From Evernote:
SEAT - 10.16.12
SEAT - 10.16.12
IEP Process
Lauri Chamberlain (AC), Kathryn Muehlrath, Glenn Knopf, Christine Gardner, Anne
Maria Slaughter, Stacey Myton, Laura Isom, Sherri Kanterman , Jodi
Wildhaber, Wendy Jensen, Tom Koerner, Mike Schmerold (ab)
Introductions
Review Charge: Create a 'best practice' guideline for conducting IEPs at the
different levels.





defining roles and responsibilities
developing communication systems
pacing and length of meetings
creation of SMART goals
problem solving accommodations
1. Child Complaint - When a parent disagrees with the IEP process after the IEP has
been written, if there is something that is seen as incorrect, the parent files a complaint
with DESE re: special education compliance. Lee Andrews contacts Steve Colombo
and together there is an investigation by area coordinators to talk with the sped case
manager and that leads to the gen ed teacher. Lee writes up the findings and submits
to DESE, who determines if the complaint was valid. If a district is found out of
compliance, it must write a plan of action. Have had few complaints in Parkway, but
received one this fall and Parkway was found out of compliance.
There were 21 accommodations that gen ed was expected along with sped to
implement.
Group read the complaint and discussed what struck us:





How the gen ed teacher interpreted 'modified' was a different from that of the
parent and DESE.
Seemed like a scatter gun approach to the child's needs regarding modifications,
which makes it easy to get out of compliance, particularly when it's a secondary
teacher who has so many more students to track.
Why wouldn't the gen ed teacher allow the special educator to make the color
coding modification to the assessment?
Is an accommodation required/essential or simply one from which the student
would benefit ? Helps an IEP become more intuitive vs prescriptive when this
distinction is made, making implementation more successful.
The team should go back to the present level and determine where exactly the
need is suggested for a particular accommodation.







Do we keep adding accommodations from elementary level vs reviewing if some
items are still needed; or are some added to be preventative vs based on
present need.
HS has minimal structures for ongoing collaboration. How much interaction
between the gen ed and special ed teacher before the complaint took place?
The accommodations page is often the one that comes last when many
participants may have already left to return to class.
Do all gen ed teachers teach the same? How should these differences play into
the student's support system?
How often does the special educator check with the general educator on how the
support from sped is working in the gen ed setting to help the child reach
goals? The special educator needs feedback on how often students are
generalizing their learning into the gen ed setting. The gen ed teacher needs to
continue to attend to the required accommodations from the IEP.
The more parents need to understand the process. SSD provides a workshop, a
CD, and all of that information when a child is referred. See the ssd.org
website. http://www.ssdmo.org/
Modifying curriculum at the HS level is more involved than in earlier grades.
2. Resources for IEPs - Kathy Muehlrath
- IEP Process binders will be made available to the team. A good reference
document. Would help bring the work from this committee to schools.
- Reviewed the resources on the SSD website, e.g., resources for parents:
http://www.ssdmo.org/cool_tools/fcrc.html
- DESE resources: http://dese.mo.gov/se/
- Disability Awareness Document (DESE): http://dese.mo.gov/se/documents/seadmin-modishistresguide.pdf
- MSIP document containing the responsibilities governing MO schoools:
http://dese.mo.gov/se/compliance/StandardsManual/
- General Guidance on Compliance
Resources: http://dese.mo.gov/se/compliance/specedguidance.html
3. DESE is requesting that the IEP Forms be revised.
- Reviewed suggested changes:

- p. 4 clarity re: goal of document post-secondary life: education, independent
living, employment
 - p. 5 how to calculate the percentage
 - p. 6 reasons for no PE

- Form D, Part 1: A lot more breakdown of assessments; bring in the NAEP,
EOCs, grade level assessments (MAP/Next Generation), Access for ELLs
 - Form D, Part 2: Helps with uniformity in coding.
Suggestion: On the Present Level page re: process at the secondary, start with
post-secondary goals, then strengths, then barriers.
Suggestion: Move the Accommodations for the State assessment section (Alt
Form F) to before the Statewide assessment (Form D). Need to put daily and
weekly accommodations first.
4. What is going well and what we could affect effectively?
What's working






Norms for meetings have improved efficient use of time
For ECSC have agendas and norms
Information is already formatted
Terminology in use of skills and strategies vs grades.
Student involvement in prep of the IEP and in the meeting itself.
Like that the CCSS are a resource for goal writing, particularly the way they are
articulated. Helps with goals leading to each other.
 Numbers of people present creates greater shared understanding.
Concerns














Too much time spent on Present Level
Need more examination of reasoning for accommodations
Limit the number of gen ed teachers
Greater focus on goals
IEP Chair have all their materials ready and ordered, so you can walk though the
resources
Gen ed has given all the resources/information needed
Have an agenda
Amount of time needed to gather information
Amount of time needed to share it in order to inform the best IEP
Alignment of IEP to state standards, esp. as we move to standards-based
grading
How do we get creative and take advantage of collective creativity when time is
short?
Sometimes the order or format of the IEP and the reasoning of the
accommodations need attention.
Need more follow through to help with the establishment of the next IEP.
Clarification of data for placement for ECE








Lack of consensus on how teams determine paraprof support, transportation,
social worker services, and the data we expect to see at IEPs.
Clarify and develop parent-friendly clear language; be more concise within the
present level. Prep it so that it's clean, clear, short and acronym-lite.
Need more consistency across settings, e.g., if one school is streamlining the
IEP and this isn't expected elsewhere, makes one school look bad.
Make the transition at the secondary level more integral
Have an LEA present (admin) or let the gen ed teacher know that they are
functioning in that capacity.
Need a sense of what is essential in the way of numbers present.
Are the right people always present when we discuss transition plans for
students moving levels? Keeping an eye on agendas makes it less necessary to
reconvene at the next available time.
Don't feel that 45 minutes is adequate to write a quality IEP at MS. Do we share
subs? How do we keep it reasonable.
Ideas:
Could we create a flagging system to determine probable time needed? (High,
med, low).
Could we create instructional videos for gen ed teachers re: accommodations?
Could we integrate them into New Teacher Orientation?
From Evernote:
SEAT - 10.16.12
SEAT - 10.16.12
IEP Process
Lauri Chamberlain (AC), Kathryn Muehlrath, Glenn Knopf, Christine Gardner, Anne
Maria Slaughter, Stacey Myton, Laura Isom, Sherri Kanterman , Jodi
Wildhaber, Wendy Jensen, Tom Koerner, Mike Schmerold (ab)
Introductions
Review Charge: Create a 'best practice' guideline for conducting IEPs at the
different levels.





defining roles and responsibilities
developing communication systems
pacing and length of meetings
creation of SMART goals
problem solving accommodations
1. Child Complaint - When a parent disagrees with the IEP process after the IEP has
been written, if there is something that is seen as incorrect, the parent files a complaint
with DESE re: special education compliance. Lee Andrews contacts Steve Colombo
and together there is an investigation by area coordinators to talk with the sped case
manager and that leads to the gen ed teacher. Lee writes up the findings and submits
to DESE, who determines if the complaint was valid. If a district is found out of
compliance, it must write a plan of action. Have had few complaints in Parkway, but
received one this fall and Parkway was found out of compliance.
There were 21 accommodations that gen ed was expected along with sped to
implement.
Group read the complaint and discussed what struck us:












How the gen ed teacher interpreted 'modified' was a different from that of the
parent and DESE.
Seemed like a scatter gun approach to the child's needs regarding modifications,
which makes it easy to get out of compliance, particularly when it's a secondary
teacher who has so many more students to track.
Why wouldn't the gen ed teacher allow the special educator to make the color
coding modification to the assessment?
Is an accommodation required/essential or simply one from which the student
would benefit ? Helps an IEP become more intuitive vs prescriptive when this
distinction is made, making implementation more successful.
The team should go back to the present level and determine where exactly the
need is suggested for a particular accommodation.
Do we keep adding accommodations from elementary level vs reviewing if some
items are still needed; or are some added to be preventative vs based on
present need.
HS has minimal structures for ongoing collaboration. How much interaction
between the gen ed and special ed teacher before the complaint took place?
The accommodations page is often the one that comes last when many
participants may have already left to return to class.
Do all gen ed teachers teach the same? How should these differences play into
the student's support system?
How often does the special educator check with the general educator on how the
support from sped is working in the gen ed setting to help the child reach
goals? The special educator needs feedback on how often students are
generalizing their learning into the gen ed setting. The gen ed teacher needs to
continue to attend to the required accommodations from the IEP.
The more parents need to understand the process. SSD provides a workshop, a
CD, and all of that information when a child is referred. See the ssd.org
website. http://www.ssdmo.org/
Modifying curriculum at the HS level is more involved than in earlier grades.
2. Resources for IEPs - Kathy Muehlrath
- IEP Process binders will be made available to the team. A good reference
document. Would help bring the work from this committee to schools.
- Reviewed the resources on the SSD website, e.g., resources for parents:
http://www.ssdmo.org/cool_tools/fcrc.html
- DESE resources: http://dese.mo.gov/se/
- Disability Awareness Document (DESE): http://dese.mo.gov/se/documents/seadmin-modishistresguide.pdf
- MSIP document containing the responsibilities governing MO schoools:
http://dese.mo.gov/se/compliance/StandardsManual/
- General Guidance on Compliance
Resources: http://dese.mo.gov/se/compliance/specedguidance.html
3. DESE is requesting that the IEP Forms be revised.
- Reviewed suggested changes:





- p. 4 clarity re: goal of document post-secondary life: education, independent
living, employment
- p. 5 how to calculate the percentage
- p. 6 reasons for no PE
- Form D, Part 1: A lot more breakdown of assessments; bring in the NAEP,
EOCs, grade level assessments (MAP/Next Generation), Access for ELLs
- Form D, Part 2: Helps with uniformity in coding.
Suggestion: On the Present Level page re: process at the secondary, start with
post-secondary goals, then strengths, then barriers.
Suggestion: Move the Accommodations for the State assessment section (Alt
Form F) to before the Statewide assessment (Form D). Need to put daily and
weekly accommodations first.
4. What is going well and what we could affect effectively?
What's working






Norms for meetings have improved efficient use of time
For ECSC have agendas and norms
Information is already formatted
Terminology in use of skills and strategies vs grades.
Student involvement in prep of the IEP and in the meeting itself.
Like that the CCSS are a resource for goal writing, particularly the way they are
articulated. Helps with goals leading to each other.
 Numbers of people present creates greater shared understanding.
Concerns






















Too much time spent on Present Level
Need more examination of reasoning for accommodations
Limit the number of gen ed teachers
Greater focus on goals
IEP Chair have all their materials ready and ordered, so you can walk though the
resources
Gen ed has given all the resources/information needed
Have an agenda
Amount of time needed to gather information
Amount of time needed to share it in order to inform the best IEP
Alignment of IEP to state standards, esp. as we move to standards-based
grading
How do we get creative and take advantage of collective creativity when time is
short?
Sometimes the order or format of the IEP and the reasoning of the
accommodations need attention.
Need more follow through to help with the establishment of the next IEP.
Clarification of data for placement for ECE
Lack of consensus on how teams determine paraprof support, transportation,
social worker services, and the data we expect to see at IEPs.
Clarify and develop parent-friendly clear language; be more concise within the
present level. Prep it so that it's clean, clear, short and acronym-lite.
Need more consistency across settings, e.g., if one school is streamlining the
IEP and this isn't expected elsewhere, makes one school look bad.
Make the transition at the secondary level more integral
Have an LEA present (admin) or let the gen ed teacher know that they are
functioning in that capacity.
Need a sense of what is essential in the way of numbers present.
Are the right people always present when we discuss transition plans for
students moving levels? Keeping an eye on agendas makes it less necessary to
reconvene at the next available time.
Don't feel that 45 minutes is adequate to write a quality IEP at MS. Do we share
subs? How do we keep it reasonable.
Ideas:
Could we create a flagging system to determine probable time needed? (High,
med, low).
Could we create instructional videos for gen ed teachers re: accommodations?
Could we integrate them into New Teacher Orientation?