CYCLICAL MONITORING FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT (CMCI) PA Special Education Monitoring System

CMCI WHY- Federal requirement 34 CFR 300.600 WHO - Bureau of Special Education monitors all school districts and charter schools WHEN - New CMCI every 6 years Every year in the Philadelphia TYPES OF MONITORING – Cyclical, Target, and Focused (e.g. LRE, Transition) Combined – Quarterly submission as part of Corrective Action related to LRE, Transition, Graduation, Drop Out non-compliance

Components of the CMCI Monitoring Document Facilitated Self-Assessment (FSA) Administrative Interview File Review Educational Benefit Review Special Education Teacher Interview General Education Teacher Interview Student Interview – (Secondary students grades 9-12) Parent Interview Classroom Observations

ADMINISTRATIVE INTERVIEW Describe the accommodations and modifications provided to students to enable them to access the general education curriculum. Describe how the LEA provides supports to enable students with disabilities to participate in extracurricular programs. What barriers do you perceive that prevent students with disabilities from participating in general education?

ADMINISTRATIVE INTERVIEW What actions are being taken by the LEA to overcome these barriers? Describe how general education teachers are being provided with training and assistance to enable them to implement needed academic and behavioral supports in their classes. What positive approaches for students with disabilities does the LEA use in response to discipline issues?

TEACHER INTERVIEW (GENERAL EDUCATION) Are you familiar with the content of this student's current IEP, including accommodations, supplementary aids and services, and annual goals? Do you adapt and modify the general education curriculum based on the student's current IEP? Are the supplementary aids and services, including program modifications and specially designed instruction in the student’s current IEP, being provided? Is the student making progress within the general education curriculum?

TEACHER INTERVIEW (GENERAL EDUCATION) Are this student’s goals based on the PA Academic Standards or, if appropriate, alternate standards? Do you provide progress monitoring data as part of the IEP development process?

TEACHER INTERVIEW (SPECIAL EDUCATION) Are you and related services personnel working together toward meeting the measurable annual goals for this student? Are you and general education personnel working together toward meeting the measurable annual goals for this student? Is this student making progress in meeting the annual goals of his/her current IEP?

TEACHER INTERVIEW (SPECIAL EDUCATION) Is the progress on annual goals recorded and reported to the parent based on objective and measurable data? If this student is not making progress, has he/she been reevaluated and/or has the IEP been reviewed?

PARENT INTERVIEW These questions are answered with a Likert Scale Rating of 1 (Always) to 6 (Does Not Apply) When all students in the school receive a report card, I also receive a progress report on my child's IEP goals. My child’s progress is reported to me by the school in a manner that I understand.

Facets of the IEP Educational Benefit

WHAT IS THE EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT REVIEW PROCESS? The intent of a “Free Appropriate Public Education” (FAPE) for students with disabilities is to design individualized instruction with sufficient supports and services to enable the student to receive educational benefit. WHAT IS THE EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT REVIEW PROCESS? Educational Benefit Review Process is a process that will assist in examining & reflecting on the quality of IEP development to increase student access, participation, and progress in the general education curriculum by providing an appropriate education.

Rowley (Supreme Court 1982) Define a two-pronged test to determine if IEP was appropriately developed: Does IEP meet procedural compliance? Was IEP reasonably calculated to enable child to receive educational benefit? But, what is “educational benefit”?

Rowley Standard Defined educational benefit as “if the student derives more than minimal or trivial progress” Did not require schools to maximize a student’s potential Provided access, but did not require identical access

Reexamining Rowley How does Rowley align with the standards movement, IDEA 2004 & NCLB? Accountability/assessment of all students Uniform standards Participation in the general curriculum Data collection and progress monitoring Research-based instruction Inclusion Transition planning

Educational Benefit Review Process Focus is on second part of Rowley Determine whether design of IEP is reasonably calculated for student to receive educational benefit

Summary of Educational Benefit reflects on the quality of IEP development to increase student access, participation, and progress in the general education curriculum The intent of a “Free Appropriate Public Education” (FAPE) for students with disabilities is: to design individualized instruction with sufficient supports and services to enable the student to receive educational benefit. What is Educational Benefit? Determining if there is a clear relationship between: the identified needs/present levels of performance, annual goals, accommodations/modifications & services/placement (DOES IT ALL CONNECT?) Have changes to annual goals, services/placement been made based on the results of the student’s progress? (HAS THE IEP BEEN WRITTEN/MODIFIED TO MEET THE STUDENT’S CURRENT NEEDS?) Information on the student’s IEP: strengths, needs, annual goals, accommodations & modifications, services/placement & progress compared – looking for patterns over the past 3 years (DOES THE IEP GIVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE STUDENT’S PROGRESS THROUGH THE YEARS?)

Summary of Educational Benefit reflects on the quality of IEP development to increase student access, participation, and progress in the general education curriculum The Purpose of the Educational Benefit Review Process is: to determine whether the design of the IEP was *reasonably calculated for the student to receive educational benefit. *Reasonable Calculation evaluates if the IEP reflects on the student’s present levels of performance, goals, supports & maximize access, participation & progress in the general education curriculum

Review student record for three years Conducting the EBR Review student record for three years Chart IEP information Analyze relationships among components Compare progress and look for patterns Determine if the IEP was reasonably calculated to result in educational benefit Complete the 10 questions in FSA 23 for each student in the sample BSE Chairperson will review LEA’s EBR documentation

Ed Benefit Post-IDEA 2004 IEP identifies present levels, needs related to disability and impact on involvement/progress in general curriculum Measurable annual goals Services planned to support progress toward goals and in general curriculum Education in LRE, participation in extracurricular & other nonacademic activities Transition needs are addressed (14-21) IEP adjusted if progress not made

Measuring Educational Benefit Can be measured in a variety of ways Achieving passing marks Advancing from grade to grade Making progress toward meeting annual goals Improving scores on statewide/district wide assessments & alternate assessment measures Graduating with a regular diploma

Ed Benefit Review Process Record IEP information for 3-years Analyze relationships among components Compare progress across consecutive IEPs Look for patterns and determine if IEP was reasonably calculated to result in educational benefit

Step One: Chart IEP Information Copy verbatim phrases from IEP Abbreviations are acceptable, but do not paraphrase or summarize Capture progress from progress reports, test scores, report card grades and comments Identify sections (academic, social, physical) or content areas (ELA, Math…) for better organization Was IEP adjusted?

EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT REVIEW WORKSHEET Instructions: LEAs participating in cyclical monitoring are required to use this worksheet to address the Educational Benefit Review (EBR) in FSA #23. The LEA is to form a team, and complete one worksheet for each student on the EBR/FSA #23 list provided to the LEA by the BSE. The LEA is to have the completed worksheet for each student, as well as each student’s educational record, available for review by the BSE team chairperson during the onsite review. The overall purpose of the EBR process is to determine whether the IEP was reasonably calculated to provide for educational benefit. Specific instructions about how to complete the EBR were provided by the BSE during the monitoring training. Name of Student ___________________________ LEA ___________________________ Student’s ID Number ________________________ Present Levels of Performance Needs/Concerns Annual Goals/Accommodations & Modifications Services/Placement Progress Was IEP Adjusted?

Step Two: Analyze Relationships Consider each IEP (years) separately Determine alignment – the LEA relationship between two or more components (column to column) Look for patterns of progress across years Broken chains may indicate gaps

Step Three: Compare to Prior Years What about items that are on one year but not other years? What if an item disappears from one year to the next? Why did it disappear? Was the goal achieved?

EBR: Decision Are the assessments complete and do they identify all of the student's needs, including postsecondary outcomes and/or career assessment/functional vocational evaluation for secondary students? In Year 3, does the IEP, through the Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) statement or other IEP information, identify all of the student's significant needs? In Year 3, are all of the student's needs addressed by goals and objectives, transition services, and/or supplementary aids and services, including, for secondary students, postsecondary outcomes, preferences, and interests? In Year 3, are there programs and services to support all of the student's goals and objectives? Do the transition services provided for the student over the three- year period of review represent a coordinated set of activities related to the student's vision for adult life?

EBR DECISION In Year 3, are there programs and services to support all of the student's goals and objectives? Do the transition services provided for the student over the three-year period of review represent a coordinated set of activities related to the student's vision for adult life?

EBR: Decision In reviewing the comparison of the PLAAFP from Year 1 to Year 2 and from Year 2 to Year 3, if the student did not make progress, were the goals and objectives, transition activities, or programs and services in Year 3 changed in the IEP to facilitate the student's future progress? In reviewing the comparison of the PLAAFP from Year 1 to Year 2 and from Year 2 to Year 3, if the student did make progress, were the goals and objectives, transition activities, or programs and services in Year 3 changed in the IEP to facilitate the student's future progress, including participation in general education? Were sufficient services provided to ensure that the student would make progress?

EBR: DECISION Is this student provided with supplementary aids and services to support participation in extracurricular and non-academic activities if determined to be needed by the IEP team? Based upon the review of Worksheets Year 1, 2 and 3 and questions # 1-9 above, the LEA has determined that the student has received educational benefit?

What did you Find? What issues do you see in this IEP review process? When you review multiple IEPs, you will begin to see patterns of issues These patterns may identify: Professional development need areas LEA policies/practices needing revision or improvement

Find the link on your My Schoolnet page. STRATEGIES GUIDE

Items to consider in planning the IEP Meeting Agenda. Chapter 6 Quick View

Linking the IEP to The Core Curriculum . Chapter 6

Annual Goals need to be SMART! S - Specific M - Measurable A - Achievable R - Relevant T – Time related

S.M.A.R.T Annual Goals S – Specific: What is the observable behavior that the student will do, in a year, that the student is not able to do now? M – Measurable: How will you know when the student has accomplished the goal? What criteria for measurement will you use? A – Achievable: Based on the student’s current level of performance, what is a reasonable and attainable higher level of performance that the student will achieve within one year? (What will you see happening a year from now that you don’t see happening at the present time, and what can the student reasonably be expected to be able to do in one year?) R – Relevant: Does the annual goal reflect individual needs identified in the Present Levels of Performance? How does the annual goal relate to the student’s classroom performance? (Annual goals emanate from the present levels of performance and must have a direct relationship with classroom performance). T – Time Related: The evaluation schedule

ANNUAL GOAL Present Level of Performance: Jose is a 9th grade student whose writing skills demonstrate elementary sentence structure, lack of organization, and multiple errors in grammar and punctuation. Jose…... S – Specific, M – Measurable, A – Achievable, R – Relevant, T – Time Related Annual Goal: In one year, Jose will write a complete paragraph with at least 5 complex sentences, using a minimum of 5-7 words per sentence, including content-related vocabulary, with accurate grammar and punctuation. Jose will achieve this goal in 4 out of 5 trials as determined through classroom activities, work samples and/or tests/quizzes. Progress will be assessed over a two week period. Note: Do not get “hung-up” on the color codes; many S.M.A.R.T. elements overlap. This is only one example to ensure that all 5 elements are included in the annual goal.

MEASURABLE ANNUAL GOALS Measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals consistent with the student’s needs and abilities, related to: 1) meeting the student’s needs that result from the student’s disability to enable the student to be involved in and progress in the general curriculum: 2) meeting each of the student’s other educational needs that result from the student’s disability; and 3) for students age 15 and older, annual goals to move the student toward his/her postsecondary goals. Annual Goals What the student will be expected to do by the end of the year in which the IEP is in effect Criteria Measure to determine if goal has been achieved Method How progress will be measured Schedule When progress will be measured Jose will write a complete paragraph with at least 5 complex sentences, using a minimum of 5-7 words per sentence, including content-related vocabulary, with accurate grammar and punctuation Jose will achieve this goal in 4 out of 5 trials classroom activities, work samples and/or tests/quizzes. Progress will be assessed over a two week period.

PROGRESS REPORTING EasyIEP™ includes a feature that will allow users to generate progress reports. Users have the option of creating progress reports for one student at a time on the student’s “Documents” page OR generating progress reports for all their students at once using the Progress Report Wizard on the “Wizards” page of the Main Menu.

PROGRESS REPORTING Fields in the Goals section of the Process Wizard Several fields on the “Goals” page in the Process Wizard to allow users to better report progress on Goals and Objectives defined in the IEP. These fields must be completed in order to finalize an IEP in the system. These fields are described below with screenshots. Baseline Date and Baseline Percent: In the baseline date field, users must enter the date that the student’s baseline percent was determined. This will be used as the student’s initial level of performance for the IEP term. In the baseline percent, users must enter the student’s baseline percent (current %) of achievement towards this goal. During each reporting period users will have the opportunity to indicate the student new percentage in the Progress Report document. Both of these fields appear on the “Goal Details” page for each goal in the Process Wizard.

PROGRESS REPORTING Target Performance Criteria and Target Percent: In the target performance criteria field, users must enter the criteria that will be used to determine if the student is making progress towards his/her target percent for each goal. In the field target percent field, users must enter the target percent for each goal. This will appear on the Progress Report document as the student’s progress goal for the IEP term. During each reporting period users will have the opportunity to indicate whether or not the student has reached their target percent

PROGRESS REPORTING Document on the “Documents” page A document appears on the Documents page of EasyIEP™. To access this document for an individual student, click on the student’s name from the student search page and then proceed to the “Documents” tab. Once on the “Documents” page you will see a list of available documents in the system. (The exact number of documents in this list will vary based upon each user’s system permissions). Select the “Progress Report” document and then click on either “Create Draft” or “Create Final” depending on the type of document that you would like to create. Next, select the reporting period that you are writing a Progress Report for and click the “Generate Document” button at the bottom of the screen.

PROGRESS REPORT WIZARD The Progress Report Wizard allows users to generate Progress Reports for multiple students on their caseload at once. This feature saves users considerable time by allowing them to quickly move from one student to the next without having to enter into each individual student’s record. To access the Progress Report Wizard, click on the “Wizards” tab from the Main Menu, then click on the hyperlink for Progress Report Wizard. Next, select the reporting period and the names of the student’s on your caseload for whom you are generating a Progress Report. (Note: Only student’s that are on your caseload and have a finalize IEP in EasyIEP™ will appear on this page) To proceed to the next page, click “Continue”. (See screenshot below)

PROGRESS REPORT WIZARD On the progress reporting page you must fill in the following fields (see below): Status Status Narrative Current Percent After you have filled in all required information for the Progress Report, select one of the following options at the bottom of the page. If you would like to skip the student and move to the next student on your caseload, click on the button at the top of the screen. Once you have completed generating Progress Reports for all students on your caseload, you can print and view the document from the “My Docs” page on the Main Menu.

PROGRESS REPORT WIZARD Batch Print Documents This feature in EasyIEP™ allows users to select multiple documents from the “My Docs” tab and print them all at one time rather than opening each file individually and printing. You will see a column in that table labeled "Batch". For each document, there will be a checkbox in that column. You will also see a button labeled "View Document Batch". If you select one or more documents by selecting the checkbox in the column labeled "Batch", then click on the "View Document Batch" button, Adobe Reader will display all of the selected documents in a single PDF file, which can be printed in the usual way using the print icon in Adobe.

PROGRESS REPORT WIZARD When a user creates a Progress Report through the wizard for a group of students, after updating the last student in the group the user is brought to the My Docs page. With the Batch print feature all of the Progress Report documents just created through the wizard will already be selected so the user will simply need to click the button View Document Batch rather than having to select each of the documents again.

Facets of the IEP Educational Programs Considered Biographical Data Benefit Programs Considered IEP Meeting Agenda Transition Biographical Data Recommendations and Modified Promotion Criteria Environment Learning Participation in Tests Sign in Annual Goals Present Levels of Performance Related Services THE END