SPECIAL EDUCATION PLAN
2014-2017
Betty Santoro, Director of Special Education/Student Services
Jenna Rufo, Manager of Special Education
Frances Garner, Supervisor of Special Education
CONTENTS OF THE PLAN

Penn Data for the 2012-2013 School Year

NPSD Program Profile

Strengths and Highlights

Least Restrictive Environment

Behavior Support Services

Special Education Personnel Development
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Autism
Behavior Support
Paraprofessional
Reading NCLB #1
Transition
HISTORICAL VIEW OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
In 1961, President Kennedy created the President’s Panel on Mental Retardation (federal aide to states)
 In 1965, President Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (expanded access to public education
for students with disabilities)
 By the early 70’s, still only a small number of students with disabilities were being educated in public schools.
 In 1975, two federal laws were enacted:
1.
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA)- “right to public education for all children
regardless of disability”
2.
The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) requires states to ensure that ALL eligible children with
disabilities receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
3.
IDEA (2004) reauthorization of law to strengthen timely identification of students, use of researched
based interventions, and transition from HS to college/work.
 Schools must provide specialized services to address educational needs in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
-students must be educated with their non-disabled peers to
the maximum extent appropriate
-state and federal laws require IEP teams to consider general
education classroom setting, with supplementary aids &
services, before considering more restrictive placements

PENN DATA REPORT
ENROLLMENT (SCHOOL AGE) DECEMBER 1, 2012 CHILD COUNT
LEA
STATE
Total Enrollment
Total Spec. Ed. Enrollment
Percent Spec. Ed.
Percent of Spec. Ed. Enrollment by Disability
Autism
Deaf-Blindness
Emotional Disturbance
Hearing Impairment Including Deafness
Intellectual Disability (MR)
Multiple Disabilities
Orthopedic Impairment
Other Health Impairment
Specific Learning Disability
Speech and Language Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Visual Impairment Including Blindness
13,096
2,145
16.4%
1,760,233
268,640
15.3%
11.3%
-----6.2%
0.8%
4.2%
----------13.3%
44.5%
18.6%
-------------
8.6%
0.0
8.6%
1.0%
7.1%
1.1%
0.3%
11.2%
45.4%
16.0%
0.2%
0.4%
2013-2014 NP SPECIAL EDUCATION
PROGRAM PROFILE
LEARNING
SUPPORT
EMOTIONAL
SUPPORT
AUTISTIC
SUPPORT
LIFE
SKILLS
MDS
ELEMENTARY
36
4
17
2
MIDDLE
30
2
4
1
1
HIGH
1 Full Time
24
4
2
1
1
NB
3.5
STRENGTHS AND HIGHLIGHTS
 Philosophy of Inclusion
 Specialized Programming
 Full Continuum of Services
 Intensive Training in Behavior Mgmt. and
Research-Based Interventions
 Transition Programming
LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT
 District-wide focus on Inclusion
 Penn Data Review
 Methods of Increasing Inclusion
1. Membership, Participation, and Learning
(Elementary)
2. Staff training
3. Shift of scheduling
4. Co-teaching
LRE
 District wide practices
 Gwyn-Nor
 Inglewood (all students fully included as of Sept. 2013)
 Penndale Middle School
 NPHS
 Multiple Disabilities Support
Supports students with multiple learning and health needs
Focus on maximizing independence and Activities of Daily Living
Augmentative communication devices
Allows students to be served within their communities
LRE TRENDS
2012-2013
2013-2014
LRE Data Trends
100.0
90.0
80.0
78.2
70.0
66.1
60.0
79.0
76.2
65.9
2012
50.0
2013
40.0
30.0
36.6
20.0
10.0
0.0
Elementary
Middle
High
BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS
 Committed to supporting students with ED and AS in the least
restrictive environment. Full continuum of services
 ED program at Penndale established in fall 2013
 ED program at HS is varied:
Itinerant level and/or Grad Mentorship
Full time class for Anxiety and Depression
 School Based Behavioral Health Services
NHS Student Assistance Program (SAP)
Lakeside Mental Health Counselor
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
2014-2017
 PDE requires five areas of professional development to be
addressed:
 Autism
 Behavior Support
 Paraprofessional
 Reading NCLB
 Transition
AUTISM
 Needs assessment/survey sent to all professionals in
December 2013
 Approximately 225 professionals responded
 Results yielded five areas of top priority to be addressed:
1. Behavior
2. Social Skills
3. Academics
4. Role of Professionals
5. Assistive Technology
AUTISM
 Profile of Students with Autism: Strategies to Support Autistic
Students in the Regular Ed. Setting (Regular Education Teachers)

Core Instruction in Math/Reading: Taking a Closer Look at the
Programs Used in Regular Education (Autistic Support Teachers)
 Overview of Functional Behavior Assessments, PBSP’s, and
Fidelity (Regular and Special Education Teachers)
 Teaching Social Skills Across All Settings (Regular and Special
Education Teachers)
 Assistive Technology: The What, Why, and When ((Regular and
Special Education Teachers)
SPA TRAINING

Four district staff members (including one spec. ed. admin.) will be recertified yearly by certified
Devereux staff to provide training/certification to district staff

Staff members already trained will receive (1) day of recertification

New staff or staff whose employment requires SPA training will be trained/certified in a (2) day
session

All nurses will receive ½ day training in order to assess the well being of staff/students following a
personal emergency intervention (restraint)

School security will receive full day training

Extended School Year receive (1) day training prior to ESY sessions

Building administrators will receive training along with mandatory reporting of restraints
PARAPROFESSIONALS
 Required 20 hours per year of professional development
 North Penn provides the training
 North Penn hosted the paraprofessional Training Fair
 Each year we offer a variety of meaningful topics that are related
to their work. They include the following:
Autism training
Behavior mgmt. training
Strategies to deal with anxiety
Strategies to support students transitioning from HS to
college
Strategies to work with students in reading and math
READING
 Decoding and Encoding Interventions
Level 1
55 teachers trained
Initial three day training
Online course
60 practicum lessons with an individual student
5 observation with trainer
Level 2
Group training
50 practicum lessons
READING
 Comprehension Interventions
 25 professional development coaching days
 Six half-day seminars






Comprehension and vocabulary development
Using data to differentiate instruction
Developing independent readers
Deepening close reading through text –based questioning
Motivating struggling readers
Creating and SRI growth plans
 Elementary special education teachers will receive training in the framework of Leveled
Literacy Intervention a research-based strategy based on a systematic instructional
design focused on comprehension
 Continued training of the PA Core for ELA at the elementary level
Tiered reading intervention (Grade 7)
TRANSITION
 Indicator 13 training began in the fall of 2013 for secondary teachers
 Job Exploration
 Job Training
 Career/Work Study
 Travel Training
 Post 12 Classes
 Professional Development
NOTE FROM A FORMER STUDENT…
Dear (Teachers),
How are you? I hope you are doing well.
First of all, I would like to say thank you for what you have done for
me. Today, I got a full time job. I am going to start working as a full
time employee on Tuesday January 29 from 10-4 five days a week. I am
so excited about this opportunity. This is something!!!!!!
I hope you have a good day. I am thinking about you.
- STUDENT
QUESTIONS