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

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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
Policies, Procedures, and Compliancedisability or keep a student in the general education classroom by remediating concernswithin the general realm. Therefore, staff adequately trained in skills beyond their gradelevel curriculum are less likely to submit a referral for special education or Section 504consideration because they can effectively manage difficulties within their classroom. Staffwithout remediation and behavior management skills are more likely to seek help fromprofessionals outside their classroom.IDEA 2004 operationalized a pre‐referral (early intervention) approach called Response toIntervention (RTI) where students can be provided special education‐like intervention in thegeneral education classroom without going through the expensive and extensive process ofapplying a label. Many schools demonstrate a similar tiered system of intervention byutilizing the Academic Success Center model.The RTI approach offers three tiers as detailed in Exhibit 4‐4 below:EXHIBIT 4‐4RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION TIERSTier 3Specialized individualizedsystem for students withintensive needsTier 2Specialized group systemfor at-risk studentsTier 1School classroom-widesystem for all students,staff, and settings5%15%80%Source: http://www.rti4success.org, 2009.Tier 1 starts with strategies provided by a teacher within the general classroom. Tier 2strategies are gained through the CCT or SST processes via a brainstorming approach withteachers and support staff from within the building. All strategies are tried over the courseof several weeks and the performance is documented. If the student does not improve, theprocess moves to Tier 3 where additional staff, such as a speech therapist, schoolpsychologist, or a resource teacher, is included to assist with the difficulty by suggestingmore intensive methodology is employed. The student might be provided specialeducation‐like intervention, and successes (or failures) are documented. Once it isdocumented that a student is not performing well within the general realm with additionalassistance, the student might move to a formal referral resulting in testing for placement.MGT of America, Inc. Page 4‐8
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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 46 and 47: 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
Page 144 and 145: PART K: SPECIALEDUCATION PROGRAMFUN
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Appendix A: Survey ResultsEXHIBIT A
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APPENDIX BBIBLIOGRAPHYBooksAspy, Ru
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