Special Education and Student Services Newsletter for January 24

Special Education and Student Services Newsletter for January 24:

This week I received an email from a special education teacher at 11:36 pm asking about an evaluation and reading program for a student.  We have school staff coming in on Saturdays and Sundays to do paperwork and prepare for upcoming week.  Staff work at night preparing their next day Wilson Reading lesson plans. Staff arrive at school at 7:00 am to prepare for upcoming day.  We regularly have staff staying until 6:00 or 7:00 pm to contact parents or work on materials in their classroom.  Multiple certified and support staff have taken on extra responsibilities whether it is Reading Class for Adults, Medford Adult Diploma Academy, CLC, CLC clubs, coaching, helping at sporting events, teaching Wilson Reading to adult students, RVA, and/or Animal Advocates. Staff give up lunches and breaks to work with their students.  Staff stay longer after school for student meetings. Work emails are checked and sent out at nights and weekends by many staff.

The reason I am mentioning this is our students are very fortunate to have all of you working here on behalf of our students with disabilities here in the Medford Area Public School District. You are all quality people and professionals and the work that you provide our students is so important. You teaching a child to read, function in society, learn appropriate behaviors, understand mathematics, or make good choices helps save their life in many ways.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful talents, knowledge, experiences, and advocacy on behalf of the students and in supporting each other.  You do make a difference.

Here are the many activities this past week or upcoming events from Special Education and Student Services:

1. Keynote Speaker
Congratulations to SES and MAES Associate Elementary Supervisor Don Everhard who will be the Keynote Speaker at the 44th Annual Wisconsin School Safety Coordinator Association Conference in February. Mr. Everhard's presentation will focus on "Developing Relationships and Accepting Change." http://www.wssca.org/

2. Appropriate Use of Seclusion and Physical Restraint
Thank you to Don Everhard for his training of high school special education staff. We covered the current and new regulations as of September 1, 2012 along with safety techniques for staff. Here is link to the full bill: http://www.disabilityrightswi.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/SR-bill-2011.pdf

3. ELL Update:
Vanessa Brandner will be working a modified schedule now that she is attending school to obtain her Spanish Teaching License:

Monday
Always: 7:45 -12:00 p.m.
Every other week: all day

Wednesdays and Fridays:
All day

Maria Arisbe Alvarado will work on Tuesday and Thursday at MASH in her place starting this week. Mauricio Rios Thodakee will be working 2-3 days per week at MAMS to help support our ELL students per IEP team discussion.  He is also available for ELL support or substituting if needed at anytime in other buildings.

We are receiving an iPad through our Title III Consortium as part of CESA 10.  Dennis H and I are attending an informational distance learning presentation on Thursday at 3:00.

4. Winter Celebration for Special Education and Student Services Staff
Thursday February 9 starting at 4:00 pm at Florenas.  Appreciation for all your hard work this year on behalf of our students with disabilities.  Appetizers and pizza will be provided.  I hope you will join us.

5. iPad/Educational Technology
Tuesday January 31 at 4:00 pm at D.O. for anyone interested.

6. Autism Resource Team
Our next meeting is February 2. Extra time will be provided for collaborating, working on autism resources (visuals, PECS, social stories) for staff to provide help for our students.

7. Data Review at MAES
I will be available on Wednesday February 8 at MAES to review with staff about their student AIMS Web, NWEA testing results.  We can review data and look at ways which we can further help and support you and your students. I will reserve the conference room and MAES sped staff can stop at anytime. Let me know the times you would like.

8. Taylor County Early Childhood Sub-Committee
Friday February 3 at 1:30 at the D.O. 

9. Special Education Advisory Council
Monday February 6 at 4:00 pm at NTC.

10. Department of Vocational Rehabilitation
Gwen Steele from DVR will be available on February 7 in the MASH conference room from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm to meet with Seniors and second semester Juniors.

11. Brainpop:
We have renewed our subscription to brainpop. Here is the website: www.brainpop.com
Username: Medford
Password: sped

12. Long Term Sub Positions
We are looking for the following positions if you know anyone who is interested: Anticipated Long Term Substitute Special Education Paraprofessional position at MAES

13. iPad at MAMS
Kathie Shaw uses the iPad on the bus for our special education students.  If you have a need for an extra one to use during the course of the day, that one would be available.

14. Other Health Impairment
We recently received a physician's statement from Marshfield Clinic.  They completed the Homebound Instruction form so one of our students can receive that form of instruction. Attached also was a DPI Eligibility Checklist for Other Health Impairment completed by the doctor. This was given to the parents and the school district.  It is not for one person to determine if a child meets the eligibility criteria for an Other Health Impairment.  An IEP team needs to make that decision. The IEP team decides not only if a student meets eligibility criteria, but also whether a student has a need for special education including specially designed instruction.

Other Health Impairment is sometimes considered as a "fall back" category.  If they don't qualify for a learning disability impairment, let's put them under OHI.  I saw that comment recently in an email from a general education teacher.  OHI is a separate impairment category just like LD, Autism, TBI, EBD, etc.  They need to qualify under that impairment and the student must have a need for special education services.  On this link is the OHI eligibility guide: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/sped/ohi.html.

15. Response to Intervention
We are very fortunate in our school district to have a number of staff implementing evidence based intervention curriculums and models through the RTI process.  We continue to look at whether these interventions can provide enough services for students without the need to place them in special education. 

Multiple special education staff with dual licensures have been allocated time to provide these interventions.  Marla Hemke and Richelle Woller are two of these examples at MAES. These help provide early intervening services for academic and behavioral supports across tiers without waiting for a child to be placed in special education to receive services. Multiple staff at MAMS are scheduled to provide services for general and special education students in math, Read 180, Reading Assistant, Wilson, etc.  We are starting to work towards that at MASH with Chuck Prohida teaching Just Words intervention for at risk students. HS sped staff have expressed interest in helping with the RTI model.  

Within the RTI model it is important to determine whether a student can receive enough intervention services to meet their needs OR they do have a suspected disability by a member of an IEP team.  If there is a suspicion of a disability, then the child must be referred for special education eligibility otherwise we are denying them their due process procedural rights.

The RTI model for identification of a Learning Disability needs to be in place in each school building by December 2013. A link to updated frequently asked questions on this model is located here: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/sped/pdf/sld-faq-2011.pdf

As a district we need to start having more discussion at each building to review the legal guidelines, determine where we are with staffing and interventions, and then look at a plan to be in full compliance. DPI has recommended and requiring that staff job descriptions and funding sources be accurate to reflect when a special education staff member is delivering regular education interventions.

16. Vision Therapy and LD
In a joint statement: the Council on Children with Disabilities, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO); American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) and American Association of Certified Orthoptists do NOT endorse vision training as it relates to SLD. "There is no scientific evidence to suggest that any ophthalmologic manipulation or therapy including vision training, muscle exercises, ocular pursuit, tracking exercises, orthoptic exercises, visual perceptual training, colored spectacle lenses, neurological organizational training (laterality training, crawling, balance board) will improve academic performance in children with learning disabilities." (Pediatrics Vol 124 No 2 Aug 2009 pp. 837-844). http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;124/2/837

NASP Member Exchange
Posted: January 21, 2012 8:10 AM
Joann Chiappetta Baumgardner, Ph.D.

17. Taylor County Literacy Council update
We held a meeting on Monday night. Advisory Council roles have been determined:
President: Joseph Greget
Vice President: Joyce Woletz
Secretary: Cindy Gibson
Treasurer: Laurie Prochnow

We will look at renting a classroom space starting in July in the current NTC building to begin our Literacy Center/Adult Basic Education to provide support for adults in the community including, but not limited to: reading class for adults, family literacy, ELL, financial literacy, health literacy, tutoring, education, and more. A Literacy Coordinator will be hired officially within the next month. 

18. PBIS Tier II Training
February 27 and February 28 in Eau Claire.  Dan Miller, Sue Eloranta, and Richelle Woller will be in attendance and were registered this week.

19. Social Media Webinar:
Jackie Strick, Jessica Martin, Terry Lybert, and Louann Stanton attended a social media webinar last week entitled: Socal Media Snares: Sexting, Texting, Bullying, and other Risks.  Here is a link to the power point presentation and handouts: http://www.dev-resources.com/webhandout/smswebinar.pdf

20. Read Write and Gold
We have the Read Write Gold system placed on Jill Chasteen's computers in her classroom.  We are working towards placing these on the computers in Sue Laher and Carol Wieman's classrooms.  Read Write Gold is an assistive technology similar to Kurzweil. Here is the link for more information: http://www.texthelp.com/North-America

There is a Read Write Gold app for mobile devices.  I am looking into this for download on our iPads for student use. Here is the link to all of the features which can be provided: http://www.texthelp.com/North-America/Our-products/Readwrite/features-pc/web-apps