Communications for the 2023-2024 School Year

September 2023

1)  August 23, 2023 New Teacher Training Slide Show  (pdf)
2) 2023-2024 Back to School Special Education Training Slideshow (pdf)

November 2023

1) Child Count Memo from Special Education Director Jessa Cook (pdf)

11/14/23 Communication and Advisory Committee Meeting Slide Show (pdf)

1) CAC: What is CAC? The Communication and Advisory Council theoretically represents every building from districts in our Coop. This group meets twice a year- one in person, one virtual. Please make a plan to share this information with building staff.

2) ASD & Behavior Consultants: Jill Pring- Barnum, Carlton, Hermantown, Moose Lake, NLA, Proctor and Willow River. Mike Cohen- Cloquet, Cromwell, Esko, Lake Superior, McGregor and Wrenshall. Overview of Service Model.

3) Presence Learning Psychologists: Wrenshall (Naydne), Moose Lake (Jason), Proctor (Naydne), Lake Superior (Steven and Clare), Barnum (Rachel and Jason), Willow River (Amy), Carlton (Jason). They can provide evaluation assessments, meet with the team for planning, or attend CST’s.

4) SpEd Forms History Folders: This is a new option to organize finalized documents into folders (by year). History files will remain indefinitely, even if organized into folders. If the student transfers in or out of the Coop, the folders will disappear, but finalized documents remain. Short clip here (no audio).

5) SpEd Forms New ER Template: If the previous ER is finalized, pick a new local template. NLSEC School Psychologists have created several templates. Short clip here (no audio).

6) NLSEC AT Lending Library: New way to view NLSEC lending library. Contact a NLSEC AT Team member to check out an item for 6 weeks.

7) December 1 Child Count: Connect with your MARSS Coordinator to compare students’ IEP data with their system. Service start date is 14 days after the date on the PWN. Students with expired IEPs or ER, or not receiving special education services on Dec 1 will not be counted.

8) The Golden Thread: The golden thread is the progression through the cycle of the IEP connecting the data to tell the student’s story. Evaluations should be comprehensive and help identify strengths, weaknesses and unique learning needs. Includes consideration of DAPE and AT. Resources: Auditory Processing, Executive Functioning, Long Term Retrieval, Processing Speed, Working Memory, Fluid Reasoning

9) Waived Evaluations: Working on updating language from “skipped” to “waived”.

10) Corrective Actions File Review: For 2022-23 focus was secondary transition. Five districts with corrections, Jess Knutsen is working with districts this school year. Focus for 23-24 is Progress Reporting. Progress reporting should be completed at the same intervals for students on IEPs as general education peers.

11) Release of Information: In SpEd Forms, there is a release of Information found under Other Forms and Logs. Though local clinics require date ranges.  Essentia and St. Lukes have their own forms.

12) Legal Insights: Following the due process rights as explained in forms, notices, IEP’s is important. Phrase to consider, “if not documented, it didn’t happen”. Other key areas in IEP should be considered such as ESY, extra-curricular activities, field trips, AT, etc. Record retention reminders that only those that need to know or provide direct services should have access to students files. Record retention is to age 29. Health records should be stored in the nurse's office.

13) Title 1 and special ed instruction: Title 1 is available to all learners with an identified need. Title 1 services cannot supplant SpEd, but it can supplement it.

14) ADSIS and special ed instruction: A student that receives special education instruction in math, cannot receive ADSIS math support. But they could receive ADSIS reading support as long as it does not result in increased costs for the program.

15) CPI updates: Mike Cohen new CPI trainer! Refresher training is currently version 2.0, but will be transitioning to 3.0 next school year. NLSEC potential training dates are December 2023 and February 2024. MDE guidance is once you have been trained in CPI, you’ve been trained. Refresher not required, but encouraged. In the future, the NLSEC will keep records for district certification cycles.

16) Restrictive Procedures: Use of physical holding or seclusion is in an emergency situation. Our NLSEC Coop does not have a seclusion room. Jessa reports to state restrictive procedures. If a hold happens, meet as a team to discuss questions, “Was hold a result of an emergency? Does the team notice a pattern of behavior? What is the plan to minimize the need for holds in the future?” Remember to fill out the Physical Hold form and Staff Debrief in SpEd Forms, save and finalize.

17) TSES: Total Special Education Systems Manual (TSES) include the Restrictive Procedures, located on NLSEC website. District websites link back to these documents. The TSES and Restrictive Procedures will be updated this school year once new oversight committee members have been identified.

18) Non-Exclusionary Discipline: Schools cannot dismiss any pupil without attempting to use non exclusionary disciplinary policies. No dismissal for students in K-3.

19) Disproportionality: MN districts identified with disproportionate data for suspension/expulsion for children with IEPs and disproportionate representation of racial or ethnic groups identified as needing special education services will need to complete a self-review of policies and procedures.

20) ECSE MARSS Changes: No more HK, membership and attendance records are no longer needed for all students in Kindergarten.

21) Child Outcome Summaries (COS): ECSE Teams are in process of submitting data for the COS for students at key points in the ECSE process

22) Secondary Transition Reminders: Starting in 9th grade, secondary transition needs to be addressed. Two transition assessments are required (informal ok). Resource Tool. Remember to invite outside agencies to IEP Meetings. Students should be invited as well (required by law). Flyers: WBL, Options for WBL, VRS, Bridge to Success

23) MN Inclusive Higher Education Consortium & Lake Superior College: Lake Superior College is in the process of setting up a fully inclusive initiative for students with intellectual disabilities. Access to academic coursework.

24) Mentoring Day: March 11, 2024 at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College

25) Woodcock Johnson training: December 1st 9am-1pm at St. Lukes Sports and Event Center.

26) Literacy for Low Incidence Populations:  Quote: “No one is too anything to learn to read and write - not too intellectually, emotionally, neurologically, or physically challenged to learn to read and write; to become literate” (Yoder, 2001). Emergent or Conventional reader? Conventional: look to the science of reading; Emergent: look at early childhood literacy. Resources: Comprehensive Literacy for All, Science of Reading Defining Guide

27) Next CAC meeting will be Feb 27, 2024 Virtually.

December 2023
1)

Northern Lights Special Education CooperativeQuality Education Through Cooperation and Partnership

Communications

Communications current and past information distributed to districts

Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative

Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative
Quality Education Through Cooperation and Partnership

Communications
current and past information distributed to districts