Massachusetts Department of

Elementary and Secondary Education

75 Pleasant Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-4906 Telephone: (781) 338-3000

TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370

April 29, 2016

Dr. Mariela Vargas

Executive Director

Integrated Learning Academy – Newton

109 Oak Street

Newton, MA 02464

VIA Facsimile and Certified U.S. Mail

Re: Private Day School Program Review Final Report

Integrated Learning Academy – Newton (ILAN)

ILAN Day Program

Dear Dr. Vargas:

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (“Department”) is hereby notifying Integrated Learning Academy – Newton (“ILAN”), Day Program that the program is being placed on Probationary Approval status based on the findings from the attached Program Review Report and ongoing discussions with staff from ILAN about serious concerns regarding the ability of the school to provide a safe and appropriate educational environment to enrolled students as required by 603 CMR 28.09(4)(b). The Department is hereby notifying ILAN Day Program that as a condition of Probationary Approval and as of the date of this notice, the school may not accept any additional eligible students into the program.

The reasons for the decision to place ILAN on probationary approval status are detailed in the attached Program Review Report. In summary, the decision is based on ILAN’s persistent failure to:

  • Provide appropriate oversight and management of the educational program;
  • Explain the relationship between the approved ILAN Day Program and the unapproved Applied Behavior Learning Services program as subsidiaries of the Integrated Center for Child Development;
  • Maintain separate administration of students, staff, instructional and financial resources of ILAN and Applied Behavior Learning Services, along with providing a satisfactory explanation of the relationship between the programs
  • Obtain prior approval from the Department before implementing significant changes to the site, policies and structure of the program or provide notification to the Department and comply with DESE reporting requirements as specified in the Form 1; and
  • Ensure that Criminal Offender Record Checks (CORI’s) and Criminal History Record Information (CHRI)checks are completed and that documentation is maintained forexisting and new staff as required by law.

All areas of non-compliance were first identified and reviewed with the staff from ILAN as follows:

at a Program Review Orientation Meeting held at the Department on 01/07/2016; while providing onsite technical assistance during our onsite visit 02/02/2016-02/04/2016; and at our exit meeting with the Executive Director on 03/10/2016. On 04/15/2016, the Department received a letter from ILAN dated 04/14/2016, which provided a summary of the steps ILAN assured had been taken to address the concerns discussed at the 03/10/2016 meeting. During an unannounced visit on 04/15/2016, DESE staff found the updates provided, in the above referenced letter, not implemented and further concerns were raised based on conversations with the Executive Director of ILAN.

Consistent with 603 CMR 28.09(4), within two (2) school days of receipt of this notice from the Department placing the Program’s approval on probation. ILAN must provide notification of the Probationary Approval status to the parents and guardians of all Massachusetts enrolled students, all Massachusetts school districts with enrolled students, and officials of Massachusetts human service agencies or agencies of other states with responsibility for any students at the school. This notification must state that ILAN has been issued probationary approval from the Department for the stated reasons contained in the enclosed report. A copy of the proposed letter and a list of all recipients must be submitted to the Department for approval prior to distribution.ILAN must also post the Probationary Status on the ILAN website and all affiliated websites.

Enclosed is the Department’s Approved Private Special Education School Program Review Final Report containing findings based on the onsite visit conducted in your program and the other serious concerns and areas of noncompliance that the Department has discussed with you. This report includes detailed findings for each program area describing the determinations of the Department regarding the implementation status of each requirement.

The Department is convening a meeting on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. at 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MAto discuss the requirements of the Corrective Action Plan (CAP) with you and onsite staff from ILAN who will be responsible for developing and implementing the CAP. The Department will answer any questions you have and will provide technical assistance in preparing a CAP that can be implemented immediately.

ILAN must submit the CAP and accompanying documentation on or before Friday, May 20, 2016. Following the Department’s review of the CAP and results of any announced and/or unannounced site visits pursuant to 603 CMR 28.09(4)(d), the Department may reinstate the approval status of the program, change the approval status to provisional, or withdraw its approval. The Department will provide written notification of its action to ILAN.

You should access the CAP format directly through the Web Based Management System (WBMS) in the menu area labeled “CAP/Progress Reports.” Upon receipt of your CAP, we will review and respond to each part of the plan. Where we disapprove any part of your proposed CAP, we will provide an explanation and substitute our own order of corrective action, with required timelines. Progress reports will be requested, at dates to be determined by the Department, for any corrective action, and any CAP may be verified onsite. At key junctures, the Department will provide you with its written review, the status of any outstanding items, requests for additional information and the necessary forms, electronically via WBMS and/or email.

Please include with your program’s CAP a separate statement signed by you and the members of your Board of Directors. This statement must contain:

a)a description of the steps the program is taking to make the Department’s findings available to staff, parent advisory groups and the general public; and

b)an assurance that once the CAP has been reviewed by the Department the corrective action approved or ordered by the Department will be implemented by the approved or ordered dates of completion.

All programs must demonstrate resolution of noncompliance identified by the Department as soon as possible but in no case later than one year from the issuance of the Department’s Final Program Review Report.

Please be advised that the attached Department Certificate of Probationary Approval must be conspicuously posted in a public place within the program as required by 603 CMR 28.09.

The Department will conduct both announced and unannounced visits to ILAN to observe the current program and to verify that the corrective actions approved by the Department are being implemented. If you have any questions regarding the content of this letter, please contact Michelle Hennessy-Kowalchek at 781-338-3704

Sincerely,

Michelle Hennessy-Kowalchek, Private School Program Review Chairperson

Program Quality Assurance Services

Nina M. Marchese, Supervisor

Program Quality Assurance Services

Joseph F. Drolette, Assistant Director

Program Quality Assurance Services

c:Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education

Marcia Mittnacht, State Director of Special Education

Jacquiline Brown, Director of Special Education Pricing, Operational Services Division

Dr. Rafael Castro, Integrated Center for Child Development

Pamela Millman, Counsel for ILAN

Ellyn Ellis, Private School Program Review Coordinator

Encl.:Program Review Final Report

Probationary Approval Certificate, Expiration July 22, 2016


/ Integrated Learning Academy Newton, Inc.
PRIVATE SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL
PROGRAM REVIEW
REPORT OF FINDINGS
Dates of Onsite Visit: February 2-4, 2016
Date of Draft Report: April 29, 2016
Date of Final Report:April 29, 2016
Corrective Action Plan Due: May 27, 2016
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Onsite Team Members:
Michelle Hennessy-Kowalchek, Chairperson
Helen Murgida, Team

Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D.

Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education

MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

PRIVATE SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL PROGRAM REVIEW

Integrated Learning Academy Newton, Inc.

Table of Contents

OVERVIEW OF REVIEW PROCEDURES

Private School Program Review Elements

DEFINITION OF TERMS FOR FINDINGS

AREA 1: REQUIRED INFORMATION, NOTIFICATIONS AND POSTINGS

AREA 2: ADMINISTRATION - LEGAL AND FINANCIAL DOCUMENTATION

AREA 4: DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

AREA 5: ADMINISTRATION AND ADMISSION PROCEDURES

AREA 6: EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS - STUDENT LEARNING TIME

AREA 8: EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS - INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAMS

AREA 9: EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS - STUDENT DISCIPLINE AND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT

AREA 10: EDUCATIONAL STAFFING REQUIREMENTS - RATIOS

AREA 11: EDUCATIONAL STAFFING REQUIREMENTS - PERSONNEL POLICIES

AREA 12: EDUCATIONAL STAFFING REQUIREMENTS - STAFF TRAINING

AREA 13: PHYSICAL FACILITY AND EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

AREA 14: REQUIREMENTS FOR DAILY CARE

AREA 15: PARENT AND STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

AREA 16: HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES

AREA 18: STUDENT RECORDS

AREA 19: ANTI- HAZING

AREA 20: BULLYING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION

MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
APPROVED PRIVATE SCHOOL PROGRAM REVIEW REPORT

OVERVIEW OF REVIEW PROCEDURES

INTRODUCTION

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (“Department”) is required under M.G.L. c. 71B, §10 to review special education programs in approved private special education schools that serve publicly funded students under the provisions of Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Regulations 603 CMR 28.00 and 18.00. Each private school program submits an application for approval by the Department and thereafter periodically updates information in a re-approval application. Each year, the Department's Program Quality Assurance Services unit (“PQA”) conducts onsite visits to selected approved private school programs to verify the implementation of these programs. The selected schools for the 2015-2016 review cycle were notified in February2015 of scheduled visits and were required to conduct a Self-Assessment using the Department's web-based monitoring system (WBMS) before the arrival of the Department's visiting team.

The statewide six-year Private School Program Review cycle together with the Department’s Mid-cycle monitoring schedule is posted on the Department’s web site at

Web-based Approach to Monitoring

In the 2012-2013school year and continuing forward, all Program Reviews are conducted using the web-based approach to comprehensive monitoring, allowing both programs and the Department to submit, review and exchange documents and information through the Department’s security portal. This new approach combines familiar elements from the standard Program Review procedures in combination with new features that strengthen accountability and oversight on a continuous basis. The WBMS has already been successfully used in conducting the Department’s public school monitoring.

Private School Program Review Elements

Criteria: The Program Review criteria encompass key elements drawn from 603 CMR 18.00 and 28.00 and the private school program’s application for approval. They also include those required by the federal Office for Special Education Programs (OSEP) and revised requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq. (IDEA-2004) as described in the Department's Special Education Advisories. PQA, through the Desk Review, examines the Self-Assessment submission and determines which criteria will be followedup on through onsite verification activities.The Self-Assessment and Desk Review are both described below.

Self-Assessment Phase: This is a requirement for all agenciesbeing monitored. It is completed in the year prior to the onsite reviewand coversall of themonitoring criteria. The agency is responsible for completing the Self- Assessment for each individually approved program being reviewed, which consists of:

  • Agency review of documentation for required elements including document uploads.
  • Agency review of a sample of student records selected.
  • Agency review of a sample of staff records selected.

Upon completion of these portions of the Self-Assessment, it is submitted to the Department for review.

Desk Review Phase: The PQA chairperson assigned to each agency reviews the responses by the private school program to questions regarding the critical elements for appropriate policies, procedures, and practices, as well as actual documents and data submissions by criteria. The student record review data,staff record review data, and explanatory comments are examined. The outcome of this review, along with 3-year trend data from the Problem Resolution System, and required notifications to the Department is used to determine the scope and nature of the Department’s onsite activities.

Onsite Verification Phase: This includes activities selected from the following:

  • Interviews of administrative, instructional, and other staff consistent with those criteria selected for onsite verification.
  • Interviews of parent representatives and other telephone interviews as requested by other parents or members of the general public.
  • Review of student records and staff records: The Department selects a sample of student and staff records from those the agency reviewed as part of its self-assessment to verify the accuracy of the data. The Department also conducts an independent review of a sample of student and staff records that reflect activities conducted since the beginning of the school year. The onsite team will conduct this review, using standard Department procedures, to determine whether procedural and programmatic requirements have been implemented.
  • Surveys of parents of students with disabilities: Parents of students with disabilities whose files are selected for the record review, as well as the parents of an equal number of other students with disabilities, are sent a survey that solicits information regarding their experiences with the agency’s implementation of special education, related services, and procedural requirementsby its private school programs.
  • Observation of classrooms and other facilities: The onsite team visits a sample of classrooms and other school facilities used in the delivery of programs and services to determine general levels of compliance with program requirements.

Team: Depending upon the scope of onsite activities that have been identified based on the Department’s Desk Review of the agency’s Self-Assessment, a 2-3 member Department team will conduct a 2-3 day onsite Program Review.

Report: The report is based on a review of the written documentation regarding the operation of the school's programs and the information gathered from theOnsite Verification Phase. A Draft Report of Comments is issued via the WBMS. Agencies may respond to the factual accuracy of the report within 10 business days.

A Final Report is then issued via the WBMS and in hard copy. The findings in the Final Report note those criteria that the team found to be implemented in a commendable or substantially implemented, and those not implemented or not fully implemented. Findings for each program area describe determinations of the Department about the implementation status of each requirement (criterion) reviewed. The Department’s Approved Private School Program Review Final Reports are posted on the Department’s web site at

Response: Where criteria are found not to be fully implemented, the agency is required to propose corrective actions, within 20 business days of receipt of the Final Report, to bring those areas into compliance with the respective statutes or regulationsfor each effected private school program.Under federal Special Education State Performance Plan requirements pursuant to IDEA-2004, public and private school programs serving disabled students must demonstrate effective resolution of noncompliance identified by the Department as soon as possible but in no case later than one year from the issuance of the Department’s Final Program Review Report. A program is required to incorporate the required corrective action into its Re-approval Application as required by 603 C.M.R. Section 28.09. Additionally, a program is encouraged to incorporate any required corrective action as approved by the Department into its internal improvement plans, including the program’s professional development plans.

The Department believes that the Private School Program Review process is a positive experience and that the Final Report is a helpful planning document for the continued development and improvement of programs and services in each approved private school program.

REPORT INTRODUCTION

A two-member team visited Integrated Learning Academy Newton, Inc. during the week of February 1, 2016 to evaluate the implementation of selected compliance criteria under the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Regulations 603 CMR 18.00 (Program and Safety Standards for Approved Public or Private Day and Residential Special Education School Programs) and 603 CMR 28.09 (Approval of Public or Private Day and Residential Special Education School Programs), M.G.L c. 71B, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq, as amended in 2004 (IDEA--2004), and civil rights provisions that are pertinent to Approved Private School Programs. The team appreciated the opportunity to interview staff and parents, to observe classroom facilities, and to review the program efforts underway.

The Department is submitting the following Private School Program Review Report containing findings made pursuant to this onsite visit. In preparing this report the team reviewed extensive documentation regarding the operation of the school programs, together with information gathered by means of the following Department program review methods:

•Interviews of 12 administrative staff.

•Interviews of 1 clinical staff.

•Interviews of 5 teaching and educational support services staff.

•Interviews of 3 childcare staff.

•Interviews of no Parent Group representatives and of no other parents of Massachusetts students enrolled in the school program.

•Student record review: A sample of 4 Massachusetts student records was selected by the Department. Student records were first examined by the school program’s staff and then verified by the onsite team using standard Department student record review procedures to make determinations regarding the implementation of procedural and programmatic requirements.