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

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Service Delivery Options and Continuum of ServicesIssue 3‐6: Staff Development Related to Educational Service Delivery for Students withAutism and Moderate/Severe Disabilities.MDUSD has provided ongoing training opportunities in the area of autism. These haveincluded formal trainings as well as opportunities to regularly meet and discuss issues on amore informal basis. In addition, an autism resource guide for the district has beendeveloped. The behavioral specialists reported efforts to train instructional assistants butacknowledged that finding the time is often an issue. Interviews with focus groups andsurvey results indicated, however, that training is not consistently accessed byadministrators, general education teachers, and ESE teachers in other programs. Lack ofunderstanding of the unique characteristics and needs of students with autism spectrumdisorders was identified as impacting a wide range of issues including decreased:• Administrative support, particularly as it relates to leadership in the area ofinclusion.• Willingness of other staff, both general and special education, to include studentswith autism in their programs.• Willingness and ability of instructional assistants to implement programs andstrategies designed for students with autism.Research points to the importance of staff training for the development of qualityeducational programs for students with autism. Training has been shown to increaseawareness of autism and its impact on individuals. This leads directly to increasedunderstanding of, and willingness to use, strategies that have been shown to be effectivewith this population.Considerations for Issue 3‐6:• Provide general overview information about autism to all staff working at schoolsserving students with autism through computer based modules or directpresentation. The purpose of training at this level is to provide staff with a basicunderstanding of autism in order to increase their understanding of the needs ofthis population of students.• Develop multidisciplinary autism support teams, including experienced teachers,therapists, school psychologists, and behavioral specialists at schools servingstudents with autism. Utilize members of these teams to provide in‐depth trainingfor instructional assistants and beginning teachers in autism specific classrooms.• Utilize members of the student’s IEP support team to provide training andassistance to other teachers, ESE or regular education, who have a student with anautism spectrum disorder included within their classroom. Training at this levelMGT of America, Inc. Page 3‐15
Service Delivery Options and Continuum of Servicesshould be specific to the characteristics, needs, and supports relevant to thespecific student.Cost Implications for Issue 3‐6: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 3‐7: Placement of Students with Autism in the Least Restrictive Environment.The district serves some students with autism within one of four levels of autism‐specificservice delivery models. Other students with autism continue to be served withinclassrooms for students with moderate to severe disabilities. While attempts have beenmade to operationally define criteria for placement of students with autism based uponindividual needs, the diversity of this population of students makes this type of decisionchallenging. This issue is further complicated by the lack of a full continuum of grade levelsor service delivery options available within schools that serve students with autismspectrum disorders. Interviews with teachers indicate that this limited range of programoptions can interfere with their ability to ensure that students have access to instruction inthe least restrictive environment as it may not be available within their school.Consideration for Issue 3‐7:• Create a continuum of services, including all grade levels and a full continuum ofeducational supports, within schools serving students with autism.Cost Implications for Issue 3‐7:Costs associated with this consideration are related to staff time. Work tasks should becompleted during the work day resulting in no additional costs to the district.Issue 3‐8: District Level Support for Teachers of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.The autism program in MSUSD is supported by the district administrator for special dayclasses in close collaboration with the district behavioral support team. This team includesa program manager and two certified behavioral analysts. They are actively involved in thedevelopment of the autism program, the provision of direct support for teachers, and intraining efforts.MGT of America, Inc. Page 3‐16
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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
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Page 20 and 21: 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
Page 116 and 117: Personnel Services and Professional
Page 118 and 119: Personnel Services and Professional
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Personnel Services and Professional
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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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