Title: Educable Mental Retardation as a Disability:
1Educable Mental Retardation as a Disability
- Accurate, Defensible, Compliant Identification
Mississippi Department of Education
2Purpose of the Day
- To examine the current practices and policies
related to the identification of educable mental
retardation (EMR) in
order to ensure compliance with Mattie T.
3Expected Outcomes
- Participants will be able to calculate compliance
with Mattie T. about EMR - Participants will be thoroughly familiar with
requirements to support identification of EMR
4A Caveat About the Day
- Remember that the focus of the day is on
achieving and maintaining compliance with federal
state law and preferred professional practices. - Any time professional practices are examined,
there is a tendency to react defensively. But
there is no intention to offend, only to learn
how the school system can become
remain compliant while ensuring better results
for students.
5Compliance with the EMR identification rate
differential
- Calculations
- African-American students with EMR divided by
number of African-American enrollment x 100
Af-Am with EMR - White (all other) students with EMR divided by
number of White enrollment x 100 White with EMR
6Compliance with the EMR identification rate
differential
- Subtraction Problem
- ____ age Af-Am w/EMR
- - ____ age White w/EMR
- ____ points differential (or EMR
identification rate differential)
7Compliance with the EMR identification rate
differential
- Every LEA (except those specified in
subparagraph in subparagraph 20(a)(4) below)
shall reduce its EMR identification rate
differential to 1.15 within seven years.
8Compliance with the EMR identification rate
differential
- LEAs whose white student enrollment comprises
four percent or less of its total student
enrollment or whose white student enrollment is
one hundred students or less shall be required to
attain and maintain a district-wide EMR
identification rate of 1.65 or less within seven
years.
9Compliance with the SLD identification rate
differential
- Questions
- What is your current differential for EMR?
- How many Af-Am students with EMR would be
identified in order to be at the 1.15 percentage
point differential?
10Next Steps ?
- Examine Practices of recent Identification of EMR
- Determine the degree of implementation of current
requirements for 3 Tiers, TST, contemporary
assessment practices. - Consider whether changes are needed to achieve
maintain compliance
11Individual Protocol
- 3 Sections
- Effective Classroom
- Teacher Support Team
- Individual Assessment
- Items on form
- Format Yes or No (No noncompliance)
12Most Important Item
- Evidence of appropriate academic instruction in
reading and mathematics (scientifically-based
instruction in reading).
13Early Intervening Services (EIS) Response to
Intervention (RtI) Decisions(3 Tiers of Teaching)
Students successful receiving scientifically-based
instruction
1
Note No Program Titles are listed
(70-80)
Students successful receiving intensive
research-based services
2
(10 30)
3
(8 -10)
Note Students with Disabilities (IEPs) are in
regular settings to the maximum extent appropriate
14Accountability Questions
- Are xx or more students proficient or above
based on latest state performance data or
universal screening? - If No, provide assistance in curriculum
instruction until student performance is
increased. - If Yes, determine number of remaining students in
need of interventions.
15Early Intervening Services (EIS) Response to
Intervention (RtI) Decisions (4 Tiers of
Teaching)
Students successfully responding to routine
discipline
1
Note No Program Titles are listed
(70 - 85 )
Students successfully responding to small group
research-based interventions
2
(15 30)
Students responding to individual intensive
interventions
3
(3 - 5)
Note Students with Disabilities (IEPs) are in
regular settings to the maximum extent appropriate
16Unstated Assumptions in a Referral
- The student of concern
- Has experienced appropriate instruction during
his/her educational history - Is placed with (an) experienced, prepared
teacher(s) in a well-organized, adequately
resourced classroom - Is exposed to research-based curricula delivered
according to the design - Has teacher(s) using a data oriented, problem
solving approach to address concerns - Has an experienced person available to facilitate
assistance for the teacher(s)
Applies to Tier 1
17Teacher Support Team
- General Education Requirements in support of
accurate identification of educable mental
retardation (EMR)
18Teacher Support Team
- Documentation of presence of appropriate members
on the Teacher Support Team to assist in
development of intervention strategies?
19Interventions
- Description of a scientifically-based
intervention was provided? - Intervention meets minimum requirements?
http//www.w-w-c.org/
http//www.promisingpractices.net/
http//coexgov.securesites.net/index.php?keyworda
4366358b747d4
http//www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/rigorouse
vid/index.html
20Data on Progress
- Evidence of the use of appropriate data
collection methods to monitor student progress?
http//www.studentprogress.org/
21Individual Assessment
- Professional Implementation of Ethical Practices
http//www.nasponline.org/pdf/ProfessionalCond.pdf
22Observations (1)
- Appropriate personnel performed classroom
observations to assess student needs?
23Observations (2)
- Observations included quantifiable data comparing
to peers?
24Adequate Time
- Evidence of appropriate time period in order to
fairly evaluate effectiveness of the
intervention?
http//www.sp-ebi.org/
http//www.nasponline.org/information/pp_prevresea
rch.html
http//www.wcer.wisc.edu/news/coverStories/evidenc
e_based_interventions.php
25Appropriate Frequency
- Intervention sessions were frequent enough that
an effect would be expected?
26Integrity Check
- Evidence of evaluation of treatment or procedural
integrity measures that ensured proper
implementation of intervention components
throughout the intervention?
27Analysis
- Results of the intervention were analyzed and
evaluated for effectiveness or ineffectiveness in
order to (dis)confirm possible presence of a
disability (and proceed to eligibility
evaluation)?
28Trained Personnel
- Presence of appropriate personnel on the
eligibility team to assist in determining
eligibility and recommendations for goals and
benchmarks?
29Appropriate Instruments
- Assessment instruments are appropriate for
evaluating current referral concerns (e.g.,
reliable and valid for concern and student
characteristics)?
30Addition
- Clerical calculations were performed
appropriately?
31Trained Personnel
- Assessment instruments were administered by
trained certified personnel?
32Ruling Out Other Reasons
- Evidence that effects of environment, culture or
economic disadvantage were ruled out?
33Ruling Out Other Reasons
- Evidence that effects of visual, hearing or motor
disability were ruled out?
34Ruling Out Other Reasons
- Evidence that mental retardation or emotional
disability were ruled out as a primary
explanation for student needs?
35Logical Conclusion
- Documented specific rationale for eligibility is
consistent with the referral concern?
36Scores Consistent
- Test scores were in the appropriate range to
support the rationale for the disability?
37Comprehensiveness
- All areas of the disability were appropriately
assessed (e.g., intelligence, achievement,
adaptive behavior, emotional)?
38Comprehensiveness
- Was the measure of cognitive functioning at least
two standard deviations below the mean?
39Comprehensiveness
- Was the adaptive behavior measure (out-of-school
functioning) determined to be significantly low
and commensurate with cognitive functioning?
40Comprehensiveness
- Was the level of achievement commensurate with
cognitive functioning and without any strengths
compared to typical peers?
41System Resources
- Interview of assessment personnel indicates that
Assessment Library is adequate to implement Child
Find procedures in the LEA?
42Whats Required for Compliance?
- Yes to All Requirements
- Adequate Documentation to support a YES answer
to all questions
43So, Whats Next ?
- How will you achieve compliance with the EMR
differential ? - How will you maintain compliance with the EMR
differential through 2011 ?