February 6, 2012

Vol. 1, Issue 21

The Special Edition
SFUSD's Special Education Newsletter
In This Issue
Announcements
Welcome Dr. Blanco
SEIS FAQ
Special Olympics
SEIS Transition
Articles for Reflection and Professional Development
Quick Links



















weareteachers.com

 

e-soccer.org

 

Upcoming Events

PD for Paraprofessionals

February 11, 2012

9:00 - 12:00

John O'Connell HS 

registration:

http://sfusd.k12oms.org/eventdetail.php?id=56393 

 

 

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Let's open doors and minds. Let's throw a spotlight on the richness that people who are different bring to mainstream society. Let's talk about assets instead of liabilities.
~Helen Henderson, "Inclusion can transform the workplace dynamic", Toronto Star, Dec. 30, 2006  

As we continue to share news within SFUSD and beyond, please consider submitting an article for publication. Simply email [email protected], and we will be delighted to showcase your school or classroom.

Announcements

  • Cal-Tash's 30th Anniversary conference and membership meeting will be March 2-3, 2012 in Oakland.  Click here for more information.
  • Professional Development for paraprofessionals is scheduled for February 11, 2012.  Click here to view the flyer.
  • Previous Special Edition Newsletters are now accessible online. Please click here to access them.

Welcome Dr. Blanco!

 

Dr. Elizabeth Blanco is our new Assistant Superintendent for Special Education Services.  As the previous Executive Director of Special Education Services for Pasadena Unified School District, Dr. Blanco comes to SFUSD with a wealth of educational experiences.  She has held positions ranging from infant-pre K teacher, special day class teacher, resource specialist, K-6 principal, director of curriculum and GATE as well as holding upper levels of leadership positions within Special Education Services.

 

Dr. Blanco received her doctoral degree in education in 2009 from the University of Southern California.  To assist in her scholarly pursuits, Dr. Blanco was awarded the prestigious ALAS/Houghton Mifflin scholarship for $10,000 in 2006.

 

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Blanco not only to SFUSD, but to the Bay Area.

SEIS Frequently Asked Questions

  

The questions below are common questions received by the help desk in the past few weeks.  We hope you find the answers helpful in assisting with the transition from Goalview to SEIS.

   

Reporting On Progress

How do I report progress on GoalView IEP's? 

  • Print/Copy Goal Page from GoalView and hand write progress. Attach. (Additional: Scan and attach to SEIS record).
  • Access Intranet "Interim" Goal page, enter goal and type/write progress. (Additional: Attach or scan and attach to SEIS).

Accommodations/Modifications 

Where can I find a list of accommodations and modifications?

  • We will have a list of common accommodations and modifications in the Document Library in SEIS. 

Listing Services 

How do I list services for students receiving in class para support and "pull-out" support?

  • Services with a Credentialed Sped Teacher should be coded as Specialized Academic Instruction (330) and indicate the location accurately.
  • Para Professional Support should be coded as  Other Special Education/Related Service (900).
  • Please review the Paraprofessional Guidelines for further information on paraprofessional service documentation. 

Goals

Am I still required to have grade level goals? 

 

SLI Case Management 

What is my "role" now that I am no longer the case manager for SLI students? 

Access to Students you are NOT the Case Manager

What if I provide services to a student but I am not the case manager? Can I still have access to the students IEP in SEIS? 

  • You will need to be added as a "Service Provider".  Fill out a "Student Change Form" on SEIS. In the comments box please write the service you provide.

Mandatory IEP Forms

What are the required forms for a legal IEP? 

  • Necessary forms are dependent on the purpose of the IEP. Contact your coordinator if you are unsure of appropriate forms to use. 

Service Minutes

What are the total minutes in a school day? 

Click on Link Below, also on the SEIS Intranet, Documents Library

SFUSD Percentage/Minutes Breakdown

 

"Go Live"  

Can I "Go-Live" with SEIS? 

  • Once you have attended a training and received a username and password you are ready to Affirm/Attest & write IEP's in SEIS! Yes, you can "Go Live"!     

Scanning Signature Page

Are we still required to scan the signature page and attach it to the student's IEP? 

  • Yes. The expectation is that you attached the signature page to the student record in SEIS. 

Contact Info 

If I update a students contact information will it be overridden? 

  • Parents must go to EPC to change CASEMIS information. If they inform you, make note of this change in the meeting notes section only.  The update will occur automatically once parents have submitted to EPC.  

Brownfiles 

Are Brownfiles still required? 

  • Printed documents represent the official IEP. Brownfiles are mandatory and must include all IEP documents.

Unsigned Affirmed/Attested IEP's

If we have A/A an IEP but it is unsigned, should we implement that or the previous signed IEP? 

  • "Signed" means something different than "consent."  If you have Affirm/Attested an IEP, but parents have not "consented" then you must implement the last consented to IEP.  Parents can "sign" in attendance, but that does not equate to "consent."  

Data Director & SEIS

Will Data Director upload into SEIS?

  • No. This is not a possibility.

Changing Information when Affirming/Attesting

If I notice that information is wrong during the A/A process should I change it? 

  • Yes. Change information so that it matches what it on the most current consented copy of the IEP. Remember, only Case Managers can Affirm/Attest in SEIS.

Parent Rights

Where can I find the Parental Rights Document?  

  • Parent Rights is located in the Document Library in SEIS and on the Intranet. 

 

Special Olympics

Basketball Season 2012

 

There are  42 schools, 78 teachers, and 640 students participating in our basketball season this year!

 

Please click here to see a complete list of schools and teachers.

 

A series of Skills Days will culminate in Tournaments the month of February.  Click here to see the complete schedule.

 

Questions?  Please do not hesitate to contact Paul Zager, Program Coordinator, Special Olympics:  [email protected]

 

SEIS Transition: Assignment of Case Managers

  

Case managers (CM) are being assigned based on the student's primary eligibility.  If a student's primary and/or only eligibility is Speech Language Impairment, the Speech Language Pathologist will be assigned as the case manager even if the student receives specialized academic instruction from a special education teacher in addition to speech services.

 

This policy is necessary in order to be in compliance with credential requirements.

 

Click here to review the Case Manager Responsibilities document for further clarification.

 

Thank you for your dedication and hard work during this transition. If you have any questions please contact Sarah Ashton ([email protected]) the SEIS Implementation Coordinator.

Articles for Reflection and Professional Development

 

 

This is an ongoing section where we will provide a current and relevant research article. The goal is to promote discussion and intellectual stimulation amongst SFUSD staff, schools, and the community.

 

Bruce A. Golmic and Mary A. Hansen from Robert Morris University published their research findings in the International Journal of Special Education titled Attitudes, Sentiments, and Concerns of Pre-service Teachers After Their INCLUDED Experience. 

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an INCLUDED Experience on the attitudes, sentiments and concerns of pre-service teachers toward students with exceptional learning needs after 12 weeks of student teaching in secondary education classrooms.  The INCLUDED Experience is an eight step performance based reflective child study of pre-service teachers' attitude, concerns, knowledge, and skills during their inclusion in the classroom.  Results provided evidence that after completing an INCLUDED Experience, pre-service teachers had positive attitudes and decreased concerns toward inclusion.  The overall findings suggest that the INCLUDED Experience shows promise as a model that pre-service teachers should follow to support, teach and engage students with exceptional learning needs in general education classrooms.

 

  Click here to read more.

 



Sincerely,

Communications Team
Special Education Services, SFUSD

 

 

 

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