The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Department of Education
350 Main Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-5023
Telephone: (781) 338-3700
TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370
September 1, 2005
Superintendent Jere Hochman
Pelham Public Schools
170 Chestnut Street
Amherst, MA 01002
Re:
Onsite Follow-up Monitoring Report: Coordinated Program Review Corrective Action
Plan Verification and Special Education Mid-cycle Review
Dear Superintendent Hochman:
Enclosed is the Department's Coordinated Program Review Follow-up Monitoring Report
together with findings regarding your district’s Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Review.
This report contains the Department's findings based on the onsite activities conducted in your
school district to verify the implementation status and effectiveness of corrective steps taken in
response to your Coordinated Program Review Report issued on August 20, 2002.
The Department will notify you of your district's next regularly scheduled Coordinated Program
Review several months before it is to occur. At this time we anticipate the Department's next
routine monitoring visit to occur sometime during the 2007-2008 school year, unless the
Department determines that there is some reason to schedule this visit earlier.
While the Department of Education found certain noncompliance issues to be resolved, others
were partially corrected, not addressed at all and/or new issues were identified by the
Department’s onsite team. In areas where the district has failed to implement fully its approved
Corrective Action Plan, the Department views these findings to be serious.
As the Department previously informed you, in cases where a district fails to fully and
effectively implement a Corrective Action Plan, which was proposed by your district and
approved by the Department, the Department must then prepare a Corrective Action Plan for the
district, which must be implemented without further delay. You will find these requirements for
corrective action and further progress reporting included in the attached report together with any
steps that must be taken by the district to fully implement new special education requirements.
Please provide the Department with your written assurance that the Department's requirements
for corrective action will be implemented by your school district within the timelines specified.
Your statement of assurance must be submitted to the Department's Area Supervisor listed below
by September 12, 2005. The district’s continuing failure to implement the required Corrective
Action Plan described in this report will result in recommendation to the Commissioner of
Education the withholding of state or federal funds and/or other enforcement action by the
Department.
Your staff's cooperation throughout these Follow-up Monitoring activities is appreciated.
Should you require additional clarification of information included in our report, please do not
hesitate to contact the Area Supervisor at (413) 284-0382.
Sincerely,
Joseph H. Dow, Supervisor
Program Quality Assurance Services
John D. Stager, Administrator
Program Quality Assurance Services
cc:
David P. Driscoll, Commissioner of Education
Michael Hussin, School Committee Chairperson
Maria Geryk, District Program Review Follow-up Coordinator
Encl.: Follow-up Monitoring Report
2
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
COORDINATED PROGRAM REVIEW
Pelham Public Schools
ONSITE VERIFICATION OF CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
AND/OR IDENTIFICATION OF ADDITIONAL FINDINGS REQUIRING CORRECTIVE ACTION
Action Plan Submitted on October 7, 2002
Progress Reports Submitted on March 30, 2004
Onsite Visit Conducted on April 28, 2005 and April 29, 2005
Date of this Report: September 1, 2005
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
Special
Education
Requirements
SE 3
Special
requirements
for
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation

Substantially
Implemented
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

Document
Reviews
Student
The district has drafted and
implemented procedures that
adhere to the mandated
requirements for determining a
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
determination
of specific
learning
disabilities
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified


Record
Reviews
specific learning disability.
Interviews
2
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
SE 6
Determination
of transition
services
(Emphasis on
practices in
determining
needed
transition
planning and
services and
consideration of
courses of study
related to
needed
transition)
SE 13
Progress
Reports and
content
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

Not
Applicable
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
The district does not
consistently complete the
progress reports for its
students because it does
not always answer the
questions that are at the
bottom of the report that
The district must provide
training to its education
personnel on completing
progress reports, and a copy of
the agenda, the name of the
trainer along with his/her
qualifications, and a copy of

None
The district serves only students
in grades pre-kindergarten
through sixth; however, the
district’s IEP Teams
consistently consider whether a
student will need continued
services upon entering the
middle school.
Student
Record
Reviews
The district does routinely send
parents of children with
disabilities reports on their
progress toward reaching the
goals set forth in their IEPs, at
least as often as parents are
informed of progress of non-
3
Partially
Implemented
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting

disabled children.
ask: 1) What is the
student’ s progress toward
the annual goal? 2) Is the
progress sufficient to
enable the student to
achieve the annual goal
by the end of the IEP
period?
4
the signed attendance roster
must be provided to the
Department. Lastly, the
district needs to submit 10
copies of completed progress
reports that address both
questions for the first report
card period during the 20052006 school year. All
requirements are due at the
Department by January 17,
2006.
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

SE 15
Outreach by the
School District
(Child Find)
Substantially
Implemented
SE 17
Initiation of
services at age
three and Early
Intervention
transition
procedures
Substantially
Implemented
SE 18A
IEP
development
and content
Substantially
Implemented

Document
Reviews
Interviews
Document
Reviews
Interviews
Document
Reviews
Student
Record
Reviews
The district has annual or more
frequent outreach to the
community groups, schools and
professionals from which
promotion or transfer of
students in need of special
education may be expected.
The district does consistently
initiate services for students
with disabilities at the age of
three. Also, the district does
implement procedures that
ensure the effective transition of
young children with disabilities
from Early Intervention
Programs.
The district’s IEP Teams do
develop IEPs with appropriate
content for each of its students
that require special education
and/or related services.
5
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified


Interviews
6
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
SE 18B
Determination
of placement;
immediate
provision of
IEP to parent
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
The district does not
consistently provide an
IEP to the parent/parents
immediately following the
development of the IEP at
the Team Meeting.
In order to meet the
requirement of “immediately”
the Department has issued
guidance which recommends
that the district’s procedures
for issuing the IEP to parents
include a summary of the main
points of agreement, IEP goals
and the service delivery grid at
the completion of the Team
Meeting and that the complete
IEP is sent to the
parent/parents within 3-5 days.
The district must provide
training for Team Chairpersons
on this requirement and
provide the agenda, the name
and qualifications of the
trainer, and a copy of the
signed attendance sheet to the
Department by January 17,
2006. The district also needs
to provide the date of each

Student
Record
Reviews
Partially
Implemented
Interviews
7
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting

Team Meeting held in October,
November, and December
2005, and the date on which
the IEP was sent to the
parent/parents following each
Team meeting by January 17,
2006.
8
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
SE 20
Least restrictive
program
selected
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

Substantially
Implemented

Document
Reviews
Student
Records
The district does select and
provide services for all its
students with disabilities in a
program that is in the least
restrictive environment.
Interviews
SE 22
IEP
implementation
and availability
(Emphasis on
provision of
IEP services
without delay;
provision of the
IEP at the
beginning of the
school year;
and, alternative
methods of
service delivery
Substantially
Implemented
Student
Record
Reviews
Interviews
The district has an IEP in effect
for eligible students at the
beginning of each school year
and begins services without
delay once the students’ parents
have accepted an IEP.
9
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified


where there is a
lack of space
and/or
personnel))
10
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
SE 26
Parent
participation in
meetings
(Emphasis on
district’s
attempts to
ensure parent
participation at
IEP Team
meetings)
SE 28
Parent provided
the IEP or
notice of no
eligibility
together with
notification of
procedural
safeguards and
parents' rights
SE 29
Communica-
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

Substantially
Implemented
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
The district does not
consistently provide an
IEP to the parent/parents
Immediately following
the development of the
IEP at the Team meeting.
See the finding under SE 18B.

Student
Record
Reviews
Interviews
Student
Record
Reviews
The district does ensure that
parents are part of the IEP
Teams and that their concerns
are addressed and considered
within the meeting.
The district does provide
parents with notification of
procedural
Safeguards and parents’ rights.
Interviews
Substantially
Implemented
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Document
Reviews
The district does provide
information to a parent or
11
Partially
Implemented
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
tions are in
English and
primary
language of
home
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified


Student
Record
Reviews
parents in the native language of
the home.
Interviews
12
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
SE 32
Parent advisory
council for
special
education
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

Substantially
Implemented
Substantially
Implemented
SE 54
Professional
development
regarding
special
education
SE 56
Substantially
Implemented
Document
Reviews
Interviews
Document
Reviews
Student
Record
Reviews
Interviews
Document
Reviews
Interviews
Substantially
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting

Student
Record
Reviews
SE 50
Responsibilities
of the School
Principal and
Administrator
of Special
Education
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Document
The district has established a
parent advisory council (PAC)
that meets all of the
requirements mandated under
state law.
The district has appointed a
Principal and an Administrator
of Special Education; all of the
appointed personnel fulfill their
responsibilities set forth under
M.G.L. c. 71 § 38Q and 38 Q ½
and 603 CMR 28.03 (3).
The district considers the needs
of all staff in developing
training opportunities and
provides a variety of offerings,
which include the required
topics.
The district’s special education
13
Note: The requirement of
principals and vice principals
to oversee the district’s
DCAP and its support
services for all its students
has been moved to MOA 18.
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
Special
education
programs and
services are
evaluated
Other
Requirements
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

Implemented

Reviews
Interviews
programs, services, and
administrative areas are
evaluated.
14
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting
Criterion
Number
and
Topic
(Refer to full
text of
requirements
in 2004-2005
Special
Education
Information
Package)
SE 55
Special
education
facilities
and
classrooms
Implementation Status of
Requirements
or
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Substantially
Implemented
Method(s)
of Verification
Comments Regarding
Corrective Action Plan
Implementation
Corrective
Action Plan
Determined
to be Not
Fully
Implemented or
Additional
Issues
Identified

Substantially
Implemented

Document
Reviews
Onsite
Observations
MOA 6
Availability of
in-school
programs for
pregnant
students
Substantially
Implemented
MOA 22
Accessibility of
district
programs and
services for
students with
disabilities
Substantially
Implemented
Interviews
Document
Reviews
Interviews
Document
Reviews
The district’s special education
facilities and classrooms are
now at least equal in all physical
aspects to the general education
facilities and classrooms.
The district has developed and
implemented a policy that
provides in-school programs for
pregnant students.
The district’s programs and
services are accessible to
students with disabilities.
Interviews
15
Findings Regarding
Incomplete
Implementation of
Approved Corrective
Action Plan or
Identification of
Additional Issues of
Noncompliance
Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Education
and Timelines for
Implementation and Further
Progress Reporting