Deer Creek Special Services Scoop

A big shout out goes to Jenny Richards, principal at DCMS, for hosting the DC Special Services training event on January 6, 2025. She was so kind to have the tables, audio, and visual needs set up ready to go. As the DC Special Services staff members arrived, they were welcomed with an offering of grab-and-go breakfast items, fun snacks (who doesn't love a nutella with breadsticks pack?), and water. Mrs. Richards also provided some positivity on ink pens and colorful stickers to start our 2nd semester off on a positive note. Thank you so much, Mrs. Richards, for hosting this training at DCMS!

Presentation by Laura Holmes - Click here to view pdf of presentation

IEP Team: Required - Parent, Gen Ed Teacher, Special Ed Teacher, Admin, and Qualified Evaluator/Relative Service Provider (depending on type of meeting): PD Slides #4-12: DC P&P Slides #33,35,36

Scheduling IEP Meeting/Before IEP Meeting - Scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time and place; Send OK Meeting Invitation; Document in contact log. PD Slides #13-15; DC P&P Slides #33

IEP Creation: The IEP is a written statement developed, reviewed, and revised by an IEP Team to address the unique education needs of the student. PD Slides #16-17; DC P&P Slides #33-34

IEP Goals: Goals address both academic achievement and functional performance needs; Goals should be updated each year; Should be in SMART goal format: PD Slides #19-22; OSDE-SES P&P pgs. 210-212.

Prior Written Notice: The purpose of advanced notice in writing is to provide the parent sufficient time to consider the proposal or refusal prior to the implementation. A Written Notice is required after every IEP meeting regardless of agreement or any changes made. PD Slides #35-39

PLAAFP - Information can be included in the Overall Objective Statements and Assessments

January 6th Training by Laura Holmes (pg. 18 in handout):

• Can populate with data/tests/assessments from MEEGS; however, be cautious and consider if all MEEGS data is needed; if data is used from MEEGS, then data should be timely.
• Don't use test results which are not interpreted or explained (A description of the child's ability and how it affects access to the general education curriculum is needed)
• Specify what test results mean.
• Include current grades and or performance of functional skills.

OSDE-SES P&P (pg. 208):

Statements of present levels of academic achievement and functional performance in an area of need include:

• Results of most recent evaluations of the student, including any state or LEA assessments
• Current assessment - (within the last year) for all areas of educational needs, including transition assessments, which are used as baseline data in development of goals, accommodations, etc. Historical information that is relevant (e.g. developmental history or medical conditions, etc.) may be added to present levels of performance (in the overall objective statement section).
• Specific description of academic, developmental, and functional strengths and needs that provides information about the student that is relevant to the development of measurable annual goals.
• Impact of the disability on involvement and progress in the general education curriculum; and
• For preschool children, the impact of the disability on participation in age-appropriate activities.

REMINDER: Under the heading Current Descriptive Information - Strengths should include a list of strengths in the areas of the student's academics, development, and functional data.

The "NEW" Oklahoma State Department of Education Special Education Services 2024 Policies and Procedures is live on the OSDE website. Please update any saved versions of the P&P you may have on your laptop with the latest version.

Each month we will highlight revisions and/or additions included in the "NEW" OSDE-SES 2024 P&P. This month's highlighted revision is Contingency Plans (OSDE-SES P&P, 2024, p. 247-248)

O. Contingency Plan

A contingency plan may be put into effect upon a building site or district-wide closure, or may be initiated by the IEP team, including the parent, in the event of health/medical reasons. The intent of a contingency is to ensure the continuation of services to receive FAPE in order to meet the student’s unique disability-related needs when school attendance is not possible. Staffing shortages/personnel issues are not acceptable use of contingency plans. The IEP team that determines to write a contingency plan must include it as part of the IEP services that would go into effect upon a certain event or reason. The LEA will provide a written notice to parents at the time, noting the specific dates the contingency plan will be in effect.

20 U.S.C. 1415(b)(3) “(3)

"(3) Written prior notice to the parents of the child, in accordance with subsection (c)(1), whenever the local educational agency—

(A) proposes to initiate or change; or

(B) refuses to initiate or change,

the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a free appropriate public education to the child.”

The Contingency Plan may need to be modified under some circumstances as determined by the IEP team.

Synchronous virtual learning occurs when students engage with a teacher and learn content simultaneously, but each may be in separate locations. The synchronous framework enables the exchange of information in real-time (i.e., live interaction online) between student and provider via audio and video. An example of a synchronous framework could be a live virtual session between a special education teacher and a small group of students online learning basic reading skills as a part of their direct instruction time listed on the IEP (special education – synchronous).

Asynchronous virtual learning occurs when students and teachers are not learning simultaneously together in the same place. Teachers provide lessons and assignments, and students complete the work at their own pace and in their own space. Asynchronous has been referred to as store-and forward data transmission (e.g., video clips, digital images, virtual technologies, Learning Management Systems-LMS, hands on tasks, paper/pencil, and other forms).

Hybrid frameworks include a combination of synchronous, asynchronous, and/or in-person services.

An asynchronous instruction may not be appropriate for some students with disabilities who struggle with time management or self-motivation to complete tasks at their own pace. Students may need a combination of asynchronous assignments and a synchronous scheduled time to 248 provide a summary of key factors, provide feedback to questions, and to provide further reteaching of concepts that are difficult to understand. Also, some students may need to have both online and in-person instruction, but the IEP team must determine the student’s educational needs and abilities to determine what is the best framework for instruction. See Guidance Brief on Distance Learning for additional information.

The Deer Creek Behavior Matrix is intended to outline roles and responsibilities of individuals/teams at the site and district level with regards to the use of behavioral systems and supports across the district.

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 6th - All Sped Slide Deck - It can also be found in the Special Services drive using the following pathway: Special Services>Professional Development>District PD>24-25.

• January 22 Late Start Meetings
• * Grade Level Transitions - 8:00-9:00am - meet.google.com/rje-fymq-dzt

** Information regarding upcoming professional development opportunities related to OSDE district determinations - Indicator 11 (child find), Indicator 12 (early childhood transitions), and Indicator 12 ( post-secondardy transitions) will be shared via email and calendar invite in the upcoming weeks.

OSDE and Partner Provided Trainings and Resources

Autism Handbook

OSDE-SES is pleased to announce the release of the new Oklahoma Autism Handbook. It was created in partnership with the Oklahoma Autism Center and with the input of multiple stakeholders. This office is grateful for the work that went into this resource and extends a huge thank you to the staff at the Oklahoma Autism Center.

This handbook orients the reader to important topics related to educating children with autism and provides current information about autism. Information is intended for use by educators, families, students, and community providers. This handbook was developed to provide guidance regarding identification, interventions, and the provision of special education services for students with autism. It is not intended to be a comprehensive resource on all aspects of autism, since every child with autism is different, and therefore ways of supporting their classroom experience will be highly individualized. This handbook is a guide and is not intended to replace any existing regulation or policy.

Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Handbook

Due to the changes with the Strong Readers Act, the Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Handbook has been updated to best reflect these changes. Please see the updated handbook and the supportive chart that indicates the change locations.

For more information, please reach out to Alexa Hudak.

Alternate Diploma Collaborative + Open Q & A Meetings

Mark your calendar and save the dates for the 2024-2025 Alternate Diploma Collaborative (ADC) virtual meetings! Meetings will resume quarterly via Teams this year. Several Open Q & A sessions will be offered to meet district needs between the quarterly sessions. Please share the ADC meeting dates with staff who need to know, learn about, and keep up-to-date about all things “alternate diploma” and 18-22 extended transition programs or services!!! Those who need to know include secondary administrators, special education directors and teachers, school counselors, career advisors, and anyone who is a stakeholder in secondary transition for students who participate in the Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP) aligned with alternate achievement standards (Essential Elements). Join via this Teams link for all ADC meetings and Open Q & A Sessions for this school year! No registration is required, just click the link to join.

All sessions will be from 3:00PM - 4:00PM

• Open Q & A – January 16, 2025 (3rd Thurs.)

• ADC – February 20, 2025 (3rd Thurs.)

• Open Q & A – March 20, 2025

• ADC – April 17, 2025 (3rd Thurs.)

• Open Q & A – May 15, 2025

Microsoft Teams Need help?

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 252 040 567 180

Passcode: W4xdRc

OSDE Connect Trainings

• Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) -Questions about completing Early Childhood Outcomes? Participants in this course will gain an understanding of the Early Childhood Outcomes process and how outcome data collection supports early special education programs in meeting the needs of students. This course covers ECO basics such as collecting ECO data, determining ratings, and accessing additional resources. Enroll here!
• Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Awareness 2024-2025 - The OSDE has developed a module that meets the requirements listed in state statute. The Dyslexia Awareness course can be accessed on OSDEConnect. The course contains “required” components to receive a certificate of completion, but there are several additional sections that are optional, if you or any of your staff want a deeper dive or just to save for resources later.