And Who Are Unserved, Unplaced, Or out of School for an Extended Period of Time

Summary

This work group was facilitated by Amy Worfel, Director of Special Education for GRPS, and Lucy Hough-Waite, Executive Director of Special Education and Early Childhood for Kent ISD. Between February and May 2010, there was a total of four meetings of center program supervisors and two subgroup meetings to address the need to expand center programs to address current service gaps. The work group was initiated because local districts expressed concern that finding appropriate placement for students with some of the most challenging needs is sometimes difficult.

Goal

There should be no students with disabilities within Kent ISD who need center program placement

and who are unserved, unplaced, or out of school for an extended period of time.

Recommendations

Decisions about Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are made by IEP Teams, and not a committee such as this one. However, the committee concluded that some work needs to be done and resources increased to ensure that our students with the most challenging needs who truly need specialized placement have appropriate options. The following recommendations were made to achieve that goal.

Groups of Students for Whom Center Program Gaps Exist / Center Program Most Appropriate to Serve
1 / “High functioning” students with ASD or Asperger’s Syndrome with high rates of challenging behavior and/or co-existing emotional impairment/psychiatric issues / Kent Education Center (KEC) Oakleigh, Mayfield, Beltline, or Off-Site Programs
2 / ASD students functioning in moderate range with high rates of behavior but who are verbal and/or higher functioning than most ASD students currently placed at LDC, Lincoln School, or Pine Grove (PGLC) / Students in this group may go to either Lincoln Campus/PGLC or to one of the KEC Programs.
Groups of Students for Whom Center Program Gaps Exist / Center Program Most Appropriate to Serve
3 / CI/EI Students with high rates of challenging behavior, but who are “too high” for Lincoln Campus/PGLC and “too low” for the KEC Programs / K-12 students functioning in the moderate range but working on more academic skills may be more appropriate for a KEC program. If students have more severe communication challenges and need more work on life skills, a placement at Lincoln Campus/PGLC should be pursued. For postsecondary age students, the primary need of student (CI or EI) should guide whether a KVO or KEC option would be most appropriate.
4 / Preschool students with ASD or CI/EI who need full day programming / The Ken-O-Sha (KOS) sites will keep these students until age 5 and will provide full-day programming if need is demonstrated. ASD students who are 5 years old by beginning of school year will return to regional or local programs beginning the 2011-12 school year. KEC Oakleigh will take referrals of children age 5, sometimes 4. KOS principals will work with regional MoCI programs if there are 5-year-old children appropriate for MoCI regional programs.
5 / Medically fragile students who need both LRE and nursing services / Ken-O-Sha Elementary is a center program housed within a regular elementary school and is an option for students with medical issues who require on-site nursing, have significant therapy needs, and/or other developmental delays. Other students may return to their local districts for programming.
6 / Students who present a high risk of danger to self or others
but who also need center program placement / Depending on disability and functioning level, these students
are usually placed at a KEC program or Lincoln Campus/PGLC (including KVO). However, additional staffing is almost
always required to ensure student safety.
Other Action Items Required to Assure Continuum of Services / Person Responsible / Timeline
Inform special education administrators about placement of 5-year-old students with ASD
into local or regional programs beginning 2011-12 / Lucy Hough-Waite / Completed
on
March 31, 2010
Inform special education administrators about need to develop local and regional options for LD and mid to high-functioning MiCI students who require postsecondary programs / Lucy Hough-Waite / Completed
on
March 31, 2010
Inform special education administrators that presence of time out rooms at KEC Oakleigh and Mayfield do not constitute a rationale for referral of student to a KEC Program / Lucy Hough-Waite / May 21, 2010
Schedule Challenging Referrals Committee Meetings for students for whom there are
questions about what program represents least restrictive environment
or for whom questions remain after center program intake process has taken place / Lucy Hough-Waite / Ongoing
(after Sp Ed Admin meetings if needed)
Assure additional and timely staffing when students who are dangerous
to self or others need placement into a center program / Amy Worfel / Ongoing
Identify possible internal and external consultants to provide professional development and technical assistance/coaching on challenging behavior to all center programs / Amy Worfel, Paulette Longwell, and other supervisors / Start by June 2010
and Ongoing
Identify possible internal and external consultants to provide professional development and technical assistance/coaching on autism spectrum disorders to all center programs / Amy Worfel, Paulette Longwell, and other supervisors / Start by June 2010
and Ongoing
Develop a center program intake process for students in groups 2, 3, 4, and 6. Meetings will be scheduled monthly prior to GRPS Special Education Supervisors’ Meetings / Amy Worfel
(Lucy Hough-Waite and/or Laurie VanderPloeg will
attend as requested) / Start in
August 2010
Gather data and review 3-year projections to determine need for broadened continuum of services (such as self-contained POHI classrooms) at Ken-O-Sha Elementary;
Determine appropriate criteria for placement / Jim Polasek and staff / 2010-11 school year
Meet with staff from KEC Oakleigh, Mayfield, and Beltline to talk about
broadened range of referrals to KEC Programs / Amy Worfel, Lucy Hough-Waite, and KEC Principals / Early Fall 2010
Meet with RAC Members from all three KEC Programs to talk about
broadened range of referrals to KEC Programs / Amy Worfel, Lucy Hough-Waite, and KEC Principals / Early Fall 2010
Form work group to develop criteria for students who require nursing services
at school and/or for transportation purposes / Lucy Hough-Waite / Fall 2010
Form work group to address rapidly growing postsecondary population throughout
Kent Intermediate School District / Lucy Hough-Waite and
Steve Hamilton / Fall 2010

Center Program Continuum of Services Report – Page 4 5/21/10