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

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Policies, Procedures, and ComplianceUse of the term mainstreaming on the part of several administrators and teachers suggestssome staff may not be advised or may lack current knowledge as to the procedural changesin IDEA 1997 and IDEA 2004 relative to inclusive education. Some of the elementaryschools use this language and are not consistently including students in the generaleducation core curriculum. Two elementary schools had primary and intermediate selfcontainedprograms where students were not taught their grade‐appropriate core work. Bynot teaching meaningful material, students were denied the opportunity to be prepared forCalifornia competency assessments. Scores for these classes were proof the students werenot prepared for the material required on the test. There seems to be a philosophicaldisagreement among some special education staff at the elementary level where inclusiveefforts have not been embraced. Some teachers interviewed apparently believe thatstudents should be taught at their functioning level in a separate environment rather thanaccommodating (modifying) grade‐appropriate work in the student’s general classroom.Considerations for Issue 4‐2:• Continue to provide ongoing staff development to teachers and staff regarding theimplementation of special education services. Board Policies 4131 and 4331require ongoing professional development. It is recommended that professionaldevelopment be provided either once each semester in a meeting or offer thetraining once and tape the session, with a link to the district’s Web site where staffmay have access to the training at‐will. An evaluation of the training requiring 100percent competency should be expected. Whether the staff decides to attend aprofessional development opportunity in person or seek a virtual opportunityshould be up to the individual, but should be completed within a definedtimeframe. It must be documented as a condition of further employment that allnew staff has the proper understanding of special education requirements.• Update the Special Education Handbooks and disseminate to administrators andspecial education teaching staff.Cost Implications for Issue 4‐2:There should be no additional costs to the district if the training is offered after schoolhours and is optional. One hundred percent competency should be expected for all staffwhether they choose to seek training on their own or if they choose a district‐provideddevelopment program. Staff choosing not to attend the professional developmentopportunity would be expected to seek the information on their own through the Internet.It must be stressed, however, that all staff must have the understanding and thecompetencies expressed in this training and therefore, must seek the information anddemonstrate the competencies as recorded in the performance evaluations. Futurelitigation costs for the district will likely be reduced as staff competencies increase.MGT of America, Inc. Page 4‐5
Policies, Procedures, and ComplianceIssue 4‐3: Appropriate Special Education Notices, Forms, and Procedures to MeetCompliance and Parent Participation.Based on data provided by the district, there is evidence of appropriate special educationnotices, forms, and procedures to meet California compliance requirements and compliancewith IDEA. Board Policy 5145 Exhibit 5145.6 details directives for staff on notifying parentsfor all districtwide notices, including special education notices as shown in Exhibit 4‐3. Thisdocument is very comprehensive and beneficial. Through the review of student files, thereis documentation of active parental participation.EXHIBIT 4‐3SAMPLE NOTICEPARENTAL NOTIFICATIONS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION• BP and AR 5125 Proposed initial evaluation plan, related parental rights, priorwritten notice.• BP and AR 5144.1 Notice of expulsion hearing.• BP and AR 5144.2 Decision and procedural safeguard notice.• BP and AR 6159 Intention to tape record IEP meeting; Time, purpose, location,who in attendance, participation of others with special education knowledge,transition statements, if appropriate; Need for written notice.• BP and AR 6159.1 Prior written notice and procedural safeguard notice; ImpartialDue Process hearing notification, description of problem, proposed resolution.• BP and AR 6159.4 Notification and consent for a functional behavioral assessment;Need for modification, right to question modification; Emergency intervention.• BP and AR 6162.52 Right to FAPE.• BP and AR 6164.4 Rights of all parents related to special education identification,referral. Assessment, instructional planning, implementation and review, andprocedures for initiating a referral for assessment; proposed evaluation plan,related parental rights, prior written notice.Source: Exhibit 5145.6 Parental Notifications.Consideration for Issue 4‐3:• Document continued openness (transparency) with processes for staff and parentsand continue to strive to seek increased and meaningful collaboration with parents.MGT of America, Inc. Page 4‐6
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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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CHAPTER 2: DISTRICT OPERATIONS AND
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District Operations and Associated
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Page 44 and 45: 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 124 and 125: CHAPTER 6: SPIELER V. MT. DIABLO UN
Page 126 and 127: Spieler v. Mt. Diablo Unified Schoo
Page 128 and 129: Spieler v. Mt. Diablo Unified Schoo
Page 130 and 131: APPENDIX A: SURVEYRESULTS
Page 132 and 133: PART A: ADMINISTRATION7. Special ed
Page 134 and 135: EXHIBIT A-3 (Continued)COMPARISON O
Page 136 and 137: PART E: CURRICULUM ANDINSTRUCTIONE.
Page 138 and 139: EXHIBIT A-7COMPARISON OF SURVEY RES
Page 140 and 141: PART G: DISCIPLINEEXHIBIT A-9COMPAR
Page 142 and 143: 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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