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POLICY & COMPLIANCE COMMITTEEREVIEW OF LRE MONITORING PROTOCOLS

March 26, 2007

This analysis was generated as a result of documents provided to Committee Chairs by Judy Gran on March 15, 2007. It is not clear if or when PDE was going to request AP input in the development of these interview protocols.

When interviewing it is usually advisable to have open-ended questions that put people at ease and enable exploration of issues. Since LRE monitoring is not voluntary it is likely that there will be some defensiveness on the part of interviewees making it even more desirable to have open–ended questions to minimize social desirability in the responses (saying what you believe the right answer to be or what you believe the interviewer is wanting to hear). Also, questions eliciting a simple yes/no response are not likely to yield much useful information.

Open-ended questions usually take the form of How/What/Why/Explain/Describe questions, whereas closed-ended questions usually start with Are/Is/have/Do/Does etc..

2007/07 interview questions are presented first followed by similar questions from 2005/06 protocols. Comments in italics represent suggestions for alternative questions. Recommendations and suggested questions from the Policy & Compliance Committee from March 2006 are provided for comparison at the end of the document.

1A. SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER INTERVIEW, 2006/07Questions specific to student whose file was reviewed:

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Were you a member of the IEP team that made the decision to place (child’s name) in your class?

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Are you familiar with the contents of (child’s name)’s IEP? Few teachers would admit unfamiliarity. Better to ask What is in the IEP?

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Do you have a copy of the IEP?

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Are supplementary aids and services included in the IEP?A yes/no answer is not what is wanted. Ask What SAS are included in the IEP?

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Are there supplementary aids and services included in the IEP that are to be delivered in general education settings?What are they?

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Are the specially designed instruction and supplementary aids and services that are to be provided in general education settings being provided to (child’s name)? Allows for a simple yes/no answer. Saying no is also self-criticism. Better to ask How are the SAS provided in the general education setting?

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Are the specially designed instruction and supplementary aids and services that are provided to the child in general education settings sufficient to meet (child’s name)’s needs? SAS can vary from class to class and the quality of their

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intervention may vary from class to class. A simple yes/no answer here is not going to give much information. Which SAS provided in regular education classes have been most effective? Please give specific examples.

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Do you have a role in providing the specially designed instruction and supplementary aids and services in the general education classroom? Asking What is your role? will give better information

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Do you receive the training and support you need to provide the specially designed instruction and supplementary aids and services in the general education classroom? What training and support do you feel you need? What do you receive?

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Are appropriate staff involved with the planning and implementation of (child’s name)’s program?Who is seen to be “appropriate” depends on your assumptions and point of view. Ask Who is involved? Compare that with the team’s analysis of who they think should be involved.

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Do you have adequate time to meet as a team for planning? How much time is enough? If you are doing little then little time is needed, if you are doing a lot then more time is needed. Admitting to inadequate time could be seen as critical of school administrators. Saying” yes” is also not going to give enough information.

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Do you provide consultative support to other team members? What support do you provide to other team members?

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Do you have a role in monitoring and reporting (child’s name)’s progress on IEP goals?What is your role in …?

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Is (child’s name) making progress toward IEP goals?How much progress is the big question. How do you define meaningful progress for …? Are goals changing with each IEP revision to reflect continued progress? If a goal is not reached does the team discuss ways to improve educational progress?

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Is there a structure in place that allows you to have effective communication with (child’s name)’s parents?How do you communicate with parents? How would you characterize your relationship with parents?

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Is (child’s name) receiving educational benefit from participation in your general education classroom? Ask How do you define “educational benefit”? What are the benefits as you see them?

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Does (child’s name) need supplementary aids and services to participate in assemblies, field trips and extra-curricular activities? (If yes, ask next question)The quality of the participation is more important than the fact of participation. Participation is different from presence.

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Are needed supplementary aids and services being provided to (child’s name)?Is the student being provided with what s/he needs to maximize her LRE?

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Before proceeding with the following questions, ask the teacher if they have already been interviewed during this focused monitoring on-site review. If they have, do NOT ask the remaining questions and leave questions 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 and 54 blank on the tally sheet.

General – open ended/code as to topics (NOTE: A “Don’t Know” section has been added to the tally sheet.)48

In this school, are there barriers to a student with disabilities participating in general education? If yes, what are these barriers? This is a good question. Also ask Who/what is driving school inclusion?

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If students need modified curricula in order to participate in general education classrooms, is it provided? If no, why not? How well are teachers making needed modifications to curricula?

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Are students who experience behavioral problems in general education classes “sent back” to the special education class or teacher? How is this decision made? Please give examples if this happening.

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If this occurs, is it a planned strategy that is included in the student’s IEP? What is this question trying to get at? It is not a good strategy even if it is planned.

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Have general education teachers been provided with training and assistance to enable them to implement behavioral supports in the general education classroom? What training do teachers receive re behavioral support?Is it enough?

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For children who have intensive behavioral support needs, is there interagency collaboration between school staff and other agency staff (social work, psychologists, mental health, child welfare) to ensure that the needs of the student are addressed? What is the level and nature of the collaboration? Is it adequate?

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Does the level of interagency collaboration increase if the team is considering making a referral to a more restrictive setting?What is this question trying to get at?

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1B. SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER INTERVIEW (OTHER SETTINGS), 2006/07Many of the questions are leading i.e., stroingly suggest a socially desirable answer or a simple yes/no response. Generally, it is a good idea with interview research to have open-ended questions (such as What, When, How and Why questions) because they encourage the interviewee to give their perspective from their experience rather than simple yes or no responses possibly in a socially desirable direction.

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Are appropriate staff involved with the planning and implementation of (child’s name)’s program?Same as SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER INTERVIEW above #39

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Do you have adequate time to meet as a team for planning?Same as SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER INTERVIEW above #40

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Do you have a role in monitoring and reporting (child’s name)’s progress on IEP goals?Same as SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER INTERVIEW above #41

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Is (child’s name) making progress toward IEP goals?To say no to this could be perceived as very critical of a number of people…Better to ask what progress are you seeing?Same as SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER INTERVIEW above #43

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Is (child’s name) receiving educational benefit from participation in your program?Same as SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER INTERVIEW above #45

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Does (child’s name) have access to the general education curriculum?What does “access” mean? The amount and quality of inclusion is what we are interested in.

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Are there opportunities for (child’s name) to interact with non-disabled peers?In what ways does this students interact with…? What is the nature and quality of these interactions?

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Does the school plan or facilitate these opportunities?How does the school plan…?

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Does (child’s name) go on field trips, attend school functions or participate in extracurricular activities with their same age/grade non-disabled peers?In what ways does this students interact with…? What is the nature and quality of these interactions?

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Does (child’s name) have any opportunities to be involved in the community as part of their school program? If yes, describe the activities:“Opportunities” is a positively loaded word (schools are all about opportunities). This is likely to strongly urge the interviewee to search for some “opportunities.” A more neutral question could be Is the student involved in the community as part of their school program? If so how?

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Is there a structure in place that allows you to have effective communication with (child’s name)’s parents?Same as SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER INTERVIEW above #44

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Has the IEP team discussed the development of a plan to transition (child’s name) back into the school district with supplementary aids and services?Good question. But what is the plan!

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1C. TEACHER INTERVIEW, 2005/06

General 34 How does the IEP team document that they considered

multiple educational placement options for a student?Same as ADMINISTRATIVE INTERVIEW, 2005/06, # 6What is the quality of the consideration?

35 Does inclusion of a student with a disability into a general education classroom depend upon the student’s disability and/or the severity of disability? Explain.

36 To what degree does the participation of a student with a disability in general education classrooms depend upon the student’s ability to be successful without accommodations and/or adaptations? Please explain.

Scheduling and Staffing 37 Do children self-select electives when that is an option

provided to students at that age (i.e., art, music, industrial education at middle school and high school levels)?How are electives chosen?

38 What opportunities are made available for a child to interact with non-disabled peers if the IEP team determines that he or she needs to be removed for any amount of time from the general education environment? How is such a decision arrived at!

39 Are related services provided to meet the needs of all children with disabilities as required in their IEPs? How are related services…?

Supplementary Aids and Services 40 What kinds of supplementary aids and services are provided

to students with disabilities in regular classes? Give examples.

41 How are accommodations and modifications developed for an individual student? Give examples of typical accommodations that are often provided. Give an example of an atypical accommodation that has been provided in your school.

42 In your school, have modified curricula been provided for students with disabilities in general education classrooms? If yes, describe the process for modifying the curriculum to meet the needs of a student.

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43 Are special education students who are educated in general education classes sent back to special education class/teacher when they experience behavioral problems? If yes, how is this decision made and is it reflected in the behavior support plan for the student? This is a better version than question #50 above.

44 What are the top three factors that make it challenging to successfully provide a range of supplementary aids and services to students with disabilities within general education classrooms in your school?

45 What additional resources or supports to teachers would be helpful to facilitate providing supplementary aids and services to students with disabilities within general classrooms?

Collaboration 46 How often are special education teachers available for co-

teaching and consultation in general education classrooms?

47 Is sufficient time in the master schedule provided for common planning and collaboration if documented as a need in student IEPs, e.g. between general education and special education teachers, between related services staff and educators, between paraeducators and teachers, etc.? How much time is scheduled? Is it sufficient?

48 Which courses in the district are team-taught or co-taught by general and special educators? What issues has team-teaching raised for you?

49 For children with a need for emotional support, is there interagency coordination or collaboration between school based staff and service providers (social work, psychologists, mental health, child welfare) to ensure that the needs of the student are understood and addressed before making a referral to a more restrictive setting? Please give examples.

Professional Development and Supports 50 Is professional development available for addressing the

issue of access to the general curriculum for all students? What professional development is available…?

51 Describe the topics and modes of professional development that have been provided during the last two school years?

52 Does the LEA provide or facilitate contact with specialist or consultants who can advise the IEP team on supports and services in regular education? What contact is provided…?

53 What efforts are made to coordinate supports and services to facilitate student transitions from one setting or school to another? (e.g. pre-school – kindergarten; elementary –

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middle; middle – high school, high school – adult life)

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2A. Parent Interview, 2006/07Use the following scale to answer questions #126 through 131:

SCALE 1 2 3 4 5 6Always Most of

the timeRarely Never Don't

KnowDoes not Apply

126

I am satisfied with the educational placement for my child.Asking questions about satisfaction can be very problematic. Parents may be satisfied for many different and contradictory reasons. For example, a parent may be satisfied because the current placement is all they think they are entitled to, or conversely, a parent may never be satisfied because their child’s education can always be improved.

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The school provides opportunities for parent training that I could attend.What opportunities…?

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My child participates in assemblies and field trips.With typical students? What is the quality of this participation?

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My child’s general education teacher discusses my child’s program with me. What is the quality of such discussions? Can you give examples of such discussions?

130 My child spends time in school with children who do not have disabilities.What does “spends time” mean? They attend the same school? The same bus?

131 When I don’t understand my child’s educational rights, someone from the school takes the time to explain them to me.The nature of the explanation is the issue. If the principal always explains to the parent that they have no educational rights they get high marks on this question!

132 Did you participate with the IEP team in making the current educational placement decision for your child?

133 Does your child attend his/her neighborhood school? (If Yes, go to question 134)

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Do you understand why your child is not currently attending his/her neighborhood school?Why are we asking about the parent’s level of understanding about segregation? Why not ask why their child is not attending her neighborhood school.

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What was the reason for placing your child in another school?Good question. How was this decision made?

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133c

If your child is not attending school in your school district, has the IEP team discussed transitioning your child back?“Transitioning” might be a confusing term. How about asking if the IEP is trying to get her child back into her school district?

133d

Did the IEP team consider placing your child in the general education classroom with supplementary aids and services before deciding on the current educational placement? What was the quality (time given, priority, effort, creativity) to the “consideration” is the issue!

134 Does the IEP team discuss ways to increase your child’s participation in general education environments (classrooms, other school environments)?Discuss or achieve?

135 Is your child making progress toward the goals on the IEP?Good question. How much progress? To what do you attribure this progress? If little/no progress, why?

136 Is your child receiving educational benefit from participation in the general education classroom?“Educational benefit” is very abstract. Like satisfaction, a parent may respond for many different reasons. We are interested in how the parent sees “benefit.”

137 Is there a structure in place that allows you to have effective communication with your child’s school team?Other than the IEP? What kind of “structure” do you have

in mind?How do you communicate with your child’s team?

138 Does your child need supplementary aids and services in the general education classroom? (If Yes, answer question 138a)A parent may not know what SAS is.

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Are the needed supplementary aids and services being provided to your child in the general education classroom?As above. How well are they provided?

139 Are you aware of any training or consultation provided in your school district for groups of parents and educators together (for example, team trainings, workshops)?Are we interested in parental awareness or the existence and participation in trainings?

Are you aware of any recent training that has been provided for parents in your school district regarding the following topics:

140 Least Restrictive Environment?Presumably LRE and the terms below will be explained to

parents.

141 Supplementary Aids and Services?

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142 Behavior Support?

143 Teaching students with disabilities in general education classrooms?

144 Collaboration and Co-Teaching?

145 Assistive Technology?

146 Are you aware of any recent training that has been provided for parents in your school district other than the ones listed above? If so, what was the topic of the training?

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2B. Parent Interview, 2005/06

24 Does the IEP team provide clear information about serving students in regular classrooms and supplementary aids and services available in determining educational placement?This question assumes inclusion. How does the IEP team provide...?

25 Does your child receive services as required in the IEP that help him/her to be successful in the regular educational classroom?How is success defined?

26 Did the IEP team discuss your child’s access to the general educational curriculum?What does “access” mean to a parent? What kind of discussion was it?

27 If your child receives educational services in the general education classroom, is the classroom teacher familiar with the supplementary aids and services in your child’s IEP?

28 Does your child participate in school sponsored extra-curricular activities?If so, how?

29 Does your child participate in assemblies and field trips? If so, how?

30 Does the LEA provide or facilitate contact with specialists or consultants who can advise the IEP team on supports and services in regular education (persons consulted and their recommendations could be added in narrative content in the justification sections of the annotated IEP).A parent may not know what consultants the LEA provides.

31 Does your child spend time in school with children who do not have disabilities?

How much time and in what ways?

32 How was the educational placement decision made for your child?

Good question.

33 (For parents of students in our-of-district placements) How was the decision made for your child to receive services out of the district?Good question.

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3A. ADMINISTRATIVE INTERVIEW, 2006/07Apparently omitted.

3B. ADMINISTRATIVE INTERVIEW, 2005/06

General: 4 Do all children with disabilities attend the school they would

attend if they did not have a disability? If not, explain.

5 How do IEP teams ensure that the general education classroom with supplementary aids and services is considered prior to making a decision to remove a student from general education for all or part of the school day?

6 How does the IEP team document that they considered multiple educational placement options for a student? Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #34

7 Is there a continuum of services available to address students who need varying types and levels of support? What is the continuum in this school district?

Scheduling and Staffing 8 How are decisions made about scheduling and/or classroom

assignments of students with disabilities into general education classrooms? (e.g. are students with disabilities clustered into certain classrooms or distributed throughout multiple classrooms in more natural proportions?)

9 Do children self-select electives when that is an option provided to students at that age (i.e., art, music, industrial education at middle school and high school levels)? Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #37

10 How does the LEA support participation of children with disabilities in nonacademic and extracurricular activities (i.e., transportation)?

11 What opportunities are made available for a child to interact with non-disabled peers if the IEP team determines that he or she needs to be removed for any amount of time from the general education environment? Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #38

12 Are related services provided to meet the needs of all children with disabilities as required in their IEPs? Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #39

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Supplementary Aids and Services 13 What kinds of supplementary aids and services are provided

to students with disabilities in regular classes? Give examples. Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #40

14 How are accommodations and modifications developed for an individual student? Give examples of typical accommodations that are often provided. Give an example of an atypical accommodation that has been provided in your school.Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #41

15 In your school, have modified curricula been provided for students with disabilities in general education classrooms? If yes, describe the process for modifying the curriculum to meet the needs of a student. Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #42

16 Are special education students who are educated in general education classes sent back to special education class/teacher when they experience behavioral problems? If yes, how is this decision made and is it reflected in the behavior support plan for the student? Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #43

Collaboration 17 How often are special education teachers available for co-

teaching and consultation in general education classrooms?Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #46

18 Is sufficient time in the master schedule provided for common planning and collaboration if documented as a need in student IEPs, e.g. between general education and special education teachers, between related services staff and educators, between paraeducators and teachers, etc.? Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #47

19 Which courses in the district are team-taught or co-taught by general and special educators? Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #48

Professional Development and Supports 20 Is professional development available for addressing the

issue of access to the general curriculum for all students? Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #50

21 Describe the topics and modes of professional development that have been provided during the last two school years? Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #51

22 Does the LEA provide or facilitate contact with specialist or consultants who can advise the IEP team on supports and services in regular education? Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #52

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23 What efforts are made to coordinate supports and services to facilitate student transitions from one setting or school to another? (e.g. pre-school – kindergarten; elementary – middle; middle – high school, high school – adult life) Same as TEACHER INTERVIEW #53

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4. ORIGINAL QUESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO PDE FROM AP, circa. March, 2006

1. With a short deadline and no time to review any materials in an in-depth manner, we should look at recommendations that address the qualitative (personal) view as opposed to a quantitative (data) view. Understand the laws have been on the books for several years regarding LRE. So now some questions:     a. What behaviors within the system (the people) preclude the effective implementation of LRE? (e.g., is it the behaviors of the local administration, teachers, school board...etc......?)    b. Are these behaviors systemic (ex, An administrator/superintendent's nonverbal communication to the schools is that we want to keep our PSSA scores high so that we will have no interruptions of federal funding...therefore let us do what ever is possible to exclude individuals requiring support services/LRE)? How can we use compliance to impact on systemic behaviors?    c. Is the community at large inwardly/outwardly fighting LRE In their local schools (e.g., parents stating to school administrators that they do not want their children in classes with children requiring additional services)?    d. Are senior teachers/teacher trainers addressing the issue of access to the general curriculum for all students?    e. What levels of retooling? Retraining will have to occur in order to change behaviors? /Who would do the training? When would it occur? At the heart of this issue is the perspective of "people” to make any changes effectively, we must address the stakeholders’ perspectives and expect them to be accountable to see the impact of their perspectives and to review, evaluate, recommend how to improve or change their perspectives on the issues of LRE and access to the general curriculum. To promote best practices that will have an impact on its effective implementation within their local school district.

QUESTIONS (to be asked of teachers, administrators etc.)

Are special education staff available for co-teaching, consultation, teacher support and student support? Are mentors with experience working in an inclusive setting available to assist teachers who have not taught

in an inclusive classroom (or who have not worked with students with particular needs for supports and services)?

For which special education students in the district do staff consider inclusion is appropriate? Does that group include students with significant cognitive disabilities, or those who are performing significantly below grade level?

Is the cost to provide services a consideration when making placement recommendations?Do staff consider that appropriateness for inclusion depends on the student’s “level of functioning”? What kinds of supports are provided to students with disabilities in regular classes?

A modified curriculum – for which students?A significantly modified curriculum – for which students?

A multilevel curriculum An overlapping curriculum

Peer supportDifferentiated instructionTeam teaching or co-teachingTraining of the regular education teacherPositive behavioral supportThe support of an aide (if so, is this an aide hired by the school district or a TSS?)

Does placement in regular class depend on the amount of support the student requires? Does placement in regular class depend on the nature of the child’s disability?

DOES DISABILITY DRIVE PLACEMENT?To begin to analyze if disability drives placement decisions. For example: does a diagnosis or mention of an

Autism spectrum disorder automatically refer to autistic support?Does placement in regular class depend on the student’s ability to function without adaptations? Without

significant modifications?

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How many students with disabilities are placed in centralized programs, and how many in their neighborhood schools? Please identify the neighborhood school and the school(s) where students receive services.

Where are the students with the following disabilities placed?Autistic supportPhysical supportLife Skills Support Emotional Support

Are students with certain disabilities placed in programs operated by the Intermediate UnitAre most students in Life Skills Support, Multiple Disabilities Support, full-time Learning Support, part-time

Learning Support or Emotional Support placed in classes operated by the Intermediate Unit? Are students with disabilities placed in programs based on availability? When students with disabilities are included for part of the day in the regular classroom, are students with the

same classification placed in the same regular classroom? Does placement decision-making begin with regular class? Do discussions of placement begin with the child’s

current placement and ask if it remains appropriate? Are special education students who spend some time in regular class sent back to their special education

classes when they experience behavioral problems? Are special education students denied opportunities to be educated in regular classes because the classes are

full? Who is responsible for the accommodations and modifications that students with disabilities need while in

regular classrooms?The general education teacherThe special education teacherBoth, jointly

Is time set aside for common planning and collaboration, e.g. between general education and special education teachers?

Are there any classes that students with disabilities have limited access to because of lack of modifications and accommodations?

Does the teachers’ contract specify maximum caseloads? If so, are special education students included in the teachers’ student count?

Which courses in the district are team-taught by general and special educators? How are accommodations and modifications chosen? Are they chosen from a list? How many items on the list

represent specially designed instruction (e.g. visual materials to prompt and cue a student with autism) and how many are teaching practices routinely used by general education teachers (e.g. preferential seating)?

Do students with behavioral support needs have access to the regular classroom? Do students whose behavior impedes their learning or that of others have behavioral support plans based on an individualized functional analysis of the problematic behavior? Are those plans implemented in regular class?

Do the staff person(s) providing behavioral support have credentials or training in behavioral disorders and understanding of developmentally appropriate/inappropriate behaviors? Have the interventions being used evidence based effective practices?

For children with a need for behavioral or emotional support, is there interagency coordination or collaboration between school based staff and service providers (social work, psychologists, mental health, child welfare) to ensure that the bio-psychosocial needs of the student are understood and addressed before making referral to a more restrictive setting.

Is there adequate communication between on-site school staff and students (and their parents) so that a student can request supports and services? (maybe in addition to our welcome packet there could be a list of where students can get help (materials should be written in age-appropriate language and are written in a way that is developmental appropriate so that information can be accessible to students.

Do students who use assistive technology have access to it in regular class? How long does it usually take to get an Assistive Technology device?

Are there separate curricula for some students with disabilities (e.g. students receiving Life Skills Support) in the district?

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For how many students in the sample is there evidence that the team considered multiple placement options? For how many students in the sample is there evidence that the IEP team addressed participation in non-

academic and extra-curricular activities? For teachers, school staff and IEP teams: Does the LEA provide or facilitate contact with specialist or

consultants who can advise the IEP team on supports and services in regular education (persons consulted and their recommendations could be added in narrative content in the justification section of the annotated IEP.)

Suggestions for Monitoring approach: To develop a sample stratified by that is stratified by disability in a sample survey of school districts.

MONITORING

DEMOGRAPHICSTo develop a sample of students with disabilities that also includes demographic data on race, gender, and

ethnicity.

RECEIVING OTHER SERVICES OR NEED OTHER SERVICES Are students receiving other supports for students from families with low income (free lunches) and/or for

students who receive ESL supports?

GIFTED AND DISABLEDTo identify students who are dually categorized: gifted and with an IEP. To identify the barriers for inclusive education for gifted students with disabilities.

To begin to adapt effective strategies from gifted support into the regular education classroom.

Savants and Exceptionally Gifted

For students with Autism spectrum to identify the restricted area of interests and/or savant abilities. To build curriculum on a strengths model whenever possible so that all students will learn and build on their current skills and abilities (and restricted repertoire of interests).

TRANSITIONAL SUPPORTSince programs are identified by pre-K, K- middle school, middle school to high school, high school to

vocational or other settings within the scope of the settlement agreement, what efforts are made to collaborate supports and services when students transition from one setting or school to another? (also when transferring to a new district within the state)

If students transition to and from an out of school placement or to and from special education or categorical services (restrictive settings), who is responsible for facilitating a transition team?

ACCESSIBLEAre the materials and processes understood by the parents? What is the means test by which documents and processes are understood? If needed, is there a mechanism to

work with a translator at the IEP meeting?

FLEXIBILITY:Are IEP meetings conducted in a time or place that can accommodate parents to allow for meaningful

participation (parent(s) who are working during the day or for parents who need additional support? (needs transportation, meeting after work hours or on Saturday’s, conducted in the parent’s home or a mutually agreed upon meeting place. Can parents designate an authorized person to provide consent to act in the best interest of the child (CASA, grandparent, foster parents)

OTHER MONITORING ISSUESDo school staff know how to accurately report the least restrictive environment (LRE) percentage on and IEP?

Using OSEP guidelines: Do school staff count the number of hours the student is receiving instruction?How much time does the student spend during transit to and from school and to and from placements?

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Are interviews conducted with students?

QUESTION FOR PDE Self-study for future T & TASuggest requesting some narrative feedback from the trainees who receive the Basic Awareness Training to

identify areas where they need more support, clarification, or instruction. Would PDE consider asking participants to complete a candid evaluation form anonymously to identify their view of current barriers to inclusive education?

Testing to show proficiency or improvement: Do staff know what the Oberti standard is: Provide scenarios and ask the trainee to provide answers about what would count as an Oberti standard?

Values: Do teachers think that if all students cannot keep up in the classroom, they should not be there?

MONITORING Follow upTo conduct a higher percentage of interviews with parents and to allow for telephone interviews.

If parents have requested a restrictive placement, what are their reasons for doing so?

Review the same IEPs and conduct confidential interactive meetings with staff members of the IEP team. When conducting follow up: to review the same IEPs with corrective action added to as an addendum. Can the LEA initiate a meeting to revise the IEP and to reevaluate placement? If not, why not?

What is the percentage of students with IEPs who have been sent to other institutions (approved private schools, IU’s, restricted classrooms?

Recommend that Monitoring extend to any school that receives state or federal funding.

DROP OUT Rates for students who have an IEP or NORAExit interview if possible with the student or parent to identify reasons for leaving school.Identify barriers to completing an educationTransitional planning: were efforts made to call and IEP meeting to intervene before the student dropped out

of school? If the student is under 18, what efforts can be taken to influence a better outcome?

SHARING ALTERNATIVE BEST PRACTICESObtain permission from PDE to de-identify the data in IEPs that could be used to show Tier One schools how

they could have considered providing supports and services. Staff training could be based on actual IEPs that demonstrate how to develop inclusive education that works.

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Recommendations for Tier One District Monitoring (GASKIN SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT)

Guiding ThoughtsIt is most important as a result of monitoring activities with Tier One districts that the focus be on helping the district(s) gain insight into what they can and/or should do to expand their capacity to successfully include a broader array of diversity (e.g. kids with disabilities) within their general education classrooms. Further, once some perspective / insight is gained, subsequent capacity building plans should be created with self-monitoring procedures built into each given districts’ activities with some form of annual progress report provided to PDE/BSE.

To best tease out relevant issues and challenges, the following recommendations are offered for consideration:

1) That qualitative and quantitative information (data) be gathered when conducting Tier One monitoring.

2) That the focus of inquiry (questions asked/explored) address both a) Belief Systems and Operating Assumptions and b) Methodology and Practice relevant to inclusion.

3) That classroom teacher input (both general and special education) be gathered and factored into the process in addition to the given districts’ administrative teams.

4) That parent input be gathered and factored into the process.

Strategies for ConsiderationBeyond the standard information gathered (in the form of data and samples) byPDE/BSE, PDE/BSE is encouraged to consider the following strategies:

1) That prior to the on-site visit and face to face interactions that occur during Tier One monitoring, that an electronic (web-based) LRE Questionnaire be established by PDE/BSE that district teachers would be prompted to access and complete by an established deadline. This deadline would be established in such a manner that the administrative team from each given district could create a summary report and submit this report two weeks prior to the on-site monitoring visit. Further, this self-report should conclude with action steps proposed by the given district to build capacity in a manner that addresses factors and needs identified via teacher responses that were summarized into the report (see attached proposed questionnaire).

2) That prior to the on-site visit and face to face interactions that occur during Tier One monitoring, that an electronic (web-based) LRE Questionnaire be established by PDE/BSE that parents from within Tier One districts would be invited to access and complete by an established deadline. This deadline would be established in such a manner that the administrative team from each given district could create a summary report and submit this report two weeks prior to the on-site monitoring visit. Further, this self-report should conclude with action steps proposed by the given district to build capacity in a manner that addresses factors and needs identified via teacher responses that were summarized into the report (see attached proposed questionnaire).

3) PDE/BSE monitoring team would meet with the district team to review data and district self-report together and to discuss the information in a manner that additionally gathers perspective from the district administrative team that results in collaboration concerning ways to a) enhance the proposed capacity building plan (as relevant) and b) implement the plan including monitoring procedures.

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TEACHER PERSPECTIVE ON LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONEMENT

1) To what degree does the appropriateness for inclusion of a student with a disability into a general education classroom depend upon the student’s disability?

1 2 3 4 5 Very Little Somewhat Very Much

2) To what degree does the appropriateness for inclusion of a student with a disability into a general education classroom depend upon what is referred to as the student’s “functioning level”?

1 2 3 4 5 Very Little Somewhat Very Much

3) To what degree does the appropriateness for inclusion of a student with a disability into a general education classroom depend upon the student’s ability to be successful without accommodations and/or adaptations?

1 2 3 4 5 Very Little Somewhat Very Much

4) To what degree (“1” meaning very little up through a score of “5” meaning a lot) do you know what is involved with each of the following educational practices?

Modified Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Multi-level Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Over-lapping Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Peer Support 1 2 3 4 5Cooperative Learning 1 2 3 4 5Peer Mediated Instruction 1 2 3 4 5Differentiated Instruction 1 2 3 4 5Team Teaching and/or Co-teaching 1 2 3 4 5Positive Behavior Intervention (Classroom Level) 1 2 3 4 5Positive Behavior Support (Individualized for a Student) 1 2 3 4 5Augmentative Communication 1 2 3 4 5Assistive Technology 1 2 3 4 5

5) To what degree (“1” meaning very little up through a score of “5” meaning a lot) do you know how to implement each of the following educational practices?

Modified Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Multi-level Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Over-lapping Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Peer Support 1 2 3 4 5Cooperative Learning 1 2 3 4 5Peer Mediated Instruction 1 2 3 4 5Differentiated Instruction 1 2 3 4 5Team Teaching and/or Co-teaching 1 2 3 4 5Positive Behavior Intervention (Classroom Level) 1 2 3 4 5Positive Behavior Support (Individualized for a Student) 1 2 3 4 5Augmentative Communication 1 2 3 4 5Assistive Technology 1 2 3 4 5

6) To what degree (“1” meaning very little up through a score of “5” meaning a) have you implemented each of the following educational practices to support a student with a disability within a general education classroom?

Modified Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Multi-level Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Over-lapping Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Peer Support 1 2 3 4 5Cooperative Learning 1 2 3 4 5Peer Mediated Instruction 1 2 3 4 5Differentiated Instruction 1 2 3 4 5Team Teaching and/or Co-teaching 1 2 3 4 5Positive Behavior Intervention (Classroom Level) 1 2 3 4 5Positive Behavior Support (Individualized for a Student) 1 2 3 4 5Augmentative Communication 1 2 3 4 5Assistive Technology 1 2 3 4 5

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7) To what degree (“1” meaning very little up through a score of “5” meaning a lot) do you feel you would benefit from receiving information, training and/or technical assistance with respect to each of the following educational practices?

Modified Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Multi-level Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Over-lapping Curriculum 1 2 3 4 5Peer Support 1 2 3 4 5Cooperative Learning 1 2 3 4 5Peer Mediated Instruction 1 2 3 4 5Differentiated Instruction 1 2 3 4 5Team Teaching and/or Co-teaching 1 2 3 4 5Positive Behavior Intervention (Classroom Level) 1 2 3 4 5Positive Behavior Support (Individualized for a Student) 1 2 3 4 5Augmentative Communication 1 2 3 4 5Assistive Technology 1 2 3 4 5

8) To what degree is there common planning time available within the typical school day for teachers to meet and jointly plan/problem-solve issues about curriculum and instruction?

1 2 3 4 5 Very Little Somewhat Very Much

9) What do you believe are the top three factors, from your perspective as a teacher, that has historically impeded (slowed down the rate of) successful inclusion of students’ with disabilities within general education classrooms within your school(s)…please list and briefly describe?

10) Are there any particular things (resources and/or supports) that you believe would be helpful within your school to help classroom teachers to further successfully include students with disabilities (please list and describe as you see appropriate)?

PARENT PERSPECTIVE ON LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONEMENT

1) Do you have a child with a disability who is school age? Yes No

2) If you answered “Yes” to # 1 above, to what extent do you feel that your child has been successfully included with his or non-disabled peers at school?

1 2 3 4 5 Very Little Somewhat Very Much

3) If you answered “Yes” to #1 above, what do you believe would be the three most helpful things that your school system could do to further support your child in being successfully included in his/her local neighborhood school (where you reside)?

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