Hey guys!

It's annual review time!!! I can't believe it's already almost here! I will be bringing parent surveys to you asap, so be sure to have all of them filled out. We need 100% participation in this please!

Here are a few things to remember when doing Annual Reviews:

1) Remember to put as much information on the Annual Review form as possible. The monitors want to be able to KNOW the child after reading that form and the PLAAFP.

2) I f a child is placed under a disability category that requires an adaptive/behavioral deficit, do NOT say the child has normal adaptive skills on the Annual Review form (even if the child is speech only). Refer back to the Evaluation Programming Conference Decision form or the Adaptive protocol if you need help. Also, use the information you get from the regular education teachers on the Classroom Based Assessment for this purpose. Look at the WHOLE child.

3) Send out the Classroom Based Assessments to regular education teachers quickly if you have not already done so. This is a very busy time of year for them and they will need time to complete these forms thoughtfully. Review the forms with them when completed to be sure you have all the information you need.

4) Be sure to state on the bottom of the Annual Review form the programming recommendations for the next school year (what the IEP says). Do not leave out SBMH, OT, PT, Speech, Transportation, etc...) if these are related services.

5) Be sure to invite OT, PT, Speech, SBMH, nurse or any other necessary related service personnel to the conference. If the party cannot attend, an excusal form must be completed and signed by the parent, AND the party MUST provide a written statement of their input to place in the folder.

6) If you can only reach the parent by phone, do not just state they could not come to conference, GET some input from them while they are on the phone and document this. We have to prove the parents had MEANINGFUL input in decision making.

7) If you have students who qualify for ESY by regression, severity, etc... but you do not wish to provide the service, let me know. It's not ethical to state students do not need services just because we personally do not wish to work in the summer. We can try to find someone to do it. On the other hand, if you want to work the summer, please let me know...just in case we need you. ESY does not cost the school anything. The department reimburses the school for your summer pay. Just get with me prior to offering services so we can discuss particulars. There are rules regarding how much time we can offer students in the summer. Don't state on the form the child did not show regression so they don't qualify for ESY. Regression is NOT the only factor in determining a child's ESY eligibility. Please review the ENTIRE checklist. If you are doing ESY, do not forget to complete the ESY summary report (2 pages) on SEAS. Fax these to me when complete.

8) When constructing the new IEP, remember Benchmark accommodations MUST be daily modifications. If a student is portfolio assessed 3-8, 11-- please have the student's parent sign the Special Factors Page.Lets try to all use READ ALOUD this year on IEP's where it is necessary. I know we have been told several ways to do this, but at this time it seems to be the most acceptable wording for this mod.

9) Remember everyone gets goals AND objectives this year.

10) The PLAAFP page of the IEP is EXTREMELY important. The monitors want to be able to pick up this page (with annual review and PLOP on goals) and create a lesson plan for the child. Make sure yours pass that test. Tell what the student CAN and CANNOT do (specific skills) relating to the common core standards. Look to the unpacked standards referred to in an earlier blog if you are having trouble with this. Be sure to include the most recently available Statewide Assessment scores. Be sure and include adaptive deficits on this page...we are not just looking at academics or speech language errors. Remember to program for the WHOLE CHILD.

11) Be sure to include Behavior plans for students with any disability category that requires a behavioral component in order to qualify, (OHI for ADHD, ED, AU, etc...). When we are looking at changing behavior, we are not necessarily discussing DISCIPLINE. Only a behavior that is negatively impacting social, academic or developmental achievement.

12) Review your reevaluations...make sure all are current prior to Annual Review. If something isn't right you may need to flag these for fall testing as the referral deadline is the Friday before spring break.

13) Remember to PRE and POST test your students each year. I will be looking for this information as I check folders. It's necessary to show this growth on AR form and PLAAFP.

14) Do NOT hand write notices or IEP's. Some handwriting may be necessary on certain pages, but handwriting entire documents as a rule will be reported to principals. The monitors HATE it and it just looks bad.

Lastly and most importantly:

The IEP is written IN the Annual Review BY the committee. You may carry in a DRAFT of an IEP, however be sure it is marked clearly as a draft and point out to parents it is NOT a final product. Parents must have MEANINGFUL participation in the development of the program. The IEP MUST be completed in the committee meeting. I have heard rumors of back pages being signed with no actual IEP being completed. I hope this is not happening in our schools as it is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. 

That's plenty for today. Please let me know if you have questions, concerns or if I can help you in any way! I'm here for you!!!

Have a fantastic spring break next week!!!