February 2015 This Newsletter is published by the Planning, Data, and Performance Management Department, Division of Special Education, Los Angeles Unified School District. Education, Los Angeles Unified School District. Inside This Issue Upcoming Events 1 Welligent IEP Manager RSP Tracker Instructions 2 High School “A-G” Graduation Requirements and 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 6 6 7 Students with Disabilities Positive Behavior Support – Classroom Management Welligent Global Announcement – Revisions to Section K – New CAASPP and CAPA/AA Assessments Holiday Story Time - Books and Badges Correction Corner In the December 2014/January 2015 newsletter on page 3, the phone number for SESC ISIC was mistakenly omitted from the “Compliant IEP” section. The phone number is (213) 241-4999. We apologize for the error and any difficulties this may have caused. Upcoming Events Click on this link to access the LAUSD January 2015 newsletter: What is School Games? The 2014 Fall School Games - Soccer The upcoming Spring 2015 Track and Field School Games Volunteer information Click on this link for the Wheelchair Basketball Schedule 2014-15 Bestcolleges.com Website Resource Smarter Balanced Digital Library Common Core English Language Arts Article Expanding the Paraeducator Career Ladder Supporting Our Alternate Curriculum Classrooms New and Revised Publications Microsoft Home Use Package Professional Development Opportunities Miscellaneous – Correction Corner, Did You Know?, Elibrary, Newsletter Archive, Sharing Ideas, Strategic Plan Division of Special Education ALIGNED STRATEGIC PLAN KEY GOALS Improve Student Outcomes Manage Performance High Quality Instruction and Services for Students High Quality Operational Support System of Monitoring and Accountability Effective Employees Focused on Improving Student Outcomes Resource Optimization What have you been doing to enhance delivery, documentation, and monitoring of services to students with disabilities? Share your comments with Tammy Kirch, Specialist,at tjh9414@lausd.net and they may appear in a future publication of the newsletter! 1|P age WELLIGENT Support Section INSTRUCTIONS FOR RSP TRACKER V.7 is a handy two page quick reference guide for resource teachers. The headers in the document are: “Set-up Student Records”, “Inputting Time (Daily or Weekly Activity), “Print Monthly Service Logs”, “Marking the IEP for RSP Students”, “Setting/Service Delivery Models”, “Cancel Codes” , “Print Individual Student Log” Save or print out your guide today! Classroom Management is critical to creating a positive and predictable learning environment. Structure - Identify and modify variables to positively influence student behavior. Teach - Teach students EXACTLY what behaviors will result in their success. Observe - Monitor and make decisions based on objective data. Interact - (4:1) Interact positively with all students. Correct - Correct misbehavior fluently (briefly, High School “A-G” Graduation Requirements and Students with Disabilities BUL – 6257.0 May 19, 2014 Take a closer look at this policy bulletin and the guidelines with the “A-G” requirements as they relate to not only students, but also resource specialist and special day teachers in terms of required teaching credentials. The headers within the outline are as follows: Students with Disabilities Receiving Support from the Resource Specialist Program,* Students with Disabilities in the Special Day Program – Recommended Sequence for “A-G” Courses,* Waivers from Selected “A-G” Courses for Students with Disabilities,* consistently, immediately, privately). Key features of classroom management: Establish clear behavioral expectations (3-5 positively stated expectations). Teach these behavioral expectations consistently and as needed. Find opportunities to build positive relationships with students and reinforce students for meeting behavioral expectations (i.e whole-group, small-group, individual student). Special Education Teacher Credentialing and Authorization to Teach “A-G” Courses and Graduation Requirement Courses, Correct student behavior by having preplanned responses that are stated calmly and in a manner that focuses on teaching how to behave appropriately. Courses that Require an Education Specialist Credential and a Single-Subject General Education Credential/Authorization Monitor whether students are meeting your expectations and reteach any expectations students are struggling with. *This information is a great resource to refer to at IEP meetings when discussing courses and supports/accommodations. Know the instructional needs of your students and plan accordingly. 2|P age Welligent Global Announcement Revisions to Section K: New CAASPP (Smarter Balanced/Common Core) and CAPA/Alternate Assessment (CAPA/AA) State/District-wide Assessments Holiday Story Time Books & Badges In order to maintain compliance with changes in California’s statewide testing program, revisions to the IEP Section K have been added to Welligent. CAASPP is the new acronym for the California Smarter Balanced/Common Core assessments for students on the general education curriculum in grades 3 through 8 and 11. IEP teams should add CAASPP tests in ELA and Math for all students in grades K-11 on the general education curriculum to identify needed Designated Supports and Accommodations for both State and District-wide testing. Students on the general education curriculum will continue to be tested with either CST or CMA Science in grades 5, 8, and 10. CAPA/AA is the new acronym for the alternate assessments for students participating on the alternate curriculum in grades 3 through 11. The new Alternate Assessment in ELA and Math will be administered to students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 in 2014-15 in lieu of the CAPA ELA and Math. Students on the alternate curriculum will continue to be tested with the CAPA Science in grades 5,8, and 10. For more information about the new testing requirements, please contact the LAUSD Student Testing Unit at (213) 241-4104. This holiday season, in addition to the backpack, school supply, and toy giveaways, police officers from the Los Angeles School Police Department read stories to students who are receiving special education services throughout the District. This interaction promotes a love for reading while building positive relationships. The students, police officers, and school staff all felt enriched by the experience. http://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/disabledstudents/ This section of the website* contains resources for students preparing to enter college: Click here to access the Updated IEP Section K Handout (you will need your Welligent sign-on to access the handout). Guidelines for IEP teams on Selecting Designated Supports and Accommodations for state testing are included in the new Reference Guide, REF-6420, LAUSD Accessibility and Accommodations Guidelines for Smarter Balanced Assessments. * Legal rights, * Academic adjustments (accommodations), * Useful information “while applying” – profile colleges, schedule a visit, meet with student services, contact student housing services, try free online courses. This website also has resources for students, parents, and teachers (at all grade levels): *Listed by disability category – deaf and hard of hearing, visual impairment, learning disabilities, etc., *Arranged by resource type – apps, websites, software. The information contained within this website is a good tool to reference at IEP meetings. *The website was referenced with permission from a contributor to this website. 3|P age *Table 2: Four Year Cohort Graduation Rate at Comprehensive High Schools by Subgroups Smarter Balanced Digital Library “The Smarter Balanced Digital Library is an online collection of resources aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that support K-12 teachers in using the formative assessments to adjust teaching in order to improve student learning. It is an instructional, professional development library with tools to guide teachers in identifying and using the best resources for their students’ needs...which include commissioned, interactive assessment literacy and exemplar instructional modules on English-language arts and mathematics.” Click here to access the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Source: MEM-6423.0, Published December 8, 2014 Click here for an interesting read on the subject of Common Core Reading and the key shifts in English Language Arts. The article provides an overview and also real life example of implementation from a 5th grade teacher’s perspective. Source: Linked with permission from: http://www.npr.org/ All Students Latino African- American Asian White English Learners Reclassified English Learners Economically Disadvantaged Students with Disabilities 12-13 Prelim. 65 64 54 75 71 13-14 Prelim. 77 76 71 87 84 Difference 29 79 27 85 -2 6 67 78 11 41 57 16 12 12 17 12 13 *Source: Preliminary Graduation Rate for 2014 by Subgroups, LAUSD Office of Data and Accountability, 10/21/14. Expanding the Paraeducator Career Ladder: Are you or do you know a talented paraprofessional interested in becoming a teacher? The District is expanding the Paraeducator Career Ladder Program to further develop tomorrow’s teachers. Click here for more information. Source: “Board Business for Week of December 8, 2014”, Office of Internal Communications 4|P age Supporting Our Alternate Curriculum Classrooms: The Division of Special Education has been working interdepartmentally to provide alternate curriculum teachers and staff with the best possible support to ensure an equitable, rigorous, and meaningful education for students with significant disabilities. Teachers are benefiting from ongoing professional development trainings, weekly webinars on a variety of applicable topics, and weekly newsletters outlining resources available to teachers, staff, and students. Ongoing professional development trainings offer new and veteran teachers the opportunity to learn about the Unique Learning System, Oxford Picture Dictionary, and the various supplemental materials we are using in our classrooms and at our career centers. The alternate curriculum support team throughout our district is collaborating with the behavior unit, autism team, school-site administrators, and school staff to fully support alternate curriculum classrooms. Weekly newsletters allow the Division of Special Education to highlight the many amazing and innovative things teachers are doing in the classrooms. Alternate Curriculum Teachers across the district share this useful information with district staff. As we head into the Spring 2015 semester, the Division of Special Education will continue to support alternate curriculum classrooms through ongoing trainings and support. Teachers and Paraprofessionals are able to view the available trainings through the LAUSD Learning Zone or MEM 6283. 5|P age New and Revised Special Education Publications December 2014 – January 2015 MEMORANDUM PUBLICATIONS Document Number MEM-6361.1 Title Behavior Related Professional Development for the 2014-2015 School Year Publish Date Microsoft HOME USE Package Available for $9.75 Dec. 9, 2014 Thanks to the District's enterprise license agreement with Microsoft, all active* District employees can purchase versions of Microsoft Office and Windows Operating System for their home computers for a low price (each license includes two installations). Microsoft understands that employees are more productive when they have access to the latest versions of software at work and at home. REFERENCE GUIDE PUBLICATIONS Document Number Title Publish Date REF1341.13 Complaint Response Unit (CRU) for Parents of Students with Disabilities Dec. 9, 2014 REF- 6449.0 Preschool for All Learners (PAL) Special Day Program Jan. 27, 2015 REF-3557.1 Implementation of Related Service Support for Students with Orthopedic Impairments in Special Day Programs Jan. 27, 2015 REF-2683.1 Clarification of School Site Administrator Responsibilities at an Individualized Education Program (IEP) Meeting When a Student Receives Only One Related Service Jan. 27, 2015 REF-715.1 Assessment Plans for Related Services Jan. 27, 2015 REF-4826.2 Procedures for Providing Coverage and/or Replacement Pay For Secondary Adapted Physical Education Teacher Absences Jan. 27, 2015 REF-6337.1 Administrators Role in Ensuring Compliance with Federal and State Special Education and Section 504 Legal Mandates Feb. 3, 2015 To purchase your copy, Click Here Other software products are available at a discounted price as well: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Parallels, Minitab Inc., iGrafx, National Instruments, NCSS, NVivo, Systat Software, Inc., Wipebook. *Note: the license only covers users currently employed with the District; use of home products must be discontinued upon terminating employment with the District. Source: LAUSD IT HelpDesk website page: http://achieve.lausd.net/msela 6|P age Staff Professional Development and Workshop Opportunities MEM 6283.0: February 20, 2015 Unique Learning System Staff Professional Development and Workshop Opportunities (Continued) MEM 6361.1: February 5 and 6, 2015 Strengthening Our Behavior Skills Training March 20, 2015 Unique Learning System February 18, 2015 Afterschool Behavior Clinics February 19, 2015 ULS: Implementing with Fidelity February 24, 2015 PD for ED SDP Teachers (See MEM for attendance requirements) March 19, 2015 ULS: Implementing with Fidelity February 3, 10, 17, 24, 2015 (Individual Dates) Behavior (Webinar) March 3, 10, 17, 24, 2015 (Individual Dates) Alternate Curriculum Assessment (Webinar) MEM 6308.0: February 10 & 11, 2015 “Structuring the Learning Environment for Individual Success”: Two-Day In-Person Workshop for Teachers and Others Working with Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Related Disabilities MEM 6345.1: February 25 and 26, 2015 Strengthening Our Behavior Skills Training March 18, 2015 Afterschool Behavior Clinics March 19 and 20, 2015 Strengthening Our Behavior Skills Training March 24, 2015 PD for ED SDP Teachers (See MEM for attendance requirements) Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NCI) Training (Refer to Attachment B) Functional Behavior Assessemnt (FBA) Training (Refer to Attachment C) On-line Classroom Management Modules: CHAMPs and Discipline in the Secondary Classroom (Refer to Attachment E) Online Functional Behavior Assessment Overview (Refer to Attachment G) March 30-April 1, 2015 Preschool Positive Behavior Practices Certification Training REF 6378.0 Ongoing Online Behavior Implementation (BII) Tracking Course Available in the Learning Zone In the likely event that you need to reference information posted in the newsletter, you are always able to retrieve the current and archived newsletters on the Division of Special Education website in the News and Announcements header of the main page or Newsletters header of the E-Library section. 7|P age