Special Education and Student Services Newsletter for October 26, 2012

Special Education and Student Services Newsletter for October 26, 2012

There are many evidences during a given week of how much our special education and student services staff care about their students and their progress.  One example is this past week I was in an IEP meeting where a student was present along with his mother and several staff.  We were talking about how much progress the student has made since starting in the Wilson Reading program several years earlier.  How the student was happy that he could read the signs when driving down the road with his Dad.  How the student has spent double blocks of reading and extended school year services to learn to read.  How the student was not able to have a score on the NWEA test four years ago, but now is well over 200 and at the 55th percentile at end of last year.  At the end of this discussion - the student, parent, and staff were all in tears. 

I would like to thank all of our staff who care so much about our students and their progress.  Our students work so hard to overcome their disabilities.  Thank you to them and everyone who works so hard on their behalf.  Thank you to the staff who always keep believing in them and teaching our children to read, do math, and learn appropriate behaviors.  You are all incredible individuals and I am so proud to work alongside each and all of you. 

Autism Resource Team Update

A comprehensive list of updates and resources in the area of Autism for our school district is now posted at: http://jgreget.blogspot.com/2012/10/autism-resource-team-update-for-october.html. This was also emailed out to members of our school based Autism Resource Team.  I have also attached an extensive list of suggestive autism resources related to the PBIS model from a conference I attended last year. 

MAMS Concert

Thanks to Mrs. Risch and all the staff who helped make this an incredible night for all students including ours in special education.  Special thanks to our special education students who were heroes readers, drum major, song introducers, and our guest bacon for making this a special night.  A DVD is available for all those who would like to see it. 

Transition Night - Please Register

We are little over a week away from our first annual Transition Night on November 5. Staff, parents, and students who will be attending should register with Luanne Olson by end of the day on Monday October 29.  Our event will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at MASH and there will be a spaghetti dinner and door prizes.  The event is focusing on transition resources during and especially after-school high school to support our families and students.  Thanks to the Taylor County Transition Advisory Council and Medford Morning Rotary Club for sponsoring this event.  We have 33 organizations and agencies scheduled to attend to support our families.  

Child Development Day

We held our annual Child Development Day child find screening on Thursday October 18.  We screened over 100 children in the first time when the event was held in the Fall.  Thanks to the Medford Area Public School District staff, Taylor County Health Department, and Taylor County Human Services for their help in organizing and putting on this event.  Picture here are Luanne Olson from the school district and Cheryl Ketelhut from Human Services:

Taylor County Reality Fair

We held our Taylor County Reality Fair on October 24.  Seniors from Medford and Gilman attended this real life event.  Thanks to the Taylor County Transition Advisory Council especially Lou Ann Stanton, Kathy Danen, and Lisa Porten for all their extra work in getting this event ready. 

Filming of the Cool Cooking Show Episode 3

MAMS Autism Resource Teacher Mr. Brown has been filming videos of his students in their cooking class.  Here is a picture during the filming of Episode 3.   

Happy Halloween from SES! 

Club Dart Halloween Pre-Dance Party on October 25

Having fun making friends at our Club DART Halloween Party!

Mrs Venzke with her friends Mr Zombie and Ms Penguin

Who is having more fun?

May the force be with you young Jedi and Darth Engel

Upcoming DatesOctober 30 - iPad/Educational Technology Training

4:00 to 5:00 pm at D.O. 

October 31 - Ad Hoc Committee of Self Assessment of Procedural Compliance

4:00 to 5:00 pm at District Office.

November 1 - Special Education and Student Services Staff Appreciation Night
4:00 pm at Florenas Restaurant.  Appetizers will be provided by me. Beverages will be on your own. You are invited to come and spend time with your colleagues. Spouses are also welcome.  Thank you for all you provide our students, parents, and each other.

November 5 - Transition Night
6:00 to 8:00 pm at MASH

November 6 Early Release Day
There is nothing scheduled for paraprofessional trainings at this time after the students are released from school.

November 7 Wilson Workshop
Our monthly workshop designed to help teachers and support staff teach and implement the program with fidelity, show best practices,  answer questions, and work on an online class for Steps 7-12.  We will meet from 3:45 to 5:00 pm in the MAES Computer Lab.

November 10 - Special Education Family Day
11:00 am at Broadway Theatre in Medford.  All students in Special Education will receive a free movie pass.  Siblings and parents only pay $6.00 per ticket.  Pop and popcorn will be 50% off the regular price.  We will be showing for younger students Disney's Wreck it Ralph or for older students - the new James Bond movie Skyfall.  Staff and their families are also invited to attend. A one page flyer is being developed to be sent home with families.

Helping Change the Course of Lives

Helping Change the Course of Lives

October is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month.  During the October Board of Education meeting I listed the number of ways we have attempted to improve our services for those students with learning disabilities.

We should ask the question - are these working? 

Here are three examples where you can answer those questions. 

1. Hardest Working Student

Five years ago a current 10th grade student couldn't register a score on the NWEA MAP online testing.  We started him in Wilson Reading.  He continued to score at the 1st percentile rank on NWEA for two years.  During his 8th grade year - Mr. Leonard asked him "how is reading going?"  The student replied "It is going great Mr.  Leonard.  When I ride along with my Dad I can now read the signs on the side of the road."  That student has now spent the past 3 summers during extended school year services, had double blocks of reading instruction, and done reading assistant.  He is now doing one period of Wilson Reading and one period of Read 180 at MASH.  In the Spring 2012 NWEA - he scored at the 55th percentile.  He is now serving as a role model for the other student doing Wilson with him. At his IEP meeting last week - the studetn, parent, and teachers were overcome with emotion on his progress.  

2. Proud of Himself

An 8th grade student with a cognitive disability has participated in an intensive reading remediation program.  Last week he was walking around the middle school and stopped in the office area.  He had a book with him and read a page from the book to Mr. Leonard and myself.  The student also stopped in Mrs. Wieman's class and read a page from his book to a whole class.  This is a student who is so proud of himself for being able to read that he wants to read to everyone who has 5 minutes to listen to him. 

3. Special Education is Not Forever

Three years ago a student was struggling significantly with his reading in another school.  After meeting our teacher and learning about our reading program the parent decided to enroll him at MAES.  The student was provided specially designed instruction and participated in the Wilson Reading program for 1 hour per day.  He came in 45 minutes before school started every day during the 11-12 school year to receive Wilson Reading instruction.  He is now receiving no special education services.  In 3 months I will have his IEP meeting and the IEP team will be looking at dismissing him from special education because he has remediated his learning disabilities and has learned appropriate skills.  

4. Remedial Curriculum/Skills for All Students

Five years ago there was a separation between special and regular education.  Now our special education curriculums are being taught at the universal and/or targeted levels (Wilson Fundations, Wilson Just Words, Reading Mastery Signature Series, Read 180, Reading Assistant) to more students than ever. Staff are teaching at risk students so they can be provided specially designed instruction and curriculum so they won't need special education services. Staff are taking initiative and taking on additional responsibilities in learning these programs to help implement them with fidelity so it can best serve the students. 

New Services in the Past 5 Years:  

• RTI for Identification of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities
• WIlson Language - Wilson Reading, Just Words, and Fundations
• Wilson Reading Professional Development - Level II, Level I, and ongoing Wilson Workshops
• Wilson Fundations Certified Presentors
• Wilson Academy online support for staff
• Reading Assistant (fluency) Program in each building
• Read 180 at MAMS and MASH
• Read Write and Gold - MAMS sped computers and home versions
• Kurzweil stations
• Learning Ally - books on tape subscriptions
• Bookshare subscriptions
• Unlocking the Mystery of Dyslexia - Dr Reuter and Dr Messerly presentation
• Audiobooks/MP3 players for books in MAMS library
• Read Naturally at SES Special Ed
• Richard Lavoie Video Series on LD
• Taylor County Literacy Council
• Title I Teacher at MAMS
• Adult Literacy Classes through CLC
• Family Reading Night at MAES and SES
• Updated Reading Mastery Signature Series curriculum
• Corrective Reading Decoding Strand
• RTI Medford School District Website

The combination of our new programming/services coupled with existing measures such as Title I services at MAES and SES, Medford READS, Foster Grandparent, Grandma Readers, Remediation Assistants, Special Education and 504 Services, and early intervention (ECSE, Pre-K, and K-2) all help provide tiered levels of supports for our students.  

Thank you to our staff, administration, and Board of Education for working so hard to help our students with learning disabilities.  You are making a positive difference and helping change the course of their lives.  You and the student(s) working together are that difference.  I hope in the process - these children and their progress - are also changing the course of your lives. 

News and Notes: 

Ad Hoc Committee of Self Assessment of Procedural Compliance

We are meeting tonight - Wednesday October 31 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm.  We will review items we are not in compliance with according to IEP Record Review and Evaluation Record Review Checklists.  We will also discuss and develop a Corrective Action Plan.  This information needs to be submitted into DPI by November 16.  We will then see if DPI will be making an onsite visit to review our files and corrective action procedures. 

Special Education and Student Services Staff Appreciation Night on November 1

4:00 to 6:00 pm at Florenas Restaurant.  Appetizers will be provided for all those in attendance.  Please join us for some food, refreshments, collaboration, and a fun evening.  

Transition Night on November 5

We are up to 129 registrants with over 30 agencies represented for our first Transition Night for Parents and Students with an IEP or 504 plan.  There are 27 separate families scheduled to participate.  Thanks to the Taylor County Transition Advisory Council (especially Cheryl Ketelhut), Medford Morning Rotary Club, and all the staff for their help in organizing this event. 

Special Education Family Day

A flyer was/will be handed out this week to staff for Special Education Family Day at the Broadway Theatre on Saturday November 10 starting at 11:00 am.  Students with an IEP or 504 plan will receive a free movie ticket to see Wreck it Ralph or Skyfall.  All other family members are $6.00 each.  Popcorn and soda are 50% off.  Thanks to the Broadway Theatre and Special Education Advisory Council for making this event possible.  

iPad/Educational Technology

Thanks to all the staff who attended our iPad training on Tuesday.  Dennis Hinderliter has volunteered to meet with special education groups during PLC time on November 6.  If you are interested, then please contact him. 

Grading at MASH

MASH staff are discussing more consistency in grading at the high school. For example: if there is more than one section of the same course, the students grades should be calculated the same.  In relation to special education: all resource rooms should be set up with the same assignments and points so if a student has to switch classes, their grades transfer seamlessly.  The same would go for Read 180, Wilson Reading, etc. At our next MASH PLC there will be discussion this topic. 

Rosetta Stone

We will be purchasing 20 slots for Rosetta Stone to use with our students and adults in the community to learn how to speak English.  

WKCE Testing

Thanks to all the staff who helped with the preparation and administration of the WKCE in 12-13. This is a large undertaking in each building on an annual basis. 

Postsecondary Contacts for Students with Disabilities

Contacts for Students with Special Needs at 2 and 4 year colleges: 

http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/special/contacts.aspx#twoyear

Wisconsin Technical College Systems Key Contact List for People with Disabilities: http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dvr/pdf_files/wtcs_contact_persons.pdf

Wisconsin Disability Documentation Guide

Wisconsin Disability Documentation Guide: Helping People with Disabilities Prepare for Post-Secondary Education and Training: http://www.uww.edu/csd/common/docs/tran-disab-docum-guide.pdf

Wilson Reading Workshop

Wednesday November 7 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm at MAES in the computer lab.  We will help answer questions, set Level II staff observation schedule, and work on Steps 7-12 online class together. 

Transition Night on November 5

Taylor County Transition Advisory Council and Medford Morning Rotary Club present: Transition Night! 

Transition Night

November 5 from 6-8:00 pm

Medford Area Senior High School

Designed to support and educate parents and students 14 and older with an IEP or 504 plan about resources and planning for life after high school.  

139 people thus far registered to attend our first ever event here in Taylor County.  

Multiple agencies present included: 

Aging and Disability Resource Center of the Northwoods

Autism Society of Central Wisconsin

Black River Industries

CCB Housing

Employment Bound Services

Indianhead Community Action Agency

Jeremiah's Crossing (Therapeutic Horseback Riding)

Katie Beckett Program 

Landmark Company (housing)

Manpower

McDonalds of Medford

Medford Public Schools - School to Work Coordinator, Job Coaching, Transition and the IEP, Scholarships, and Accommodations at Post-secondary level

Medford Morning Rotary Club

Meridian Group/Riverview Village

Midstate Independent Living Consultants

Northcentral Technical College

Northern Regional Center for Children and Youth with Special Needs

Northwest CEP Inc

Parent Resource Center

Progressive Travel - Miles of Smiles special needs bus tours

Taylor County Corporation Counsel

Taylor County District Attorney

Taylor County Human Services (Family Support, Guardianship, more)

Taylor County Literacy Council

Taylor County Special Olympics

United Special Sportsman Alliance (hunting opportunities for those with special needs)

UW Stout (Employment based functional evaluations)

Wisconsin Statewide Transition Initiative

Postsecondary Contacts for Students with Disabilities in WI

Contacts for Students with Special Needs at 2 and 4 year colleges: 

http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/special/contacts.aspx#twoyear

Wisconsin Technical College Systems Key Contact List for People with Disabilities: http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dvr/pdf_files/wtcs_contact_persons.pdf

Wisconsin Disability Documentation Guide: Helping People with Disabilities Prepare for Post-Secondary Education and Training: http://www.uww.edu/csd/common/docs/tran-disab-docum-guide.pdf

Boardmaker Share

Boardmaker Share

Extensive resource list of 1000's of social stories in multiple categories from teachers and parents that use boardmaker.  Registration is free and looking up social stories under various topics and curriculums was easy to do.  For more information go to: http://www.boardmakershare.com/

If People with Down Syndrome Ruled the World

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Listed are recommended resources on Down Syndrome:

"If People with Down Syndrome Ruled the World" - http://www.nads.org/pages_new/news/ruletheworld.html

Teaching Students with Down Syndrome
http://specialed.about.com/od/disabilities/a/downs.htm

Special Education and Student Services Newsletter for October 24, 2012

October is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month

We have added many features to our services for students with learning disabilities in the past 5 years. These services would not be possible with Board of Education, Administrative, Teacher, and Parent support. Thank you to all of the stakeholders for making these a reality for our students. Here are just some of the new services added in the last 5 years: 

• RTI for Identification of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities
• WIlson Language - Wilson Reading, Just Words, and Fundations
• Wilson Reading Professional Development - Level II, Level I, and ongoing Wilson Workshops
• Wilson Fundations Certified Presentors
• Wilson Academy online support for staff
• Reading Assistant (fluency) Program in each building
• Read 180 at MAMS and MASH
• Read Write and Gold - MAMS sped computers and home versions
• Kurzweil stations
• Learning Ally - books on tape subscriptions
• Bookshare subscriptions
• Unlocking the Mystery of Dyslexia - Dr Reuter and Dr Messerly presentation
• Audiobooks/MP3 players for books in MAMS library
• Read Naturally at SES Special Ed
• Richard Lavoie Video Series on LD
• Taylor County Literacy Council
• Title I Teacher at MAMS
• Adult Literacy Classes through CLC
• Family Reading Night at MAES and SES
• Updated Reading Mastery Signature Series curriculum
• Corrective Reading Decoding Strand
• RTI Medford School District Website

The combination of our new programming/services coupled with existing measures such as Title I services at MAES and SES, Medford READS, Foster Grandparent, Grandma Readers, Remediation Assistants, Special Education and 504 Services, and early intervention (ECSE, Pre-K, and K-2) all help provide tiered levels of supports for our students.  

Attendant Care Services
For parts of the past three school years - the Medford Area Public School District Special Education Staff have been completing Attendant Care Services billing under Medicaid with parent permission.  We obtain parent signatures and talk to them about why this is important. It also takes staff extra time to complete the Attendant Care Services billing forms.  Luanne Olson has been instrumental in working with parents and staff to obtain the permission and receive the attendant care sheets.  

There are currently 25 students that need Attendant Care Services in our school district.  This number alone shows how many severe students with disabilities that we have in our school district.  It takes extraordinary staff and administrative support in helping meet  the ongoing needs of each and all of these students.

Attendant Care Services include a range of human assistance provided to students with a disability and/or chronic condition. The assistance enables them to accomplish tasks in the educational setting that they would normally do for themselves if they did not have a disability or chronic condition. Assistance may be in the form of hands-on assistance (i.e. actually performing an attendant care task for the student) or cuing the student so that he or she performs the task by himself or herself. Such assistance most often relates to performance of activities of daily living (ADLs) (Wisconsin Only).

In these economic hard times the more funding which school districts can receive, the better we are to help us maintain special education staffing levels and supports for individual and groups of  students, obtain needed supplies, and and acquire resources.  I would like to express thank you to Luanne Olson, the staff, and parents for their work in this area.  We were one of the first school districts to bill for Attendant Care Services and it has allowed us to obtain extra funding for our special education. We have obtained approximately $250,000 ($35,539 in 09-10; $103,403 in 10-11; and $96,384 in 11-12) in extra revenue since the 2009-10 school year.

Ad Hoc Committee of Procedural Compliance Self Assessment
Thank you to all the staff who has participated thus far in our Procedural Compliance of Self-Assessment in Special Education.  We will be convening our Ad Hoc Committee which includes parent representatives and staff.  The Ad Hoc Committee will have three purposes for meeting as outlined below.  Staff are invited to attend this meeting to help us continue with this process.  The PCSA online Report and Corrective Action Plan needs to be submitted into DPI by November 16.

When: Wednesday October 31
Time: 4:00 to 5:00 pm
Where: Medford Area Public School District Office

Purpose:
1. Review Procedural Compliance Self Assessment Timeline of Activities for 12-13
2. Review our Procedural Compliance Self Assessment Findings for Evaluation, IEP, and Discipline
3. Discuss Corrective Action Plan activities and implementation schedule

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Listed are recommended resources on Down Syndrome:

"If People with Down Syndrome Ruled the World" - http://www.nads.org/pages_new/news/ruletheworld.html

Teaching Students with Down Syndrome
http://specialed.about.com/od/disabilities/a/downs.htm

Transition Night
Reminder to have any parents, students, and staff who are interested in attending our first ever Transition Night to register with Luanne Olson at 715-748-4620 ext 534.  Transition Night will help educate parents an students about transition resources during and after high school. Any current or former student with an IEP or 504 plan are invited to attend.

There will be a spaghetti dinner served for all those in attendance. We are less than 3 weeks away from Transition Night which will be on Monday November 5 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at MASH.  Thank you to the Taylor County Transition Advisory Council for organizing this event! Medford Morning Rotary Club will be sponsoring the dinner!
Demystifying Special Education in Charter Schools

http://www.nasdse.org/Portals/0/Web%20copy%20of%20Rhim%20report%20Jan%202008.pdf

Comprehensive List of Visuals and Social Stories
http://blog.autismspectrumdirectory.com/2011/02/01/list-of-social-stories-and-visual-scripts-for-daily-living-and-social-skills/

Wisconsin Alternate Assessment
The Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (WAA-SwD) is administered to any student with significant cognitive disabilities when the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team determines that the student is unable to participate in the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE), even with accommodations. The WAA-SwD is administered to students in grades 3 through 8 and 10 in reading and mathematics, and grades 4, 8 and 10 in science. The reading, mathematics and science WAA-SwD test forms and administration guidelines were initially developed for the 2007-08 administration and the assessment is now scheduled to be administered in the fall of each school year.

http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/oea/waa.html

WKCE Assessment Accommodations Matrixes
WKCE testing will be starting next week for some students.  Here are lists of accommodations below. Students who receive accommodations on the WKCE should have those accommodations also listed in their IEPs.  Here is a list of available accommodations for students with disabilities (special education and 504) and ELL:

Students with Disabilities = http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/pdf/accomswd.pdf

English Language Learner = http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/pdf/accomell.pdf

WKCE and ELL Students
Students identified as ELL must take the accountability assessments (WKCE or WAA-SwD) required under Title I. An exception to this rule applies to ELLs who recently arrived to the US (i.e. enrolled in a U.S. school less than 12 months and have a language proficiency level of 1 or 2 as determined by ACCESS for ELLs®). ELLs are in the process of acquiring English, therefore ELLs are eligible to receive accommodations that enable students to demonstrate what they know and can do to meet content area standards. Effective accommodations for ELLs address the unique linguistics and socio-cultural needs of the students without altering the measurement properties of the test. Accommodations do not lower expectations for student learning or change the content or skill level being assessed. For more information on language assessments for ELLs see http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/ells.html

Special Education Van Driver
We are in need of a special education van driver from 7:00 am to 8:15 am on Monday through Thursday. If you know of anyone - please have them contact Luanne Olson at 715-748-4620 ext 534. This would start Monday October 29.

English Language Learners Update
Here is an updated count of 44 English Language Learners in our school buildings:
MAES = 23
SES = 7
MAMS = 5
MASH = 9

We currently have 1 contracted certified staff member at MAES/SES (Lucia Albrecht) and 1 contacted paraprofessional staff member at MAMS/MASH (Arisbe Alvarado). Due to the number of ELL students at MAES especially we may have to look at arranging scheduling options to offer more additional ELL support.

Mr. Miller, Mrs. Lundy and I are meeting on Wednesday October 24 at 1:30 pm to discuss this further.

Upcoming Dates
October 24 - Taylor County Reality Fair
This is our Fall Reality Fair for Medford and Gilman Seniors from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm.  Thank you to the Taylor County Transition Advisory Council especially Lou Ann Stanton, Kathy Danen, and Lisa Porten for their work on this project each year.

October 25 - Taylor County Transition Advisory Council
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm at the District Office.  

October 25 - Club DART Halloween Pre-Dance Party
5:30 to 7:00 pm at MASH for Club DART students.

October 30
iPad/Educational Technology Training from 4:00 to 5:00 pm at D.O.

November 1 - Special Education and Student Services Staff Appreciation Night
4:00 pm at Florenas Restaurant.  Appetizers will be provided by me. Beverages will be on your own. You are invited to come and spend time with your colleagues. Spouses are also welcome.  Thank you for all you provide our students, parents, and each other.

November 5 - Transition Night
6:00 to 8:00 pm at MASH

November 6 Early Release Day
There is nothing scheduled for paraprofessional trainings at this time after the students are released from school.

November 7 Wilson Workshop
Our monthly workshop designed to help teachers and support staff teach and implement the program with fidelity, show best practices,  answer questions, and work on an online class for Steps 7-12.  We will meet from 3:45 to 5:00 pm in the MAES Computer Lab.

November 10 - Special Education Family Day
11:00 am at Broadway Theatre in Medford.  All students in Special Education will receive a free movie pass.  Siblings and parents only pay $6.00 per ticket.  Pop and popcorn will be 50% off the regular price.  We will be showing for younger students Disney's Wreck it Ralph or for older students - the new James Bond movie Skyfall.  Staff and their families are also invited to attend. A one page flyer is being developed to be sent home with families.