A for
FFY 2005 – FFY 2012
Submitted to the
Office of Special Education Programs
December 1, 2005; Revised April 19, 2011
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906
Phone 781-338-3000 TTY: N.E.T. Relay 800-439-2370
www.doe.mass.edu
This document was prepared by the
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D.
Commissioner
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, an affirmative action employer, is committed to ensuring that all of its programs and facilities are accessible to all members of the public.
We do not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation.
Inquiries regarding the Department’s compliance with Title IX and other civil rights laws may be directed to the
Human Resources Director, 75 Pleasant St., Malden, MA 02148-4906. Phone: 781-338-6105.
© 2011 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Permission is hereby granted to copy any or all parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes. Please credit the “Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.”
This document printed on recycled paper
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906
Phone 781-338-3000 TTY: N.E.T. Relay 800-439-2370
www.doe.mass.edu
Part B Massachusetts State Performance Plan (MA SPP) for FFY 2005-2012
Revised April 19, 2011
Table of Contents
Cover letter / Overview of MA SPP Development……………………………………………………..…..….1
Monitoring Priority: FAPE in the LRE
· Indicator 1: Graduation Rates……………………………………………………………………….….... 3
· Indicator 2: Drop-Out Rates…………………………………………………………………………...... 9
· Indicator 3: Assessment…………………………………………………………………………………. 14
· Indicator 4: Suspension / Expulsion……………………………………………………………………. 24
· Indicator 5: School-age LRE………………………………………………………………………...... 34
· Indicator 6: Preschool LRE……………………………………………………………………………… 43
· Indicator 7: Preschool Outcomes……………………………………………………………………….. 49
· Indicator 8: Parent Involvement……………………………………………………………………...... 61
Monitoring Priority: Disproportionality
· Indicator 9 : Disproportionality – Child with a Disability…………………………………………...... 67
· Indicator 10: Disproportionality – Eligibility Category……………………………………………...... 72
Effective General Supervision / Child Find
· Indicator 11: Initial Evaluation Timelines………………………………………………………………. 76
Effective General Supervision / Effective Transition
· Indicator 12: Early Childhood Transition……………………………………………………………….. 80
· Indicator 13: Secondary Transition…………………………………………………………………...... 86
· Indicator 14: Post-School Outcomes…………………………………………………………….. ….... 93
Effective General Supervision / General Supervision
· Indicator 15: Identification and Correction of Noncompliance……………………………………... 101
· Indicator 16: Complaint Timelines…………………………………………………………………….. 107
· Indicator 17: Due Process Timelines………………………………………………………………..... 112
· Indicator 18: Hearing Requests Resolved by Resolution Sessions……………………………….. 115
· Indicator 19: Mediation Agreements………………………………………………………………….. 119
· Indicator 20: State Reported Data…………………………………………………………………….. 122
Appendices
· Appendix A: Description of Selected Cross-Cutting Improvement Activities……………………... 126
· Appendix B: Parent Survey for Indicator 8…………….……………………………………………... 140
· Appendix C: Postsecondary Transition Planning Checklist for Indicator 13……………………... 142
· Appendix D: From 28M/9 for Indicator 13……………………………………………………………. 143
· Appendix E: Massachusetts Post-School Outcomes Survey for Indicator 14 (FFY 2006)……… 145
· Appendix F: Massachusetts Post-School Outcomes Survey for Indicator 14 (FFY 2009)……… 146
· Appendix G: Correction of Noncompliance Data……………………………………………………. 148
· Appendix H: Table 7 – Report of Dispute Resolution (FFY 2004)………………………………… 150
· Appendix I: Indicator 20 Scoring Rubric……………………………………………………………… 151
Massachusetts
Submitted December 1, 2005.
Revised January 3, 2006; February 1, 2007; May 21, 2007; February 1, 2008; April 14, 2008; February 2, 2009; January 29, 2010; February 1, 2011; and April 19, 2011
U.S Department of Education
Office of Special Education Programs
Potomac Center Plaza
Mail Stop 2600, Room 4129
550 12th Street S.W.
Washington, DC 20202
Re: Massachusetts Part B State Performance Plan for FFY 2005-2012
Dear Sir or Madam:
Enclosed is the Massachusetts State Performance Plan (MA SPP) for FFY 2005-2012. The MA SPP was developed in accordance with 20 U.S.C. 1416(b)(1), which states that “not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, each State must have in place a performance plan that evaluates the State’s efforts to implement the requirements and purposes of Part B and describes how the State will improve such implementation.” The MA SPP responds directly to the 20 indicators identified by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in Information Collection 1820-0624, Part B State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR).
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MASSDE) has engaged in a variety of activities to obtain broad input from stakeholders on the development of the Massachusetts State Performance Plan (MA SPP). An overview of the MA SPP was first presented to the Special Education Advisory Council (SAC), and was also presented to key stakeholders within MASSDE. As a next step, the Massachusetts Statewide Special Education Steering Committee – which consists of SAC members, key MASSDE personnel, local education officials, parents, advocates, and representatives from higher education, charter schools, approved private special education schools, and adult service agencies – met to identify targets, methodologies, and key activities as appropriate for each of the 20 MA SPP indicators. Additionally, I have met with a number of other groups as we have been preparing and revising the MA SPP and Annual Performance Report (APR), and have solicited input and described the activities to date to stakeholders broadly across the state.
The continued input and feedback from the Steering Committee and other groups have been keys in the development of the MA SPP. In addition to discussing targets, methodologies, and improvement activities, Steering Committee members have also discussed dissemination of information about the MA SPP within their respective organizations. Additionally, Steering Committee members signed up to participate in targeted interest groups focused on each indicator. These interest groups incorporate additional members and will meet throughout the upcoming years to help guide Massachusetts’ work in each area.
Regarding public dissemination, the completed MA SPP is made widely available for public discussion. This will be accomplished by broad discussion in interest groups (as previously mentioned) and at the Statewide Advisory Council meeting and other conference and group discussion opportunities. Additionally, MASSDE posts the MA SPP on the MASSDE website at http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/spp/, and distributes hard copies of the report to key constituents and the media.
MASSDE has provided detail and commentary that addresses concerns raised in previous correspondence from OSEP regarding the MA SPP. Where concerns were raised, the response is incorporated fully into the actions that MASSDE describes for the present or future in various sections throughout the MA SPP, as applicable. Please note that the following revisions have been made since the initial submission on December 1, 2005:
1) Indicator 4A was revised on January 3, 2006;
2) Indicators 1, 2, 4A, 4B, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, and 18 were revised on February 1, 2007;
3) Indicators 9 and 10 were revised on May 21, 2007 at the request of OSEP;
4) Indicators 1, 2, 3, 4A, 5, 7, 9, 10, 14, and 20 were revised on February 1, 2008;
5) Indicators 7, 9 and 10 were revised on April 14, 2008 at the request of OSEP;
6) Indicator 7 was revised according to the SPP submission instructions, the baseline data for Indicator 1 were revised, and improvement activities for Indicators 1, 2, 3, 4A, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 20 were revised on February 2, 2009;
7) Indicators 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 16, 17 and 18 were revised, and improvement activities were revised for Indicators 1, 2, 4, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18 and 19 on February 1, 2010; and
8) Indicators 1-20 were revised to include targets and new or updated improvement activities for the extended SPP period (FFY 2011 and FFY 2012); Indicators 4B, 13, and 14 have been amended to include new baseline data, targets, and improvement activities; and targets have been amended for Indicators 8, 18, and 19 on February 1, 2011.
MASSDE made the following changes to the MA SPP for FFY 2005-2012 on April 19, 2011:
1) Changes to Indicator 4B reflect the accurate measurement for districts that have (a) significant discrepancy by race or ethnicity, in rates of suspensions and expulsions of greater than 10 days in a school year of children with IEPs; and (b) policies, procedures, or practices that contribute to the significant discrepancy and do not comply with requirements relating to the development and implementation of IEPs, the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and procedural safeguards. See changes to the baseline data table and the measurable and rigorous target table in the report;
2) Indicator 13 includes updated baseline data;
3) Indicator 14 was revised to include updated baseline data, and the actual numbers used in the calculation;
4) Indicators 15 and 16 were revised to update links to electronic information cited in the report, or to delete obsolete links to resources that are no longer available.
5) MASSDE also made edits to several indicator reports and Appendix A to correct non-substantive typographical errors,(e.g., punctuation, capitalization, word choice, spelling, typographical errors, and acronyms) in each indicator report and in Appendix A originally submitted on February 1, 2011.
Additional edits made in response to the Massachusetts Part B FYY 2009 SPP/APR Status Table are included in the MA APR for FFY 2009 submitted on April 19, 2011.
If you have questions or need additional clarification regarding the MA SPP, please contact me at 781.338.3388 or .
Sincerely,
Marcia Mittnacht
State Director of Special Education
Special Education Planning and Policy Development Office
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
C: Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Part B State Performance Plan (SPP) for 2005-2012
Overview of the State Performance Plan Development:
Monitoring Priority: FAPE in the LREIndicator 1: Percent of youth with IEPs graduating from high school with a regular diploma.
Indicator #1: Graduation Rates
(20 U.S.C. 1416 (a)(3)(A))
Measurement: States must report using the graduation rate calculation and timeline established by the Department under the ESEA.Overview of Issue/Description of System or Process:
In Massachusetts the measurement for the statewide graduation rate is the number of students in a cohort who graduate in four years or less, divided by the number of first-time entering 9th graders in that cohort. The denominator is adjusted so that students who transfer into Massachusetts’ public schools are added to the original cohort, and students who transfer out or who are now deceased, are subtracted from the original cohort. The quotient is multiplied by 100 to express the graduation rate as a percentage. The measurement for all youth, regardless of IEP status, is the same.
For students in the 2005-2006 cohort, Massachusetts is calculating and reporting a statewide Graduation Rate for the first time. This cohort includes all students who entered 9th grade in Massachusetts’ public schools for the first time in the fall of 2002, plus all students who transferred into the cohort during the four years, minus all students who transferred out of the cohort or who were deceased during the four years. Students who earned their Competency Determination, met all local graduation requirements, and received a diploma from a Massachusetts public high school in four years or less were counted as graduates. Summer graduates were included as if they graduated in the June preceding the summer.
The data used to calculate the Graduation Rate are obtained through the Student Information Management System (SIMS) scheduled reports that are submitted by school districts throughout the year. Because this is the first time MASSDE has calculated the graduation rate, and because the data come from the initial years of SIMS when districts were still becoming familiar with the system, MASSDE has allowed for the possibility of a limited number of corrections. Initial student-level data for the 2005-2006 cohort were released to districts in November of 2006, and district staff had one month to review the data and request corrections. MASSDE then reviewed all requests and made appropriate corrections. For subsequent years, it is anticipated that the number and type of corrections allowed will decrease.
MASSDE’s calculation method is based on the formula set forth in the National Governors’ Association (NGA) Compact, and meets the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) definition of Graduation Rate for use in determining Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for secondary schools. However, MASSDE acknowledges that a significant number of students require more than four years to graduate, so a Five-Year Graduation Rate has also been calculated. Although Massachusetts’ formal SPP targets are based on the Four-Year graduation rate, Massachusetts will continue to generate both rates for the entire student population of each cohort and for individual student subgroups at the state, district, and school level. Additional information on the calculation of graduation rates is available on MASSDE’s website at the following link: http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/reports/gradrates/
Baseline Data for FFY 2005 (2005-2006):
Graduation Rate
IEP / 13,814 / 8,440 / 61.1%
Non-IEP / 60,934 / 51,149 / 83.9%
All Students / 74,380 / 59,440 / 79.9%
Discussion of Baseline Data:
The data provided in the above table show that students with disabilities in Massachusetts’ public schools are graduating from high school in four years at a lower rate than their non-disabled peers. Based on the cohort formula for calculating Graduation Rate, 61.1% of students with disabilities in the 2005-2006 cohort graduated from high school in four years or less while the Graduation Rate is 83.9% for non-disabled students in the same cohort, and is 79.9% for all students in the cohort.
The Five-Year Graduation Rate for students in the 2005-2006 cohort is 67.0% for students with disabilities, 86.2% for non-disabled students, and 82.7% overall. This means that 5.9% of students with disabilities in the cohort, and 2.3% of students without disabilities, graduated in five years instead of four. MASSDE recognizes that it is appropriate for some students to take longer than four years to complete high school, and so Massachusetts will continue to calculate and publicly report the Five-Year Rate for subsequent cohorts as an additional measure of year-to-year progress.