USING GUIDELINE DOCUMENTS TO DETERMINE SPECIAL EDUCATION ELIGIBILITY

INFORMED DECISION MAKING

PRESENTER INFORMATION

Ben Hicks- Special Education Supervisor

Rob Higgins- School Psychologist

Aaron Riley- School Social Worker

SESSION OBJECTIVES

• Understand the development and content of Char-Em ISD’s Special Education Eligibility Guideline Documents

• Gain a better understanding of the Michigan Rules for special education eligibility

• Gain ideas to effectively implement use of the documents

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Raise your hand if…•General Education Teacher•Special Education Teacher•Administrator•School Social Worker•Speech and Language Therapist•School Psychologist•Student•Parent•Other

CLASSIFICATIONSorting and Grouping Activity

Sorting into groups and classifying: Sort the pictures into the two categories.

All of these pictures . All of these pictures .

AGAIN, WITH GUIDANCE

Animals with 2 legs Animals with 4 legs

All of these pictures . All of these pictures .

WHY THE GUIDELINES WERE DEVELOPED

• Ensure that eligibility recommendations are accurate

• Clarify the legalese

• Create consistency within Char-Em ISD

• Provide a resource for all educators and families within our ISD

PROCESS FOR CREATION

• Compiled many documents from around Michigan and from other states

• Reviewed for format and substance

• Revised, added, edited

• Created template

• Edit, edit, edit

• Gained feedback from evaluation teams

ACCESSING THE DOCUMENTS

• Direct link to documents here or…

• Visit Char-Em Website• www.charemisd.org

• Academic Services• Special Education• Evaluation Services

UNDERSTANDING THE GUIDELINE DOCUMENTS

GUIDELINE OVERVIEW

Emotional Impairment• Read pg. 3, Michigan Rule (1)• Read pg. 7-8

•Adverse Impact Chart p. 13

GUIDELINE OVERVIEW

Specific Learning Disability

Tools• Decision Rules p. 24• Summary of Data p. 27• Adverse Impact p. 28

GUIDELINE OVERVIEW

Autism Spectrum Disorder• Component breakdown p. 6-10• Data analysis process p. 16• Tools

• Observation Questions p. 24-25• Quadrant p. 28• Summary of Eligibility p. 29

REPORT EXAMPLESummary of Eligibility Autism Spectrum Disorder

Criteria

Michigan Rule Summary of EvidenceMet Not

Met

   

Qualitative impairments in reciprocal social interactions (at least two of the following): Student does meet criteria in at least two of the four areas.

X  

Marked impairment in the use of multiple non-verbal behaviors such as eye to eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction.

Inconsistent eye contact Limited facial expressions When offering too much information, student does not seem to pick up on nonverbal

cues that listener may not be interested Awkward stance, atypical gait

X  

Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level.

Parent reports that student prefers interaction with younger children or adult interaction

Teacher observes a lack of same-age friendships Socially motivated but difficulty developing relationships Peer relationships are impacted by his misperceptions of others’ intentions and

motivations

  X

Marked impairment in spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people.

Offered spontaneous comment to peers during indoor recess, outdoor recess, and lunch.

Spontaneous comments seem to occur less frequently in the classroom; less verbal expression and sharing in the classroom setting

X  

Marked impairment in the areas of social or emotional reciprocity.

Misperceives and lacks an understanding of another’s point of view (including multiple reasons for another’s actions)

His lack of understanding another’s point of view impedes resolution of disagreements with peers and adults even with direct instruction

Limited vocabulary of emotions or feelings (i.e., “great, bad, not great”) Emotional reaction is out of proportion to the situation

IMPLEMENTATION

• Evaluation Staff

• Special Education Teachers

• General Education Teachers

• Administrators

• Parents

• Outside Agencies

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Direct link to Char-Em ISD Guideline Documents• Cognitive Impairment• Early Childhood Developmental Delay• Other Health Impairment• Speech and Language Impairment

MARSE rules

QUESTIONS?

CONTACT INFORMATION

Ben Hickshicksb@charemisd.org

Rob Higginshigginsr@charemisd.org

Aaron Rileyrileya@charemisd.org