Good Morning,
Although the snow is flying and the Holiday music is playing, I want to take an opportunity to guide us in some preplanning for the upcoming summer. As you may know, the summer school program funded through general education funds will not be in place this coming summer. I anticipate this will in turn impact requests for extended school year services for students with IEPs. As you may remember, extended school year services are considered through the IEP team process. The data needed to help with that consideration is the progress monitoring (charting) of IEP goal areas. I would encourage teachers to gather progress monitoring data after the Holiday break to help with any requests that may come this upcoming spring. Further information is available on the Grant Wood website at:
http://www.aea10.k12.ia.us/divlearn/specialeducation/index.html
May you all have a well deserved restful Holiday break and I look forward to working with you in the upcoming year!
Take care,
Julie
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Supply Budgets
Hello,
I hope this finds everyone safe and sound during our first Iowa snowstorm! Last night at the school board meeting the Linn Mar Budget Management Model was reviewed. The model lists some budget goal priorities. One of those priorities is to reduce supply and equipment budgets by 10% and eliminate or reduce purchases of supplies and services. Student Services will be implementing this priority by several means. One of those means is to reduce special education classroom supply budgets by 10%. Karen Wilson has the adjusted amounts of remaining budgets. All purchase orders will be reviewed and must be connected with specific curriculum needs and/or individual student needs.
If your classroom is planning for a field trip off the Linn Mar campus after January 1, 2010 please contact your building principal. In turn, they will contact me with any questions/concerns that may arise.
For those of you using the Unique Learning Curriculum, we will continue to monitor the number of printed copies and will reimburse the printing costs back to the building’s print budget at the end of the year. Please remember to notify Karen Wilson with the number of copies made on a monthly basis. As a reminder, these costs are budgeted through the Special Education ARRA (Stimulus) funds.
Any other questions/concerns please feel free to contact me.
Take Care,
Julie
I hope this finds everyone safe and sound during our first Iowa snowstorm! Last night at the school board meeting the Linn Mar Budget Management Model was reviewed. The model lists some budget goal priorities. One of those priorities is to reduce supply and equipment budgets by 10% and eliminate or reduce purchases of supplies and services. Student Services will be implementing this priority by several means. One of those means is to reduce special education classroom supply budgets by 10%. Karen Wilson has the adjusted amounts of remaining budgets. All purchase orders will be reviewed and must be connected with specific curriculum needs and/or individual student needs.
If your classroom is planning for a field trip off the Linn Mar campus after January 1, 2010 please contact your building principal. In turn, they will contact me with any questions/concerns that may arise.
For those of you using the Unique Learning Curriculum, we will continue to monitor the number of printed copies and will reimburse the printing costs back to the building’s print budget at the end of the year. Please remember to notify Karen Wilson with the number of copies made on a monthly basis. As a reminder, these costs are budgeted through the Special Education ARRA (Stimulus) funds.
Any other questions/concerns please feel free to contact me.
Take Care,
Julie
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Bookshare
More information to come... but we are learning about a web based free service specifically for NIMAS eligible but also other students with reading disabilities. It provides books that can be downloaded to a computer and read to a student. There are some upcoming webinars where we are learning about it but you can check it out at bookshare.com. Ask your GWAEA rep for details.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Congratulations on Count Day!
Hello!
Thank you to all student support staff members, AEA staff, and building administrators for a very successful October 30th Count Day! Your hard work through out the year to keep IEPs up to date and current certainly pays off when the October deadline comes around. Congratulations!
As a friendly reminder, please note that progress monitoring and graphing are also part of completing the IEP data on a timely basis. Best practice would be to keep the progress monitoring on a twice a month basis. This year we have had several IEP meetings where a family is asking to see the progress on IEP goals. Sometimes the graph is available and some times not. This tells me families appreciate and understand the need to check the progress on their child's IEP goals. Thank you for keeping our families informed!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!
Julie
Thank you to all student support staff members, AEA staff, and building administrators for a very successful October 30th Count Day! Your hard work through out the year to keep IEPs up to date and current certainly pays off when the October deadline comes around. Congratulations!
As a friendly reminder, please note that progress monitoring and graphing are also part of completing the IEP data on a timely basis. Best practice would be to keep the progress monitoring on a twice a month basis. This year we have had several IEP meetings where a family is asking to see the progress on IEP goals. Sometimes the graph is available and some times not. This tells me families appreciate and understand the need to check the progress on their child's IEP goals. Thank you for keeping our families informed!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!
Julie
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Ron Peeler presentation October 20, 2009
Hello!
Ron Peeler, Ahlers Law Firm, did an excellent job of presenting current issues in special education for our student support staffs. The associates heard him in the morning and the teachers/AEA support staff/counselors in the afternoon. Thank you Ron for coming to Linn Mar land!
As a follow up to the presentations, we were asked to review our time line expectation for keeping materials. Please note that all records and files should be kept for 2 years minimum and best practice is for 5 years. During our conversation it was determined that if the day to day data collection is not recorded in another manner, it should also be filed on that same time line. If the data collection is summarized in another manner (i.e. IEP progress monitoring, charting, etc..) the day to day data can be sent home with a family member.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions/concerns in that area.
Thanks for all you do for Linn Mar studnets and families!
Julie
Ron Peeler, Ahlers Law Firm, did an excellent job of presenting current issues in special education for our student support staffs. The associates heard him in the morning and the teachers/AEA support staff/counselors in the afternoon. Thank you Ron for coming to Linn Mar land!
As a follow up to the presentations, we were asked to review our time line expectation for keeping materials. Please note that all records and files should be kept for 2 years minimum and best practice is for 5 years. During our conversation it was determined that if the day to day data collection is not recorded in another manner, it should also be filed on that same time line. If the data collection is summarized in another manner (i.e. IEP progress monitoring, charting, etc..) the day to day data can be sent home with a family member.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions/concerns in that area.
Thanks for all you do for Linn Mar studnets and families!
Julie
Friday, September 11, 2009
Parent Forum Information
We have scheduled Information Nights for families who have children supported through Special Education Programs in the Linn-Mar district.
Topics will include Services available in the Linn-Mar Community School District, our Area Education Agency, our local community, and the State of Iowa.
Presenters will be Dr. Janine Wahl, Regional Adminstrator for Grant Wood AEA, Kelly Von Lehmden, Linn Mar Parent and Family Representative at the University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development and Julie Jensen, Executive Director of Student Services at Linn Mar.
Three different nights available with the same information being presented at each forum:
September 29, 2009 6:00-7:00p.m. Wilkins Elementary Music Room
October 1, 2009 6:00-7:00 p.m. Bowman Woods Elementary Media Center
October 6, 2009 6:30-7:30 p.m. Excelsior Middle School Media Center
Topics will include Services available in the Linn-Mar Community School District, our Area Education Agency, our local community, and the State of Iowa.
Presenters will be Dr. Janine Wahl, Regional Adminstrator for Grant Wood AEA, Kelly Von Lehmden, Linn Mar Parent and Family Representative at the University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development and Julie Jensen, Executive Director of Student Services at Linn Mar.
Three different nights available with the same information being presented at each forum:
September 29, 2009 6:00-7:00p.m. Wilkins Elementary Music Room
October 1, 2009 6:00-7:00 p.m. Bowman Woods Elementary Media Center
October 6, 2009 6:30-7:30 p.m. Excelsior Middle School Media Center
Sunday, August 23, 2009
IEP Changes for 09/10 School Year
Hello Staff!
Please view the following to have a summary of IEP form changes for the 09/10 school year. Please feel free to contact your Grant Wood support staff or myself with any questions.
Thank you!
Julie
Fall 2009 Special Education Changes
These materials summarize recent changes in IEP and special education procedures. They are intended as a quick reference for AEA staff and for sharing with LEA colleagues. Please note the continued emphasis on statewide procedures with materials developed by the Iowa Department of Education in collaboration with all of the AEAs. This emphasis allows for consistency statewide that is helpful to children and families, and it also makes possible the creation of high quality digital and other tools to support educators.
Annual changes made to Web IEP to reflect programming changes that address new IEP procedures. The changes for this year are minimal, when compared to the many significant changes which were rolled out last year. Other changes will roll out during the year.
www.iowaidea.org – click onto “Version 6 Has Been Rolled Over”. Can access specific information for teachers, support staff, LEA and AEA Administrators.
Special Education Forms Flow Chart
On AEA website under SPECIAL EDUCATION. Under IEP RESOURCES, then click Flow Chart.
Statewide Procedures Manual (August 2009)
The release of Web IEP 2009 and a move to Statewide consistency have resulted in more materials to support IEP development.
· Statewide Procedures Manual (August 2009) www.gwaea.org – click GWAEA staff, then Special Education, then Statewide Procedures Manual.
· AEA Special Education Procedures Manual www.gwaea.org – click GWAEA staff, then Special Education, then AEA Special Education Procedures
· Version 5.0 Web IEP DVD www.iowa.gov/educate/ - click “Special Education” under PK-12, click “Individual Education Program (IEP) Information” then IEP tutorial.
· Web IEP 2009 Assistance www.iowaidea.org - click “IEP” then click “Web IEP 2009”
Please view the following to have a summary of IEP form changes for the 09/10 school year. Please feel free to contact your Grant Wood support staff or myself with any questions.
Thank you!
Julie
Fall 2009 Special Education Changes
These materials summarize recent changes in IEP and special education procedures. They are intended as a quick reference for AEA staff and for sharing with LEA colleagues. Please note the continued emphasis on statewide procedures with materials developed by the Iowa Department of Education in collaboration with all of the AEAs. This emphasis allows for consistency statewide that is helpful to children and families, and it also makes possible the creation of high quality digital and other tools to support educators.
Annual changes made to Web IEP to reflect programming changes that address new IEP procedures. The changes for this year are minimal, when compared to the many significant changes which were rolled out last year. Other changes will roll out during the year.
www.iowaidea.org – click onto “Version 6 Has Been Rolled Over”. Can access specific information for teachers, support staff, LEA and AEA Administrators.
Special Education Forms Flow Chart
On AEA website under SPECIAL EDUCATION. Under IEP RESOURCES, then click Flow Chart.
Statewide Procedures Manual (August 2009)
The release of Web IEP 2009 and a move to Statewide consistency have resulted in more materials to support IEP development.
· Statewide Procedures Manual (August 2009) www.gwaea.org – click GWAEA staff, then Special Education, then Statewide Procedures Manual.
· AEA Special Education Procedures Manual www.gwaea.org – click GWAEA staff, then Special Education, then AEA Special Education Procedures
· Version 5.0 Web IEP DVD www.iowa.gov/educate/ - click “Special Education” under PK-12, click “Individual Education Program (IEP) Information” then IEP tutorial.
· Web IEP 2009 Assistance www.iowaidea.org - click “IEP” then click “Web IEP 2009”
Monday, August 10, 2009
Special Education Classroom Names
Hello!
As many of you know, the names of Special Education classrooms have been directed by the State Department of Education to make sure our special education programs and classrooms do not have the language of "levels" or 'special education" in the titles. As a result of teacher and adminstrative feedback please note the following:
All special education programs/classrooms will be known as "Student Support Services". The classrooms that were previously Level 1 programs will have that new title. Classrooms that have the focus of behavior, autism, functional academic, or functional life skills will also use the same name. As we have conversations with families and other staff we know what classroom has what type of focus and certainly can use the previous language in our conversations.
This new language, "Student Support Services" will be used in student handbooks, classroom names, websites, and anything that goes out in print.
As many of you know, the names of Special Education classrooms have been directed by the State Department of Education to make sure our special education programs and classrooms do not have the language of "levels" or 'special education" in the titles. As a result of teacher and adminstrative feedback please note the following:
All special education programs/classrooms will be known as "Student Support Services". The classrooms that were previously Level 1 programs will have that new title. Classrooms that have the focus of behavior, autism, functional academic, or functional life skills will also use the same name. As we have conversations with families and other staff we know what classroom has what type of focus and certainly can use the previous language in our conversations.
This new language, "Student Support Services" will be used in student handbooks, classroom names, websites, and anything that goes out in print.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Welcome!
Welcome to the 2009/2010 school year! I hope this finds all of you having enjoyed some well deserved time away from the classroom. I am looking forward to our working together this year in supporting students and families within in the Linn Mar Community!
This blog site will be up and running for the 2009/2010 school year. The purpose of this site is to share information in a timely fashion with each other and also provide an opportunity for each of you to share information with the rest of us!
As we all know, if one person has a question...there are at least two more people out there with the same question! I will be "watching" this blog on a weekly basis posting answers to questions and providing updated information in the land of Special Education. The beauty of this blog is that the postings can stay up all year! Therefore for those of us that may not always remember what was said in a previous message we can look back on this blog and find out the answers!
Please feel free to post thoughts and any questions that may arise during the school year!
Thank you for your service to all and have a great school year!
Julie
This blog site will be up and running for the 2009/2010 school year. The purpose of this site is to share information in a timely fashion with each other and also provide an opportunity for each of you to share information with the rest of us!
As we all know, if one person has a question...there are at least two more people out there with the same question! I will be "watching" this blog on a weekly basis posting answers to questions and providing updated information in the land of Special Education. The beauty of this blog is that the postings can stay up all year! Therefore for those of us that may not always remember what was said in a previous message we can look back on this blog and find out the answers!
Please feel free to post thoughts and any questions that may arise during the school year!
Thank you for your service to all and have a great school year!
Julie
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