school to the community, including
community living, the world of work, and continuing education.
9. Resource agencies that provide personnel and services for improving and strengthening educational programs for
exceptional students.
10. Diverse cultures, including cultural and socioeconomic factors and their impact on eligibility, programming,
instruction, interventions, and implementation of services.
11. The roles of professionals, students and families as members of a collaborative team.
al knowledge and skills.
13. Technology, including student assessment for and use of assistive technology devices.
Special Educator's Case Load
• 290-8-9-.11(2) Number of Student Records for
Case Managers. The maximum number of
records per teacher is 20; for a
speech/language pathologist, the maximum
number of records is 30.
– Note: This is not indicative of the number of
students that a special education teacher can
serve.
Subject and Personnel Codes
• Adaptive Physical Education- p. 138
• Autism and Traumatic Brain Injury- p.138
• Early Childhood Special Education- p. 139
• Collaborative Services- p. 142
• Alternative Achievement Standards- p. 143
• Basic Skills- p. 143
Issue #6
Revocation of Special
Education Rights
Revocation of
Special Education Services
Dr. Denise Gibbs, Scottish Rite Foundation
Issue #7
Response to InterventionAppropriate Math and Reading
Instruction
New Federal Regulations:
• These regulations took effect on October 13,
2006.
• Section 300.307(a)(2) (proposed paragraph
(a)(3)) has been changed to clarify that the
criteria adopted by the State must permit the use
of a process based on the child’s response to
scientific, research-based intervention.
Response to Intervention (RTI)
• In determining a student eligible for special education services,
specifically in the area of learning disabled (LD), the LEA must
consider a severe discrepancy (SD) between one’s predicted
achievement and outcome achievement and rule
out lack of
appropriate research based instruction in
reading and or mathematics. Formerly, the LEA had
the option of choosing one of the aforementioned as the determining
factor and in most cases the LEA has elected to use the severe
discrepancy.
• RTI will affect 80-90% of all special education referrals.
• RTI will not affect those already receiving special education services
Questions
• Is AMSTI a viable SBR program that can be used as a
determining factor for LD eligibility?
• Can lack of RTI in reading be ruled out if reading
instruction was administered by a “non-highly
qualified” teacher?
• Does this eradicate the LD eligibility of the high
school student who has never been exposed SBR
math and/or reading program?
• What role does SBR play in the BBSST academic
referral process?
Conclusions
• As of October 2006, the LEA should determine
students LD eligible based on SD and rule out lack of
appropriate math and reading instruction as a
contributing factor, RTI.
– Appropriate instruction is SBR and reflects RTI.
• RTI is a general education function.
• Appropriate instruction must be rendered in the
regular education classroom by a “highly qualified”
teacher.
Conclusions Continued
• SBR reading programs must contain these essential
components:
–
–
–
–
–
Phonics
Phonemic Awareness
Vocabulary Development
Reading Comprehension
Reading Fluency
Conclusion
• RTI must be implemented for an appropriate period.
– An appropriate period is no less than 180 days (the
equivalent of one school year), but is contingent of the
program in use.
• SBR must become part of every academic BBSST
referral.
– It is strongly recommended that students receive Tier II
interventions if norm referenced scores are between the 10th
and 25th percentile.
• In my opinion, these students are our BBSST referred students.
Conclusions Continued
– It is strongly recommended that students receive Tier III
interventions if norm referenced scores are below the 10th
percentile.
• In my opinion, these are students who may need special education
services.
• Tier III SBR interventions must be sought.
• Tier III scheduling for the new school year must be
developed.
Possible Results
• Eventually may decrease N-count for AYP.
• Test scores may improve.
• Decrease in special education population and
discipline referrals affecting the 10-Day Rule.
Failure to Comply may result in:
• Payback to Federal Government
• Due Process Hearings
Issue #8
Effects of State Performance
Plan Indicators
State Performance Plan
Indicators (SPPI)
• INDICATOR 1: GRADUATION
RATES (Performance) - Percent of youth with
IEPs graduating from high school with a regular
diploma.
– Target: Increase students with disabilities exiting high
school with a regular diploma by 2%.
• INDICATOR 2: DROP-OUT RATES
(Performance) - Percent of youth with IEPs
dropping out of high school.
– Target: Decrease number of students with disabilities
who drop out of high school by 0.25% annually.
SPPI
• INDICATOR 3: ASSESSMENT DATA
(Performance) - Participation and performance of
children with disabilities on state-wide assessments:
– A. Percent of districts that have a disability subgroup that meets the
State’s minimum “n” size meeting the State’s AYP objectives for
progress for disability subgroup.
– B. Participation rate for children with IEPs in a regular assessment
with no accommodations; regular assessment with
accommodations; alternate assessment against grade level
standards; alternate assessment against alternate achievement
standards.
– C. Proficiency rate for children with IEPs against grade level
standards and alternate achievement standards.
• Target is to increase students with disabilities participation to 99%.
• Target is to increase students with disabilities proficiency by 4%.
SPPI
• INDICATOR 4:
SUSPENSION/EXPULSION
(Performance) - Rates of suspension and
expulsion:
– A. Percent of districts identified by the State as having
a significant discrepancy in the rates of suspensions
and expulsions of children with disabilities for greater
than 10 days in a school year.
– Target is to decrease discrepancy in the district by
3%.
SPPI
• INDICATOR 5: SCHOOL AGE LRE (Performance) - Percent of children
with IEPs ages 6 through 21:
–
–
–
A. Removed from regular class less than 21% of the day;
B. Removed from regular class greater than 60% of the day; or
C. Served in public or private separate schools, residential placements, or homebound or hospital
placements.
• INDICATOR 6: PRESCHOOL LRE (Performance) - Percent of
preschool children with IEPs who received special education and related services in
settings with typically developing peers (i.e., early childhood settings, home, and parttime early childhood/part-time early childhood special education settings).
• INDICATOR 7: PRESCHOOL OUTCOMES - (Performance) - Percent of
preschool children with IEPs who demonstrate improved:
–
–
–
A. Positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships);
B. Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication and early
literacy); and
C. Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.
• INDICATOR 8: PARENT INVOLVEMENT
(Performance) - Percent of
parents with a child receiving special education services who report that schools
facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children
with disabilities.
SPPI Continued
•
INDICATOR 9: DISPROPORTIONALITY-CHILD WITH A DISABILITY (Compliance) - Percent
of districts with disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in special education and
related services that is the result of inappropriate identification.
•
INDICATOR 10: DISPROPORTIONALITY-ELIGIBILITY CATEGORY
(Compliance) - Percent of districts with disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic
groups in specific disability categories that is the result of inappropriate identification.
•
INDICATOR 11: CHILD FIND (Compliance) - Percent of children with parental
consent to evaluate, who were evaluated and eligibility determined within 60 days (or State established
timeline).
•
INDICATOR 12: EARLY CHILDHOOD TRANSITION (Compliance) Percent of children referred by Part C prior to age 3, who are found eligible for Part B, and who have an
IEP developed and implemented by their third birthdays.
•
INDICATOR 13: SECONDARY TRANSITION (Compliance) - Percent of youth
aged 16 and above with an IEP that includes coordinated, measurable, annual IEP goals and transition
services that will reasonably enable the student to meet the post-secondary goals.
•
INDICATOR 14: POST-SCHOOL OUTCOMES (Performance) - Percent of
youth who had IEPs, are no longer in secondary school and who have been competitively employed,
enrolled in some type of postsecondary school, or both, within one year of leaving high school.
SPPI Continued
•
INDICATOR 15: IDENTIFICATION AND CORRECTION OF
NONCOMPLIANCE (Compliance) - General supervision system (including
monitoring, complaints, hearings, etc.) identifies and corrects noncompliance as soon as
possible but in no case later than one year from identification.
•
INDICATOR 16: COMPLAINT TIMELINES (Compliance) - Percent of
signed written complaints with reports issued that were resolved within 60-day timeline or a
timeline extended for exceptional circumstances with respect to a particular complaint.
•
INDICATOR 17: DUE PROCESS TIMELINES (Compliance) - Percent of
fully adjudicated due process hearing requests that were fully adjudicated within the 45-day
timeline or a timeline that is properly extended by the hearing officer at the request of either
party.
•
INDICATOR 18: HEARING REQUESTS RESOLVED BY
RESOLUTION SESSIONS (Performance) - Percent of hearing requests that went to
resolution sessions that were resolved through resolution session settlement agreements.
•
INDICATOR 19: MEDIATION AGREEMENTS (Performance) - Percent of
mediations held that resulted in mediation agreements.
•
INDICATOR 20: STATE REPORTED DATA (Compliance) - State
reported data (618 and State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report) are timely and
accurate.
Issue #9
Implications of First Choice
Graduation Requirments
(First Choice Implementation Guide 2009-2010)
• Link:
http://www.alsde.edu/html/doc_download.asp?id=9690&section=101
• Beginning with the ninth grade class of the 2009-2010 school year,
ALL students will have as their default diploma option the Advanced
Academic Endorsement to the Alabama High School Diploma.
The course requirements for all endorsements to the Alabama High
School Diploma are presented in Attachment A.
• Should a student and his/her parent or guardian determine that the
Advanced Academic Endorsement is not appropriate for the
student’s educational needs, the parent or guardian may remove the
student from the Advanced Academic Endorsement by meeting with
the student’s counselor and completing the Endorsement Change
Request Form (Attachment B). This change in endorsement may
occur prior to the student entering high school or at logical points
throughout the student’s high school experience.
Credit-Based Diploma
•
Following the spring administration of the Alabama High School Graduation
Exam (AHSGE), twelfth grade students who have not passed all sections of
the AHSGE may choose the Credit-Based Endorsement of the Alabama
High School Diploma if approved as an endorsement by the LEA and if the
student has met the following criteria:
1. Successfully met the academic course requirements as established by the
local school system.
2. Successfully met the course requirements for one career and technical
education course.
3. Passed the reading, mathematics, and one other subtest of the AHSGE.
• Once a student chooses the Credit-Based Endorsement, it will serve as the
final endorsement to the Alabama High School Diploma. A Credit-Based
Endorsement Request form must be completed and signed by the
graduating senior and his/her parent or guardian and submitted to the high
school counselor in order to receive the Credit-Based Endorsement
(Attachment C).
First Choice/Diploma Options
Talking Points
• The 4/5, AKA “Exception Rule” is alive and well. It remains in the
AAC. The 270 work hours remain as part of the requirements for
the AOD and thus are a requirement for the 4/5.
• The 3/5 is as was and is. The 270 hours are a requirement for the
AOD and are therefore a requirement for special education students
in pursuit of an AOD gone 3/5 after spring testing of their senior
year.
• The regular diploma requirements are as they have always been.
• Students should be earning a Carnegie Unit for their 270 hours
of work. This co-op credit is one of the required 24 units. In the
personnel code, p. 94, under code 701102, Work-Based
Experience/Coordinated Studies Seminar, you will find and
explanation of the course. The in-field teaching requirements are
that of any business marketing, family and consumer science,
and/or agribusiness teacher.
Issue #10
The Woeful IEP
Time Consumption
• Ingredients of the IEP
– Surveys: Parent, Student, General Educator, etc…
– Requires the Consideration of: Past IEPs, State Testing, Most
Recent Evaluations, Discipline Reports, etc…
– May require additional assessments administered by the special
education teacher
– Includes Related Services: OT, PT, Speech, Counselor, etc.
– Transition services may need consideration
– Present level of achievement must be established
– Annual goals must be chosen carefully.
– Accommodations and modifications regarding delivery of instruction
and assessments must be considered.
– Accommodations and modifications regarding State Assessments
must be considered.
– Special Education rights must be discussed.
– Etc.
How Can the Principal Help?
• Grant time during the day to develop IEPs.
• Grant time during the day to host IEP
Meetings.
• Assure the attendance of appropriate
personnel.
• Periodically remind persons responsible for
implementation that the IEP is a legal binding
contract between the student and the LEA.
Some Ideas were borrowed from
Todd Whitaker and Douglas J. Foire:
Dealing with Difficult Parents
Communicating with Parents of a
Child with an Exceptionality
Communication is the Key
• “When we treat man as he is, we make him
worse than he is; when we treat him as if he
already were what he potentially could be, we
make him what he should be.” - Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe
Listen! An Ear, Not an Answer.
• Know your audience.
– Most irate parents want to be listened to more than
they want someone to solve their problems.
– They may live in an environment where no one
listens.
– They may work in an environment where no one
listens.
Semantics
• Play on Semantics- “The glass is half-full.”
– Speak of the child’s ability. Tell me what Johnny can
do.
• Keep the “Nails off of the Chalkboard”
– What bothers you?
– Exceptionality is preferred over disability.
• Become an ally of the parent and child.
– Ask for the parent’s help
• Be Willing to Say I am sorry
When It’s Important to be First
• If you or someone you supervise makes a
mistake that may upset parents, we often dread
and even put off contacting parents.
• Especially when there is bad news to deliver,
you want to be the first person to deliver the
news to the parents.
– A child’ rendition of an occurrence is seldom similar to
ours.
– Lasting perceptions are formed from a first opinion.
Sorry Seems to Be the
Hardest Word
• This is one approach that that
may be applied to many
situations:
– “I am sorry that happened. I
appreciate you calling me with
that information. You can make
sure that I will look into that
tomorrow. I sure am sorry that
happened.”
Do you feel defensive?
If so, something is wrong.
• “What is best for students” eliminates feeling defensive.
• Educators should never feel defensive and they should
never be offensive.
• It is acceptable to feel awkward, uncomfortable,
intimidated, but we should never feel defensive.
• If do feel defensive, then it is probably because we, or
someone we are attempting to support, has done
something wrong.
• Biggest reason for being defensive: “Why didn’t I know?”
• If we have done something wrong, then it is essential
that we apologize for our actions and work diligently to
not have the incident to occur again.
The worse the news,
the more effort we use.
• Seldom if ever, should we deliver bad news in
writing. We often do this for our own convenience
and because it may disallow us to get an ear full. It
may allow for the student to share their side prior to
yours. It allows the reader to insert their choice of
tone.
• The phone is our best friend, unless it’s ringing. Use
a relaxed, confident tone.
– “Hi,! Mrs. X this it Mr. Z, assistant principal at Y Junior
High. I am sorry to bother you at work, and I did not know
if Billy shared this with you or not, but today Billy hit a girl
in the hall and as a result, he will receive three days ISS.”
Shift the Focus to the Future
• “Mrs. X what do you think we can do to help
avoid this type of situation in the future?”
• “Mrs. X, would you please visit with Billy tonight
and discuss alternative behaviors that he could
choose in the future?”
Reestablish Control
• Be aware of what you do not know and shift to
what you do know.
– “One of the tough things about this situation, Mrs. X is
that for the two people talking right now, neither one
of us was there. And obviously, neither of us can sort
out what exactly did occur. However, I want to share
with you what I saw Billy….”
Please Don't Talk to me like That
• Using a calm tone, speaking s-l-o-w-l-y, with
confidence:
– “Mrs. X, please do not talk with me like that. I will
never speak to you like that, and I will never speak to
your son/daughter like that. And no one in this school
will ever speak to you like that , and no one in this
school will ever speak to your son/daughter like that.”
Arguing with a parent
is like mud wrestling a pig . . .
You both get dirty and the
pig loves it . . .
IEP Meeting Suggestions
• Arrange the room so that school personnel are dispersed evenly.
The arrangement should not be reflect “us verses them.”
• Allow parents to bring whomever they want to the meeting (the
exception being the lawyer).
• Thank the attendees for taking time out of their busy schedule.
• Introduce those present.
• Listen.
• Allow the parents to speak first and uninterrupted.
• Use positive semantics. Speak of the child’s exceptionality and not
their disability.
• Always address the student’s strengths first.
• Become an ally.
• Repeat what the parent says.
Additional Suggestions for IEP
Meeting
• Stay to the facts.
• Do not imitate or mock the student.
• Use positive body language. Open armed with appropriate
eye contact, soft, confident voice.
• Ask your teachers to send a rough draft home prior to the
meeting. Ask the parents to “pencil in” their comments.
• Utilize a projector and screen when presenting the IEP.
• Periodically, remind parents and the IEP Team that the IEP is
still in draft form and that their comments are welcomed.
• Include parent comments in the profile (i.e. According to Mrs.
Smith, mother, Johnny does…)
SETS Web
It is out there!
Principal's Access to SETS
• School Administrators need access to each
student’s IEP
• Coordinators may grant them “read only” rights by:
– Utilities
• Employee- Insert or import each administrator
• Security Desktop- Insert Group by school (i.e. BHS P and AP).
Add each administrator to this group. Limit access per Edit
Permission (you must limit 1. form type 2. menu item and 3.
school).
– Administrators will begin to understand the necessity of
granting special education teacher (SETS Maintenance
Time)
Parting Words of Wisdom
• On a cold February day, in a lowly pasture of Crenshaw
County, there stands a little bird shivering, freezing.
Along comes a cow and what does the cow do but poop
on the little bird. At first the little bird thinks “Wow! this is
warm,” then then the properties of poop begin to set in.
He begins to shout ,“Someone come help me, someone
please…” A fox comes along, takes him from the poop,
cleans him up and eats him.
• Principals in the line of duty, remember:
– Not everybody who poops on you is your enemy.
– Not everybody that pulls you out is your friend.
– Sometimes, when in poop, you need to just sit in the poop and
keep your mouth shut.
Have a Great
Rest of the Year!