CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Jack O’Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction California Department of Education Special Education Self-

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONJack O’Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

California Department of Education

Special Education Self-Review Training

Developing the Monitoring Plan

March 2008

JACK O’CONNELLState Superintendent of Public Instruction

Purpose

To acquaint SELPA and district

staff with the contents, components,

and development of the SESR

Monitoring Plan.


Outcomes

• Participants will obtain information on:– How items are identified for the

Monitoring Plan (Parent Input, SPPI data, other); and

– How the Monitoring Plan form is completed.


Background• The Monitoring Plan is an important first

step in the SESR.• The Monitoring Plan is developed from

Parent Input, SPPI data, compliance data, and other information and concerns that may be related to the overall monitoring questions.

• Key elements of the Monitoring Plan are entered into the SESR software in order to generate customized review forms and data entry screens.

• Review activities are directed by the Monitoring Plan.


District Level Activities

• SECURING PARENT INPUT • REVIEW DISTRICT DATA

- District Data Reports- Review of District Compliance Data /

Compliance History• COMPLETING THE MONITORING PLAN

FORM


SECURING PARENT INPUT


Purpose of Parent Input in the SESR Process

• Parents and students are partners with districts throughout the entire special education process.

• Over time parents have had the opportunity to personally experience how districts provide special education services to their children.

• Parents are a source of valuable perspectives, insights and information that can assist districts in determining the overall effectiveness of the services they provide students.

• Parent input acknowledges the vital role that parents play in the education of their students.

• It is CDE's goal to include parents in all activities relative to the education of children with disabilities.

• It is CDE's purpose to improve results for students by increasing parent involvement.


Districts with 20 or More Students with Current

IEPs


Parent Input• The District Monitoring Plan team must include a

parent (from such sources as CAC, PTI, FRC, FEC). The selected parent should attend the Parent Input Meeting.

• The District must conduct at least one Parent Input Meeting (they may conduct more if desired).– The target is 20 percent parent participation in

providing input during the SESR.– Invitations should be sent to all parents or

guardians whose children receive special education services within the District.

– The District must conduct a special meeting if 25 percent or more of home language surveys indicate a language other than English.


Parent Input – cont'd• The District must conduct a Parent Survey if less

than 20 percent of parents participate in the Parent Input Meeting(s). The survey must be:– Mailed to all parents and guardians of children

who receive special education services in the District;

– Able to assist the District in meeting the minimum 20 percent parent participation target; and

– Sent in languages other than English if 25 percent or more of home language surveys indicate a language other than English.

• If surveys yield less than the 20 percent response target, the District must use additional means (such as phone and email surveys, surveys at other meetings, etc.) to bring the total to 20 percent.


Parent Input – cont'd

• A Parent Input Meeting script, sample meeting flyer and survey form are included in the materials furnished on the CD by CDE. The flyer and survey documents are in Arabic, Chinese, English, Hmong, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

• Please note that the Parent Input Meeting’s data collection process also includes the expectation that districts will gather information about the attending parents student’s ethnicity and disability. The provided Parent Input Meeting Sign-In Sheet will assist districts in this data collection. Note also that the Monitoring Plan provides an area for this information to be included for submission to CDE.


Parent Input – cont'd

• Similarly, the Parent Survey also asks parents to provide information on their student’s ethnicity and disability. This data should be combined with the data collected in the Parent Input Meeting(s) and included in the Monitoring Plan.

• Please note that the Monitoring Plan asks for information about the methods used and participation levels that resulted from the District’s efforts to gather parent input.


Content and Design of the Parent Input Meeting

• The Parent Input Meeting is qualitative in nature.

• The meeting is designed to allow any parent of a special education student within the District to provide information about the District’s special education programs and services.

• The Parent Input Meeting script is designed to capture specific information that is required of districts for reporting to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

• The Parent Input Meeting script is designed to assist the District in maintaining focus on specific issues, yet does not limit a parent’s opportunity to include additional information.


Content and Design of the Parent Input Meeting – cont’d

• It is recommended that the District provide a reasonable period of time between the actual mailing of the Parent Input Meeting Invitation and the meeting date.

• It is strongly recommended that when the Parent Invitation is mailed that the District include a copy of the Parent Survey. This will allow the District to cover all of the parents within the District and to allow parents who cannot come to the Parent Input Meeting the opportunity to provide input.

• The District should consider the following when preparing for and conducting the Parent Input Meeting:- The meeting site should be a convenient

and centralized location that is accessible and can provide reasonable

accommodations to attendees who may be disabled.


Content and Design of the Parent Input Meeting – cont’d- On an as needed basis, translators for non-

English speaking parents or parents who are deaf or hard-of-hearing should be provided.- Plan on the session lasting about two hours.- That the moderator of the meeting is trained

and prepared to use the structured questions as delineated on the Parent Input Survey and to help the group remain focused on the task at hand.- That a District staff member be present in

order to take careful notes of the issues that are brought up by the parents.

- That issues that are potentially non-compliant should be highlighted and analyzed for inclusion on the Monitoring Plan.


PARENT INPUT MEETING GUIDELINES: Suggested Script for Districts

Each District is provided with a Suggested Script to use at the Parent Input Meeting. The use of the script is voluntary.


Districts with Less Than 20 Students with Current

IEPs


Parent Survey Input

• Districts with less than 20 students with current IEPs do not have to conduct a Parent Input Meeting.

• Each designated district must survey the parents/ guardians of District special education students using the provided Parent Survey protocol.

• The survey target is 20 percent parent participation in providing parent input using the Parent Survey protocol.

• Parent Surveys should be sent to all parents or guardians whose children receive special education services within the District.


Parent Survey Input – cont’d

• The Parent Survey must be sent in languages other than English if 25 percent or more of home language surveys indicate a language other than English.- The Parent Survey is provided by CDE in Arabic, Chinese, English, Hmong, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.

• If the survey yields less than the 20 percent response target, the District must use additional means (such as phone and email surveys, surveys at other meetings, etc.) to bring the total to 20 percent.


Parent Survey Input – cont’d

• Data from the Parent Survey must be compiled and submitted by mail to CDE using the Small District Survey Data Form (SESR Form 5).

• As noted, the only other SESR requirements for these designated districts are the completion and submission of the findings of the District’s Educational Benefit Review through the secure data portal using the SESR database software; and the completion, signing and submission by mail of the Assurances Form (SESR Form 2).


SESR Parent Survey Form

The Parent Survey form consists of 27 questions to be asked parents. These are the same questions

used at the Parent Input Meeting.


Small District Survey Data Form


Parent Input Meeting and Parent Input Surveys Data Analysis

• Information gathered through the Parent Input Meeting(s) and through the Parent Survey is to be analyzed and a determination made as to which Item Table number the issue(s) matches.

• These identified issues with their corresponding Item Table number are to be included in Area I Parent Input on the Monitoring Plan.


Parent Input Meeting and Parent Input Surveys Item Table

Numbers


REVIEWING DISTRICT DATA


District Data to be Reviewed

• District and SELPA Level Special Education Annual Performance Report Measures – State Performance Plan Indicators (SPPIs)

• District Compliance Data / Compliance History- Prior Verification and Self-Review Findings;- Complaints; and- Due Process Hearings / Mediation

outcomes.


Review of District and SELPA Level Special Education Annual

Performance Report Measures

• Please note that the Data Reports previously based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been changed to reflect NCLB, the new State Performance Plan and State Performance Plan Indicators (SPPIs).


Change from Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to State Performance

Plan Indicators (SPPIs)

NEW STATE PERFORMANCE PLAN INDICATORS:

1. Graduation (Grade 12)2. Dropout (Grades 7 – 12)3. Assessment (Grades 3 – 8, 10)

A. Met AYPB. Participation

English-language ArtsMathematics

C. PerformanceEnglish-language ArtsMathematics


Change from Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to State Performance Plan

Indicators (SPPIs) - cont'd

4. Suspension / Expulsion (Ages 3 – 22)A. Overall

B. Disproportional representation due to policies, procedures, or practices5. LRE (Ages 6 – 22)

A. Out regular class <21%B. Out regular class >60%

6. LRE – Preschool (Ages 3 – 5)7. Assessment – Preschool (Ages 3 – 5)8. Parent Involvement (Ages Birth – 22)9. Disproportional Representation Overall due to policies, procedures or practices (Ages 6 –

22)




10.Disproportional Representation by Disability due to policies, procedures or practices

(Ages 6 – 22)11.Eligibility evaluation (Initial) – Determination

made within 60 days (Ages Birth – 22)12.Transition Part C to Part B not later than 3rd

birthday13.Secondary Transition Goals and Services

(Ages 16 – 22)14.Post-school Outcomes – Competitively

employed, enrolled in post-secondary school, or both (High School)




15. General Supervision

Uncorrected non-compliance

Audit findings

16. Complaints – Complaints resolved within 60-day timeline

17. Due Process – Due Process hearing requests adjudicated within 45-day timeline

18. Hearing Requests – Due Process hearing requests resolved through resolution settlement session agreements

19. Mediation – Mediations held that resulted in mediation agreements

20. Reported data – Data is timely and accurate


Review of District Data Reports

Districts will be able to review information and data about their district using the District and SELPA Level Special Education Annual Performance Report Measures provided on the SESR CD or when available on the CDE Website-

http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/ds/datarpts.asp

OR

http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr07/documents/blue-jan07item26.doc

Please note that the current data reports have changed to align more closely to methods used for NCLB and the State Performance Plan.


Review of District Data Reports

Districts will be able to review information and data about their district using the District and SELPA Level Special Education Annual Performance Report Measures provided on the SESR CD or, when available, on the CDE Website –

http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/ds/datarpts.asp

OR

http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr07/documents/blue-jan07item26.doc

Please note that the current data reports have changed to align more closely to methods used for NCLB and the State Performance Plan.


When available, the CDE website for Items 1-5, 8-11 and 13-14, can be accessed through these screens.

Please scroll down the screen to reach the District’s data.


At the bottom of the screen the following table will be seen.

The next step will be to determine the District’s data location by selecting from the table, as shown.

For Items 6, 7 and 12 you may use the heading on the table labeled SELPA; or you may use the provided URL. Either method will take you to a series of screens, as shown in the following slide.


DISTRICT and SELPA LEVEL SPECIAL EDUCATION ANNUAL PERFORMANCE

REPORT MEASURES:

State Performance Plan Indicators (SPPIs) are found on the provided SESR CD or the appropriate CDE website when available.

NOTE: For the 2007-08 SESR, SPPIs 6,7, 9 and 10 will not be reviewed.


Whatever method used to access the data for Items 6, 7 and 12, the following series of screens will be revealed.

Please scroll down until the District sought is found.


Each SPPI is a measure of a district’s progress on meeting statewide special education goals based on California's State Performance Plan.

An SPPI is included on the Monitoring Plan if the Performance Report indicates a Yes in the "Action required" column.


Review of District Compliance Data

• Each district needs to review its Compliance Data which consists of:▪ Prior Verification and Self-Review findings;▪ Complaints; and▪ Due Process findings.

• Items should be included in the Monitoring Plan if a review of the complaint data or CCR Self-Review indicates:▪ That there is an ongoing pattern of non-

compliance (multi-year);OR▪ There are persistent, open corrective

actions which exceed the timelines;AND


Review of District Compliance Data - cont’d.

▪ The item is related to one of the overall monitoring questions:

1. Does the District or COE provide services that result in educational benefit using the Rowley standard?

2. Does the District or COE provide services that result in educational benefit as measured by special

education goals and key performance indicators (KPI)?

3. Does the District or COE comply with procedural guarantees that are known to be frequent non-compliance items in other districts?

4. Does the District or COE fulfill its responsibilities when other districts and programs serve its

students?

5. Does the SELPA (of which the District or COE is a part) fulfill its responsibilities for monitoring the

procedural elements of the local plan?


COMPLETING THE MONITORING PLAN

FORM


Completing the Monitoring Plan Form

• The following information on completing the Monitoring Plan Form is a step-by-step process that includes an example of a completed area within the Monitoring Plan.

• Please remember that when the Monitoring Plan has been completed, it must be submitted to CDE for approval before the District commences with the implementation of their SESR.

• Upon return of the approved Monitoring Plan, the District will use this document as a guideline for entering data into the Database Software and producing and printing the necessary protocols to implement the SESR.


Enter the names of the District Authorized Agent and the Parent Professional Team representative along with their title, in print and with a signature; and the date signed.

Enter the pertinent contact names, position titles, addresses, telephone number/ FAX/ Email addresses and CDS codes for the District, SELPA and COE.


Example



1. Enter how the parent information was gathered – Total Number of: Parents/Guardians with children in Special Education in the District; Parent Input Meetings held; Number of Parents Attending the Parent Input Meeting(s); Surveys sent and how many were returned.

2. Enter the date(s) of the Parent Input Meeting(s) and the date(s) the Parent Survey was mailed.


Enter the ethnicity and disability student data collected through the Parent Input Meeting and through the Parent Survey. The ETHNICITY CODES are found on page 2 in the DIRECTIONS FOR THE MONITORING PLAN (SESR Form 1).


Example



Enter the appropriate Individual Item Number(s) from the Master Item Table of items to be investigated for each potential compliance issue.

Title – Enter a short descriptive name of the compliance issue that will be investigating.

Description – Include the Number (14 parents from 3 high schools); the Source (the Parent Input Meeting); and the specific concern (parents stated that transition services were not addressed in student IEPs).


MASTER ITEM TABLE

A copy of the Master Item Table will be provided on the SESR CD.

SELPAs and districts will use this table to fill in the Item Numbers on the Monitoring Plan for:

• Concerns expressed during Parent Input Meeting(s) and surveys; and

• Compliance issues determined during the District’s review of their data.


Example



DESCRIPTION – Enter the reason that this element (as found in the District’s Data Report) that needs to be investigated (e.g., District SPPI 1 is 73.4%; the target value is 84.0%.

Check the box that corresponds to the SPPI area in the District’s Data Report that has a "YES" in the "Action required" column.


Example



Enter the appropriate Individual Item Number from the Master Item Table of items to be investigated for each potential compliance issue.

Title- Enter a short descriptive name of the compliance concern.

Description- Include the source of the concern (due process hearings, complaints), and the number of non-compliant findings in the last couple of years.


Example



The total number of records to be reviewed for each of the age levels (see the "How Many Records" chart for these totals) is recorded here.

Determine if the population(s) to be reviewed by the District addresses all of the District’s Special Populations required to adequately investigate all issues of concern (e.g., the number of students in the sample who are of transition age; or, the ethnic makeup of the sample, if ethnic disparity is an issue).

For each of the settings where students are served outside of the District of Residence, the District must indicate the number of students that are served and how many students will be included in the sample (e.g., "District-wide, there are 10 students served in NPS programs, 3 are included in the sample.").


Example



Documents

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Jack O’Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction California Department of Education Special Education Self-