Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-4906
Telephone: (781) 338-3700
TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370
May 21, 2009
Dr. Cheryl Maloney, Superintendent
Weston Public Schools
89 Wellesley Road
Weston, MA 01778
Re: Mid-cycle Report
Dear Superintendent Maloney:
Enclosed is the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Mid-cycle Report
based on the Mid-cycle Review conducted in your district on April 29, 2009. In this
Mid-cycle Review, the Department monitored selected special education criteria to
determine your district’s compliance with special education laws and regulations. The
review consisted of staff interviews, review of student records, and examination of
documentation.
The Department found one or more of the criteria monitored in your district to be
“Partially Implemented.” In all instances where noncompliance has been found, the
Department has prescribed corrective action for the district that must be implemented
immediately. This corrective action must be implemented as soon as possible, but in no
case later than a year from the date of this report. You will find these requirements for
corrective action included in the enclosed report, along with requirements for submitting
progress reports using the enclosed form.
Please provide the Department with your written assurance that within the timelines
specified in the report, your district will implement all of the required corrective action.
You must submit your statement of assurance to Darlene Lynch, Director, by June 15,
2009.
1
Your staff's cooperation throughout this Mid-cycle Review is appreciated. If you have
questions about this letter or the enclosed report, please do not hesitate to contact Jane
Ewing at 781-338-3741.
Sincerely,
Jane L. Ewing, Mid-cycle Review Chairperson
Program Quality Assurance Services
Darlene A. Lynch, Director
Program Quality Assurance Services
cc:
Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary
Education
Maryanne Rogers, School Committee, Chairperson
Regis Miller, Ed.D., Local Program Review Coordinator
Encs: Mid-cycle Report
Mid-cycle Progress Report form
2
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
MID-CYCLE REPORT
WESTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Dates of the Mid-cycle Review Onsite: April 30, 2009
Date of this Report: May 21, 2009
Core Special Education Criteria Cited in CPR Report and Monitored in this Mid-cycle Review
(These criteria are marked with a triple asterisk (***) in the Mid-cycle Review Information Package and in the School District Information
Package for Special Education.)
Current special education criteria available by scrolling down to the special education instrument at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/default.html
Criterion
***SE 15
Child Find
Criterion
Implemented


Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
Student
records,
document
review, staff
interview
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
The district notifies a variety of
community agencies and
programs.
Weston Public Schools Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 21, 2009
Page 1 of 6
If Partially
Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required
Corrective
Action and
Timelines for
Implementation
(b) Progress Report Due
Date(s) and Required
Elements
Criterion
***SE 24
Notice to parent
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
Partially
implemented
Student
records, staff
interview
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
Student records and interview
data indicate that the district
sends written notice to parents
as part of the consent to
evaluate process as required by
law. However, the district sends
a note card with a web site
address to parents in lieu of a
hard copy of the parent’s rights
notification. While the district
may use this method to
supplement the annual provision
of the procedural safeguards, it
cannot replace the hard copy
version since not all families
may have access to the internet.
Weston Public Schools Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 21, 2009
Page 2 of 6
If Partially
Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required
Corrective
Action and
Timelines for
Implementation
Please ensure that a
hard copy of the
Parent’s Rights is
provided annually.
Provide training to
staff to ensure that all
special educators and
relevant staff are
aware that the annual
notification requires a
hard copy of the
notice.
If this practice of
sending a post card
advising the parent of
web access to the
notice of parental
rights is embedded in
the district’s special
education policies or
procedures manual,
please revise the
manual appropriately.
(b) Progress Report Due
Date(s) and Required
Elements
Provide evidence of the
training session, including
signed attendance sheets,
to the Department by
September 30, 2009.
Provide a copy of the
relevant revised pages
from the district’s special
education
policies/procedures
manual if necessary by
September 30, 2009.
Criterion
***SE 25
Parental consent
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
Partially
Implemented
Student
records, staff
interview
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
The student record review
demonstrated that staff members
at Country Elementary school
use an N1A with different
assessments categories than is
found in the Department’s N1A
form. The school’s form omits
the assessment in the area of
suspected disability section and
modifies the type of assessment
section in several areas.
In addition, a form with
reference to a Ch. 766 citation
was also used by this particular
school instead of the
recommended Educational
Assessment form 28/R1. While
the district may use its own
Educational Assessment form, it
should eliminate reference to
the obsolete Chapter 766
regulations.
Weston Public Schools Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 21, 2009
Page 3 of 6
If Partially
Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required
Corrective
Action and
Timelines for
Implementation
The district will
discontinue the use of
the modified form and
use the Department’s
evaluation consent
form at the Country
Elementary School.
Please ensure that the
school’s personnel
responsible for the
provision of the N1A
form to parents are
aware of the change
in forms.
The district will
provide appropriate
training for general
education staff at the
Country Elementary
School on the
completion of
Education Status
assessments
conducted as part of
an initial evaluation or
revaluation by
(b) Progress Report Due
Date(s) and Required
Elements
Please provide evidence
of the training, including
the names of attendees,
their role and school, as
well as the training
agendas, will be provided
to the Department by
September 30, 2009.
The district will examine
a sample of 5 records at
the Country Elementary
School to ensure the
completion of the
Education Status
Assessments A and B and
the use of the
Department’s N1A form.
Please provide the results
to the Department
indicating the root cause
of any continued
noncompliance and any
corrective actions taken if
continued noncompliance
was identified by school
Criterion
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
If Partially
Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required
Corrective
Action and
Timelines for
Implementation
September 30, 2009.
(b) Progress Report Due
Date(s) and Required
Elements
personnel.
The district must maintain
the list of the names of
student records which the
district reviewed, the date
of the review, and the
name and signature of the
staff person who
conducted the review
should the Department
deem it necessary to
conduct an onsite
verification visit.
This progress report must
be provided to the
Department by
November 2, 2009.
***SE 29
Communications
are in English
and primary
language of home

Student
records, staff
interview
Every family in the district fills
out a Home Language Survey.
The completed survey is then
kept in the student’s file, thus
indicating the parents’ need for
translated documents.
Documents are translated when
necessary.
Weston Public Schools Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 21, 2009
Page 4 of 6
Criterion
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
***SE 32
Parent advisory
council for
special education

Interviews
The district’s special education
parent advisory council is fully
functioning. The head of the
PAC presents annually to the
school committee with updates
and concerns twice a year. The
district provides support for
PAC activities, including the
annual workshop on parents’
and students’ rights.
***SE 46
Suspension over
10 days

Staff interview
The district was required to
change language in its
manifestation determination
form to include consideration of
the impact of the student’s
disability on the infraction(s)
and the implementation of the
IEP. The Department verified
the district’s corrective action.
***SE 52A
Registration of
educational
interpreters

Documentation,
staff interview
The district does not employ
any educational interpreters at
this time. The district is aware
of the requirements for the
provision of registered
educational interpreters.
Weston Public Schools Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 21, 2009
Page 5 of 6
If Partially
Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required
Corrective
Action and
Timelines for
Implementation
(b) Progress Report Due
Date(s) and Required
Elements
Criterion
Criterion
Implemented

Criterion
Partially
Implemented
(PI) or Not
Implemented
(NI)
Method(s) of
Investigation
***SE 53
Use of
paraprofessionals

Documentation,
staff interview,
student records
***SE 55
Special education
facilities and
classrooms

Interview
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
The district employs tutors for
the purpose of academic support
only; no tutor, aide, or
paraprofessional teaches a class
or develops curricula or lesson
plans. Every tutor is supervised
by a certified member of the
district’s teaching staff.
The signs at Country
Elementary School were
changed from Learning Center
to LC.
Weston Public Schools Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
May 21, 2009
Page 6 of 6
If Partially
Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required
Corrective
Action and
Timelines for
Implementation
(b) Progress Report Due
Date(s) and Required
Elements
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
MID-CYCLE REVIEW
School District: WESTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
M I D – CY C L E P R O G R E S S R E P O R T
Date Prepared: ____________________________________
Prepared by: __________________________________________________________________
(name and title)
Criterion: _______________________
Topic: ________________________________________________________________________
For each criterion for which you prepare a progress report, please



make a copy of this cover page,
fill in the information requested above, and
attach a complete description of the corrective action taken and any accompanying documentation.
(Description of corrective action for each criterion and any accompanying documentation should include all of the
“Progress Report Required Elements” for that criterion in the Mid-cycle Report.)
Send the whole set of completed progress reports to:
Darlene Lynch, Director
Program Quality Assurance Services
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148