B11: Child Find Improvement Plan Submitted 3/2/2009

B11: Child Find Improvement Plan submitted 3/2/2009

Plan Team Members:

• Petrea Hagen-Gilden, Director Student Services
• Tricia Clair, Associate Director Student Services
• Carol Kinch, Associate Director Student Services
• Karen Rios, Administrative Assistant
• Elementary and secondary Learning Specialists (as appropriate per improvement activities)

Data (including trend data) used in developing plan

2007-08:

• Number/ percent of evaluations completed within the 60 school day timeline= 238/ 92.25%
• Number/ percent of evaluations not completed within the 60 school day timeline=15/ 5.81%

2007-08 TTSD Reported # and reasons timeline not met:

Reason / Eligible / Not-eligible
1) Prolonged student absence / 2 / 1
*2) Parent/guardian did not present child for testing / 1 / 1
4) Initial testing results indicated the need for additional testing not identified through initial evaluation planning / 1 / 2
5) Delay by doctor/ medical personnel / 3 / 2
6) Delay by district/program evaluation staff / 5 / 2

*Allowable exemption

Analysis revealed that for the 2007-08 Child Find report we reported evaluations outside the timeline because the parent did not present their child for medical assessment as a delay by doctor/ medical personnel, (not an allowable exemption to the timeline). This reporting was based on the ODE’s interpretation of federal and state law at the time of reporting.

On February 6, 2009 at the NWRESD Directors meeting ODE provided a different interpretation to the federal and state law stating if a parent does not take the child for a medical assessment this should be coded as parent/guardian not presenting the child for testing.

While knowledge of this allowance would not have resolved our data to 100% compliance; it would have a significant effect on the districts data, as re-calculated below.

Adjusted 2007-08 TTSD Reported # and reasons timeline not met:

Reason / Eligible / Not-eligible
1) Prolonged student absence / 2 / 1
*2) Parent/guardian did not present child for testing / 4 / 3
4) Initial testing results indicated the need for additional testing not identified through initial evaluation planning / 1 / 2
5) Delay by doctor/ medical personnel / 0 / 0
6) Delay by district/program evaluation staff / 5 / 2

*Allowable exemption

Measurable Objective:

Initial evaluation is completed within 60 school days from parent consent, (measured from date parent signs consent to date of eligibility determination).

Activities/ Timelines:

August: TTSD reviewed the district Special Education Manual to ensure written guidance specific to evaluation timelines was aligned to federal and state requirements. The district determined no revisions were required. The following written guidance is included in the current manual:

Is there a required timeline for evaluation?

Yes, IDEA 2004 requires the following timelines:

• An initial evaluation must be completed within 60 school days from written parent consent to the date of the meeting to consider eligibility.
• A reevaluation must be completed within 60 school days from written parent consent to the date of the meeting to consider continuing eligibility, the student’s educational needs, or placement.

Eligibility must be reestablished every three years and CAN NOT be extended. Evaluations must be planned so that the process is completed not only within the 60 school day evaluation timeline, but also within the 3 year continuing eligibility timeline.

It is vital that case managers plan with both these timelines in mind.

Exceptions. An evaluation may be completed in more than 60 school days under the following circumstances. Exceptions must be clearly documented in the child’s educational record.

• The parents repeatedly fail or refuse to produce the child for an evaluation, or for other circumstances outside our control.
• The student transfers into the district and was in the process of being evaluated in the previous district and the district and parents agree in writing to a different length of time to complete the evaluation. When a child with disabilities transfers from one district to another in the same school year, the previous and current district must coordinate any pending assessments as necessary and as expeditiously as possible to ensure prompt completion of the evaluation. The Referral Coordinator needs to be diligent in ensuring the evaluation is completed within the original timeline, or within a timeline the parent and the school agree upon.
• The district and parents agree in writing to extend the timeline for evaluation to determine eligibility for a suspected Specific Learning Disability. This decision is only appropriate if it assists the team in better decision making. It should not be used because the team simply failed to complete a timely evaluation.

September (and ongoing): In September we trained/ re-trained all special education staff on completion of evaluation within the 60 school day timeline as part of our Procedures Academy. We also instituted a new district requirement of reporting for any evaluation not completed within the 60 school day timeline. Staff are now required to complete the form below and submit it to the district office where it is reviewed by administration. Follow- up with staff by an administrator occurs as appropriate. The written guidance and data collection form is copied below.

2008-2009 Tigard Tualatin SD

CHILD FIND REPORT DATA COLLECTION:

Each year school districts in Oregon are required to report to the Oregon Department of Education the number of students the district evaluated and determined eligible/ineligible under the IDEA for the first time. This includes students referred for the first time in our district and those who have moved to Oregon with a current IDEA eligibility from another state, (a student with eligibility from another state is not automatically considered eligible in the state of Oregon. The district must complete the evaluation/eligibility process for these students and determine if the student is eligible/ineligible in Oregon. This is considered the students initial eligibility and all procedural safeguard requirements apply).

This data collection focuses on completion of the evaluation process within the 60 school day time line (calculated from the date of consent, or prior notice of no need for additional evaluation- to the date of eligibility).

OAR 581-015-2110 (5),(a), states that an evaluation must be completed within 60 school days from written parent consent to the date of the meeting to consider eligibility. Section (5), (c) states that evaluations may be completed in more than 60 school days under the following circumstances, documented in the child’s educational record:

(A) The parents of a child repeatedly fail or refuse to produce the child for an evaluation, or for other circumstances outside the school district’s control.
(B) The student is a transfer student in the process of reevaluation and the district and the parents agree in writing to a different length of time to complete the evaluation in accordance with subsection (d);
(C) The district and the parents agree in writing to extend the timeline for an evaluation to determine eligibility for specific learning disabilities in accordance with OAR 581-015-2170.
(d) Transfer students.
(A) When a child with disabilities transfers from one school district to another school district in the same school year, the previous and current school district must coordinate any pending assessments as necessary and as expeditiously as possible to ensure prompt completion of the evaluation.
(B) The exception under subsection (c)(B) only applies if the current school district is making sufficient progress to ensure a prompt completion of the evaluation and the parent and current school district agree to a specific time for completion of the evaluation.

In TTSD Learning Specialists currently report the date of consent for evaluation and the date of eligibility to Karen Rios via email to open a new file and through the census reporting forms. If the evaluation–to-eligibility process is completed within the 60 school day timeline, additional paperwork is required.

HOWEVER, if the team did not complete the evaluation-to-eligibility process within the 60 school day timeline, the following form must be completed by the case manager and faxed to Karen with the census document.

Tigard Tualatin SD data collection form for evaluations over the 60 school day timeline

Case Manager:______

School:______

Date:______

Student SSID
Name of Student
Initial or re-evaluation
The date of Prior Notice About/ Consent for evaluation
Date of eligibility determination
Number of days over the 60 school day timeline
Reason :
Parents repeatedly failed or refused to produce the child for an evaluation / Provide detail of circumstances:
The student is a transfer student in the process of reevaluation and the district and the parents agreed in writing to a different length of time to complete the evaluation / Date of written agreement:
Date evaluation was completed:
The district and the parents agree in writing to extend the timeline for an evaluation to determine eligibility for specific learning disabilities. / Date of written agreement:
Date evaluation was completed:
Other circumstances outside the districts control: / Provide detail of circumstances:

Person Responsible by Activity

·Tricia Clair, Associate Director Student Services

·Carol Kinch, Associate Director Student Services

·Elementary and secondary Learning Specialists (as appropriate per improvement activities)

Evidence of Completion

The district has completed the training activities described above and continues to closely monitor the timeline for all evaluations. Review of district data to date indicates there is significant improvement in completion of evaluations within the required timeline. The district looks forward to final review of these data once the collection period ends in June.