| Upcoming Events |
LAD Webcast September 20, 2011 8:45 AM - 11:00 AM Board Room, 1st Floor 555 Franklin St. Contact: Annette Minafo, minafoa@sfusd.edu Parent Input Meeting September 22, 2011 6:00-8:00 PM Mission High School Contact: Kristen Devine, devinek@sfusd.edu
Professional Development Opportunity "The Fine Art of Collaboration in Special Education" September 27, 2011 3:30 - 6:30 PM Sherman Elementary School Contact: Mercedes Venegas,
venegasm1@sfusd.edu
TRAX Training
September 26, 2011
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
750 25th Avenue
Multipurpose Room
OR
October 14, 2011
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
750 25th Avenue
Multipurpose Room Contact: Laura Ramirez, dominguezl@sfusd.edu |
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Greetings, Special Educators and Friends!
Welcome to the fourth issue of "The Special Edition," SFUSD's Special Education newsletter! In this issue, you will find information about our new Records Clerk, Erik Ramirez; learn about Cornerstone on Demand, an exciting learning management tool; hear stories about what's going on at Rosa Parks Elementary; and, of course, much more.
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Announcements
Professional Development Opportunity
We would like to extend an invitation to you to participate in an upcoming professional development opportunity called "The Fine Art of Collaboration in Special Education" on September 27. More information about the event and how to register can be found here.
NCLB Highly Qualified Review Underway!
Human Resources is updating the highly qualified status of SFUSD teaching staff. Special Education teachers need to be certified as highly qualified in each subject taught. For secondary teachers, you may need to be highly qualified in English, math, social studies and science.
If you are contacted, please send proof of subject matter competency to Christy Prasad in Human Resources at prasadc@sfusd.edu. If you have any questions or are interested in learning how to add subject areas please contact Christy as well.
Reminder: LAD Webcast on September 20
As a reminder, the LAD Webcast will take place on Tuesday, September 20 from 8:45 AM to 11:00 AM in the Board Room, 1st Floor, 555 Franklin Street.
This webcast is designed to discuss the implementation of the new specialty area of Language and Academic Development for the Education Specialist Credential. Regulations are effective 9/3/2011. The webcast will include information on requirements, authorization, program standards timelines, and scenarios on how the new authorization may be used for preschool, K-12 students who qualify under the Individualized Education Program (IEP). In addition, the authorization for the Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential will be discussed.
The webcast will be archived for viewing at a later date. Parking is limited; please carpool.
For more information or to RSVP, please contact Annette Minafo at minafoa@sfusd.edu.
You can find handouts for the presentation here and here.
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Staff Spotlight: Erik Ramirez, New Records Clerk!
SFUSD is thrilled to welcome Erik Ramirez to the Special Education Services team! Erik will be our new Records Clerk. Erik received an offer for the position on his wedding day, June 14, to Laura Dominguez, who is also a beloved member of the Special Ed team! Laura serves as the Executive Assistant to High School Supervisor Chris Lanier and Middle School Supervisor Lisa Miller. Erik started in the position on June 27, 2011.
Erik is no stranger to SFUSD, as he served as the School Registrar at Thurgood Marshall High School for four years prior to his new position. He was instrumental in leading our Records Clean Up Week in July, and now our special education records are much more accessible.
If you need to secure special education records, please contact him at RamirezE2@sfusd.edu. Welcome to the team, Erik!
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School Spotlight: Rosa Parks Elementary School
A goal of SFUSD leadership is to eliminate departments operating in silos. This school year began with a refreshing demonstration of cooperation and mutual respect. Near the end of last year, Rosa Parks Elementary School recommended a 4th grade RSP student for expulsion because of repeated suspensions for violation of Education Code 48900, A1. Although the manifest determination cleared the recommendation to proceed to a hearing, Pupil Services, Special Education Services, and school administration agreed to utilize a restorative approach while revising the student's Behavior Support Plan. On the Thursday before the first day of school, an IEP meeting was held. Our new SPED supervisor helped facilitate this meeting. The director from Pupil Services was also present and participated actively in the discussion. All the key issues were addressed and the outcomes met everyone's needs. A restorative conference was scheduled for the following week. It was led by Keri Berkowitz, the SFUSD Restorative Practices coordinator. The conference was instrumental in restoring the student to our school community. Since then, he has made substantial progress. The success of these efforts resulted from clear communication between all the stakeholders, during each step towards finding a solution. That makes such a positive difference. Want to share what's going on at your school? E-mail us at spedfeedback@sfusd.edu, and your story may be featured in an upcoming issue of "The Special Edition"! |
WorkAbility at SFUSD
Ever wondered what resources are out there for transition-aged youth with disabilities? Have you heard about SFUSD's WorkAbility program, but you weren't sure exactly what it is or how to get started?
Find out more about SFUSD's WorkAbility program HERE, and learn what Special Education Services is doing to provide access to employment opportunities for youth with disabilities, ages 14-22.
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Cornerstone on Demand
Special Education Services, in collaboration with SFUSD's Human Resources (HR) and Information and Technology (IT) departments, is proud to announce the impending launch of an innovative learning management system powered by Cornerstone on Demand (CSOD).
CSOD will provide all district employees a secure site to view upcoming learning opportunities, register for instructor-led professional development, and access a library of PowerPoint presentations and video tutorials. SFUSD will also have an opportunity to create web-based courses that employees can take and complete at their own pace.
Unlike our current online registration stystem, OMS, Cornerstone on Demand will keep a running transcript of all learning opportunities each employee completes. This will assist teachers in documenting their professional development towards renewing credentials, bolster skills and allow for data analysis related to professional learning trends.
Stayed tuned for more updates about this exciting new system! |
Compliance Update
Verification Review: Policies and Procedures Review
The Verification Review has four main components:
- Parent Input
- File Review
- Policy and Procedure Review
- Fiscal Review
Previous articles have reviewed Parent Input and the File Review Process. This article will explain the CDE's process for reviewing Special Education Services' Policy and Procedures.
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Procedural Handbook
Navigating to relevant sections of the handbook is easy not only with the table of contents as reviewed in the previous issue, but with the search function.
Learn about how to easily search through the online handbook here.
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FAQ
Question: What is the difference between an accommodation and a modification when testing a student? Answer: An accommodation is any variation in the assessment environment or process that does not fundamentally alter what the test measures or affect the comparability of test scores. Examples of accommodations include using a Braille transcription; having the mathematics section of the test read to the student or via audio presentation on a CD; or having extra time to complete the test. A modification is any variation in the assessment environment or process that fundamentally alters what the test measures or affects the comparability of test scores. Examples include having the multiple-choice portion of the English-language arts (ELA) section of the test read to the student via audio or oral presentation on a CD, or using Manually Coded English or American Sign Language to present the multiple-choice test questions of the ELA section to the student. Both accommodations and modifications are discussed and agreed to in either a meeting to design a 504 plan or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Please consider reviewing the Matrix of Variations, Accommodations and Modifications produced by the California Department of Education (CDE). It can be easily reviewed on our Special Education intranet site as part of the Procedural Handbook SPED document Library. It is titled "matrix2012fnl."
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Sincerely,
Communications Team Special Education Services, SFUSD |
This newsletter is for SFUSD employees and community partners. If you do not have an SFUSD e-mail address and would like to receive this newsletter, please join our mailing list.
For newsletter feedback or more information, please contact us at spedfeedback@sfusd.edu.
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