1. Prepared for: EdVentures July 17, 2014
Dr. Jovan Jacobs
Compton USD, CA
and
Dr. Philip E. Geiger
“Special Education – Responding to the Changes”
Prepared for:
EdVentures
July 17, 2014

2. Dr. Jovan Jacobs
Workshop Goal
The goal of this session is to provide an understanding of the needs and continuum of services with special education in order to explore the wide array of business opportunities available to innovators and entrepreneurs.

3. Objectives Dr. Jovan Jacobs
Participants will understand a basic understanding of:
IDEA 2004
IEP process (referral, assessment, documentation, and implementation)
Continuum of programs and services
School Districts expectations from venders and services
Participants will explore opportunities for products and services:
Finding ways to reduce special education costs
Improving performance of special needs students
Monitoring and using data

4. What is the Status of Things?
South Dakota Gov. Rounds – “next year worst budget scenario ever seen” – 50% of state budget goes to education – “spending will need to be flexible”
North Carolina DPI cutting $117M - $59M from districts, $58 from lapsed positions and travel
Montana Gov. said next two years are going to be bad
Guilford County, NC halts school construction
California sold bonds to close cash shortage
South Carolina cut education spending 3%
California cut education funding $2.4 B
Rhode Island cut $1M from School for the Deaf

5. What is the Status of Things Now?
Hawaii raised school lunches from $1.25 to $2
LAUSD cut $200M-$400M by early retirements, layoffs, larger class sizes, unpaid furlough days
Hartford, CT froze school spending
DeKalb, GA cut $20M and laid off 127 teachers, cutting signature bus service
25% of the school budget goes to 12% of the students – SPECIAL EDUCATION

6. What Are The Issues Impacting Education Funding/Spending?
National Economic Crisis
State Budget Deficits
Taxpayer Fear
80 Million Baby Boomers
Competing for health care
Social Security
Medicare – School Based Claiming
Fewer than 1:5 households have kids in school
Infrastructure Decay
High Enrollments Now; Decline Forthcoming
Lack of Confidence in Schools (other people’s)
New School Funding Plans

7. What Are The Issues Impacting Education Funding/Spending?
Equity Issues
Competition – Charters (including online), Private, Religious, Home Schooling
New School Funding Plans
Public Employee Pensions and GAP Accounting
Significant High School Drop Out Rate
Fade into Postsecondary Education
Technology in the Classroom
Technology to Improve Efficiency and Productivity

8. Compliance: IDEA Federal Law
Dr. Jovan Jacobs
Compliance: IDEA Federal Law
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes:
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is to have the special education Student’s educational program serviced as much as possible in the general education setting based on the disability
Eligibility for Special Education Services
Supports: accommodations, modifications
Conflict: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation, and Due Process

9. Responsibilities Dr. Jovan Jacobs Principal Responsibilities
Ensure that special education teachers know all the goals for the students with disabilities
Ensure that teachers are providing appropriate modifications and accommodations
Ensure that teachers are providing differentiated instruction
Monitor compliance and process for students with special needs

10. Teacher Expertise Dr. Jovan Jacobs
General Educators bring to the team:
Expertise on the general curriculum
Knowledge of how the student is progressing in the general curriculum
Ideas about positive behavioral interventions
Special Educators and Related Service Providers bring to the team:
Expertise on disabilities, evaluations, and assessment
Provide, design, and/or supervise special education services
Ability to accommodate and/or modify instruction

11. Continuum of Programs and Placements
Dr. Jovan Jacobs
Continuum of Programs and Placements
Placements options A. Regular Education Classes/Inclusion B. Individual/Small Group Setting (Tutoring) C. Resource Room D. Separate Facility E. Home Instruction F. Institutions and Hospitals

12. Continuum of Services Dr. Jovan Jacobs
Related Services are support services needed to allow children with disabilities to benefit from special education. These include:
Adapted Physical Education Services
Aide Services
Audiological Services
Other Support Personnel/Programs
Behavior Consultant
Counseling Services
Braillist
Nursing Services
Interpreter Services
Occupational Therapy Services
Orientation & Mobility Services
Physical Therapy Services
School Psychological Services
Speech and Language Services
Transportation
Vision Specialist
Work-Study/Transition Services

13. The 9 Driving Forces 1. Culture 2. Out-of-District Placements
3. Professional Development
“Culture is not the most important thing in organizational functioning. It is the only thing that is important…” Peter Drucker
The more conversant the Superintendent was in Special Education issues, the lower the cost and more satisfactory the performance
Open and transparent systems = less cost and higher satisfaction
The further removed district leadership was from complete and routine appreciation of the data, the higher the costs and the less satisfaction with performance
Real costs of out-of-district placements: 1) financial 2) organizational 3) equal opportunity 4) educational
Districts uniformly did not invest in professional development
Districts routinely spent more than 80% of the school budget on salaries; but less than 1% on training
District-wide routine and broadly inclusive training/mentoring = lower costs and greater satisfaction with outcomes
Broader view of professional development than just contract compliance = mentoring/coaching; blogs; conference calls; and study groups

14. The Response to needs of School Districts
Professional Development
Coaching
Case Management Software
Data Management
Compliance
Parental Engagement
State and District Reporting
Attention to the Autism Spectrum–1:85 students

15. MAXIMUS TIENET

16. The 9 Driving Forces (continued)
4. Therapists and Clinicians
5. Utilization of Paraprofessionals
Districts without consistently strong and tight management had a higher incidence rate of self-referral, higher costs, and less satisfactory outcomes
An absence of electronic monitoring
Management issues: 1) schedules 2) discharges 3) entrance and exit criteria 4) 3 year IEP review 5) inclusion 6) stakeholder awareness 7) transparency Districts tended to focus on numbers/costs rather than utility/success
Management issues: 1) absence of entranced and exit criteria 2) disproportionality 3) personal versus professional decision making
Districts without tight management had higher costs and less satisfactory performance

17. The Response to needs of School Districts
Outsource Clinical Services
Psychologists
Occupational Therapists
Speech Therapists
Physical Therapists
Outsource Professional Services
Teacher Aides
Home Instructors
Nurses

18. The 9 Driving Forces (continued)
6. Pre-Referral Performance
Districts that assigned this as a Special Education responsibility had a higher cost than districts assigning this leadership to regular education (RTI and IDEA)
Leadership less conversant with the data had higher costs and less satisfactory performance

19. The Response to needs of School Districts
Response to Intervention
Software (TIENET RtI)
Professional Development –
Instructional Material
Performance Probes
Early Childhood Programs – PreSchool 3-5
Childcare - Infant - 5

20. The 9 Driving Forces (continued)
7. Team Leaders
The more routine and compliance focused the function, the higher the cost
The greater the focus on case management skills, the lower the cost and the more satisfactory the performance

21. The Response to needs of School Districts
More Data Collection
Expectations for More Performance Data for Special Education Students
Comparisons of Special Needs Student Performance with Cohort and General Student Population
Federal Demands for Performance Data for Special Needs Students
Professional Development
Specialized Curriculum Material for Special Needs Students

22. The 9 Driving Forces (continued)
8. Mental Health and Behavioral Issues
The most significant increase of incidents in Special Education service demands and the least accepted and recognized
The less the district invested in core capability of addressing mental health and behavioral issues, the higher the cost and more exclusive the service

23. The Response to needs of School Districts
Collection of Behavioral Information
Integrated Software with SPED Case Management and SIS
Recommended Strategies for Addressing Behavioral Issues
Professional Development
Short Online Videos and Vignettes
Software Programs for if this, then that

24. The 9 Driving Forces (continued)
9. Money and Span of Control
Districts appear to already be spending the money; use “district-related groups” as an indicator of measurement tool
Districts where the Superintendent and Director of Special Education were conversant with all costs and % of children receiving services, the lower the cost and the greater perception of success
Most districts do not spend Special Education dollars efficiently or effectively; decision making is often characterized by response to crisis needs creating a system of “patchwork quilt” of add-ons
Districts utilizing resources to provide in-district programs attracting admissions from neighboring districts have lower costs
Districts attending to rethinking and reorganizing the delivery system had more stable costs

25. Predicting The Future…
There will be one!
More Professional Development
More Data Collection (analysis, prescriptive, resources)
More Specialized Curriculum Material
More Outsourcing of Specialized Services
Greater Consideration of the Autism Spectrum
Effort to Reduce the Number of Special Needs Students – RtI, Equity
Effort to Re-Direct More $ to General Ed
More on Line Instruction
More Technological Content
Greater Synergy between K-12 and Postsecondary
Demand for Greater Financial Transparency
Salaries will reflect demand
Consolidation of Back Office Functions

26. Contact Information
Dr. Philip E. Geiger, Senior Vice President
MAXIMUS K-12 Education, Inc.
1891 Metro Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190
(Direct)
(Fax)

27. Contact
Dr. Jovan Jacobs, SELPA Director of Compton Unified School District