District Developed Special Education Delivery Plan

September 23, 2020

St. Ansgar Community School District

District Developed Service Delivery Plan

(DDSDP)

Reviewed: December 9, 2019

St. Ansgar Community School District Developed Service Delivery Plan

Mission Statement

Fostered by a cooperative effort between the St. Ansgar School District and community, our mission is to provide the highest quality education in a secure, positive, and challenging environment, empowering all students to reach their full potential.

Belief and Need

It is our belief at St. Ansgar Schools:

• That students’ needs will be individually assessed and appropriate interventions will be made when necessary.

• That students will be educated to the maximum extent appropriate within the least restrictive environment (LRE).

• That students with special needs should feel a part of the mainstream and not feel discriminated against academically or socially.

• That students must be enabled to develop their potential as lifelong learners.

What process was used to develop the delivery system for eligible individuals?

"The delivery system was developed in accordance with Iowa Administrative Code rule 41.408(2)"c". The group of individuals who developed the system included parents of eligible individuals, special education teachers, general education teachers, Pre-K representative, administrators, and at least one representative of the AEA."

Full committee meeting:  December 5, 2019

Updating and Review Committee (2019

Organization and Delivery of Services

General education with consultation. The student is served in the general education classroom with consultation and support from the special education teacher. The general education teacher is responsible for direct instruction, testing, grading, and behavioral management as specified in the IEP. The special education teacher support may include assisting the general education teacher with the design and preparation of materials, adaptations and accommodations. The special education teacher is responsible for monitoring the student's progress on IEP goals.

General education with direct education support in the general education classroom.
The student receives special education support for the general education curriculum in the general education setting. The special education teacher, support service provider or trained paraprofessional will be in the general education classroom to provide direct instruction, instructional support or other assistance to the student or a group of students, through models such as collaborative or co-teaching. The special education teacher/service provider is responsible for monitoring the student's progress on IEP goals.

General education with direct special education support outside the general education classroom. The student receives special education support for the general education curriculum outside the general education setting. When the services cannot be appropriately provided in the general education setting, the student may receive selected services or all services he/she needs in a separate educational setting (including, but not limited to special classes, special schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals and institutions). The special education teacher/service provider is responsible for monitoring the student's progress on IEP goals.  A trained paraprofessional working under the supervision of a special education teacher may provide direct instruction, instructional support, or other assistance to a student or a group of students.

Notes:

Students may receive different services at multiple points along the continuum based on the IEP.  The continuum includes special education services for eligible individuals ages 3-21.  The district will provide access to this continuum for all eligible individuals based on their IEP.  Services may be provided within the district or through contractual agreement with other districts and/or agencies, including Area Education Agency 267.

Work Experience Services: Students age 14 and older who are eligible for special education services may receive work experience instruction.  For students to receive work experience instruction, specific career/vocational needs must be identified on the IEP.  A work experience/transition specialist will collaborate with a high school special education teacher to make arrangements for a student to engage in job shadowing or explore work sites on a part-time, temporary basis. There may be class work preparation prior to and/or concurrent with job shadowing and work site exploration.

K-12 Reverse Consultation Services:  Reverse consultation services are defined as direct specially designed instruction provided to an individual student with a disability or to a group of students with disabilities by a certified special education teacher in a special education setting to aid the student(s) in accessing the general education content area instruction.  A general education teacher licensed in the core content area collaborates with a special education teacher to jointly plan lessons and instructional strategies.  The general education teacher supervises the curriculum and is responsible for assigning student grades.  The special education teacher is responsible for providing direct instruction.  Both teachers are responsible for on-going progress monitoring and formative assessment.  Reverse consultation is a model of service delivery used only with a small number of students who exhibit significant cognitive or behavioral skill deficits, yet are expected to achieve district standards rather than alternative standards.  Documentation of regular and frequent consultation, joint planning and assessment of student progress is required.

Services for special needs students outside the scope of the DDSDP requiring specially designed instruction and related services beyond program innovations contained in this plan will be provided through contractual arrangements in accordance with 41.82(2) or 41.84(1).

Services-for students ages 3-5 with an IEP will be provided instructional services in a setting which adheres to the Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards (IQPPS).

Special Education Personnel and Assignments

The St. Ansgar Community School District will serve all eligible children from birth to age 21 who are in need of special education and/or related services.  Prior to the start of school each student's general education teachers will be provided with a copy of the Special Education Services page of the IEP, and at least during progress reporting times, there will be oral and written dialogue between the regular education teacher and special education teacher to ensure implementation of the goals and services in the student's IEP.

Special Education Caseloads

Teacher caseloads (number of IEPs assigned) are monitored by teachers, the building principal and the central office. Special education teacher caseloads are reviewed at the beginning of each year, middle of the year and end of the school year by the principal and the teacher as students leave and enter the program or student needs change. A teacher may request a caseload review at any time.

The caseloads of special education teachers are based on the number of students served and the intensity of the services provided. The number of students assigned to special education teachers depends on several factors such as: 1) number of students in class; 2) students’ schedules and integration; 3) the instructional needs of each student as identified in the IEP; 4) collective behaviors of the students enrolled; 5) data collection needed; 6) the collaboration needed between teacher, aides, and staff; and 7) the contract of the teacher and the special education assistants.  

Early Childhood Special Education Program classrooms should meet the criteria for Iowa Quality Preschool Standards (IQPPS) regarding maximum class size and teacher - child ratios.

The District expects that all IEPs will be fully implemented.

Typically, caseload is a term used to describe the total number of students served by a teacher. The use of numbers alone in determining appropriate caseloads fails to take into account the varying needs of students assigned to the teacher and/or the amount of time required for the teacher to meet those individual needs as prescribed by the IEP.

Resolving Caseload Concerns

Committee Review

The issue in a review is whether IEPs of all students assigned can be fully implemented. A special education teacher with a concern will notify the principal in writing. The principal and the teacher will meet within 5 days and attempt to resolve the problem. If the issues are not resolved, a committee made up of (but not limited to) an administrator, special education teacher, general education teachers, and AEA representative will meet to resolve the issue. Under such circumstances the review and any resulting decisions will take place and be communicated by the assigned administrator to the teacher within 10 working days.

The purpose of the meeting will be to determine whether there is a need for adjustment to a teacher's schedule or roster or whether the teacher requires paraprofessional assistance or other support.

I The primary questions to be addressed during these reviews will be:

•    Can services identified in the student's IEP be fully implemented?

•    If services identified in the student's IEP can not be fully implemented by the special education team, what circumstances prevent full implementation?

•    What action is required to ensure full implementation of the student's IEP by the team?

If the person requesting the review does not agree with the determination of the committee, he or she may appeal to the AEA Director of Special Education or designee. The AEA Director/designee will meet with the personnel involved and will provide a written decision.

Evaluating effectiveness of the delivery system for eligible individuals State Performance Plan Targets and Service Delivery Plan Effectiveness.

At least once per year, district administrators and staff will examine their special education district profile, to review the district's data relative to progress indicators outlined in the District Data Profile for special education. Individual student progress on IEP goals will be reviewed and discussed on a regular and on-going basis every 2 weeks by the special education teacher.  If a student is not making adequate progress toward meeting his/her goal, then the special education teacher will consult with the AEA rep to determine if a change in instruction is necessary. The purpose of this review is to determine if adequate progress is being made.

District administrators and teachers will also examine the district's Iowa School Performance Profile each year to review achievement data, as it pertains to students with IEPs in the district. These data will be used to determine needs and priorities and to develop an action plan for special education instructional services when necessary. If the district meets or exceeds goals outlined in the District Data Profile for special education, the delivery system will be considered effective.  If the district does not meet goals, district staff will work in collaboration with Central Rivers AEA staff to develop an action plan to promote progress toward these goals.

Process for Updating

December, 2019   Full committee meeting to review Plan.

January, 2019    Placed on School Website for review and comment

January, 2019   Notice placed in a newspaper that the District Developed Service Delivery Plan for Special Education is available for review and comment on the school web site and in the Supt. of School's Office.

February, 2019 Plan sent in to AEA for approval

February, 2019 Meet with Central Rivers AEA to discuss and review modifications to the plan

February, 2019 Update the plan

March, 2019 Full committee meeting to review public comment review modifications and updates with committee

April, 2019  Review and approval of plan by Board

It is the policy of the St. Ansgar Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices.  The St. Ansgar Community School District affirms its commitment to comply with all applicable federal and state laws, regulations, and orders as required by Iowa Code 216.9 and 256.10 (2), Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act of 1973, Title IX, Section 504, and the American with Disabilities Act.

If you have any questions or grievances related to compliance with this policy, please contact the St. Ansgar Equity Coordinator, Lynn Baldus, at 206 East 8th St., St. Ansgar, Iowa 50472 or by phone 641-713-4720, email:  lbaldus@st-ansgar.k12.ia.us; or the Director of the Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Citigroup Center, 500 W Madison Street, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60661-7204, or telephone number 312 730-1560, fax 312 730-1576, email: OCR.Chicago@ed.gov.