Deer Creek Special Services Scoop

Take a look at the joyful holiday celebrations taking place in Deer Creek! At Prairie Vale, the Special Services team from Carrie Pfleeger's class dressed up as various holiday characters for a day. Meanwhile, the Special Services team from Spring Creek Elementary, consisting of Carissa Cannedy, Alley Cottrell, and Abigail Rodriguez, along with their administrators Michelle Edison and Jenn Sinclair, donned their best holiday outfits to spread holiday cheer throughout their school.

Students with disabilities on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must be included in all state and district-wide assessments. The IEP team determines annually how the student will participate in state and district-wide assessments - with or without accommodations, or through the alternate assessment.

The Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP) is a component of the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP) and is designed for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The state defines “students with the most significant cognitive disabilities” as:

Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities have limited conceptual skills, written language skills, and understanding of numerical concepts such as quantity, time, and money. Vocabulary and grammar are quite limited and augmentative communication devices are often necessary to communicate with others. They tend to focus on present, everyday events and rarely attempt to analyze or expand on new ideas and concepts through spoken language. Skill acquisition and measurable gains on grade-level alternate academic achievement standards require extensive, direct individualized instruction. These students require substantial supports for all activities of daily living including meal preparation, dressing, grooming, and personal hygiene. Their personal safety is dependent upon constant supervision and will be a concern throughout their lifetime. (34 CFR § 200.6(d)(1))

In order to participate in the OAAP, students must require alternate achievement standards in all content areas. Additionally, they must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) containing rigorous, measurable goals that include short-term benchmarks/objectives. The IEP Team must determine if a student meets the criteria identified in The Criteria Checklist for Assessing Students with Disabilities on Alternate Assessments

and if the alternate assessment is appropriate for the student.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) mandates that no more than 1% of all tested students may participate in an alternate assessment. However, in the 2022-2023 school year, Deer Creek assessed 1.00% or more of the district's students on the alternate assessment (based on OSDE OAAP Monitoring Notification). It is projected that Deer Creek will assess 1.10% of our students on the alternate assessment during the 2023-2024 school year (based on current EdPlan reporting).

The Guidance Rubric for Considering Student Eligibility for the Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP) is a companion document to the Criteria Checklist for Assessing Students with Disabilities on Alternate Assessments that teams may use to determine student participation in OAAP testing. This rubric is not required, but it is recommended to ensure that we are properly identifying students who should participate in OAAP (or WIDA Alternate Assessment) testing.

If you have any questions please call our office.

Remember, district guidance is that a progress report should be sent home when that student’s grade level report card is sent. This should follow what the team determined in frequency with the goals set.

Page 156 of the OSDE Policies and Procedures Handbook provides specific information on progress reporting expectations.

The PSG has requested a wishlist from each special education teacher in Deer Creek. The wishlists will be added to the PSG agendas so that parents have access to the information to provide support. If you haven't already, please complete the Classroom Wishlist Google Form.

Deer Creek Hosted Trainings

The link for Deer Creek Special Services led trainings can be found here. Location of the trainings will be updated as we get closer to the training date.

• January 10 - 7:30 - 8:30: Accommodations for IEP and State Testing
• meet.google.com/mbu-tiqp-fmu

• January 17 @ TBD - 2:30 - 5:00: Come and Go
  

• Next Like Group Meeting: January 24 - 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

• M/M Like Group
• S/P Like Group:
  
  

OSDE and Partner Provided Trainings

The Center on Transition Innovations Facilitated and Self-Paced Courses

The Center on Transition Innovations (CTI) at Virginia Commonwealth University offers facilitated and self-paced courses that provide a comprehensive overview of the best practices in transition planning for both high school students interested in tips for career planning and educators who want to learn about effective practices in transition. Each course offers a certificate of completion and CRCs for meeting course requirements. Click below to see the overview for each of the current courses and to access the registration link:

• Transition: Changing the Outcomes (facilitated)
• Supported Employment (facilitated)
• Work-Based Learning (self-paced)
• Get Ready for Your Career (self-paced)
• Get Ready for College (self-paced)
• Get Ready for Independent Living (self-paced)
• Fundamentals of Transition Planning (self-paced)

OSDE-SES Regional Training

Effective Instructional Practices for Teaching Transition Skills to Students Participating in the Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP) Regional Professional Development

• 1/25/2024 - Oklahoma City

Secondary Transition M/M: Using Assessment Results to Develop Meaningful Transition Goals & Services for Students with Mild/Moderate Disabilities

• This training will focus on using assessment results to develop meaningful transition plans for students with mild/moderate disabilities.
• January 18 from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm (check-in begins at 8:30 am) at Francis Tuttle (RENO CAMPUS), Oklahoma City
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Secondary Transition S/P: Using Assessment Results to Develop Meaningful Transition Plans for Students Participating in the OAAP

• This training will focus on using assessment results to develop meaningful transition plans for students with severe/profound disabilities.
• February 27 from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm (check-in begins at 8:30 am) at Francis Tuttle (RENO CAMPUS), Oklahoma City

FBA/BIP Training

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Special Education Services (OSDE-SES) 2022 Policies and Procedures (P. 56): OSDE Guidance/Fact Sheet

“Due to the complex nature of variables associated with behavior assessments, individuals who conduct a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), or for those who conduct a Functional Analysis (FA) should have training on data collection and behavior assessment.”

The following professional development opportunity meets criteria as acceptable training to conduct and develop FBA/BIP.

• OSDE Connect: Everyday Behavior : Behavioral Principles in the School Setting (**note that you must select the 20 hr session to meet criteria) Send certificate of completion to Dr. Blankenship (tracyblankenship@dcsok.org) once course is completed.

Alternate Diploma Collaborative

OSDE, Office of Special Education Services holds a Secondary Transition/Alternate Diploma Collaborative meeting monthly. Zoom meetings are typically held on the 4th Thursday of each month at 3:00 p.m.

The schedule of monthly sessions and known topics through the November of 2023 are listed below:

• January 25, 2024 @ 3:00 p.m.

  • Inclusive Post Secondary Education (IPSE!): Preparation, Pathway and Potential! Julie Lackey, Oklahoma IPSE Alliance

• February 22, 2024 @ 3:00 p.m.
  • OK's Got Talent with Moore Public Schools Whitney Green, ​
• March 28, 2024 @ 3:00 p.m.
  • Special Olympics Unified Sports – Meg Corn, Special Olympics Oklahoma & Mustang Public Schools