Categorical Funded Position Reporting Form:
Official Name of Reporting Position: Bridge Coordinator
Position Name: Bridge Coordinator
A brief description of what the day to day duties of the job entail: On a daily basis,
the Bridge is responsible for supporting and monitoring sound instructional strategies for
students in Special Education. Within the Special Ed Office, the Bridge Coordinator
works directly on behalf of those students in the Resource Specialist Program who spend
the majority of their day in the general education setting. This means:
 organizing IEP Teams and facilitating those meetings
 meeting with Special and General Ed teachers to offer instructional and
behavioral practices proven effective for students with disabilities
 meeting with parents to help them better support their students in school, and then
following up on a consistent basis
 organizing and advocating for effective programming of more than 150 students
receiving SpEd services in the RSP program, to assist them in meeting grad
requirements
 helping determine and logistically support interventions resulting from IEP (10+
per week), SST (2 per week) & RCT (1 per week) meetings. For our 15 or so
“extreme” cases, logistical support requires daily communication and cooperation
with the student’s teachers, counselor, parent(s), dean, psychologist, school
police, security, and other support staff (PSA, adult school, itinerant teachers,
outside agencies).
 working with the Deans Office, the School Police, and the Local District Support
Unit to ensure than Behavior Support Plans and progressive discipline policies are
established and adhered to
 (in the spring) working with feeder middle schools and incoming students to
ensure that articulation is as seamless as possible (accurate programming,
placement, transfer of unique service needs and AAs)
The Bridge is also responsible for managing the schedules and assignments, and
evaluating the performance of 40+ Special Education Assistants across three tracks. This
entails maintaining an accurate SETAR and providing professional development on an
ongoing basis. Time spent managing Assistants and coordinating professional
development consumes 1-2 hours per day. Professional Development has included:
positive behavior support, CPR and First Aid, sound instructional support, and
professional expectations.
What are the basic objectives of the work: The Bridge works closely with the IEP
Coordinator to ensure that the needs of more than 400 special students are met; that the
department is running smoothly, teachers have the resources they need to provide
effective and sound instruction; that parents are involved and aware of how they can
support their student; that 40+ Special Education Assistants understand how they can best
support instruction in Special and General Ed classrooms; that we are compliant as a
school with the District’s MCD Outcomes and that our IEPs are all active and up-to-date.
How is the work tied to improving the core subjects? The Bridge works directly with
teachers (gen and special ed), students, and parents to consider sound instructional
practices that have proven effective for students with disabilities. While these
instructional strategies aren’t necessarily subject specific, the focus usually begins with
English and Math and is extended to the sciences.
How does the work help student intervention? The work of the Bridge centers around
student intervention, providing teachers, parents, and students resources and practices
that are proven effective for students faced with learning disabilities. The purpose of
collaborating on an IEP Team and facilitating IEP meetings for many of our RSP students
is to develop a truly individualized approach to a student’s education, whereby specific
interventions are considered and implemented in stages, to help a struggling student to
succeed. The interventions put in place might be academic, behavioral, emotional, healthrelated, or a combination thereof.
How broad is the impact of the intervention? Interventions that are the result of a
Professional or Staff Development within the Special Ed department impact as many as
the 400+ students receiving Special Ed services at LA High. Other times, interventions
are developed in collaboration with the RSP teachers and specifically impact the
approximately 150 students enrolled in that program. Sometimes, an elaborate
intervention plan is developed on behalf of just one student. However, in those cases,
his/her success can positively impact the six classrooms he/she visits during the school
day.
Please note any significant barriers to the implementation of the work objectives.
An incredible amount of time must be devoted to the paperwork and scheduling efforts
that go into IEPs, sometimes to the detriment of staff development and/or coaching
opportunities.
How would a loss of the position impact the school?
The loss of the Bridge position would mean the loss of an advocate for those students in
general education classrooms who need specialized services to succeed. It would mean
the programs and placement of SpEd students would be the sole responsibility of their
respective counselors (an unrealistic expectation considering the unique needs legally
dictated by each student’s IEP), and a lack of consistency in services. The loss would
significantly and negatively impact any consistent communication amongst department
members, and would likely see an immediate drop in the timely completion of IEPs.
There would also be a void with regards to the management of 40+ Special Education
Assistants.
Please mention any notable successes.
LA High’s RSP program met all three of its MCD District objectives. In conjunction with
the IEP Coordinator, the number of overdue IEPs has come down from more than 120 to
fewer than 30. This is a direct result of both Coordinators’ efforts to schedule, monitor,
participate in, and close approximately 30 IEPs per week. There has been a decrease in
the suspension rate for Special Ed Students so that LA High is well within the District’s
lower limits. This is a product of the collaboration amongst the Deans Office, the School
Police, and the Special Ed Office. Our Special Ed students have increased their CAHSEE
passage and culmination rates (Certificate of Completion & Diploma) this school year.