Commissioner’s Advisory Panel for Special
Education Services
October 18 & 19, 2007
Holiday Inn Express, Rensselaer, New York
Meeting Notes

Thursday, October 18, 2007

AGENDA ITEM

ITEMS OF INTEREST

DISCUSSION

RECOMMENDATIONS/ NEXT STEPS

Welcome and Get Organized
  • Agenda reviewed

 

 
  • Agenda accepted

Review Agenda
  • A motion to send Ms. Luderman a thank you note was made and seconded.

 
  • CAP secretary will draft letter.

 

Approval of April Minutes

 
  • A motion to accept the April Minutes was made and seconded.

 

 
  • Motion approved: Minutes approved

CAP Annual Report

 
  • A motion to accept the Annual Report was made and seconded.

 

 
  • Motion approved; Annual report approved

Receive Public Comment Period

Members submitted the following comments for public comment:

 

 

Public Comment

  1. Presented parent letter regarding lack of special education programs for dually diagnosed students (developmental disability and mental health diagnosis)

1.  SED staff explained the process if program expansion is needed and  clarified school district responsibility to address student through the individualized education programs (IEP) as appropriate and on a school-wide level. Information will be collected regarding children with cross- systems needs at the Commissioner’s retreat.

 

Public Comment

  1. Presented comment regarding Contracts for Excellence – How will progress/improvement be monitored for students with disabilities, English language learner (ELL) students and the refugee population?

2.  SED staff provided an explanation of the process for monitoring and accountability.

 

Public Comment

  1. Presented parent letter regarding lack of service and program options at the secondary level including lack of options for high functioning students with disabilities
  1. A CAP member provided information on secondary programs in NYC.

3. Send web site for Essential Tools-Work Based Learning  

3. & 4. Send website for Center for Autism Related  Disorders

Public Comment

  1. Presented parent letter regarding the lack of program options for children with severe disabilities such as autism
  

 

Public Comment

  1. Provided information on survey conducted 

 
  1. Transportation continues to be an issue for homeless students with disabilities.
  1. Send out survey findings for students who are homeless and arrange for panel discussion on issues

CAP Statutory Charge and Plan for the Year

 

 

Agenda items for the 2007-08 year were reviewed.

 

 

SED staff reviewed responsibilities of members and required attendance and the plan for the year.  Members liked the systematic approach, agreed that a plan will help to focus the Committee and indicated topics could be added as needed. They also liked the idea of having panel discussions.

Recommended following discussion topics:

  • Special education teacher certification;
  • Panel discussion regarding homeless youth, foster care, incarcerated youth and dual diagnosis issues

Revise Plan and post on CAP website

Send web site for Office of State Review

Vote on CAP Positions (Vice Chairperson & Secretary)

Nominations were made for the positions of Vice Chairperson and Secretary.

Motion was made and seconded.

 

Motion approved

Share Policy and Regulatory Updates and Seek Recommendations

Materials in packet were reviewed. NYS is in full compliance with IDEA 2004.
Provided information on changes to the following NYS regulations:

 

 

1. Referrals

1. Referrals and requests for referral for evaluation; explained the difference;  clarified who can make a referral or request for referral

 

 

2. Excusals

2. Excusals and non attendance at CSE/ meetings; explained the difference

 

 

3.  Learning Disability (LD)/Response to Intervention (RtI)

3. Criteria for learning disability determination; noted changes to Part 100 and 200; discussed significant discrepancy; clarified relationship between early intervening services and academic intervention services (AIS); RtI Technical Assistance Centers

 

 

4. Nonpublic

4. Shift  in responsibility to district of location regarding the provision of special education services for students with disabilities

4. Members discussed confusion which results in students not receiving special education services.

 

5. Continuum

5. Integrated co-teaching model, consultant teacher and resource room; explained the differences

 

 

Lunch Discussion

1. Preschool

Provided updates and discussed

1. Preschool 

  • Task Force
  • Development of Early Childhood   Learning Standards

 

 

2. Transition

2. Transition

  • Student exit summary
  • State Performance Plan (SPP) Indicators #13 and #14
  • NYS Longitudinal Post-school Indicator Study
  • Model transition programs

2. Members indicated students learn to self-advocate when a student exit summary is completed yet some students are not aware of their student exit summary.

2. Members provide additional feedback on the student exit summary.

3. Professional Development

3. Professional Development

  • Teacher preparation regarding students with autism
  • Training for committee on special education(CSE)/committee on preschool special education /(CPSE) chairpersons

 

 

State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR) Updates

1. Changes in Data Collection

1. Changes in Data Collection -Reviewed key changes in data collection process

1. Members discussed concerns regarding district response rates for parent surveys.

1. Recommend that Parent Centers develop strategies and work with districts to increase response rates for parent surveys

2. Identification as a State in need of Assistance

2. Identification as a State in need of Assistance - Reviewed letter from the United States Education Department and determination made by them

2. Members discussed impact of designation as State in need of Assistance.

 
  • Identification of Districts for 2008-09

 

 

3. Identification of Districts for 2008-09 -Discussed proposed criteria for identifying schools in upcoming year.

3. Members discussed concerns and questioned district motivation to comply.

 

 

 
  • School District Public Reporting

4. School District Public Reporting -

  • Demonstration of public reporting website for SPP data
  • Recently shared with District Superintendents for their review
  • Web site will be accessible to the public in near future

 

4. E-mail members web site for public reporting of SPP data


 

Commissioner’s Advisory Panel for Special
Education Services
October 18 & 19, 2007
Holiday Inn Express, Rensselaer, New York
Meeting Notes

Friday, October 19, 2007

AGENDA ITEM

ITEMS OF INTEREST

DISCUSSION

RECOMMENDATIONS/ NEXT STEPS

Information Sharing
  • Transition conference -Cornell University - January 2008  
  • Model Transition Programs
  • Dr. Kus reviewed information on staph infections and referred folks to Department of Health web site for continued updates.
  • Conference on strategies to improve parent involvement - Joyce Epstein, John Hopkins (Lackawanna, NY)
  • Report on service availability in Erie County
  • November 2, 2007 -  Parent “round- table” discussion with SED in Albany, NY
  • October 30, 2007 -  NYS developmental disability advocacy network (NYSDAN) meeting

 

 

 Forms and Notices

1. Review draft forms and obtain recommendation

 

1. Prior Written Notice, Meeting Notices and IEP Form:

  • Required by regulation on 1/1/2009
  • Reviewed Draft School-age IEP

1. Members noted and/or recommended:

  • Guidance documents and training needed.
  • Opposed to checklist of services for every annual goal
  • IEP redundant and lengthy (pg. 5 and pg. 7 repetitive).
  • IEPs should assist to improve instruction and strategies rather than focus on services.
  • The format of the IEP interferes with the flow of the CSE meeting.
  • The disability classification should only be on the first page.
  • Change the term management needs because it is misleading (appears to be only about behavioral needs).
  • Signature needed to signify attendance may be confused with the signature for consent to services.

1. Share revised draft of IEP forms and Notices at next meeting and draft IEP guidance document when available.
  • Compliance Monitoring/    Educational Benefit

2. Explained new monitoring process and core components of educational benefit

  • Focus Review is a new process which determines whether IEPs are reasonably calculated to result in educational benefit for the student.

 

2. Members recommended that educational benefit be incorporated into IEP.

Preschool Longitudinal Study

  • Review Findings
  • Recommendations

 
  • Reviewed findings of study
  • The Preschool Longitudinal Study examines the effects of preschool on children with disabilities
  •  School resources influence services and settings.
  • Preschool services make a difference in a child’s development.
  • Members discussed findings/concerns
  •  Child with “related services only” would likely show greater improvement compared to a student with autism.
  • Type of disability most likely influenced the results of the study.
  • The Preschool Longitudinal Study did not incorporate a standardized instrument to measure physical/ cognitive limitations of people (no standardized instrument available).

 

 

Preschool Task ForceUpdate

 

 
  • Reviewed purpose of the preschool task force - Examine how preschool special education could be improved  and make recommendations to policy makers regarding transition (LRE), rate setting and delivery systems
  • Reviewed  preliminary recommendations of Task Force

 
  • Members questioned the relationship between the Preschool Task Force and the Preschool Longitudinal Study.

 
  • Provide the Preschool Task Force with the preliminary results of the Preschool Longitudinal Study

 

 

Closing

  • Wrap-up and Recommendations

 

 

  • Next CAP meeting January 31 & February 1

 

  • It would be helpful for CAP members to receive documents to be discussed prior to CAP meetings. If information is not available, provide members the packets the evening they arrive so they may review.
  • Specify the items on the agenda that are areas of commentary versus discussion points.

 

 

  • Provide documents prior to meeting as feasible.

 

 

 

 

  • Revise agenda to indicated commentary vs. discussion points.
  • Additional Topics for Approval
  • Motion: Subcommittee to write letter providing input on SPP requirements  (in response to letter distributed)
  • A motion was made and seconded.
  • Motion approved.
  • Subcommittee to have conference call to draft response.
  • Any Key Discussion Issues for the Commissioner and/or Deputy Commissioner