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MCEA-MCPS Special Ed LMCC Meeting Agenda

Wednesday November 4, 2009


Attendees: Tricia Skelly, Beazy Greenleaf, Allison Steinfels, Felicia Piacente, Patty Sullivan, Kelly Gray, Tina
Williams, Nikki Woodward, Kimi Bedell, Marilyn Jacobs, Jeremy Brown, Susan Kelly, Susan Russell, David
Brophy, Jeremy Brown

Meeting Set Up:


- Introduce Tina Williams to the Committee
- Review notes from last meeting
Review Challenges from last meeting:
- MyMCPS teacher report forms- committee continues to look at and makes changes as needed.
More updates will be given at the next meeting
- Online repository for LMCC notes/agendas- check with Jen
- Improving Communication- Information was not making it from principals to Special Ed staff.
Phil will update at the next meeting.
- Improving Communication- Tricia can send out copies of notes to individuals if they need them
Updates from Special Ed Office
- New online IEP tool. Central office staff has been trained this week. New tool is not form based. It
has been recommended not to use a LCD projector during the meetings. The tool makes you stay in
sequence (invite letter before working on the IEP).Dark period for ENCORE switchover is Dec.
18th to Jan. 4th. We are still in school for 3 days after the dark period goes into effect. We are not to
have meetings during this time; all unlocked events will be lost. If anything is unlocked, print hard
copies to carry over.
- CAP- making progress but we are not out of it yet. There are more suspensions this year than there
have been previously. Still under for initial eligibility.
- Rationale statement on IEP: really think about it and make sure all information is accurate and
related to student. Do not make canned statements. MSDE will start to monitor these statements.
- December training-8 (elementary), 9, 10 Updates for ALT, MOD, math curriculum, compliance,
special topics, etc.
Issues for Discussion
Moving from Part C to Part B
• Infant and Toddlers must generate goals and fill out info on the IEP in case the student will need
them as they transition. Even if the student is not found eligible or parent declines services, there is a
track record in ENCORE. Concern is that it is a confidentiality issue. It is not a confidentiality issue
because MCPS cannot access records until a student is enrolled in MCPS. Currently services are
being run through DHHS.
o February 1st, families can choose to stay with an IFSP or move on to an IEP. They need to have
been in Infants and Toddlers up until that point. If the family chooses to stay with an IFSP,
students are not enrolled in MCPS, and this impacts the child count, and funding. If the family
chooses an IEP, the student would move into pre-K services with MCPS.
Extending the use of DD eligibility category beyond age of 6.
• The state allows this coding to be used through the age of 9. They allowed each LEA to choose their
age. MCPS has chosen the age of 6. If the child has a fall birthday, Pre-K team is supposed to
remove the DD coding during re-evaluation, prior to the child entering kindergarten. At this point,
MCPS is not revisiting the DD age; it could be looked at in the future if Ms. Richardson, Dr. Lacey
or Dr. Weast felt is should be.
ESOL services for pre-K
• There are ESOL students in special Ed programs in preschool. There are no ESOL teachers involved in
the service delivery. There is inconsistency across the county with these services, as there are some
schools that have ESOL teachers that integrate into pre-school programs.
o Felicia will follow up with Sonya. Individual schools can also talk to their ESOL teachers.
o ESOL does have a curriculum and is not a related service.
Staffing and Case Management Responsibilities
o Learning Curve with New IEP System- concern about the amount of time that it will take to conduct
meetings, and spend time with the program.
o You can still pre-fill in advance.
o Assessment data will pre-fill from OASIS
o The goal is that 272-2s will also be integrated and will be sent electronically to teachers for the
classes that they need to.
- Concern with Special Ed teachers teaching too many classes, completing paperwork, and meeting with
parents. At the high school level special ed teachers are teaching 5 classes have other meetings during their
planning time. Special Ed allocations are based on students, and do not include the amount of time for case
management duties.
Annual Review sub days
o Money is allocated based on number of students in building and the programs they are in.
Money is only for sub time (not clerical, due to the freeze)
o Concerns will be taking back to Special Ed leadership.
-Principals are allocating special ed teacher allocations to general educators to keep them in the building.
-Counselors need to know how to how to use the IEP tool so they can make class schedules wisely so they are
not overwhelmed with special education students.
Summer Days for Elementary Program Specialists/Resource Teachers/Learning Center Coordinators
o Resource teachers go in during the summer and see other people getting paid.
• Suggestion: Remove documentation for Flex time
• Allow teachers to leave on the ½ day before Thanksgiving
Para-educators
• If a para-educator is with a student in a specific program (Vision, etc.) the paras need more specific
training. What are the qualifications for hiring staff for critical care?
Alt-MSA prep
A committee needs to be formed to look at ways to implement the ALT smartly.
• Suggestion: Email Deb Taylor and Myra to form this and have more teachers input.
Issues:
• Teacher time
• Suggesting that other teachers in the building, who do not know the students, work on implementing
goals.
• Have people come in and see how this impacts the students and how they “benefit” from it.
• Tie more skills into the IEPs.
• Create a share site to share MO’s.
• Invite Gwen Mason, Deb Taylor, and Myra to our next meeting. Share ways to make the ALT-MSA
more manageable. 2nd Suggestion: Invite just Gwen to the meeting to share concerns and suggestions.
• How is MCPS interpreting state mandates about the ALT-MSA?
• Is implementation meaningful and manageable?

Evaluation
Plus Delta
Some new members 8:30 Meeting time
Covered lots of issues Phil unavailable to follow up
Were heard Management had to leave early.
Being repetitive instead of additive.

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