School Support System
Report and Support Plan for the
South Kingstown School
Department
October 2007
The
purpose of the School Support System (SSS) is to provide a means of
accountability for delivery of programs and services for students with
exceptionalities. The School
Support System model is designed to promote the involvement of the whole school
district, general educators as well as special educators and parents. It is designed to learn if the district
meets the regulations and what effects programs and services have on student
outcomes. Finally, the SSS
develops a school support plan for training and technical assistance.
To accomplish this the SSS includes these
components:
1.
School
Improvement /Family Engagement
2.
Free
Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
3.
Evaluation/
Individual Education Plan (IEP)
4.
Transition
School Support System
Review
October 2007
Team A: Sally Arsenault,
Elaine Burdette, Kenneth Duva, Helen OÕHara
Team B: Jane Keane, Shelia
Collins
Team C: Susan Wood, Jane
Slade, Andre Mayer
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1. SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT / FAMILY
ENGAGEMENT |
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Indicator |
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Findings |
Documentation |
Support Plan |
Follow-up Findings |
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Performance |
1 |
School
Improvement The mission of
the South Kingstown School Department is to educate the children of South
Kingstown in partnership with families and community, so that each student
becomes a responsible individual who possesses the knowledge and skills for
full productive citizenship. The mission is supported by six beliefs
statements that extend and support the mission. -Every human being has intrinsic
worth and each individual must be provided opportunities to become a
life-long learner -A well-balanced
development of mind, body, and spirit is important so that the total
individual can flourish -All children
want to learn and do so in a
variety of ways -Each student
will have the resources necessary to develop his or her potential. They will
(shall) be provided with equal opportunity to develop, accept and exercise
personal responsibility. -collaboration
among diverse people builds and strengthens community -It is the shared
responsibility of family, students, school personnel and elected officials
together to create a positive educational environment. |
District
Presentation Interviews Document Review Observation |
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Performance |
2 |
Accountability A particular focus of the districtÕs
strategic plan and hence, each schools strategic plan has to examine and set
goals for subgroups specifically students receiving free and reduced lunch and
students with IEPs. Each school must reflect how they are working with these
subgroups via their schoolÕs strategic plan (using disaggregated data and
other related data) and how that is aligned with the districts initiatives
and efforts to address disproportionality and performance gaps. In addition
to these efforts, there is an Accountability Sub-Committee that is part of
the districtÕs strategic planning. This group focuses on performance reports
and evaluation of educational effectiveness. Overall the
district exceeded the state average by more than one standard deviation. One
target group that is a challenge is high school students with IEPs and
students considered economically disadvantages (receiving free and reduced
lunch). Schools are
working to align their school improvement plans with the district strategic
plans. Some are completed and others are in the process of completion. Throughout
the district there are active school improvement teams some including parents
and special educators among the members. |
District
Presentation Interviews Document Review Observation |
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Performance |
3 |
Teacher
Support Team/Response to Intervention RtI is in a
myriad of places depending on the school. An overview of RtI has been
provided to all staff district-wide. Special educators
and other specialist have attended additional RtI training sessions. In some
schools, follow-up and ongoing building level RtI training, including
procedures, protocols, and formats for implementing RTI has been completed. The elementary
schools have shifted from Teacher Support Teams (TST) and TST protocols to
use of Response to Intervention (RTI) Teams and new protocols. After some
initial training and dissemination of RTI protocols, the Matunuck Elementary
School team refined and streamlined the RTI materials for ease of use,
incorporating some classroom protocols found useful through TST experience,
and a revised packet was disseminated to other elementary schools. The elementary schools evidence
different levels of training and are at various early stages of
understanding, organization, and implementation. Participants in RTI training
so far have been largely special educators, evaluation team members, and
reading teachers. The process currently relies on classroom referrals to
which the RTI team, comprised primarily of specialists, responds by assisting
the referring teacher to devise, implement, and track student response to
interventions for 6-week periods. Matunuck Elementary School is piloting AIMSweb,
a scientifically based, formative assessment system that informs the teaching
and learning process by providing continuous student performance data and
reporting improvement to parents, teachers, and administrators to enable
evidence-based evaluation and data-driven instruction. General educator
participation in RTI training to date is limited, with some viewing RTI as an
impediment to special education referrals and evaluation. |
Interviews |
Special education
administration in conjunction with school-based administrators will create
and implement a student intervention system that involves PLP, PBIS and RtI in an effort to
unify the various initiatives and to better address the needs of struggling
learners. Timeline:
Ongoing. To be implemented for the start of the 2008-2009 school year. |
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Compliance/ Performance |
4 |
At Curtis Corner
Middle School RtI is comprised of the school social worker, psychologist,
counselors and administrators (no teachers are currently part of this team).
They meet once a week as needed. Staff acknowledges the initiative as
emerging an express the need for more technical assistance with progress
monitoring and evaluation strategies. At the high
school there is no formal TST/RtI in place. There is an active Student Support
Team (SST) where guidance and administrators meet to review teachers request
for student assistance. In addition, South Kingstown High School has just
become a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) school (the
second high school in the state to become PBIS). The PBIS process is in the
very beginning stages. |
Interviews |
School-based
administration at the middle school and high school will review and refine
their current TST/RtI structure with regard to composition and functioning. Timeline: October
2008 |
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Performance |
5 |
All South
Kingstown High School 9th graders take a class called SK101 which
focuses on the portfolio requirements and overall acclimation of the high
school environment. The primary purpose of this class is to prepare students
for the task of completing high school successfully. In SK101 all students
take an electronic interest inventory via Choices. This is done
electronically and the students and parents can access it. SK102 for
sophomores, SK103 for juniors and SK104 for seniors are scheduled for later
in the year. |
Interviews Document Review |
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Performance |
6 |
Common Planning
Time At the elementary
level, a weekly block of common planning time for 4th & 5th
grade teachers has been created using the extra minutes of preparation time
available from art, music, physical education, and library classes. Teachers
and therapists working in grades K-3 generally utilize short, incidental
interactions in the course of the school day for impromptu co-planning. Some
teachers report taking time on their own before or after school or during
brief lunch periods, if available, for co-planning. At Matunuck Elementary
School, the principal has arranged teacher assistant coverage for a 25 minute
block of time at the start of each day to enable any two teachers desiring
time for consulting or co-planning to sign up for coverage during pre-class/
homeroom period. There is a
variety of whole school community approaches for communication and
collaboration in common planning at Curtis Corner Middle School. Through
common planning time, administrators, special and general educators along
with support staff are engaged in extensive data analysis activities, aligned
to the school improvement plan to address disproportionality in regards to
student performance outcomes.
Comparison studies of the NECAP and the Gates scores at each grade
level and cohort/sub group (special education and free and reduced lunch
students) is being addressed through data analysis along with professional
development to inform instruction and to identify strategies to address
improvement of student performance outcomes. Common planning time is
scheduled for but not limited to grade level teams, co-teachers,
collaborative departments including special education and unified arts. At the high
school there are Teacher Learning Centers. Teachers participate in a learning
center groups per their unassigned teaching times. In these interdisciplinary
groups they review and discuss a variety of educational topics. They meet 4
times in a 7 day rotation. Teacher Learning Center is in its first year of
inception and implementation. The intent is to focus on data and challenge
areas as this would then lend itself to developing instructional strategies
that target the challenge areas. Special education staff expressed concern
that the only time they had to schedule IEP meetings during the day was
during class time. There is also
departmentalized common planning time every Wednesday. Students start classes
one hour later and teachers meet departmentalized and focus on SMART goals
that assess specific content area skills or concepts that students are
struggling with. Teachers are identifying how they are organizing the
curriculum area and concept and how does it connect to what teachers are doing
in the classroom. |
Interviews Document Review Observation |
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Performance |
7 |
The South
Kingstown special education manual is in the process of being updated pending
the approval of the state special education regulations. There is variability
among the elementary schools in clarity of understanding regarding district
special education procedures, protocols, and forms in current use. Staff
whose principals have sought, accessed, and facilitated communication
regarding new special education procedures are more conversant with
expectations. |
District
Presentation Interviews Observation |
Administrators
and staff will receive professional development on the recently approved
special education regulations. This will include information regarding
special education procedures, protocols, and forms. Timeline: October
2008 |
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Performance |
8 |
Special
Education Administrative Structure The special
education administrative structure in South Kingstown is comprised of a
special education director and two assistants. One of the assistants is
part-time and coordinates early childhood initiatives and programs. Staff throughout
the district cited their respective school principals as having ownership of
all students including students with special needs. |
Data Analysis District
Presentation |
The scope of the
early childhood initiatives for children ages 3-8 will continue to be
integrated (3-8). Timeline:
December 2008 |
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Performance |
9 |
Professional
Development The district
publishes a district-wide professional development calendar. This calendar is
also available on line. Special education department funding for individual
conferences has shifted to align with the district-wide focus areas. Staff can seek support from school
level professional development funds (Article 31) and, when this is aligned
with the school improvement plan, sometimes receive funding through this
avenue. Many staff seek
out and take advantage of professional development opportunities on their
own. Schools typically provide substitutes to enable teachers to attend
professional development activities. Job-embedded professional development
also occurs through collegial consultation and in-class collaboration between
special and general educators, therapists, and coaches. At the elementary
level literacy and math coaches demonstrate model standards-based lessons in
classrooms. Staff report that model lesson demonstrations are a useful
learning tool for teachers. At Curtis Corner Middle School job embedded
professional development is currently focused on co-teaching school wide
along with differentiated instruction to support teaching and learning
strategies. At the high school level literacy teachers are available for
teacher consultation as needed. Staff reported that this was helpful. Teachers
throughout the district reported an interest in or need for additional
professional development in the following areas: -RtI training and
follow up for general education teachers -Behavioral
support and Intervention strategies for highly
challenging behaviors -Medicaid
processing and forms -District level
special education procedures and protocols -Training in
multisensory reading approaches/interventions for students with unique
reading disabilities requiring interventions beyond differentiated
instruction -Current therapeutic
interventions in specialty areas |
District
Presentation Interviews |
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Performance |
10 |
Teacher
Mentoring The district
facilitates a teacher mentoring program that is available to new teachers.
Mentors must complete a training program and new teachers are paired with
mentors in their school who have completed the training program. . |
District
Presentation Interviews |
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Performance |
11 |
SK CARES. This is
a well-establish community organization that recently celebrated its 10 year
anniversary. This organization is made up of community individuals who
volunteer time to work with students both during the day and in a variety of
after school programs. There are six programs: -First class
volunteering (trained volunteers who focus on the areas of PLPs and literacy) -Homework Clubs:
elementary through high school (focus on literacy and math games) -High School
tutoring (one-on-one for students who are at–risk for school failure) -Mentoring
(Mentors meet with mentees once a week) -Ementoring
program in the high school (connecting professionals in the community with high schools students via an email prompt once a week) -College and
Career Center. SK Cares maintains this in the high school. Every volunteer
goes through a screening, background check, and an overall orientation and
training. Workshops are held on a regular basis on literacy and math. All volunteers have been provided
with a PLP handbook. |
District
Presentation Document Review |
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Performance |
12 |
The SECOND STEP violence
prevention program is used in many general education classrooms as a
proactive approach to social skill development for students experiencing
social/behavioral challenges as well as their peers. Second Step integrates
academics with social and emotional learning, teaches skills such as anger management, cooperation, respectful
behavior, and problem solving, and helps students recognize and respect
people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and ethnicities. Students
are encouraged to use their skills in a variety of situations. |
District
Presentation Interviews |
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Performance |
13 |
Community and
Family Engagement -Family and
community engagement liaisons-- there are two in the district who work with
families in a variety of supporting ways. -South Kingstown
has acquired Connect-ED, a telephone communication service that enables the
district and schools to record, schedule, send, and track personalized voice
messages to students, parents, and staff as a whole or to select subgroups,
based on communication needs. -There are a
variety of community connections throughout the district .Some of these
include visiting schools in other school districts. One example is where
personnel from South Kingstown visit the Westerly Public Schools to
participate in learning walks and then Westerly personnel come to South
Kingstown and participate in learning walks. |
District
Presentation Interviews |
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Performance |
14 |
Local Advisory
Committee (LAC) The focus of the
Special Education Local Advisory Committee (SELAC) has been promoting inclusive
educational opportunities for both general and special education teachers and
the recruitment of new members including educators. There is a small core group of parents that attend regular
meetings and then other individuals who may participate on an as needed
basis. The SELAC reported feeling supported by the special education
administrators. A SELAC newsletter is sent out once a month via the SELAC
list serve. The topics for the
next meeting are case load and the 230-day program issues with a lens towards
the proposed state regulations. |
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Performance |
15 |
The schools were
warm and welcoming. PTAÕs and
booster clubs are active. The schools have established a continuum of options
for parent involvement, including channels for communication, volunteering,
special events, support for student learning, and opportunities for policy
development such as strategic planning, school improvement planning, and
local special education advisory. PTA fundraising is significant in some
instances and substantially contributes to educational materials and
experiences. Parents are actively engaged in their respective schools. |
Parent Interviews |
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Performance |
16 |
Special
Education Compliance Due Process cases
reported by RIDE indicate a generally stable or slight downward trend in the
South Kingstown Public Schools for special education complaints, mediations,
resolution sessions (new in IDEA 2004) and hearings. This may be the result
of continued and/or improved school/family communication and/or the districts
efforts to intervene in matters before they rise to the level necessitating
due process. Mediations 2005 5 cases 2006 3 cases 2007 3 cases Special Education
Complaints 2005 2 complaints 2006 3
complaints 2007 1
complaints (district found to be in compliance) Resolution
Sessions 2005 0 sessions 2006 1 session
(resolved) 2007 0 sessions Hearings 2005 1 hearing 2006 1 hearings 2007 1 hearings |
SPP data Data analysis |
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Performance |
17 |
Higher
Education Connections Throughout the
district there are a multitude of connections with institutions of higher
education. These include the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College,
which have active partnerships with the South Kingstown Public Schools. |
District
Presentation Interviews |
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Performance |
18 |
Private School
Outreach At the present
time, the district extends special education services and supports through
IEPs for South Kingstown students with disabilities placed by their parents
in private, including religious, schools throughout the state, consistent
with state requirements. Also, the districtÕs Consolidated Resource Plan
indicates a proportionate share of federal IDEA funds devoted to services for
resident and non-resident students with disabilities enrolled in private
schools located within South Kingstown, consistent with federal requirements. |
Interviews Document Review Record Review |
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2. FREE APPROPRIATE PUBLIC
EDUCATION IN THE LEAST
RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT (FAPE/LRE) |
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Indicator |
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Findings |
Documentation |
Support Plan |
Follow-up Findings |
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Performance |
1 |
Special Education Continuum-District
Level – Pre School The preschool program continuum includes
the following: á
Individual
Therapy at Hazard School o
Speech Only o
Speech/occupational
therapy/physical therapy á
Community
Supports to children attending 6 local preschools/childcare centers: o
Service
Providers (educators, speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist,
psychologist) provide a variety of services including
observation/consultation, accommodations/modifications/program suggestions,
direct service) á
South
Kingstown Inclusionary Preschool (S.K.I.P.). The Hazard School includes the
following classroom programs including children with IEPs and children from
the community without IEPs. o
Six half day
classes: Three morning and three afternoon groups of up to 15 children -
Morning
groups: 7
children w/IEPs: 4 days/ week
8 community children: 3 days/week -
Afternoon
groups: 7
children w/IEPs: 4 days/week 8
community children: 4 days/week o
Two half day
classes: One morning group and one afternoon group of up to 11 children. -
Morning
group: 5
children with IEPs: 4 days/week. 6 community
children: 3 days/week -
Afternoon
group: 5
children with IEPs: 4 days/week
6 community children: 4 days/week
Children with IEPs:
Extended day: one additional
hour/day Extended
Week: one additional
day/week
(5 day program) o
One full day
230-day preschool class of 6 children. The students in this program receive
their educational services in a self-contained setting for half the day and
are in an inclusive setting for the other half of the day. The South
Kingstown early childhood program reflects: á
National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation and
alignment with the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards (RIELS) á
Teachers
trained in and implementing RIELS á
Classroom
staffing of 1 teacher, 1 teacher assistant, and assistants shared among
groups á
Arrival of
children with IEPs 25 minutes prior to community students á
Home-visits
for all students with IEPs á
Community
students chosen through lottery/waiting list Additional South
Kingstown Inclusionary Preschool services / resources include but are not
limited to the following: á
Therapists
(speech and language pathologist, occupational therapy, physical therapy,
psychologist, social worker)- using a transdisciplinary approach á
School Nurse-Teacher á
Parent
volunteers á
SK CARES
volunteers á
University
of Rhode Island student interns/volunteers students á
South
Kingstown High School students (Child Development class and Alternative
Learning Program) See Transition
for Early Intervention to kindergarten for additional transition information. |
District
Presentation Interviews Document Review |
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Performance |
2 |
Special Education Continuum-Elementary
Level – Students with
disabilities are supported and are accessing the general education
curriculum. Many special educators and therapists provide in class supports
and consult with general educators. At Peace Dale
Elementary School there is a need for an expanded continuum of support within
general education classes to avoid reliance on self-contained program for
some students. There is capacity to provide support to students in general
education. |
Interviews Document Review Observation |
The program
continuum at Peace Dale Elementary will be reviewed and restructured to
ensure a full array of supports and interventions/supports within general
education classes. More flexible roles and assignments will be incorporated
in these restructuring plans. A building-based whole school approach will be
utilized. Timeline:
Ongoing. December 2008 |
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Performance |
3 |
Special Education Continuum-Middle
Level – Currently Curtis
Corner Middle School has 477 students. Of that total 83 are students with
IEPÕs. Middle level
instruction is provided through two teams at each grade level. Each grade
level team has an assigned special educator. Special education services and
supports are provided through a continuum which includes inclusion and
collaborative classrooms, resource and a self contained setting for students
needing more individualized direct instruction and life skills experiences. A
resource block is scheduled every other day to provide students with
individualized supports. Collaborative
instruction is facilitated by both special and general educators in math, ELA
(7th & 8th grade) and science (6th grade). A Learning Center
is facilitated Monday through Thursday for thirty minutes providing students
with resource options, addressing organizational skills and / or direct
instruction as determined by students needs. Students with
more significant learning challenges engage in community/vocational
exploration once a month and a full classroom field trip once a month that is
earned and determined by students.
There are currently five students participating in this program with
alternate assessments. Educational
options An alternative
educational setting (Transition Program) is provided for students with social
emotional and /or behavioral health related challenges. Eight students with
IEPÕs are currently attending this program. There was evidence of a draft
document describing the program design and purpose along with entrance and
exit criteria. Plans are
underway to develop a new program description that will provide clarity as to
the expectations of this program.
Though attempts have been made to develop behavior intervention plans
(BIPs) for students participating in this program, the information posed is
not informed by a systemic, functional analysis of student behavior or function.
Additionally noted in the draft document, was the description of the team of
support (special education administrator, teacher, social worker, teacher
assistant, parent, student and any other support personnel in conjunction
with the middle school administration, teachers and support staff). The active role of the team as
described above is currently unclear. |
Interviews Document Review Observation |
Clarification/
restructuring of the middle school ALP program is currently ongoing. Behavioral intervention
plans will be based on an informed hypothesis regarding the function of the
studentÕs behavior. Timeline: October
2008 |
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Performance |
4 |
Special Education Continuum-High School
Level – There are
approximately 1,200 and about 200 have IEPs. The program continuum is as
follows: --Resource
continuum teachers who have resource also typically co-teach three classes and
then provide resource support. -Collaborative
classes (approximately 20 classes) where a general and special educator
co-teach. Both general and special educators reported this as being a
positive experience. -Alternative
Resource Program (2 classes -- each with a
resource teacher and an assistant that serves students with social /emotional
needs in a resource setting) Counseling is provided as needed by a consistent
school social worker and psychologist. The intent is to have one class that
students attend for 1-2 periods a day and the other class targets students
who need 2 or more periods a day. -Self-contained
ELA (taught by a special educator who is also highly qualified as an ELA
teacher). -One Life Skills
class serving students with more significant challenges. -A self-contained
class for students with mild challenges. Currently all students are 9th
graders whose IEPs teams determined that they would need a more structured
setting to support their transition to the high school. Students receive some
classes via the special educator in the Transition class and others via other
classes (self-contained ELA, collaborative classes etc.). At the adjacent
Hazard School Building there are two high school alternative classes. These
include: -Alterative
Learning Program (ALP I). Provides 3 periods or more of social emotional and
academic supports in an alternative setting adjacent to the high school.
Students have the opportunity to take 2 or more classes within the social
high school environment. -Alterative
Learning Program (ALP 2). Self-contained setting providing social-emotional
supports in an alternative setting adjacent to he high school. Students
participate in group instruction as well as computer assisted instruction
(Plato). Students participate in career education and receive credit for job
internships and experiences during the school day. This aspect of the class
is currently in the planning process although one student volunteers at the
preschool located in the same building. For both ALP I
and II counseling is provided as needed by a consistent school social worker
and psychologist. See finding in the following box for additional information
on the mental health component. |
Interviews Document Review Observation |
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Performance |
5 |
At the high
school there is one full-time social worker and a full-time psychologist and
a half time psychologist. The two classes in the Hazard have a separate
social worker. The full-time psychologist also consults with the Hazard
program and assists in the coordination of mental health support services.
The high school mental health providers participate on a mental health team
which meets every Friday to review requests for assistance. The team triages
priorities and assigns a member of the team to be the lead for each case.
They provide counseling on a one-on-one basis as needed. Overall the member
of the mental health team provide ongoing supports to families and assist in
making community mental health connections. This is in addition to the
typical evaluation and reevaluation tasks. |
Interviews Document Review |
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Performance |
6 |
Positive
Behavioral Support and Interventions (PBIS) Many
schools in the district have adopted PBIS, a research-based discipline
approach supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special
Education Programs. All school levels except for the middle level have
adopted this approach. The district has engaged with the Paul V. Sherlock
Center on Disabilities at Rhode Island College for professional and program
development assistance in implementing PBIS in the preschool classes, all
elementary schools and the high school.
PBIS emphasizes school-wide systems of support and proactive
strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student
behaviors to create positive school environments. The purpose of these
school-wide supports is to establish a climate in which, through
introduction, modeling, and reinforcement of positive social behavior,
appropriate behavior becomes the norm. All school members interacting with
students, including peers, learn to recognize and reinforce studentsÕ efforts
at positive behavior. School staff, including bus drivers, are working to
build a continuum of positive behavior support for all students, implemented
in classrooms and throughout all school areas and activities. Response from
faculty, parents, and students has been favorable, and staff cite the value
of incorporating these problem-solving strategies in the RTI process. |
District
Presentation Interviews |
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Performance |
7 |
Although Curtis
Corner Middle School is not a PBIS school there are a variety of initiatives,
curriculums and programs for students to engage in social emotional learning
opportunities. Thematic units,
pamphlet, assemblies, videos, discussions and posters are clearly evident
throughout the middle school. Some examples of
structured activities are but not limited to the following.
The concept of
Advisor/Advisee is emerging at the middle school. |
District
Presentation Interviews Observation |
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Performance |
8 |
Functional
Behavioral Assessments Overall special education staff throughout the district reported
feeling comfortable with the Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) process
and cited collaborative work with the school psychologist as an integral part
of the FBA team process. The district is using a state-designed format for
summarizing FBA results. |
District
Presentation Interviews Record Review |
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Performance |
9 |
FAPE in the
LRE Based on the FFY
July 1, 2005- June 30, 2006 State Performance Plan (SPP) information on South Kingstown program placement data is as follows: The percentage of
students educated 80 to 100% of the time in general education settings is
55%. (RI District Average is 63%) Percentage of
students educated for less than 40% of the time in general education settings
is 14% (RI District Average is 15%) Percentage of
students educated in private separate schools, homebound/hospitalized and
private residential schools is 1.6% (RI District Average is 3.14%) If a district is
1 standard deviation from the RI
district average the district is considered discrepant for the target
South Kingstown is not
discrepant in any of the above categories. |
State Performance
Plan (SPP) Data Analysis |
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Compliance |
10 |
Disproportionality Based on a
review of December 2006 data, South Kingstown continues to be identified with
significant disproportionality for various racial/ethnic groups. The
district has developed written disproportionality plans to identify and
develop culturally responsive pre-intervention practices that assist teachers
and team members in effectively addressing students academic and behavioral
needs. Through upcoming RIDE
sponsored technical assistance sessions, South Kingstown will continue to
revise and improve strategies to reduce disproportionality. Through the spring of 2007, South
Kingstown sent a team of professionals representative of both special and
general education to technical assistance sessions. Continued participation of general education in the plans
and technical assistance sessions is imperative to the work on disproportionality. |
State Performance Plan (SPP) Data analysis |
The district has
developed written disproportionality plans. These first steps begin the
process of identifying and developing culturally responsive intervention
practices that will assist teachers and team members in effectively
addressing studentÕs academic and behavioral needs. Professional development opportunities will also be
provided to teachers regarding research-based interventions and culturally
appropriate referrals. The South
Kingstown School Department will continue to participate in RIDE
disproportionality technical assistance initiatives Timeline:
Immediately and ongoing. Progress check: October 2008 |
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Performance |
11 |
FAPE –
District-wide |
Interviews Record Review Parent Interviews Observation |
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Compliance |
12 |
In some instances at Peace Dale Elementary School, team
authority to make IEP decisions about unique services individually designed
to meet special challenges for particular children with disabilities is unclear
when building level IEP team members and district level administrators differ
prior to the IEP meeting about potential supports available. |
Interviews Record review SA 9,10 |
Building-based
leadership will ensure that the response to intervention (RtI) and IEP teams
are positioned to address the following question for each child: -What does this
child need to succeed in general education and how can we (IEP and/or RtI
team) reconfigure our roles and assignments to provide that? See also Support
Plan item #2 in this section. Timeline:
Immediately and ongoing. Progress check: October 2008 |
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Compliance |
13 |
In rare instances, the district does not always convene an
IEP meeting as required in response to parent request for IEP review, due to perceived
administrative disagreement with the service request anticipated. |
Parent interview Record review SA5 |
The district will
clarify its protocols that IEP meetings are convened at the building-level
upon parent request. Timeline:
Immediately and ongoing. Progress check: October 2008 |
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Compliance |
14 |
At the high
school the handicapped accessible main door vestibule/ anteroom (push plate)
does not work. One student who goes to therapies in the Hazard building has a
difficult time due to lack of access. |
Interviews Observation |
The push plate is
now operational and the process was reviewed with the all involved
individuals. Timeline: Issue
resolved. |
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Performance |
15 |
Extended School
Year (ESY) Record reviews
and interviews indicate that ESY is considered at IEP meetings and is
available based on student need. |
Interviews Record Reviews |
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Performance |
16 |
Assistive
Technology Assistive
technology assessment and services are available to students who require this
support for successful learning.
There is a need to ensure that equipment is routinely updated. |
Interviews Record Reviews |
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3. EVALUATION/
INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (IEP) |
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Indicator |
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Findings |
Documentation |
Support Plan |
Follow-up Findings |
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Compliance/ Performance |
1 |
Records of
approximately 20 student records were reviewed by the visiting team. These
were selected through a stratified random sampling technique to allow the
team to consider a representative variety of students. Additional students
came to the attention of the team during the review. StudentsÕ records were
accessible and generally well organized. |
Record Reviews |
Assurances will
be provided to the RI Department of Education, Office of Special Populations
that compliance issues are addressed and rectified. Timeline:
Immediately and ongoing. Progress check: October 2008 |
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Performance |
2 |
Southern Rhode
Island Collaborative (SORICO) screens 3-5 year olds in
South Kingstown. This may include rescreening children if necessary to
achieve accurate results. With parent permission, Child Outreach refers
children who fail screening to the evaluation team for consideration of
evaluation and, where needed, determination of eligibility for special
education services. |
District
Presentation Interviews Document Review |
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Performance |
3 |
The high school
department head is the school-based LEA representative for all IEP meetings
and Evaluation Team meetings. |
Interviews |
Special education
administration in conjunction with school-based administration and others
will review/clarify and refine the role and assignments of the special
education department chair. The district will
provide professional development for selected building level administrators
on IEP practices and processes. Timeline:
Ongoing. October 2008 See also item #7
in the Transition section. |
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Performance |
4 |
Throughout the
district, general educators are conversant with the strengths, needs, goals,
accommodations, and other information about their students with disabilities.
Teachers who are co-teaching or work together with special educators/other
service providers in their classrooms report high levels of understanding and
responsibility for meeting the needs of their students with IEPs. At the elementary
level they are informed through student information sheets, and/or
consultations at the start of the school year with special educators/other
service providers, reviewing studentsÕ IEPs, and through participation in IEP
teams meetings for their students. At the middle
level each grade level team has access to a binder which has been established
to provide information regarding students with IEPÕs, PLPÕs and 504
plans. This binder is maintained
by the grade level team leader and filed in a locked cabinet. Continued
planning to assure that Unified Arts Teachers and others as appropriate have
information addressing accommodations and modifications in a timely fashion
maintaining confidentiality for students with IEPÕs is being addressed. At the high
schools all teachers receive an accommodation sheet listing the studentÕs
strengths and challenges and the needed accommodations and/or modifications.
Teachers can access the IEP via the guidance office. |
Interviews |
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4. TRANSITION |
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Indicator |
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Findings |
Documentation |
Support Plan |
Follow-up Findings |
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Performance |
1 |
Early
Intervention Transitions The referral from
early intervention occurs at 30 months. Staff engage in observations (home
& daycare) and evaluations as necessary. There is contact between
therapists/case managers/families with the eligibility meetings and IEPs conducted
prior to the childÕs 3rd birthday. |
District
Presentation Interviews Document Review |
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Performance |
2 |
Transition for
incoming kindergarten students Almost all
children are transitioned to their home school. There are preschool to
kindergarten transition meetings with the teams from 4 elementary schools in
the spring. IEP review and transition conferences are held with kindergarten
teams from the four elementary schools in the spring. A district
preschool-kindergarten transition form is reviewed for all children (both
general and special education). IEPs are reviewed in the fall to ensure that
the program is meeting the needs of all incoming kindergarten students with
IEPs. |
District
Presentation Interviews Document Review |
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Performance |
3 |
Elementary to
Middle School Transition Elementary and
middle school staff are working to enhance the transition process and
orientation experiences for students with disabilities advancing to the
middle school level. Elementary
level teams are currently concerned about professional development and
supports available for fifth grade students transitioning to the middle
school next year. |
Interviews Document Review |
The elementary
and middle school teams have collaborated to create a proactive plan for
meeting the needs of these students. Concern resolved. |
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Performance |
4 |
Middle Level Middle school teachers/
staff participate in a transition planning for students transitioning from
the elementary level to the middle as well as the middle level to the high
school level. Presentation, IEP
development, step-up days and individual instructional strategies along with
program development are planned to assist with successful transitions. |
Interviews Document Review |
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Performance |
5 |
Middle to High
School Transition Overall, all
students participate in a variety of school-based transition orientation
activities. Students in the life skills program typically participate in extended
school year (ESY) activities located at the high school thus becoming
familiar with the physical plant. In addition, in the spring they visit the
school and classes during 8th grade. |
Interviews Document Review |
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Compliance |
6 |
Secondary
Vocational Assessments (middle school) Though the
Harrington OÕShea Interest Inventory is part of the seventh grade Career Day
activities, student outcomes are not realized as a vocational assessment and
shared with special educators at this time. Vocational assessments are
currently not provided for students who are 14 years of age and eligible for
special education services and supports at Curtis Corner Middle School
(approximately 15 students are or will be 14 at the middle school with birth
year of 1993, 2 students with birth year being 1992). |
Interviews Document Review |
Recent
professional development has occurred in Ten Signma ÒTargeting TransitionÓ as
one transition tool used to assess students. This training will continue
throughout the year. Roles and responsibilities regarding use of these tools
in the new IEP process will be reviewed and clarified. Timeline: Immediately
and ongoing. October 2008 |
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Compliance |
7 |
Secondary
Vocational Assessments (high school) All students
receive an interest inventory through their advisories. This is facilitated
through the guidance office and is kept by the students when completed.
Teachers engage in one-to-one discussion for transition planning but do not
have access to the interest inventory information. Teachers acknowledge that
this is an area that needs attention in terms of a coordinated and documented
transition evaluation that has meaning and connectively to the IEP planning
process. In addition, a multitude of staff expressed the overwhelming desire
and need to have a transition structure that provided an array of structured
and supported vocational experiences/ career exploration opportunities for
students as appropriate. Currently, there are very limited structured
vocational experiences at the high school other than: a.) the occasional
career exploration field trip; b.) older students for whom the district has
contracted for career explorations /experiences (i.e., Perspectives etc.).
Some of the other older students with IEPs have independently gone and found
work experiences. In terms of
vocational assessments, South Kingstown has plans to address this lack of
consistency and documentation. Ten Sigma ÒTargeting TransitionÓ is the
transition tool that will be used in South Kingstown. This tool assesses transition needs
via a rubric and leads to development of measurable goals. There is a
portfolio-based progress monitoring component that documents activities and
provides a menu of transition goals and objectives for students at a variety
of transition levels. Teachers will receive professional development in
December 2007 and February 2008. |
Interviews Document Review |
Recent
professional development has occurred in Ten Sigma ÒTargeting TransitionÓ as
one transition tool used to assess students. This training will continue
throughout the year. Roles and responsibilities regarding use of these tools
in the new IEP process will be reviewed and clarified. Timeline:
Immediately and ongoing. October 2008 Building -based
administrators will ensure collaboration between school counselors and the
special education department chair to ensure an integrated system of ILPs
including transition plans for students with special needs. Vocational
assessment and transitional structures and indicatives will be led by the
special education department chair (see also Section 3, item #3) Timeline:
Immediately and ongoing. September 2008 |
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Performance |
8 |
The Independent
Transition Academy (formerly known as the Farm School) currently serves high
schools students with IEPs (10th-12th graders) who have participated in the
Farm School program and will graduate from the program. The future of the
Independent Transition Academy will be to examine the feasibility of
supporting students 18-21 years of age who may need additional experiences in
the area of transition related experiences and opportunities. |
District
Presentation Document Review |
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Performance |
9 |
Summary of
Performance (SOP). The high school
follows the state suggested forms and reviewed the forms via special
education department chair. |
Document Review |
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Performance |
10 |
The special
education department chair attends the Transition Advisory Council (TAC) or
sends a representative. |
District
Presentation Document Review |
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Performance |
11 |
At the high
school referrals to the Office of Rehabilitative Services (ORS) and the
Division of Development Disabilities (DDD) is done by the special education
department chair in conjunction with the studentÕs case manager. |
District
Presentation Document Review |
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