Proposal for Learning Center at White Hill Presentation December 2009

Purpose of this Presentation Seek Board approval in concept & funding to develop a Learning Center at WH for: 10/11school yr. Need time to: continue collaboration, identify space, hire staff, develop services, target students, notify parents, conduct transition IEP mtgs and co-ordinate with general ed and special ed staff prior to the end of this school year & plan schedules, plan curriculum, etc.

Why do we need a Learning Center at White Hill? It provides an additional option on the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), a legal mandates. The LC would provide a broader continuum of services at White Hill and would be driven by individual student needs & specialized academic instruction

Benefits of LC at WH Reduces the amount of time a student is out of the general ed class which is a LRE (least restrictive environment) key performance indicator that is monitored by the Ca. Dept. of Education/Sp. Ed. division Anticipates increased number of students at WH in future years Increase service options to more students

Financial Benefits Provides flexibility and fluidity across SDC, LC, and RSP in the way/s that staff time is allocated & implemented - which was recommended by the SIA Study; flexibility in staffing for certificated & classified staff Provides alternative for possible future NPS placements; possible reduction in legal fees; provides more service options in home district/home school. Meets student needs & family needs.

Current Picture of Sp Ed Services at WH SDC: Skills Development Center Services: Accommodations & modification of curriculum in many core content areas in self- contained class setting (1 FTE and 1 program aide) Focus on IEP goals, direct instruction, etc. RSP: Resource Specialist Services: consultation & direct instruction offers support to content taught in gen. ed class based on specialized academic instruction time set in individual student’s IEP. Pull out model primarily, some push in services; some sharing of students with SDC, accommodations, etc. (1 FTE plus two.5 FTE’s; three program aides based on teacher FTE’s)

Curriculum LC instructor would teach primary content targeting grade level standards (with adaptations/accommodations & or modifications, as needed) for lang. arts and/or math. Small group instruction, focus on IEP goals, etc. Students receive gen. ed services for PE, enrichment, history, science Students from the LC may be placed using a buddy system into specific gen. ed. classes for science & history; program aide support as needed, and/or additional classroom assistance (1:1) as needed. Consultation from LC teacher

Why Now? Some initial cohort of children that started at the Learning Center at Brookside Upper will be coming to White Hill next year Having a LC at White Hill would provide a similar continuity of services for them Need time to see if additional 5th grade students at other elem sites might be considered to receive LC services at WH Need time to meet with parents and conduct needed transition IEP meetings offering appropriate programs/services

Specific Proposal Plan similar “roll out” of the model of LC at WH in a similar way as we did for BSU Target & plan for 6th gr students only for 10 – 11 school yr; move to expanding to the 7 th & 8 th grade students in the following year/s Phase in will allow staff to pilot & work out challenges/issues with ongoing potential changes (i.e. master schedule implications, possible 7 period day, etc.) Start smaller, front load, build for success when new & changing models …….

What we need to get started Need approval and direction from Board to use staff time to plan and implement LC at WH Need to look at special ed & intervention at WH as a whole for long term planning --- but this piece is being brought forward for implementation for the school year

Requirements For 2010/ recommendation of.5 FTE sp.ed. LC instructor. District is researching HQP personnel requirements Certificated position may need to increase to 1 FTE over the coming years as the number of students increase May need additional space depending on classroom needs for next year & future years at WH May need 1:1 aide for push in to gen. ed depending on individual student’s IEP. Or an aide could be part of an LC intervention as suggested by SIA and not tied to an individual student’s IEP, but part of the program model and targeted for more than 1 student or a group of students

Create a Model for Analysis Opportunity of starting a new program can allow for analysis of what interventions are used, by whom, for whom, where, for what amount of time, and how we measure success and satisfaction with the program

Follow Successful Lead of LC at BSU Anecdotal information that parents, students, special ed teacher, general ed teachers, and admin feel that the LC at BSU is meeting student needs Recommend gathering data to confirm this at the end of the 2010 school year; CDE parent input for SELF REVIEW is being conducted by parent survey & parent meeting

Positive Features of LC Model Supports general ed teacher using a push in model for students For example, LC teacher or aide supports LC students with projects in gen ed class Offers support for gen.ed. teachers for targeted student/s Offers a broader spectrum of service options at WH

FUNDING Planning time can come from within current budget Estimate of.5 FTE = approx. 24,000 plus benefits/employer costs = 30,300 Possible Additional “push in” aide for gen. ed. classes: 3 hr/day= 9,150 + appox. 2,000 for employer costs = (11,150 total) Possible funding source = ARRA IDEA targeted funds that need to be expended by: Sept Please note: Possible simultaneous reduction in RSP staffing at WH for school yr

Thank You Thank you for the Committee Work ! Thank you for the Superintendent Support ! Thank you for the Gov. Board consideration !