Deer Creek Special Services Scoop

This month, we want take a moment to shine a light on our incredible school psychologist team.You may be small in numbers, but your impact is anything but small. Your dedication, care, and support make such a difference in the lives of our students, families, and staff every single day.

Your hard work doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves, but we see the countless hours, the thoughtful guidance, and the positive energy you bring to our school community. We are so lucky to have such a talented and compassionate team on our side. Thank you for everything you do!

It is that time of year to begin planning for Extended School Year! A like team/group meeting during an upcoming late start will provide more information and discussion regarding ESY. Until then here is information regarding dates, collecting student information, and identify who qualifies for ESY.

ESY Locations: Deer Creek Elementary: Pre-k - 5th students (elementary)

DCTC: 6th - 12th grade students (secondary)

Dates & Times: June only - Monday thru Thursday

Elementary: June 2 - 5 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

June 9 - 12 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

June 16 - 19 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

June 23 - 26 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Secondary: June 2 - 5 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.

June 9 - 12 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.

June 16 - 19 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.

June 23 - 26 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.

**If you are interested in working ESY, please complete the 24-25 ESY Staffing Interest form.

Please remember the following as you determine who qualifies for ESY.

ESY services are considered in light of the following circumstances:

• Emerging skills - A skill that is in process of emerging, and the IEP team believes that with ESY services, the student would reasonably maintain the skill.
• Regression-Recoupment - The student will regress to such an extent, and the amount of time required to relearn a skill or behavior becomes so significant that the student will be unable to benefit from their special education.
• Self-Sufficiency - An interruption in services would threaten the acquisition of critical life skills that aid in the student's ability to function as independently as possible, thereby continuing the student's reliance on caretakers, including institutionalized care. Critical life skills are related to those skills that lead to independent functioning. Development of these skills can lead to reduced dependency on future caretakers and enhance the student's integration with individuals without disabilities. Skills may include toileting, feeding, mobility, communication, dressing, self-help, and social/emotional functioning.

ESY determination factors include:

• Degree of disability (i.e., mild, moderate, or severe)
• Degree of regression suffered (actual or predicted)
• Ability of parents to provide educational structure at home
• Student's rate of progress
• Student's behavioral problems
• Student's physical problems
• Availability of alternative resources
• Ability of the student to interact with children who are non-disabled
• Area(s) of the student's curriculum which need continuous attention from the IEP
• The student's vocational needs
• Other relevant factors, as determined by the IEP team

ESY services and amendment of the IEP, including goal development, should be completed by the sending school site:

• The ESY Determination form must be completed when:
• The IEP team is unsure of whether or not a student needs ESY services
• The IEP team determines ESY services are needed.
• The ESY Determination form is located under the documents tab in EdPlan.
• EdPlan - ESY Determination form
• The ESY services must be clearly delineated in the IEP.

ESY services should be added in the following way to a student's IEP:

1. The services provided will address the dates of services during IEP.
2. Add an additional line to the services requiring ESY with the ESY box checked. The dates will be specific to the duration of ESY services.

It's important to remember that collecting data on an ongoing basis is necessary to justify the need for Extended School Year (ESY) services.

Each student's case manager should be prepared to provide the following information and resources before ESY services begin:

• Documentation of data supporting the need for ESY. This could be provided in the form of a spreadsheet or document.
• Resources to support the student with goals that will be addressed during ESY. This could include work packets, manipulatives, assistive technology, and logins and passwords for tech resources used throughout the school year that will support ESY goals.
• Completed student profile sheet for each student attending ESY (will be provided during the like team meeting scheduled for March 27, 2024 - see PD section).

** If a student qualifies for ESY and the IEP team determines the student should attend please complete the 24-25 Student Profile sheet.

**ESY information, including data collection forms can be found on slides 70 & 71 of the DC Special Services Handbook.

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 Chapter 5, Section 1, f. Excusal from the Meeting (pp. 202-203).

There are two circumstances that allow a required IEP team member to be excused in whole or in part from an IEP meeting (34 C.F.R. § 300.321(e)):

1. When an IEP team member’s area of curriculum or related service is not being discussed, reviewed or revised at the meeting, the parent and the LEA may agree to excuse the member from all or part of the meeting with parent agreement in writing. LEAs may use a district form or OSDE comment form to document the agreement and upload the form into the online special education software system.

2. When the IEP team member’s area of curriculum or related services is being discussed, reviewed or revised at the meeting, the parent and the LEA may consent in writing to the excusal of the member from all or part of a meeting. The excused member must submit relevant, written input to the team prior to the meeting. LEAs may use a district form or OSDE comment form to document the agreement and upload the form into the online special education system.

As stated in the IDEA Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 156, Monday, August 14, 2006/Rules and Regulations, p.46674, “Consistent with §300.9, consent means that the parent has been fully informed in his or her native language, or other mode of communication, and understands that the granting of consent is voluntary and may be revoked at any time. The LEA must, therefore, provide the parent with appropriate and sufficient information to ensure that the parent fully understands that the parent is consenting to excuse an IEP Team member from attending an IEP Team meeting in which the member’s area of the curriculum or related services is being changed or discussed and that if the parent does not consent the IEP Team meeting must be held with that IEP Team member in attendance.” Therefore, the written agreement outlined on the OSDE comment form or district form must contain sufficient detailed information as latter mentioned. Once in agreement both the parent and LEA will sign and date the written agreement or attach the written agreement to a parent consent form with the box checked “Excusal of a team member from all or part of the IEP meeting.” Include this signed written agreement of excusing an IEP team member along with the student’s IEP signature pages within the special education software system. If the LEA utilized the parent consent form, then upload both the written agreement and the signed parent consent form along with the signature pages of the IEP in the special education software system.

Excusing required IEP team members must be the exception and must not be on a routine basis. “An LEA that routinely excuses IEP Team members from attending IEP Team meetings would not be in compliance with the requirements of the Act, and, therefore, would be subject to the State’s monitoring and enforcement provisions (IDEA Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 156, Monday, August 14, 2006/Rules and Regulations, p.46674).”

“What are some of the best strategies for de-escalation?” There are so many strategies we can try to support students, but we must understand the brain.

By intervening before the behavior escalates, you're more likely to prevent or reduce challenging behaviors, which is a key principle of ABA. If a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) is in place, it serves as a guide for staff during the behavior phase. However, it is crucial to understand how the brain impacts behavior and how the BIP can be applied at different phases of a challenging behavior.

Click here to read more about the structures of the brain responsible for human behavior and strategies we can use to support our students.

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.

• February 5th 8:15- 9:00 - Mod/Behavior monthly meeting
• Training focus: Token Economy
• Location: South Conference Room
• February 12th 1:00- 2:00 - RBT monthly meeting
• Training focus: ABA
• Location: South Conference Room

** Information regarding upcoming professional development opportunities related to OSDE district determinations - Indicator 11 (child find), Indicator 12 (early childhood transitions), and Indicator 13 ( 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

• 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

• Secondary Transition for Students with Disabilities - This course is recommended for teachers/providers who are new to secondary transition and as a refresher for experienced staff. Enroll here!
• 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.