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

Policies, Procedures, and Compliance• Add Exhibit 5145.6 to the Special Education and Staff Handbooks to ensureunderstanding of requirements.Cost Implications for Issue 4‐3:This consideration can be implemented with existing staff with limited cost of a few pagesadded to the handbooks. Increased and sustained openness with staff and parents andcontinual notification of district processes for placement will likely reduce litigation costsand instill a sense of trust in the district’s willingness to serve students.Issue 4‐4: Pre‐Referral, Early Intervention, and Response to Intervention (RTI).MDUSD offers support and training for a number of school‐based teams and pre‐referralprograms. Some schools have also adopted the Reponse to Intervention (RTI) model andare preparing staff for RTI. The Coordinated Care Team (CCT) and Student Success Team(SST) are examples of processes that seem to overlap and could cause confusion amongbuilding administrators, especially newly hired staff. The CCT addresses general issues thatare found in the classrooms, such as behavioral concerns, and the SST addresses issuesregarding potential placements through special education or Section 504. While somebuilding teams seem comfortable with the two processes, it appears confusing that issuesare not seen as common across both systems. There are questions as to the need andefficacy of having two processes operating within an already stretched staff with limitedresources. If the two processes were combined, there would be less confusion regardingrequirements and fewer district resources used. RTI seems less popular and less prevalentin the schools as a means to provide general education support for students with learningdifficulties. There are some schools, however, that have embraced a RTI approach and MGTreceived documentation that indicates the approach is working well in those schools.During school visits, classroom observations, and interviews with school and districtadministration and teachers, MGT found that some schools are effectively utilizing theAcademic Success Center model for effectively alleviating academic deficits of students withand without disabilities. Some interviewees attribute this intervention program to reducingthe number of students with disabilities in the district. MGT found this model to be veryeffective in some schools and recognize it as a best practice. The effectiveness of thismodel, however, is not consistent throughout the district. The quality of early interveningservices and school‐based team processes vary from school to school.During onsite focus group discussions, interviews, and classroom visits, staff expressedfrustration as they try to increase academic standards within the classroom and balance theneeds of those not ready for the grade level work or the social politics of the school orclassroom. Many teachers report they are not adequately prepared to manage remediationof language arts and mathematics deficiencies, and behavioral concerns usually result in avisit to the office, suspension, or expulsion from school. Research has documented that withthe proper skills teachers can oftentimes keep a student from being labeled as having aMGT of America, Inc. Page 4‐7