Deer Creek Special Services Scoop

Maribel Mercado Rivera, who is a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst), came to work at Deer Creek in April 2024. Maribel's commitment to her work is truly remarkable. With an exceptional work ethic, she covers the entire district, traveling between 10 different sites to support students and staff with her expertise, including paraprofessionals in the process of working toward a RBT certification. At each site, Maribel observes students and staff in action, offering invaluable insights for behavior replacement techniques and practices. She models effective strategies, shares innovative ideas, and provides a variety resources to ensure everyone has the tools they need. Her intentionality to spend time at each site and her hands-on approach to behavioral support make a lasting difference. Deer Creek is grateful to have Maribel as an integral part of the district.

Deer Creek had 50 student athletes competing in the Special Olympics Bowling event held at Bowlero on Thursday, October 24. The athletes represented DCIS, DCMS, DCTC with great sportsmanship and energy. They cheered for each other, encouraged each other, and celebrated with each other. Way to go DC Special Olympic Athletes!

Reminder for progress reporting, the parent should be informed of the student's progress toward his/her IEP goals at minimum each semester, which is concurrent with the issuance of report cards/posting of grades in Infinite Campus. However, some students' goals may need more frequent reporting of progress, such as each quarter. It is best practice to issue the progress reports no later than one week after the quarter is completed.

From the OSDE-SES P&P IEP Development Section F Progress Towards Goals (pg. 211):

"How and when the parent will be informed of the student’s progress toward the annual goals, including the extent to which progress is sufficient to enable the student to achieve the goals by the end of the IEP time frame. 34 C.F.R. § 300.320(a)(3)(ii) states, “A description of - When periodic reports on the progress the child is making toward meeting the annual goals (such as through the use of quarterly or other periodic reports, concurrent with the issuance of report cards) will be provided;” and therefore, parents shall be informed of their child’s progress at least as often as parents of nondisabled children."

Each month we will highlight revisions and/or additions included in the "NEW" OSDE-SES 2024 P&P. This month's highlighted revision is IEP Development: Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (p.208)

Section 3. IEP Development

A. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance

The IEP team must use present levels of academic achievement and functional performance to inform and guide the development of the IEP. Any identified areas of need(s) must be addressed in the IEP.

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

• The results of the initial or most recent evaluations of the student, including any state or LEA assessments.
• Current assessments are defined as one year old or less for all areas of educational needs, including transition assessments, which are used as the baseline data/information to describe the specific present levels of performance in the development of the goals, accommodations, modifications, related and supplementary services. Historical information that is relevant (e.g., developmental history or medical conditions, etc.) may also be added to the present levels of performance.
• A specific description of academic, developmental, and/or functional strengths and needs that provides information about the student that is relevant to the development of measurable annual goals:
• Academic (e.g., applied problems, written expression, reading fluency, etc.)
• Developmental (e.g., communication, motor, cognitive, social/emotional, etc.)
• Functional (e.g., self-care, social skills, daily living, communication, social/emotional, etc.)
• 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.

**Please note that areas of educational need are found on the most recent MEEGs.

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.

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.

• November 6th 8:15- 9:00 - Mod/Behavior monthly meeting
• Training focus: ABA in Classroom Setting
• Location: South Conference Room
• November 13th 1:00- 2:00 - RBT monthly meeting
• Training focus: ABA
• Location: South Conference Room
• November 22nd 9:00- 3:30 - Mandt
• Location: Colin will send invite
• November 22nd 10:30- 12:00 - All Sped Meeting
• Location: PAAC Conference rooms

OSDE and Partner Provided Trainings and Resources

New - 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.

Updated - 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

• ADC – November 21, 2024 (3rd Thurs.)

  • Open Q & A – December 19, 2024 (3rd Thurs.)

  • 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.