Name of Local Educational Agency: Golden Valley Unified School District (GVUSD)District Representative: James Brannon

Special Education Local Plan Area: Madera-Mariposa SELPASELPA Representative: Diane Gischel-Lingo

Consultant: Bradford Lacy11-4-16

SPP Indicator / Current District Performance / Root Causes / Current Improvement Strategies / Recommended Improvement Strategies & Measurement Standards / Roles and Responsibilities / Initiation Date
5 Least Restrictive Environment:The average amount of time students, ages six through twenty-two, receive their special education or services in settings apart from their non-disabled peers. / According to its 2014-15 District Level Special Education Annual Performance Report, the district’s average amount of time students aged 6 through 22 years receive their special education or services in settings apart from their non-disabled peers in separate schools, residential facilities, or homebound/hospital placements did not meet required targets. The district’s percentage of students in separate schools was 4.5% with a target of <4.4% / 1. Many of our students who make up the 4.5% are being serviced through Gould Educational Center under Madera County Office of Education that is designed to serve Moderate to Severe intellectual and physical disabilities. These students require a level of service that does not exist within our LEA due to student population. In speaking with the director of Gould, she has indicated that the students that are at her site greatly benefit from the support they receive in their current program.
2.In looking through our IEP’s, it appears that some case managers have been counting service minutes, regardless of location of services, as percentage of time in special education. Many of the current students on IEP’s have “push-in” services where they are actually receiving special education support, but are in the general education setting. / The district currently uses a deployment strategy for reading intervention at the elementary levels. The lowest level of readers receives small group instruction through the Reading Lab. Additionally, in the reading lab, students are placed in groups based on areas of need. This support is 30 minutes per day. All students receive the bulk of ELA instruction in their general education instruction setting. Reading data is calculated at multiple points during the year in order to help determine which students need more support and which students need less support. Students who make minimal progress are often referred for special education assessment.
District also utilizes a Student Study Team model to help develop appropriate interventions to be utilized in the general education setting. Team members at this meeting include the following: intervention coordinator, administrator, classroom teacher, parents, and may also include school psychologist depending on student need. / 1.GVUSD Administrator of Special Education will attend all IEP’s for students that are being educated at Gould Educational Center and other more restrictive settings.
2.Continue dialogue with SELPA program directors regarding the appropriateness of current student placement in the more restrictive setting.
3. GVUSD Administrator of Special Education and GVUSD School Psychologist attended an in-service regarding Least Restrictive Environment.
4. During our October staff meeting, teachers were educated on how to accurately track general education percentage time on the services page of the IEP. This agenda item is also on the 11/17/2016 staff meeting agenda as a follow up.
5.GVUSD Data Analyst Specialist will present info to special education case managers regarding the Federal Setting codes at the 11/17/2016 staff meeting.
6. Parent meetings will be calendared quarterly to help educate parents on the importance of educating all students in the least restrictive setting. Additionally, these meetings will be a roundtable style discussion where parents can offer insight and suggestions to help special education students. / GVUSD Administrator of Special Education will:
1. Collaborate with MCOE staff to make sure that students are receiving instruction in the LRE.
2. Educate district staff and parents on the importance of serving students in the LRE.
3. Work with case managers to make sure percentages are accurately recorded on the IEP.
4. Attend LRE trainings and workshops when available to attain any new information and then train staff on new information.
GVUSD School Psychologist will:
1. Attend intervention meetings to understand what general education supports are being offered.
2. Collaborate with special education staff to implement different strategies in the current settings.
GVUSD SEIS Data Entry Specialist will:
1.Review IEPs to make sure percentages of time in special education and general education are accurately represented.
2.In-service teachers regarding the Federal Setting and help teachers determine the correct code to use on the IEP. / Some of these Improvement Strategies have been started this year. The ones that have been started will continue to be implemented. All other Improvement Strategies will be implemented starting on 11/17/2016 at the next GVUSD Special Education Staff meeting.