2010-11-13 LPS - Student Services Staffing & Financial Assessment

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42 The IEP process in Lexington is typical for school districts in the state, but staff report that it does not run as smoothly as they would like. They voiced concerns that the review cycle was too slow, and the reasons for the changes made during the review aren’t shared. Many of the referrals from general education teachers are vague regarding student need. Building administrators also expressed a concern that the referral process to the district-wide programs was unclear and seemed to vary on a case-by-case basis. ê»òÓ»¿«®»±º°®±¹®¿³»ºº»½¬·ª»²» Currently the district cannot measure the effectiveness of particular programs, strategies or pedagogical approaches. Given the very wide variation of efforts in the district, it would be difficult to measure them all. Best practice districts employ a much smaller number of programs, design the interventions with measurement in mind, and refine the programs frequently based on the results. Two types of data are typically used to evaluate program effectiveness: absolute achievement and growth over time. êºòÍ§¬»³º±®·²¬»¹®¿¬·²¹ÎÌ×øÎ»°±²»Ì±×²¬»®ª»²¬·±²÷ RTI is a relatively new concept that stresses general education intervention prior to special education referral and support. As in most districts across the state, RTI in Lexington was added on top of the existing systems and structures. The theory, however, is to replace and reshape. Each principal has been tasked with making RTI function in their building, with varying results. Most staff expressed support for the concept, confusion with the process, and uncertainty over how it really differs from PLCs, good teaching, or data teams. Special education staff and general education staff both seem uncertain of their roles in the process. ê¹òÍ§¬»³º±®½¸»¼«´·²¹¿²¼¬¿ºº·²¹ Like many of the systems reviewed, scheduling and staffing is more professional judgment than a formal system. Individual therapists and resource room staff create their own schedules. Because the information in the IEP database is not clean enough, it is difficult for administrators to review or help with scheduling or to fine tune staffing decisions. An area of particular concern for staff and parents is the lack of a comprehensive master building schedule. This means that math, reading, and IEP meetings are scheduled without tight integration with therapists schedules. Many, if not most, IEP meetings are scheduled without consideration of previously scheduled direct service with students. Creating a thoughtful, comprehensive master schedule is difficult to do without software, but it can be done with a great deal of planning before school starts. Therapists and resource room staff have ample time in their weekly schedule to conduct testing and other meetings without double booking student direct service. The District Management Council 7 Harcourt Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 - Tel:1877-DMC-3500 | Fax:617-491-5266 |www.dmcouncil.org