Study of the Mount Diablo Unified School District - Mt. Diablo Unified ...

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Service Delivery Options and Continuum of ServicesReview of placement of autism specific classrooms in MSUSD revealed that tiered programoptions (intensive, strategic, benchmark, and magnet benchmark) and grade levels arelocated throughout the district). Schools serving these students may not have classes for allgrades or levels within the tier.As a result, elementary‐age students with autism spectrum disorders are often required tochange schools when their grade or support needs (e.g., move from intensive to strategic)change. Interviews with teachers, as well as knowledge of best practices for students withautism, indicate that this type of change can be detrimental in a number of ways, including:• Current research suggests that change is difficult for students with autismspectrum disorders and they benefit from routine, consistency, and familiarity.The need to change schools is contrary to best practice as it interferes with theimplementation of these strategies.• Students with autism benefit socially and academically by being included withtypically developing peers who have some level of understanding of their needs.This is difficult to achieve when students with autism spectrum disorders aremoved frequently.• Families lose the sense of being part of a school community when they cannotexpect that their child will remain at a particular school.• Administrators, other teachers, and peers do not have the opportunity to get toknow the students with autism spectrum disorders as they move through thegrades. Interviews with teachers indicate that this has had a negative impact onthe development of inclusive opportunities.• IDEA requires that all students receive education within the least restrictiveenvironment (LRE). It mandates that school districts make available a range ofplacement options so that individual student needs can be met within the LRE.While free appropriate public education (FAPE) is the primary consideration,students with autism should receive special education services in the leastrestrictive environment, to the greatest extent possible.The district provides limited program options for middle and high school students withautism spectrum disorders. Review of records and interviews with staff indicate that thesestudents are moved to classrooms for students with moderate to severe disabilities, areserved out of district, or are served by a nonpublic school. The MSUSD recognizes this issueand has opened a strategic and a magnet benchmark program at the middle school levelwith the intent to expand into high school next year.During interviews, teachers indicated that their ability to provide inclusion experiencesvaried significantly from school to school. This variation was perceived to be the result of avariety of factors including:MGT of America, Inc. Page 3‐11
Service Delivery Options and Continuum of Services• Inconsistency among schools with regard to administrative support and leadershiprelated to inclusion of students with autism.• Decreased willingness of staff to include students with autism when support fromadministration was not clearly communicated.• Difficulties encountered in obtaining answers from district staff to questionsrelated to teacher roles and credentialing that have been posed by school staff aspotential obstacles to inclusion of students with autism.Considerations for Issue 3‐4:• Create a continuum of services, including all grade levels and a full continuum ofeducational supports at specific school sites and within natural feeder patterns forstudents with autism.• Allow students with autism access to a variety of instructional options, includingautism‐specific class, special day class, resource room, learning community, orgeneral education classroom based upon their current needs.• Develop a written policy statement that details legal issues and districtexpectations regarding continuum of special education services within the leastrestrictive environment and within naturally occurring feeder patterns. (Refer toChapter 4 for further review of policies and procedures.)• Use program specialists to provide a link between school and district in order toanswer questions, monitor compliance, and offer assistance with implementationas needed.Cost Implications for Issue 3‐4:The costs associated with implementation of this consideration are for staff time andprofessional development. The district should not incur any additional costs in the targetedschools if the professional development and district support are provided during the schoolday during planning periods, faculty meetings, early release days, or embedded staffdevelopment in the classroom. If substitutes are required, the district costs would be $120per teacher per day. If professional development is provided after the school day, thedistrict costs would be $25 per hour per teacher. MGT cannot calculate costs forsubstitutes or teacher stipends at this time, as the costs are based on the number of hoursand the method for delivery of the professional development.Issue 3‐5: School‐based Multidisciplinary Teams to Support Service Delivery for Studentswith Autism.The use of a collaborative or multidisciplinary support team is considered to be a bestpractice in the education of students with autism spectrum disorders. Effectivemultidisciplinary teams include members with varied backgrounds and expertise who workMGT of America, Inc. Page 3‐12
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A Study of theMount Diablo Unified
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TABLE OF CONTENTSPAGEEXECUTIVE SUMM
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Executive SummaryExecutive SummaryF
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Executive SummaryExecutive SummaryI
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Executive SummaryExecutive SummaryF
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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND PEER DI
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Introduction and Peer District Comp
Page 16 and 17: Introduction and Peer District Comp
Page 32 and 33: CHAPTER 2: DISTRICT OPERATIONS AND
Page 34 and 35: District Operations and Associated
Page 56 and 57: CHAPTER 3: SERVICE DELIVERY OPTIONS
Page 58 and 59: Service Delivery Options and Contin
Page 90 and 91: CHAPTER 4: POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AN
Page 92 and 93: Policies, Procedures, and Complianc
Page 114 and 115: CHAPTER 5: PERSONNEL SERVICES AND P
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Personnel Services and Professional
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CHAPTER 6: SPIELER V. MT. DIABLO UN
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Spieler v. Mt. Diablo Unified Schoo
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Spieler v. Mt. Diablo Unified Schoo
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APPENDIX A: SURVEYRESULTS
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PART A: ADMINISTRATION7. Special ed
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EXHIBIT A-3 (Continued)COMPARISON O
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PART E: CURRICULUM ANDINSTRUCTIONE.
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EXHIBIT A-7COMPARISON OF SURVEY RES
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PART G: DISCIPLINEEXHIBIT A-9COMPAR
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EXHIBIT A-11COMPARISON OF SURVEY RE
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PART K: SPECIALEDUCATION PROGRAMFUN
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Appendix A: Survey ResultsEXHIBIT A
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APPENDIX BBIBLIOGRAPHYBooksAspy, Ru
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