*THESE MINUTES HAVE BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS THAT WERE NOT DISCUSSED AT THE MEETING DUE TO TIME LIMITATIONS.
Arlington Special Education PTA
Monthly Meeting and Annual Superintendent Chat
December 10, 2018
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
APS Syphax Building, Rooms 452/454
2110 Washington Blvd, Arlington, VA 22204
| I. President’s Report Approval of Minutes The October and November minutes were approved. Event Update SEPTA President Janna Dressel thanked Minerva Trudo for her efforts in organizing a successful online auction, which raised approximately $14,000. Minerva expressed her appreciation for the auction sponsors. In addition, over 40 families attended the past weekend’s Sensory-Friendly Santa event. Upcoming events include: -PRC program on changing bodies and relationships with youth on December 11th. -ASEAC meeting on December 18th addressing accountability for special education at the school level.-VDOE survey closing December 14th. -Comments for PCG evaluation are still be accepted through January 31st.apsspecialeducationreview@pcgus.com -PRC/SEPTA program featuring Ann Dolin – Learn More in Less Time addressing the science behind studying on January 9th from 7-8:30 pm at Washington and Lee HS. -SEPTA summer activities fair on January 27th from 3-5 pm at Walter Reed Community Center. |
| II. Slideshow and Student Panel – Best Buddies Summer Leadership Conference A representative from Best Buddies International along with Best Buddies leaders and participants from Washington-Lee, Yorktown, and Wakefield gave a presentation about the Best Buddies program and their experience past year at the Best Buddies Summer Leadership Conference. For some of the participants, the trip to the leadership conference was the first time that they traveled on their own, and the opportunity to meet new friends from other states and to be inspired by speeches and presentations at the conference was appreciated by all. Swanson Middle School is looking to partner the Stratford Friends program. |
| III. Questions from SEPTA Members to APS Superintendent Dr. Murphy, APS Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Dr. Tara Nattrass, and Mr. Paul Jamelske, APS Director of Special Education Dr. Nattrass referenced a number of school-specific questions that were received – in particular those relating to Nottingham Elementary School – which will be addressed at a separate event that would include the school’s principal and special education coordinator. The questions to be addressed at tonight’s event were to center more on issues affecting all families of students receiving special education services. |
Dr. Murphy expressed his thanks to SEPTA for continuing to hold the Super Chat each year and also recognized Kelly Mountain and Kathleen Donovan of the PRC for all their efforts. Janna facilitated a discussion with Dr. Murphy, Dr. Nattrass, and Mr. Jamelske, which was framed around the questions that were received in advance of the meeting. The questions and responses discussed at the meeting are provided below. |
1. Question – Consistency
Given that principals ultimately lead each school and principals report to you, what changes have you made, or will you be making, to ensure more consistency of SPED identification and service implementation across all Arlington schools?
Response
Dr. Murphy stated that there are a number of administrative steps that are being taken to ensure greater consistency of special education services across APS. For instance, a special education work session that will be held after the start of the new year and next week’s ASEAC meeting are both opportunities to address transparency, accountability, and consistency. Additionally, the strategic plan seeks to address academic gaps faced by special education students, and the principals’ 90 day school management plan provides for periodic re-assessments and seeks to ensure that students who receive special education and ESOL/HILT are a priority.
As far as supporting administrators, teachers, specialists, and staff in the field, Dr. Murphy identified the importance of training and professional development and noted that monthly meetings with principals and administrators have included professional updates that are centered around special education (assistant principal meetings also mirror principal meetings). Dr. Murphy mentioned that he was just at a meeting with elementary school principals today, and there was a lot of interest from them about hearing more about tonight’s discussion.
Dr. Nattrass mentioned that a student support process handbook is currently under development by an interdepartmental group that is being led by Kelly Krug. This handbook would address special education and Section 504 and should help with ensuring consistency in student support (e.g., identification and re-evaluation processes) across APS.
Mr. Jamelske added that there are efforts underway to develop a professional learning framework that identifies competencies that teachers and administrators should have exposure to within certain periods of time (e.g., 1 year, 5 years, etc.). Some of these competencies are subject/curricula specific, while some cross over – e.g., cultural competency, assessing student work, using technology to support instruction.
2. Question – Accountability
Dr. Murphy, Last year, at this chat, you said that if there is a problem with special education in APS, you will address it head on. I appreciated that. APS has a serious problem with special education. Principals and schools are not being held accountable for special education. In far too many instances across multiple schools, schools are denying needed services and accommodations to our students. In other situations, IEPs and 504s are being inappropriately denied altogether to students with disabilities. Parents shouldn’t have to be the ones to raise these types of issues, but when they do, they are just told to go back and “work it out with the principal.” There needs to be a mechanism for APS to prevent problems with SpEd/504s at the school level, there needs to be an avenue for parents to raise problems at the school level, and there needs to be a mechanism for APS to fix problems at the school level. Will you fix this head on? When? How?
Response
Dr. Murphy stated that student services are included in the principal evaluation process. When there are allegations of impropriety involving a school or principal, Dr. Murphy consults with APS’ attorneys to ensure that Federal and state laws are being followed and takes corrective action as necessary.
Follow-up Question from Janna
When families are having issues at schools and are not feeling heard, where do they go?
Response
Dr. Murphy responded that he had intended to bring a flowchart to the meeting of who to contact, which he hopes will be put out in early 2019. While different people may pursue different paths for moving forward, they should not jump from the teacher to Superintendent if there is a problem.
Mr. Jamelske mentioned that Kelly Mountain and Kathleen Donovan of the PRC are working with parent volunteers to collaborate with school staff members to generate a user-friendly flowchart for whom to contact. Most situations are best resolved as close to the source as possible.
Dr. Nattrass referenced the “Who to Call for What” page on the Teaching and Learning website.
3. Question – School Equity
Part One: What is being done to create more equity in schools between north and south Arlington?
Part Two: How are you assisting school communities to give every child the equal playing field that they deserve?
Response
Dr. Nattrass asked for clarification as to “equity” means. Janna said that she considered equity to mean the same amount of resources and staffing. Past President Caroline Levy added that some schools need more help than others to get the same level of access (e.g., some schools didn’t have PTAs) and saw it more as an issue of the ability of students to get access to what they need. Another parent commented that generally speaking, in north Arlington, you’re more likely to have a situation where if a school does not provide or address a need of the student, parents will find a way to get that need served outside of school because they have the economic means to address that, whereas in south Arlington, many families may not have that choice, and therefore, S. Arlington schools are more accustomed to having to address their students’ needs.
Dr. Nattrass responded that she would want all students to have opportunities to make sure that needs are met. She explained that Title I schools get additional funding which can help to provide for additional staff and teachers, as well as for additional materials and resources. However, families should be getting their needs met in APS and shouldn’t have to go outside the school system.
Dr. Murphy attempted to distinguish the issue of equality from equity. He said that schools are all funded the same based on local revenues, and a lot of autonomy is provided to the principals to direct funding where needed/prioritized. However, from an equity standpoint, he recognized that PTA-generated funding continues to be an issue among schools, and CCPTA has raised the issue of establishing an equitable funding formula for PTAs. However, it is really up to the PTA’s discretion – e.g., the Montesorri program that is moving Drew to the Patrick Henry building decided to leave the balance of its PTA funding to Drew model school.
Mr. Jamelske stated that school staffing is led by planning factors, and the Special Education Office will review requests and can accommodate needs, based on developments in population and changes in situations affecting staffing.
4. Question – Racial Disproportionality
APS Data from 2017 suggests that there are substantial disparities between the special education placements of white APS students with IEPs, who are more likely to be included in regular classrooms, and students of color with IEPs, who are more likely to spend time in segregated settings. Can you explain what your team is actively doing to identify and remedy racial disproportionality in special education?
Response
Dr. Murphy stated that he strongly supports greater inclusion in all settings and that more work can be done in this area. APS needs to have staff who are trained, supported, and prepared for these transitions so that everyone is successful. As students grow, they need to be ready for transition to the community, and while that is his primary focus, he also needs to consider how the day to day fits into meeting that goal.
Mr. Jamelske stated that at each IEP meeting, the team should be asking questions as to whether students can access special education services in the least restrictive environment – i.e., in the general education setting with supports. Opportunities for inclusion should always be discussed. He also mentioned the role of ESOL/HILT resource teachers at the elementary school level who advocate on behalf of students who are dually identified to help ensure that the identification process is done thoughtfully and cautiously (i.e., should not assume disability off the bat since it could be a language access issue).
Dr. Nattrass mentioned that there is an intervention protocol in place for reading if a student needs additional phonics support. Teachers with English Learners should focus on language acquisition before getting into questions about special education. Inclusion strand is about co-teaching, as well as culturally responsive pedagogy, and conversations about race. Raising awareness of these issues can certainly impact practices.
5. Question – Outcomes
What are the county’s plans to improve outcomes for nonspeaking autistics?
Response
Mr. Jamelske stated that speech and language pathologists in APS are employing LAMP (language acquisition through motor planning) and Words For Life programs for students with limited speech and/or who work with AAC devices. Speech and language pathologists are working in conjunction with assistive technology teams in utilizing technology for communicating.
Dr. Nattrass added that Sarah Putnam has been working with various programs (e.g., MIPA, Life Skills) to determine curriculum needs (vs. resource needs).
6. Question – Dyslexia
As a parent of a child that has recently been identified as dyslexic, I was eager to attend the APS Dyslexia Conference. The Virginia Department of Education session on where we are now and where we are going was very interesting. The focus seemed to be on early intervention and training more educators on the Orton-Gillingham (O.G.) method. The APS Director of Special Education was there and noted that all APS schools have educators that are O.G. trained. Upon returning to school with this information for an IEP meeting, I found there is a disconnect in what the VA Department of Education believes as the appropriate intervention for children with dyslexia and what is being done in the individual schools. Since my child is on grade level (with tutors coming twice a week after school and the weekend), it does not sound like additional services will be provided during the school hours until he fails. Also, the discussion on O.G. at the school level made it sound like it was a passing fad and “O.G. trained” did not translate into an O.G. specialist.
Part One: What is the APS-supported method for teaching children with dyslexia?
Response
Dr. Nattrass expressed surprise at this question. There have now been 2 annual dyslexia conferences, with 531 teachers being trained in Orton-Gillingham. She also would like to train teachers in best practices for reading instruction.
Part Two: If early intervention is key, if a child meets the “medical model” definition of dyslexia, why should the schools wait until the child fails before exposing them to a method that has proven to work with dyslexia?
Response
Dr. Nattrass explained that PALS measures early literacy and fluency, and APS recently piloted RAN and RAS in 8-9 elementary schools. APS is looking at the data now from the pilot to see if these assessments capture additional kids that weren’t identified as needing interventions under PALS. The goal is to put appropriate interventions in place as soon as possible.
7. Question – Transportation
What is APS doing to improve communication between schools and Transportation regarding student requirements? Transportation requirements written into IEPs are not being conveyed to Transportation. My daughter requires special medical monitoring for her epilepsy. This was documented in her IEP, but never communicated to Transportation for the 2018-19 academic school year. When I called prior to the start of the school year this past August, Transportation said they’d never been informed of my daughter’s requirements and could not support us; we have been driving ever since. Now that my daughter’s school has arranged for her to have a nurse with her, we discussed with school administration the fact that she would now be able to ride the bus. Again, no one from her school informed Transportation. Parents should not have to be the go-betweens with Transportation, especially when we are not empowered to make requests of Transportation. Separately, I would like to offer a separate, but related cautionary tale: in my home town in NY state, a student who was expelled and banned from campus for making threats and being in possession of an illegal weapon, took the bus to school the following morning because no one from the school had informed Transportation. The breakdown in communication affects not only health and well-being, but could pose a security risk to our students as well.
Response
Mr. Jamelske stated that there have been several meetings with different members of the Transportation Office, as well as SEPTA and ASEAC parents to talk about inclusion opportunities for special education students, and communications about medication, behavioral, learning, and linguistic needs. Mr. Jamelske noted that separate buildings can be a barrier to communication between the Special Education and Transportation offices. The discussions that take place during the IEP meeting concerning a student’s needs have to be communicated to the Transportation office, down to driver/aide on the bus. Substitute drivers/aides should also be able to access information about students (e.g., substitute folder). Drivers/aides need to be able to call into Transportation office to get more information on the student. Recently, the autism specialist team had a professional learning event with transportation staff during the pre-service week, which will continue in the coming years.
8. Question – Bullying
Incidents of bullying as early as third grade are occurring more frequently. After watching the training video for teachers and the newly published Parent Guidelines on Bullying, I am of the opinion that the level and depth of the policies leave much to be desired. Personal experience with numerous incidents, numerous reports, unacceptable explanations by personnel regarding the investigation and handling, student education which is sufficient to stop the behavior, and teacher/personnel awareness and recognition lead me to ask what future plans do you have for addressing this issue? Bullying is used as a planned act to hurt SWDs even more than others. As a follow-on question, how many instances of self-injury, suicidal ideation, attempted suicide and suicide have occurred within the APS student population in the past ten years?
Response
Dr. Nattrass stated that there was a cross-departmental team consisting of representatives from administrative services, student services, teaching and learning, and special education that meets every other week to discuss what is being offered to address social and emotional needs at all school levels and to identify any gaps. The team is aware of the need to support student mental health needs and is focusing on suicide prevention and bullying. Dr. Nattrass remarked that privacy laws may make it difficult to get a full count of instances of self-injury, suicidal ideation, attempted suicide and suicide but that she would try to get some data to address the latter part of the question.
9. Question – Inclusion Discussion
On the Engage with APS website it lists Inclusion as an upcoming topic that will be addressed this January and February with a series of online and in-person opportunities for engagement.
Part One: Can you please describe in detail how both formats will occur since we are just a few weeks away?
Part Two: What is the timeline?
Part Three: Who will be facilitating and overseeing this process?
Part Four: How will the in-person events be structured so that all parents are able to participate should they choose to?
Part Five: Will the online opportunities for engagement be available in all languages?
Response
Dr. Nattrass stated that inclusion is in reference to APS school policy, and a key part of this is in the 2018-24 strategic plan, as inclusion is woven throughout the plan’s mission, purpose, core values, and performance objectives.
Dr. Nattrass also mentioned that policies addressing inclusion, equity, and transgender youth all need to be developed and/or updated and consideration should be given to how these areas relate to other groups. In response to Janna’s follow-up question of how to engage families, Dr. Nattrass said that the planning and evaluation team will develop timeline of meetings and surveys (provided in different languages) to get feedback, as well as run any drafts by advisory committees.
10. Question – Professional Development and Training
How come the training courses available through the APS Professional Learning Framework are not required courses for teachers?
Response
Dr. Nattrass emphasized that the professional learning framework consists of a lot of different options. Creating the framework was the first step, which was just completed in August. Because this process needs to be phased in, APS cannot require everything to be completed in the first year of rollout. Additionally, teachers should be provided with the opportunity to demonstrate competency to better distinguish between teachers who already have expertise vs. who need the training. Once it has been determined whether a teacher has met competency, the next step would be to figure out what teachers need to know within 1-5 years of teaching.
Dr. Murphy added that the labor market for teachers is very competitive, especially as the school population has been increasing every year, but APS has been fairly successful in attracting qualified and experienced employees. Retaining these employees is particularly important, and Dr. Murphy stressed the importance of investing in them and helping them grow. He emphasized that training responsibilities would occur over a longer time horizon (vs. occurring immediately).
11. Question – Professional Development and Training
Many of our children spend the majority of their school days with instructional assistants.
Part One: What training opportunities are you providing to these special education para-professionals in order to increase their competencies in core areas of special education to help maximize the delivery of high quality instruction by all APS instructional staff?
Part Two: Are these training opportunities required?
Response
Dr. Nattrass said that APS is working on getting teaching assistants to attend sessions intended for teachers because of their involvement in co-teaching. APS is also developing a similar framework for other groups, such as office and transportation staff, etc.
12. Question – School Naming
I understand the naming process for the new building on Wilson Boulevard to house the Stratford and HB/Woodlawn programs has been narrowed to The Heights or the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Building. The latter name was proposed and supported by the
Stratford community. Can you provide us your thoughts on both names since you will be weighing in with the School Board soon? Thank you.
Response
Dr. Murphy stated that the naming committee for the new building has recommended The Heights to School Board. Part of naming committee has also expressed interest in renaming the current Stratford program after Eunice Kennedy Shriver; there is also interest in renaming the new building Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
Dr. Murphy mentioned that the School Board can always choose not to follow the committee recommendation for the building name. He said that there was greater flexibility when it came to naming programs vs. buildings, and there would be the opportunity for public input.
A parent noted that a school in Maryland is already named The Heights.
13. Question – SWD English Learners
I am a Spanish-speaking parent who is relatively new to the world of special education. Can you please describe what specific efforts are being made by the Office of Special Education and the Department of Teaching and Learning to improve communication with parents who are not native English speakers in regards to Special Education? I have found the process terribly confusing and overwhelming so far and I imagine that many other parents like me have as well. In addition to what is currently in place, what new ideas do you have to continue to improve parent communication to non-native English speakers? Ayúdanos, por favor.
Response
Dr. Nattrass stated that APS has made a list of all key special education docs and has been working on translating them into 5 major languages. The template of the IEP has been translated into Spanish, and translators are at IEP meetings to translate body of document. In the first day packet, there were a couple of new questions relating to the primary language spoken at home and the need to provide translation in different languages.
The focus right now is on what languages are needed for students with special needs. They are starting with Spanish translation but are looking into other languages. The development of a Spanish telenovela is underway, and the student support service document will also be translated.
Janna emphasized the need for translating the IEP document at a later date — not just at meeting – since parents often need to reference it later.
14. Additional Questions from the Audience
- Question: Are principals required to attend monthly training meetings?
Response: Dr. Murphy stated that these are standing meetings, which incorporate trainings.
- Question: The Who to Call for What list needs the permissions changed for viewing.
Response: Dr. Nattrass stated they will work on fixing this.
- Question: Can the evaluation of the principal be more systematic and include elements like a 360 review and visits for accountability?
Response: Dr. Murphy stated that many principals are making efforts to respond to the feedback provided in the Your Voice Matters surveys, which he thinks is comparable to a 360 review. Principals should be talking to families about this survey.
- Question: Regarding planning factors – how can APS ensure all student needs are being met when staff/student ratios are being changed in certain programs (e.g., MIPA, Communications, etc.)?
Response: Dr. Murphy
recognized that advocacy during the budget process is important, especially
given the $45M gap due to growth/new buildings/changes in boundaries and
buildings. APS will preserve core
instructional services but may need to change the delivery model.
- Question: Has information on the planning factor proposal been made public?
Response: Mr. Jamelske responded that the FY19 budget should have this information
- Question: What drives the planning factors? Budget or success?
Response: Dr. Murphy stated that planning factors are budget related and what they believe is successful. Where there is a budget shortfall, planning factors need to be adjusted accordingly but cannot override Federal or state requirements.
- Question: Can APS still deliver in classroom in spite of the changes with planning factors?
Response: Dr. Murphy stated how a service is delivered will look different.
- Question: It seems as if the programs identified for having planning factor changes are those with most significant needs.
Response: Dr. Murphy provided an example of a speech language pathologist (SLP) planning factor: the Virginia requirement for ratio of students to SLPs is 68:1, whereas in Arlington, it is 55:1. For certain special education classes, there are requirements for certain staffing ratios based on student needs, which can present challenges for MIPA, for instance. However, additional staffing could still be made based on the recommendations of principals, autism specialists.
- Question/Comment: There is a point of clarification regarding the naming process of new building of the former Wilson School. There is a desire to name the building after Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Another parent voiced wanting to have one student body and not two separate programs in the new building.
- Question: Who should a parent call if school is not helping with special education problem?
Response: Mr. Jamelske responded that if the teacher and principal are not addressing the problem, then the parent should talk to special education coordinator who is a representative of Special Education Office. The PRC is also another option.
- Question: What are the performance measures for the professional development framework?
Response: Dr. Nattrass said that they would look at whether practices being implemented in classrooms and what are student learning outcomes.
- Question: What are the principal’s performance elements?
Response: Dr. Nattrass stated that the professional learning framework for principals are under development. There are 7 standards aligned with VDOE evaluation requirements — e.g., academic performance, professionalism, leadership, communication, planning, management of building, planning and assessment – all of which can be found on the Office of Professional Learning website.
- Question: With the Montesorri program moving, it appears that it is being made into program but not a school. Is it correct that programs not required to provide same services as a school – e.g., special ed services? Has there been a change in policy?
Response: Dr. Nattrass clarified that if Montesorri is a program, then it should subscribe to same special education services as other schools.
Notecard Questions that we ran out of time for:
- How are you going to help Spanish Immersion programs with Special Education support in SLA, Math & Science which are held in Spanish? There is a HUGE need for this. Puts Special Education Students at a disadvantage.
Students in Spanish Immersion programs may receive additional supports in Spanish and/or English following the process for the Arlington Tiered System of Supports (ATSS).
- School Management Plans differ considerably across Elementary Schools. Are you using these as a tool to address and strengthen SPED programs? Is so, how?
School management plans are used to address areas of need within each school. Each principal reviews their data in a variety of areas (academics, survey results, attendance, etc.) and then writes their school management plans to align with the areas of improvement that are determined. When special education is identified as a need, the school writes goals to specifically address the area.
- Who in APS Central Office is empowered to mandate actions as the school level?
The Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, and Directors work closely with schools to ensure students’ needs are addressed at all schools, including the implementation of specific actions when needed. Additionally, Special Education coordinators, related service providers, the Compliance Coordinator, Supervisor of Special Education, and the Director of Special Education all work with school-based staff members to provide support, professional learning, and guidance on best practices and regulatory compliance. Other Directors, Supervisors, and Specialists from the Department of Teaching & Learning also provide support for implementation of programs and services in schools.
- Are you committing to address the Nottingham issue? When?
There have been many changes at Nottingham since the fall of 2018. Multiple Department of Teaching & Learning team members are providing support for students and staff at Nottingham.
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