Director's Update
What's Going On In Special Education In Bedford
Lane Celebrates Neurodiversity Awareness Month
Lane School embraced Neurodiversity Awareness Month by hosting a variety of engaging activities and educational opportunities. The Special Education team joined forces to curate a collection of resources and activities designed specifically for our teachers to integrate into their lesson plans throughout the month. In a heartwarming display of solidarity, our staff proudly sported T-shirts adorned with symbols of support for neurodiversity.
The highlight of the celebration was the creation of a magnificent school-wide mural, where students had the chance to showcase their unique perspective and talents, illustrating the beautiful neurodiversity within our Lane School community.
Here's a video that some student's viewed in their classrooms!
Special Education Administrative Support Team
Please feel free to contact either Debbie Barnes or Amber-Loveless Patterson if you need assistance with a special education related matter. They will be happy to help.
Debbie's email: deborah_barnes@bedfordps.org
Amber's email: amber_loveless-patterson@bedfordps.org
Presenting...... the NEW IEP!
Thurs, May 16, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Over the last year, the Special Education team in the district has been learning about the new IEP form. As you know, the district special educators spent the last professional development day learning about the form. Last Friday, the Special Education Program Administrators and IEP spent the morning learning about the New IEP form and Aspen and how they will work together. We now feel ready to introduce it to you. On Thursday evening, May 16 at 7:30 pm, Special Education Administration will attend your regularly scheduled SEPAC meeting to guide you through some of the changes. I've attached a copy of the form for you to review prior to the meeting. During the meeting, I'll highlight the changes and how the Bedford form might look a little different. We hope to see you there!
Supporting ALL Learners in the Classroom
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and differentiation are both approaches aimed at meeting the diverse needs of learners, but they differ in their scope and implementation.
UDL focuses on proactively designing instruction and curriculum to be accessible and effective for all students from the outset. It emphasizes providing multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression to accommodate a wide range of learner variability. UDL encourages educators to create flexible learning environments that minimize barriers and maximize learning opportunities for all students, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds.
On the other hand, differentiation involves tailoring instruction and assessment to meet the individual needs of specific students or groups of students. It typically occurs in response to identified differences in students' readiness, interests, and learning profiles. Differentiation strategies may include modifying content, adjusting instructional methods, or offering alternative assessments to better meet the needs of diverse learners within a classroom.
Utilizing both Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and differentiation in classrooms is important because they complement each other and together provide a comprehensive approach to meeting the diverse needs of learners.
By utilizing both UDL and differentiation in classrooms, teachers can create inclusive learning environments that meet the diverse needs of all students and promote equitable opportunities for learning and success.
While both UDL and differentiation aim to promote inclusive education and support diverse learners, UDL emphasizes proactive design of instruction for all students, while differentiation involves adapting instruction to address the specific needs of individual students.
The District Curriculum Leadership will continue working with Elizabeth Stein to strengthen our approaches to UDL across the district.
Dr. Karin Hodges is Coming to Bedford
MassHealth School-Based Medicaid Reimbursement Program
The Bedford Public Schools system participates in the Expansion of the Massachusetts MassHealth School-based Medicaid Reimbursement Program, which is designed to include payment for services that are provided to students pursuant to an Individual Health Care Plan (IHCP), an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), a Section 504 plan, or services that are otherwise medically necessary. Payment for services provided pursuant to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) will continue to be provided under the expanded program.
The Federal government has ruled that cities and towns may be reimbursed through the MassHealth program for the money spent delivering health related services in our school district. This means that a significant amount of funds can come back to our district --- but we need your help. As you may know, it costs the school system a great deal of money to provide these necessary and important services.
In accordance with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE’s) student records regulations and federal law, schools are now obligated to submit claims for services provided to MassHealth-enrolled students for whom parental consent has been obtained. As part of this expansion, Bedford Public School would like to obtain your parental consent to share information with MassHealth, including information needed to bill MassHealth for services provided to students, DESE provides guidance on parental consent requirements on its website. This particular bulletin from the DESE website clarifies that parental consent will allow schools to bill MassHealth and does not change the MassHealth services that members can receive inside or outside of school.
Please keep in mind that granting or revoking parent or guardian consent to allow the school to bill MassHealth does not change the amount, frequency, or duration of MassHealth services that MassHealth members can receive inside or outside of school. Services that MassHealth members may receive both in and out of school include, but are not limited to:
Nursing services
Physical, occupational, and speech therapies
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services
Psychotherapy services
We will be sending consent forms to students who qualify for MassHealth. Please return the signed authorization. We look forward to getting this one-time parental consent for school-based medical reimbursement program.
Thank you for your assistance!
Special Education Parent Advisory Counsel (SEPAC)
BEDFORD SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council)
SEPAC is a group of parents & caregivers of children receiving special education support and/or children with disabilities. All parents & caregivers welcome! We meet for support, education, networking and resource sharing.
Bedford SEPAC General Meetings: Virtual
Come and discuss special education programming in Bedford and how we can best support our children.
Thurs, May 16, 2024 at 7:30 PM with the Special Education Administration
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4172275285?pwd=OTZaeHZOM3lSY1h4Z0J5SndVMTk0Zz09
Meeting ID: 417 227 5285
Passcode: 333333
Email: bedfordmasepac@gmail.com
Web: bedfordmasepac.org
Facebook group: https://www.facebook. com/groups/BEDFORDMASEPAC/