New Educational Diagnostician Training

HouMet Conference - November 2012

Midge Robertson, M.Ed.Darcy Thompson, M.Ed.Special Education Supervisor Independent ConsultantLamar Consolidated ISD Linda Hall, Ph.D.

Senior Education Specialist

Let’s Get Started!

Ready, Set, Go: Training for New Diagnosticians

Adapted from Ready, Set, Go Training for New Evaluation Personnel, (2007) Region 4 Education Service Center

Overview

• Where do I Begin?• Job Description• Key Basics• Legal Mandates• Procedural

Safeguards• The Referral Process• ARD/IEP Meetings• Do Sweat the Big

Stuff• More Good Advice

Where Do I Begin: Tips for New Diagnosticians• Job Description

- Become familiar with your role and responsibilities- Determine if you have any special

responsibilities that you might not have expected- Review the evaluation personnel appraisal system

Key Basics

Policies and Procedures

• Review the district policy manual for diagnosticians

• Become familiar with the evaluation and special education policies and procedures

• Obtain a school district calendar• If you have more than one school, determine if your

schools follow the district calendar or if they have a separate calendar set by their site-based committee.

Legal/Compliance• Obtain a copy of the State Board of

Education/Commissioner’s Rules.

• Forms: Secure a copy of all forms used by our special education program.

Assignment• Determine school assignment

• Know the sign-in policies for each campus.

• Identify the campus administrative contact for Special Education

• Learn if the school has a designated dayscheduled for Admission, Review andDismissal (ARD) committee meetings• Identify procedure for scheduling on alternate day

Records• Check with the school personnel to learn if

there is a log of students referred for special education evaluations pending from the summer- Review the campus or computerized referral log

• Request a PEIMS printout to identify the list of reevaluations needed

• Identify the special education transfer students new to the district

• Locate where the special education records (the state eligibility folders) are kept. Learn who is responsible for maintaining these records.

• Follow the process for submitting the PEIMS data to update your evaluation and/or ARD information

Campus Policies and Procedures• Find out school policies and procedures for

each campus.

• Who normally chairs the ARD committee meetings?

• What room has been assigned to you on each campus?

• Are there certain days the speech therapist is assigned to your campus?

• Who handles the transfer ARDs?

Professional Development• What staff development meetings should I

attend?- Special education meetings - New Diagnostician trainings- Trainings on new test instruments- Legal issues- Evaluation process updates- Campus meetings as determined by

Special Education Director and/or Campus Administration

- Other• How do I access workshops through the

Region 4 Education Service Center?• What funds are available for individual staff

development?

Legal Mandates• Federal

– Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 (20 U.S.C. 1400)– Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R. Part 300)– Case law– No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)– Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973– Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

Legal Mandates• State

– Texas Education Code (TEC)– Texas Administrative Code (TAC)– State Board of Education Rules– Commissioner’s Rules

http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/

Legal Mandates

• Local–Policy and procedure manual–Special education department mandates–Updates from Lead Diagnostician or Evaluation Coordinator–Special education newsletters, emails, and other postings

Legal Framework• Region 18 Online Resource• The Legal Framework for the Child-Centered Process• www.esc18.net

Procedural Safeguards

• Parents– A copy of the procedural safeguards available to the parents of a child with a disability shall be given to the parents only 1 time a year, except that a copy also shall be given to the parents

• (i) upon initial referral or parental request for evaluation;• (ii) upon the first occurrence of the filing of a complaint

under subsection (b)(6); and• (iii) upon request by a parent.

– Access on TEA website or Region 18 Legal Framework* Distribute district copy with identified LEA contacts and resources

(IDEA 2004 - U.S.C. 1400 [§ 615(d)(1)] )

Referral Process

Who is on the committee?

What is the role of the diagnostician?

What are other’s roles and responsibilities?

Who tracks referral?

Who monitors data entry?

Who trains school staff?

The Referral Process Timeline

Referral for full and individual initial evaluation

Parent or adult student rights and written consent

Completed forms received by Diagnostician

Full and individual initial evaluation

FIIE Report

Multidisciplinary Team Meeting

ARD/IEP Committee Meeting

60 Calendar

Days

30 Calendar Days

Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee Meeting

Ready, Set, Go: Training for New Diagnosticians

Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD)/ Individualized Education Program (IEP) Meeting

• Written statement of the educational program designed to meet a child's individual needs

• Every child who receives special education services must have an IEP

• The IEP has two general purposes• Set reasonable learning goals • State the services that the school district will provide

Types of Meetings

• Admission• Initial• Transfer

• Review• Annual• Reevaluation• Review (e.g. progress

toward goals, behavior)• Dismissal

ARD/IEP Minutes• Tips on Taking Minutes• Include attendance sheet• Show efforts to cooperate with parent• Show consideration of each evaluation• Document decisions

10 Good Things

10 Bad Things

Ten Good Ideas for IEP Meetings

1. Plan the environment and provide enough time2. Actively involve parents in the meeting3. Designate who will write minutes; read minutes

aloud and make edits prior to obtaining signatures

4. Have the meeting chaired by the school administrator or ARD chairperson

5. Follow an agenda6. Provide copies of the agenda to all participants

7. Involve parents in the development of the IEP 8. Complete all areas of the IEP prior to

determining placement 9. Provide copies of the consensus IEP

documentation (e.g. IEP goals, accommodations, modifications) to all appropriate instructional staff who work with the student

10. Provide copies of the consensus IEP documentation on participation in district and statewide assessment to all instructional staff who work with the student

Ten Good Ideas for IEP Meetings

TEN THINGS NOT TO SAY AT AN ARD

1. “But we don’t do that on this campus!”

2. “I’m too busy. I have to get my class ready for the STAAR test!.”

3. “I treat all my students the same way or it’s not fair to the other children”

4. “She’s not eligible for that service due to her disability.”

5. “Our ESY program is for four weeks during the summer.”

TEN THINGS NOT TO SAY AT AN ARD

6. “I’ve never done it that way before.”

7. “My supervisor will have to approve that.” (If something needs to be approved, ask for a recess and get someone there who has that power.)

8. “That’s just too much trouble for one child!”

9. “Your child can do it without all these modifications but he doesn’t apply himself. He’s lazy!”

10. “The other teachers are complaining that your child is slowing down the whole class.”

Do Sweat the Big Stuff

Quality Data Management• District Data Tracking Requirements• Fall PEIMS Snapshot Date• Special Education Management System

• SpEd Manager• ESPED• EasyIEP• Other

• State Performance Plan• Indicator 7• Childhood Outcomes Service Form (COSF)

• Indicator 11• Indicator 12• Indicator 14

More Good Advice

You Can’t Make a PlanWithout a Planner!

• A good planner will help– Manage time– Organize activities– Record events– Free working memory– Access resources

Plan for the School Year• The Big Picture• Review job description• Review campus needs• Develop long and short term personal goals• Set priorities• Schedule time for flexibility• Develop resource contact list• Who do I call for what• Where will I find the answer• Who is my mentor

Plan for the School Year•Weekly Schedule• Collaboration with general education staff• Collaboration with special education staff• Communication management• Email management plan

• Evaluation slots – time to test• Interpret data• Report writing• Required paperwork/data tracking• PEIMS reporting• Parent conference/support

Special Planning Considerations

• Elementary versus Secondary Assignments• Staff compliance with required paperwork• Student schedule• Missed classes• Missed assignments/exams

• Block scheduling• School programs and assemblies• Homecoming week activities• Student transitions – evaluation needs• Elementary to middle school• Middle to high school• High school to post-secondary

Special Planning Considerations

• Early Childhood (3 to 5 Years Old)• Program exits• Non-categorical early childhood (NCEC) reevaluations

• Early Childhood Transition• ECI transition conference• Three-is-three evaluation

• Other Unique Characteristics of Assigned Campus

Suggestions for Getting Started• Establish relationships with key personnel at each

school (office personnel and special education department). Nurture these relationships!

• Track transfer ARDs due dates; monitor so that the Formal Placement ARDs occurs within 30 school days (with records received from previous campus or new evaluation completed).

• Identify your caseload.

• Review each file for which you have responsibility to determine the date of the last evaluation.

Suggestions for Getting Started• Develop a monthly schedule for your campus(es)

to inform the special education teacher as to which students need ARDs.

• Establish a routine at each campus. This includes your schedule at that campus, staffing dates and procedures, ARD notification procedures, ARD schedules, and classroom observations.

• Keep special education and general education teachers in the “evaluation loop”. Collaborate and communicate evaluation results prior to the ARD committee meeting.

Advice From The Field

• Understand what is the function and goal of special education

• Understand the function of your evaluation data (define disability but ultimate goal is to inform and drive instruction)

• Know the tests you give (strengths and weaknesses) and how results correlate to what is expected in the classroom...there is nothing worse than a teacher saying "I don't believe it!"

S.B.

Advice From The Field

• Can you effectively communicate assessment results to parents who often have no reference for what you are saying? If a parent can walk away and say "I understand how my child learns," then you have done your job.

• “Someone once told me that to be "good" at your job, you should spend 15 minutes a day reading relevant information that pertains to what you do. In this business, you have to be a life-long learner. Laws change, tests change, curriculum changes...does your learning keep up with it? “

S.B.

Advice From The Field

• Find an organization system that works – get organized FAST, and use your system religiously.

• Return parent phone calls ASAP.

• Document, document, document. K.G.

Resources• The Legal Framework for the Child-Centered Process• www.esc18.net

• HouMet• www.houmet.org

• Texas Educational Diagnosticians’ Association• www.txeda.org

• TEA (updates continuously)• www.tea.state.tx.us

• Texas Education Agency Special Education Rules and Regulations • www.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/rules/comm.html

• STAAR Updates• www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/accommodati

ons/staar-telpas/

References• Ready, Set, Go Training for New Evaluation Personnel,

(2007) Region 4 Education Service Center• Texas Education Agency Statewide Leadership: Evaluation

Network• Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act.

(IDEA 2004, 20 U.S.C. 1400)• Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R. Part 300)• Commissioner’s Rules• State Board of Education Rules