Spring 2008 Newsletter

by Emily Stark, North Texas Support Group Leader

Part TWO of TWO

This article is based upon information gathered by Ms. Stark at the Parents Organization Academy Conference on November 15-16, 2007. The conference was sponsored by the Parent Coordination Network, Region 9 ESC, and the Texas Education Agency. If you have specific questions regarding yuor child or school, please contact Sheryl Kadmon, TSA of Texas Executive Directors, at 281-238-8096. Part ONE of TWO appeared in the Bonne Nouvelle Winter issue.

The Transition/Graduation portion of the conference was very informative. A website www.transitionintexas.org is currently still under construction, however it has some great information already available to help students transition from high school and into the workplace and/or college. One thing the speakers stressed was this: when preparing your child for life after high school, document all of his/her accomplishments during high school and middle school -- for example, community service, volunteer work, public speaking, office skills, etc. When the time comes to help your student make decisions about their future, this information will be handy in not only providing services your child may still need, but will assist in determining whether trade school, a two year junior college or a four year university is the best option for your child. Texas Education Code Section 89.1070 outlines Graduation Requirements.

When you review the graduation requirements, keep in mind that there are various options to the TAKS testing in the state of Texas. During your ARD meetings, you should discuss which version of the TAKS your child will take, keeping in mind the graduation requirements and type of diploma you can receive. You have the general education TAKS (which is what the majority of the students take); you have the TAKS-ALT (which is the general education TAKS, however it is a much larger font, more space between the questions and fewer questions); you also have the TAKS-M which (means "modified" and is the same as TAKS-ALT but having fewer answer choices -- 3 instead of 4; simplified sentence structure; as well as other accommodations.) There will be an M sample online soon for you to review.

One good point was made -- when determining accommodations for your child, make sure your child is AWARE of their accommodations. Do not only have accommodations for your child during the TAKS testing. This can stress the child out more because at the last minute they are removed from the general education classroom to go to another location to take the TAKS test. As you expect the school to keep you informed of your child's situation, you should keep your child abreast of what is expected of them and what they are entitled to for accommodations.

Most anything you need to know about TEA and Special Education can be found at www.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/. They have a listing of all the documentation available to the public; you can read it online or print it off for later reference. This section of TEA's website is kept updated, so refer to this site regularly to keep up to date on any changes that may occur; or if you feel you aren't getting the right answers, go here to find what you need. Always remember it's good practice to know Code Sections when discussing problems you may be having. The more informed you are, the less likely you will have problems with the school.

The Response to Intervention (RTI) presentation was outlined as an "alternative" to the general education initiative -- an instructional model for ALL students, designed to address both academic and behavioral issues and intended to ensure that instructional practices and interventions are implemented to assist struggling students. It was NOT set up as a program for students with disabilities or as another "hoop" to jump through in order to get into special education. This system was researched and created by numerous organizations within TEA; national associations dealing with education; Parent/Teacher Associations; and various universities within the state of Texas. It was adopted to specifically create a curriculum for general education using multi-tiered interventions; increasing in intensity based on a particular student's needs; monitoring by the student's progress; and analyzing data models at most schools and RTI contacts at each Region.

The Texas Behavior Support Initiative (TBSI) was an outline of Senate Bill 1196 effective September 1, 2001 which provides "it is the policy of this state to treat all students with respect and dignity." It prohibits use of locked seclusionary time-out in Texas Public schools, and it applies to charter schools. The initiative defines just what seclusion, restraint and time-out can be and allows the use of locked time-out in defined emergency situations. Each school campus should have several employees who have been specifically trained on the TBSI program for "crisis prevention intervention" (CPI). According to the statistics, academic and social failures are related. Students with problems often suffer from academic and social deficits, and those academic deficits are among the most powerful predictors of social failure and problem behavior. This is a circle that must be broken.

The Schoolwide Positive Behavior program is an initiative that uses positive behavior supports for all students, including those with disabilities. This is a three tiered model of support: the universal support which applies to all students; the selected support which applies to at risk students used in small groups and classroom strategies; and the targeted support which is for high risk students and provides individual intervention. There are seven training modules that each core team on campus must have completed. It is my understanding that Region 4 offers this training on-line; however, I was unable to access it as a parent. Nonetheless, your school should know of and be fully trained with regard to this program. There are websites listed at the end of this article which pertain to TBSI.

The last presentation was the Texas Complaint Resolution Process. I wish we could have had an entire day just for this topic. There are five stages of the conflict resolution process: prevention, disagreement, conflict, procedural safeguards and legal review. This is my understanding of how it works: the first step is local resolution; you want to try and resolve within the walls of your own school, if at all possible. If you cannot resolve, the next step would be to write and file your complaint. When filing your complaint letter, it is always good practice to either mail via certified mail, return receipt requested (so you know when it has been received) or UPS/FedEx. Using email or fax can be tricky - servers can go down and you are never quite sure if anyone has received your complaint. It is the same with a fax; even though your machine says you have confirmation of reaching its final destination, that doesn't mean the end machine won't run out of paper or get lost in memory. So go with the old standards! Once they have received your complaint the clock begins ticking.

Your complaint should be filed with the state board, the local superintendent, your school and the director of special education within your district. A complaints team will be assigned to you. Make sure your letter includes as much factual information as you can provide. Include your name; address; telephone numbers; relationship to the student; student's name; date of birth; school identification number (if they have one); the school's name and address; the services your child qualifies for; what violation has been committed in connection with those services; and what your resolution to the situation would be. Provide documentation, if you have any, of the complaint to go along with the letter. This may include printed emails, faxes, correspondence, notes from teachers, etc. regarding why the services were not provided as written in your IEP. You do not need to provide copies of your ARD paperwork, as the complaint team will get that from the school. Within a few days of the complaint team's receipt of your letter, you should have a telephone call or follow up letter acknowledging receipt.

If you receive a letter back, which most likely you will, you must comply with the letter and stick to the time-frame they give you. In other words, if they tell you they need documentation that you have not already provided, and they want said documentation within two (2) weeks, MAKE SURE YOU GET IT DONE and sent to them in a timely manner. Otherwise, you have not met their compliance and you may have to start all over again. The complaints team may request other documentation from you; just make sure you comply. An investigation will begin upon receipt of the additional documentation requested, and then a report is produced. You will be given a copy of the report. A corrective action response letter will then be sent out with the results of the investigation and their recommendations for corrective actions. All of this is usually done with 30-90 days, BUT be advised that this process gives the school one (1) year to implement corrective actions from date of issuance (in other words from the date of the corrective actions letter you receive.)

During the conference, I received so much helpful information, it was a little overwhelming. However, every one in attendance had wonderful website information to hand out so you could return home and research on your own (see Resource sites at end of this article). The speakers were very informative and knowledgeable, and provided me with answers to the many questions I receive from parents and my own school personnel. If they hold another Parent Organization Academy, I hope to be invited back!

Remember to keep an eye on your own Region's website for upcoming training seminars that parents can attend (www.esc#.net), usually free of charge. Check out the Special Populations and find out who your director is. They can provide a world of services you never knew you, as a taxpayer, are entitled to!

Helpful Resource sites provided by the presenters:

Student Assessment - www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/index/html
Accommodations Manual - www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/admin/AccommManual_2007_08_tagged.pdf
Revised ARD Manual -
www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/admin/2007_08_ARD_Manual_tagged.pdf
Division of IDEA Coordination Assessment Webpage -www.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/guidance/assessment.html
Texas State Laws - www.legis.state.tx.us/
No Child Left Behind Website - www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.html
Alternate Assessments email questions to- alternate.assessments@tea.state.tx.us
Testing Accommodations email questions to - test.accommodations@tea.state.ts.us
Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts, organized research unit within the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin - www.TexasReading.org
Schoolwide PBS Websites -

Texas Continuum of Special Education Conflict Resolution Options was adapted from CADRE www.directionservice.org/cadre/continuum