Texas School Alliance Questionnaire
McAllen, Texas
Wednesday, March 30 - Friday, April 1, 2011
1. For SPP 6, how do you serve 5 year old students that are very low functioning? Do you
keep them in PPCD another year? Promote to an inclusive kinder class with support?
(Garland ISD)
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Cy Fair and Humble decide in Kinder year if they can do Kinder with support or move into life
skills if severe and don’t keep in PPCD. NEISD does same.
2. Do you require that the purpose indicated on the Notice of ARD match up with the actual
ARD? We are having trouble with the electronic ARD system we use allowing us to do
that. (Garland ISD)
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Narrow choices and explain if needed in body of Notice. Most haven’t had this as a problem.
3. What kind of cuts and restructuring are you doing in your district?
(Northside ISD)
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Socorro not saying anything until after TAKS
Humble sent letters to probationary teachers. This caused a reduction in SE by about 70
teachers and 3 million $. Looking at who can hire back.
NEISD cut 7 teachers and 13 IAs and clerical for MS. Not filling CO positions and cut 2
secretarial CO positions. Not losing any speech
NISD has had about 300 positions that have left and not filled. Not filling retirees positions in
CO/SE. Been doing Collaborative teaching training and schools have been staffed
appropriately or overstaffed with 1 exception.
McAllen is restructuring by looking a ratios. Have achieved through attrition and have moved
secondary to elem etc. Started 3 years ago doing this. Hold on all leaving. District offered
incentive which included SLPs, but no one has left from speech yet.
Aldine in hiring freeze. Move staff if need is there. Restructuring to keep CO staff. Diags will
be doing dyslexia testing for district. Testing team for district and others will be doing more RtI
and other duties. No one losing jobs, but may be reassigned. Encouraging staff to become HQ
in more areas, challenge tests.
MOE – NISD shared info from Education Week, 02/09/11. Shared PEIMS data on largest
districts. San Antonio’s largest districts all have high percentages of SE.
Houston – Had a SE Program evaluation recently by Tom Hare. Report laid out areas to focus
on. Began at looking at overstaffing last year. Cut 200 teachers and 250 IAs. Given notice, but
stayed all year last year. Were able to absorb through attrition and only lost about 25 people.
Looked at staffing again this year and are still overstaffed. Have cut back again. It is an
efficiency issue, not all budget problems. Good leadership to evaluate your needs and make
April 2011 TSA Questionnaire with Responses
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April 12, 2011
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changes as appropriate. They are grossly under identified in dyslexia. Dyslexia is moving under
SE as of this week and LSSPs will be evaluating for dyslexia. 300 campuses doing own thing
within regions. Trying to get more control and consistency. Their ESC group has had many
discussions regarding co-teach and when it really needs to go into the IEP. Why are you
providing a second teacher? Could be a teaching assistant. When kids move and co-teach is in
IEP then new district has to honor which can be problematic.
Cy Fair – 5 % cut for depts. 210 teachers and 110 IAs were displaced as in excess last year, but
didn’t lose jobs. Very painful, but successful. Cut co-teach. Kids still get, but not every teacher
has a co-teacher as before. Trying to do less contracting for services.
Discussion to boycott agencies for awhile into school year, until 30th of Sept. This may force
graduates to apply in districts. Humble said it is a public rip-off.
Corpus Christi – Had an eval of speech by Progressus Company. District is wanting to move to
agency use. Many Directors warned against this. It is a marketing scheme.
NISD keeps 5 positions in budget as grow your own through TWU.
Humble – Looked at co-teach as a given and needing fulltime co-teach. Looking more at
students’ individual needs and whether they are needing support. Trying to keep 1:3 ratio of
students with disabilities to non SE students. Have problem with stacking class with 504 kids
and at risk kids. Don’t abuse SE staff by adding so many to class. Talked to administrators to
preserve integrity of class.
HEB – Looked at ratios. Had to cut a few premier programs. Blended Kindergarten which was
a co-teach class for students with mild disabilities and typical kids. Staffed with 2 teachers and
1 IA. Too expensive so cutting program. Transitional Kinder to serve more severe students
and had a teacher and an IA in Kinder. Low numbers so cutting. Kids will be served through
the continuum next year. Not popular to cut these, but being done.
SE teachers coaching periods of day was a problem discussed. No one has a solution. Do cofund with athletics for salary and stipends if they get a SE stipend.
Humble doing a boot camp for teachers moving into new positions due to new assignments.
4. What course numbers (9000) do you use for PE, Art or any other electives and if so do
you write goals for those classes? Discussion of participation of students with disabilities
in fine arts programs.
(Northside ISD/Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD)
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Districts are not using 9000 numbers for any electives and PE. Districts are not writing goals
for electives. They only write goals for academic classes that are modified. They are giving
State credit and kids are not doing 70% of TEKS for electives. Do use 9000 numbers for
academic classes modified.
HEB has a student that is very disabled due to shaken baby syndrome, but not in SE. He is in
Band and they are demanding services for this student, such as, an IA to accompany him on
trips. Wanted health services of catherization, enemas etc. with a nurse to stay overnight with
him to do services. District offered to pay parent to go and do services. Parent chose to send a
friend with him that stayed with him and did health services. District paid for this. Now she
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has an AU student that is non-verbal wanting to be in choir and go to Disneyland on choir trip.
Most follow criteria for the class and UIL rules. TCASE Legal Conf had a session on
extracurricular activities.
5. Does anyone have guidelines for the provision of private service providers such as
private nurses, etc., that they must abide by while working in the schools?
(Ysleta ISD)
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Houston – no nurse consultants. Spending over $2 million over regular health services.
Looking at how staff are placed for nursing services. Want to move nursing under 1 dept.
NISD – All nursing under Health Services. We have about 35 PDN in the district. We use an
agreement with nursing agencies when PDN is coming. NISD will share our agreement. NISD
will share agreement with Alliance.
6. Does anyone have a model for systemically providing training to teachers on important
issues such as autism/social skills training; standards based IEP’s, supplemental aids,
etc.? (Ysleta ISD)
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Trying to do summer training.
Brownsville - Training after school in clusters.
United - Using Direct Step from LRP
Cy Fair and Dallas – Stetson on-line training. Very good deal.
NISD – After school, voice-over training for consistency, summer institute, instructional
training as a team during planning periods at campuses
Garland – Broadcasts training through district technology
7. Are PWNs done for Service Plans?
(Corpus Christi ISD)
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Not doing for Service Plans for private schools
8. Are PWNs being done for ARDs that are just: a) changing accommodations b) Initials
c) REED’s or d) adding new goals/objs?
(Corpus Christi ISD)
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Many have added to ARD form
9. What are minimum requirements for a Functional Behavioral Assessment? Unless new
issues arise, how often are they updated?
(Corpus Christi ISD)
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Corpus Christi – lost a dph due to FBA not being sufficient and wants to know what districts use
as they us SpEd Manager
Humble and CyFair don’t use FBA from Manager
Several use FBA on eSped
Humble does formal FBA as part of Psych eval.
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NISD uses eSped FBA , but has BCBA conduct more involved FBAs when requested.
10. What strategies/instruments/programs are being used for secondary Reading, Writing,
Mathematics and Behavioral interventions?
(Corpus Christi ISD)
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Interventions for secondary
Read 180, Voyager, ST Math. Math Solutions, AutoSkills, DOMA, STAR Math in conjunction
with Accelerated Math, Fast Math, River Deep, Do the Math, Fontas and Pinnell, Inside and
Edge, Navigator
11. If you have reduced staff, how are you continuing to provide support for PBS and
inclusive classrooms?
(Corpus Christi ISD)
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How providing Behavior Supports with Budget cuts?
Corpus Christi had hired staff to support campuses/students for behavioral needs through
Stimulus, but losing.
Cy Fair has 3 AU specialists. Using PBIS strategies at campuses. This is a district initiative.
12. Does everyone provide transportation for EE speech only children if their parents
cannot bring them?
(Midland ISD)
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Transportation for EE speech only babies.
Yes, providing, but trying to be creative.
NEISD does not provide.
Most transport only within district.
13. Do you serve speech only EE kids at daycares, private schools, other centralized
locations, or at their home campuses?
(Midland ISD)
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Cy Fair providing speech at certain daycares they partner with.
Talked about EE babies in speech only as to coding
Humble thinking of doing in Kinder so can code as 40.
Discussed NISD participation with NECTAC meeting and problem with including with PK due to
coding of 42. All agreed it was a problem and should be 40. We need to keep talking to TEA
about this.
Humble has program in Community called Spark. Delivers services to neighborhood kids.
Thinking of bringing SLPs into the program to service kids.
NEISD – Community Setting, Bright Ideas. They have some get speech services there.
HEB – Community Partnership with daycare for speech
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14. How often do special education teachers send home IEP progress reports for secondary
students? At report card time or in addition to this reporting period?
(Amarillo ISD)
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Progress Report
15. Are you planning on providing summer services for students taking STAAR next year?
(Northside ISD)
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Yes, for summer services for SSI grades next year.
16. Do you provide summer program for high school age student in special education
classes? (Northside ISD)
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Many do through gen ed funds for summer program. Some are tuition based. Some do credit
retrieval. Some use APEX, Compass Learning Odyssey, A Plus with SE teacher support/Midland
and Socorro. Garland pays for summer credit retrieval.
17. Have you been getting requests for inclusion evaluations from parents and advocates?
(Northside ISD)
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NISD having requests and has had 1 done
CC has had several (5) requested. Dr. Soho did evals and recommended at least 25 strategies.
DPH filed as school didn’t implement all 25 recommended strategies. CC not contracting for
inclusion evals and doing in-house.
Houston – why would you do this as not required through IDEA. Can do LRE eval as part of
ARD. No need to bring in outside consultants.
McAllen has a profile for servicing in LRE and will share.
Cy Fair also having a resurgence of families of children with DS wanting more services in gen
ed.
18. How do you feel about a State proposed ARD form?
(Northside ISD)
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TCASE sponsored Bill
OSEP designed a model form that many States adopted. Max is 8 pages as it only has federal
requirements included.
Not mandatory for districts to use in wording in Bill. If TEA developed a form that districts did
not want to use, they would not have to do so. There is wording in Bill that TEA can only
monitor what is included in State form. Chris Borreca has worked on getting this Bill
developed and sponsored. AU supplement would be included, however.
Alabama and New York have State forms.
Idea is paper reduction and cut down on gotchas.
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19. Any ideas for accessing general curriculum for students 2-3 plus years below grade
level? (Northside ISD)
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Garland – using IPADS to assist/hoping apps will help.
Richardson – template that works with general curriculum with strategies, accommodations
and modifications built in to assist teachers with students.
Cy Fair – using IPADS for AT with students
20. How are they fitting time in for interventions?
(Northside ISD)
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Ysletta – HS doing during Advisory times for Science and Math
Garland does Read 180 and System 44 during a SE pullout class
Cy Fair does SE classes for System 44, but Read 180 is in gen ed.
21. VAC-Is it aligned to the TEKS? How are you planning to implement next year?
(Northside ISD)
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NEISD and Corpus Christi got rid of VAC positions and have transition specialists that work with
kids and monitor Ind 13
Aldine and Cy Fair and Dallas reducing VACs greatly. Dallas reduced from 22 to 5 total.
NEISD has co-teach with CTE. If students meet licensure requirements then they get license. If
not, don’t get license.
22. Are any of the districts hiring Speech, Occupational or Physical Therapists especially to
take the place of contract staff? Are they cutting any of the above as district hired?
(Northside ISD)
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Most are being allowed to pre-hire or hire for speech when have vacancies even though in
hiring freeze. Some are allowed to pre hire for OT and PT.
23. Are there any specific trainings and/or interventions that you have found to be
successful in preventing the need for special education identification? Specifically ideas
to address disproportionality in working with students who are in African American or
Low Socioeconomic subpopulations or with disproportionality occurring with students
with the eligibility of Autism?
(Katy ISD)
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Katy has been identified as disproportionate in AU/white and black. Looking for ideas. Will
have to spend 15% EIS. They have a developmental assessment team that tests for low
incidence populations. They have 700 eligible with AU out of 6000 SE students.
Dallas has taken on Closing the Gap training. Looking at cultural issues and barriers. She is a
Linguist, Norma Lemoine. SE not funding this. District has embraced this.
Dallas also trained K, 1, 2, 3 teachers in RtI process.
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Houston – Tom Hare eval said they were more inclined to label MS and HS Black males as MR.
Looking at how long ago kids were actually tested, not just a reeval review. Should be tested
at least once at secondary level.
Katy discovered the same issue with testing. Kids had continued in SE for years without new
assessment.
NISD – not overrepresented in any area. Secret is a good Child Study team. Should have Eval
staff participate on Child Study teams. NISD had an Administrative Regulation dealing with
early intervention/RtI.
24. Can you share any ideas regarding possible ways to reduce time spent on paperwork,
completing evaluations, and ARD meetings for staff?
(Katy ISD)
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Cy Fair – Hardest part, people in tears as they have more on plate.
Katy – Asked about using REED template for Initials. No one doing this. If do use, then must
cover all areas that legally have to be addressed.
Humble – Tried a template to reduce amount in a report, but not successful. Some eval staff
don’t want to let go of lengthy reports.
Katy said some reports take over an hour to review a report, 30 and 40 pages long.
NISD – Should review with parents prior to ARD and then summarize in ARD. Stick to facts and
don’t include extra verbiage.
25. TAKS-Alt Participation Rate
(Cypress Fairbanks ISD)
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Yes using standard based IEPs
26. Criteria for STARR M
(Aldine ISD)
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Draft shared
27. Has anyone gone full inclusion of students at the secondary level (with the exception
possibly of classes for students with severe cognitive deficits)? If so, what kind of impact
has it had on TAKS scores?
(Garland ISD)
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Need continuum of service options
28. Have any of you changed your teacher staffing ratio due to budget cuts? If so, will you
share your formula or whatever you are using to make staffing determinations?
(Garland ISD)
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Districts will send to McAllen
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29. For special education Cost Reporting how do you address special education
transportation in regards to designed bus accommodations? Do you bill for only those
students who have a need for the adaptation of the bus or do you include the students
that only need supervision? Example: wheelchair, restraint, car seat for a child that does
not need it for the purposes of Texas Transportation specifications.
(McAllen ISD)
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Discussed billing for IAs on bus as personal care services and SE transportation.
30. Does anyone provide speech supervision for graduate course work for speech language
pathologists to complete a graduate program? Example: TWU Program. If so, do you
have a contract that enables the district to ensure that the amount of time the district
has devoted to the supervision of the student (minimum of two years) is paid back to the
district in subsequent years of work before the employee can leave the district?
(McAllen ISD)
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Many have had good luck with TWU. Humble has them sign a contract to commit to 5 years
with district. Pay schooling fees. Kline ISD was not pleased with TWU students. Very time
consuming. TWU students causing a morale problem in district among SLPs. Socorro ISD
recruits teachers in their district to go through TWU program. They have 4 for next year.
McAllen has had good and bad experiences. Have found that when get a good one, prove to
be an asset. HEB ISD said they have had good successes. HEB is not going to use next year due
to a problem that happened. Some pay schooling, some pay stipends, some pay SLPs for
supervision of the TWU students, some reimburse when finish program. Some districts using
for bilingual speech only recruits.
31. Does anyone have In Class Support/Support Facilitation Logs that they are willing to
share? (McAllen ISD)
Have any of you been monitored or had to provide In Class Support/ Facilitation Logs to
the Residential Facility Monitoring team and if so how did you address the time
treatment on the ARD and on the log in order to show compliance?
(McAllen ISD)
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RF – McAllen/Logs for in class support. Requested logs for related services and inclusion and
in-class support. Since on schedule of services in ARD, monitors want to see log showing
teachers are providing support.
32. Discuss parental permission for missed therapy sessions.
( Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD)
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No one providing a letter to parents about missed therapy sessions in speech, OT, PT when
school at fault. All agreed you need to make up sessions if due to staff missing session. Don’t
need to make-up if student is absent.
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36. Are any districts saying roll forward not used the next year are lost?
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True.
37. What inclusionary programs do you have for PPCD?
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NISD explained ECC program
38. How are you getting agencies to ARDs?
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Not great success or consistency
39. Is Anyone documenting regarding STAAR on ARD forms now?
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Not yet
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