Special Education Reform

1
Special Education Reform
Schools for All Children
Donnalyn Jaque-Antón, Associate
Superintendent Division of Special Education
Kevin Reed, General Counsel Office of the General
Counsel
2
Strategic PrioritiesChanges for Special
Education Reform

• Accurate identification and appropriate
  assignment of services
• Integration of students with disabilities
• Access to the general curriculum and standards
  for academic achievement
• Knowledgeable and qualified staff
• Monitoring of performance indicators and
  accountability for results

3
What is the Modified Consent Decree?

• Court order to comply with the federal law (IDEA)
• 18 Outcome areas
• Specific outcomes/results completed by 2006
• Interim benchmarks by years
• 2004, 2005, 2006
• Annual Plans with action steps and responsible
  staff
• Central
• Local District
• School

4
What is the Modified Consent Decree?

• Data Drivenreliant on accurate data
• MCD Data Review Teams
• Central
• Local District
• School
• School/Local District progress measured at
  regular intervals from dataaccountability
• Oversight by the Independent Monitor
• Authority of Chief Executive of Special Education

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Role of the Independent Monitor

• Approve an Annual Plan submitted by the District
• Verify the accuracy of the Districts data used
  to measure Districts performance
• Make determinations of Districts achievement of
  outcomes
• Order the District to comply with decisions made
  by Independent Monitor

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Modified Consent DecreeYear One Progress Report

• Jay Alleman,
• Administrative Coordinator
• Office of the Independent Monitor

7
Response to the Modified Consent DecreeYear One
Progress Report

• Roy Romer,
• Superintendent
• Los Angeles Unified School District

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Superintendents Annual Report to the Board of
Education, 2003-2004

• Division of Special Education

?Required by the MCD/Maintenance of Effort
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Organization of the Report

• Section I Statistical Information
• Section II Compliance with Special
  Education Laws, 2003-2004
• Section III Completion of 2003-2004 Annual
  Plan Benchmarks and Maintenance of Effort
  Goals, MCD
• Section IV Other Achievements
• Section V Summary Budget

10
Section IStatistical Information
11
Section IICompliance with Special Education
Laws, 2003-2004

• 2003/2004 Monitoring Review Process
• Three activities
• District Validation Review (DVR)
• Green Team Review (GTR)
• California Department of Education Review

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District Validation Review

• Elements
• Team Composition (6 member team, includes parent
  representation)
• Standardized forms
• Focus of review
• Compliance with District procedures

13
District Validation Review

• Elements
• Student records review
• Administrative and staff interviews
• Classroom observations
• Documentation review
• Analysis of school site data
• Summary report
• Follow-up monitoring

14
District Validation Review Findings (Local
Districts B and D) 2003-2004

• Least Restrictive Environment Items
• 86 compliant
• Secondary Transition Items
• 95 compliant
• Individual Education Program (IEP Timelines
  Items)
• 89 compliant
• English Language Learners Items
• 94 compliant
• Procedural Rights and Safeguards Items
• 92 compliant

15
Green Team Review

• Elements
• Team Composition
• Local District personnel
• Division of Special Education Personnel
• Standardized forms
• Random student records review
• Interviews
• Classroom visitations
• Data review
• Report of results

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Green Team Review Findings

• Nine schools reviewed in 2003-2004
• School and District Leadership
• 73 evident or in progress
• Curriculum, Instruction Professional
  Development
• 91 evident or in progress
• Classroom and School Assessment
• 67 evident or in progress
• School Climate, Culture and Communication
• 78 evident or in progress

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CDE Site Review

• Elements
• Team Composition -
• 2 team members (1 CDE Consultant and 1 Special
  Education Compliance Specialist)
• Standardized forms
• Student record review

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CDE Site Review

• Elements
• Administrative and staff review
• Classroom observation
• Verification of services speech and language and
  mental health
• Summary report of findings

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CDE Records Review Findings

• Review 27 schools
• Elementary
• Middle
• High schools
• Average score of record reviews conducted by CDE
  ranged from 94 to 99 compliant

20
Closure of Outstanding Noncompliance and Systemic
Issues, 2000-2004

• Establishing this yearly review of tangible
  evidence and provided documented assurance by
  LAUSDensures that students with special needs
  and their parents will receive the educational
  support needed to access state educational
  standards and receive educational benefit from
  their work.

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Closure of Outstanding Noncompliance and Systemic
Issues, 2000-2004

• The summary report along with its eight (8)
  addendums enabled CDE/SED to bring to closure all
  the reporting that CDE requested during this four
  year time frame.
• Alice Parker
• Deputy Superintendent, Director
• CDE, Special Education Division
• November 16, 2004

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Section IVOther Achievements

• Welligent System
• Provide all decision-makers timely, accurate date
  regarding students with disabilities
• Measure District progress for compliance with
  State and Federal law and Consent Decree

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Section IVOther Achievements

• Welligent System Accomplishments
• Implemented to some level in all regular schools
  within 12 months
• Trained over 8,000 users on IEP system
• Trained over 3,000 service providers
• Typically more than 1,000 concurrent users logged
  in during normal working hours
• HP system retired
• Daily increasing meaningful, accurate data

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Section IVOther Achievements

• Literacy Institute
• Assist teacher in providing access for all
  students to the core curriculum
• Team from each school awarded a LRE
  mini-grant during 2002-2003
• Focus on site planning activities for
  implementing LRE programs
• LRE Mini-grants continued in 2003-2004

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Section IVOther Achievements

• Informal Dispute Resolution
• IEP disputes minimized when developed through
  meaningful, informed participation of all IEP
  team members
• IEP dispute represents a difference of opinion
  that can be resolved through open communication
• Resolution of disputes best achieved by those who
  know/work with child
• Local site staff should be empowered to resolve
  disputes
• Formal due process should be last resort

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Section IVOther Achievements

• Early Intervention and Prevention
• Academically at-risk students provide structured,
  systemic academic intervention programs
• Needs addressed in early grades (K, 1, 2) and
  early in English literacy development
• Students with reading difficulties referred for
  special education only after
• participation in Districts intervention program
• progress assessed and monitored,
• responses to provided interventions monitored

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Section IVOther Achievements

• LRE Initiative
• Designed to systemically increase opportunities
  for students with disabilities to be educated in
  less restrictive environments in neighborhood
  schools
• Learning supports and services that ensure their
  successful education
• 2002-2003 LRE Task Force (general and special
  educators) developed Districtwide plan for
  integration of general and special education
  students
• Implementation of instructional interventions and
  strategies for effective LRE practices continued
  throughout 2003-2004

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2004-2005 Progress to Date

• Reorganization Support Units
• Welligent
• Professional Development
• Informal Dispute Resolution
• Prevention and Reading First
• Behavior
• Least Restrictive Environment
• MCD Review Teams and targeted assistance