Advisory Committee for Students with ... - Board Docs

Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities

ANNUAL REPORT

May 30, 2019


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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 3

Committee Members .................................................................................................................... 3

Committee Structure .................................................................................................................... 3

Committee Presentations.............................................................................................................. 4

14th Annual Special Education Conference ................................................................................ 4

Public Comment at Committee Meetings ................................................................................... 5

Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 6

Summary of the Charge ............................................................................................................. 12

Follow-Up..................................................................................................................................... 14

Committee Charge for 2017-18 .................................................................................................. 15

APPENDIX A: ACSD Attendance ............................................................................................ 22

APPENDIX B: Special Education Conference Sessions.......................................................... 23

APPENDIX C: Exhibitors at the Special Education Conference ........................................... 25


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INTRODUCTION

Local Educational Agency Administration

The Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (“ACSD” or “the Committee”) is a legally required

citizen advisory committee appointed by the local school board.1 The mandated functions of the ACSD are

as follows:

a. Advise the local school division of needs in the education of children with disabilities;

b. Participate in the development of priorities and strategies for meeting the identified needs of children

with disabilities;

c. Submit periodic reports and recommendations regarding the education of children with disabilities to

the division superintendent for transmission to the local school board;

d. Assist the local school division in interpreting plans to the community for meeting the special needs of

children with disabilities for educational services;

e. Review the policies and procedures for the provision of special education and related services prior to

submission to the local school board; and

f. Participate in the review of the local school division's annual plan.2

Committee Members

The Committee is comprised of thirty-two3 members, including parent representatives from each region,

appointees by each School Board member, representatives from various community boards and groups, a

voting teacher representative, and a voting student representative.4 As required by law, the majority of the

committee is comprised of parents of students with disabilities or individuals with disabilities, as well as

one FCPS teacher.5

Cheri Belkowitz serves as Chairperson of the ACSD; Connie Lorentzen serves as Vice-Chairperson; and

Sandi Dalhoff and Toby Latham serve as Co-Secretaries. The Assistant Superintendent, Department of

Special Services, the Director of the Office of Special Education Instruction, the Director of the Office of

Special Education Procedural Support, and the Manager of the Parent Resource Center serve as consultants

to the Committee. School Board Member Elizabeth Schultz serves as the School Board Liaison to the

Committee.

Committee Structure

The ACSD reviewed its obligations under Virginia Administrative Code and restructured the Committee

to better align with its legal obligations. The Committee established the following subcommittees, with

each subcommittee supporting the overarching goal of the ACSD of identifying unmet needs of students

with disabilities in FCPS: 1) Family Engagement and Outreach; 2) Student Achievement and Outcomes; 3)

Policy and Regulations; and 4) School Board Charge (this year’s charge is Transition Planning). A

Nominating Subcommittee and a Bylaw Review Subcommittee were also established during the school

year.

1 The Administrative Code of Virginia mandates that each local school board appoint a local advisory committee for

special education. 8VAC20-81-230(D). 2 8VAC20-81-230(D)(2). 3 The Sully District representative position was vacant during the 2018-19 school year. 4 Appendix A lists ACSD members and their meeting attendance for 2018-19. 5 8VAC20-81-230(D)(1).


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New members received orientation manuals containing information about federal, state, and local

regulations governing the Committee’s work, a Committee roster, staff directory, useful websites, and last

year’s Annual Report, as well as other reports and resources. In addition, the Committee reviewed the

organization’s purpose, operating procedures and by-laws and Robert’s Rules of Order.

Committee Presentations

Numerous FCPS educators and staff from the Department of Special Services gave informative

presentations to the ACSD. Several presenters also attended subcommittee meetings. Superintendent Scott

Brabrand attended the April 2019 meeting where he underscored his interest and commitment to Special

Education in FCPS, addressed concerns regarding restraint and seclusion, and listened to public comments

from concerned parents. The Committee appreciates all the staff members who took the time to support our

meetings.

The presentations made to the full Committee this year included the following:

• Sarah Blake, Janelle Ellis and Trevor Christensen presented on FCPS Transition Services. The

mission of Career and Transition Services is to empower a diverse population of students with the

opportunities and resources necessary for transition to a variety of postsecondary options.

• Chad Clayton (Principal of Davis Center) and Lonnie Bickel (Principal of Pulley Center) presented

on the programs available at their respective centers.

• Armando Peri (Family and Student Ombudsman) presented on the services offered at the Office of

the Family and Student.

• Christine Germeyer, Region 4 Representative and Chair of the Virginia State Special Education

Advisory Committee (SEAC), discussed the role of the local ACSD.

• Lea Skurpski (Director, OSP) and Jackie Prentice (Budget Coordinator) presented on the Annual

Service Plan; Special Education Enrollment; School Year 2017-2018 Activities (e.g., eligibility

evaluations and speech screenings); SY 2017-2018 Expenditures by Funding Source; Maintenance

of Effort (MOE); Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS); Proposed Use of IDEA 2019-

2020 Funds, $37.0 Million; IDEA Expenditures by Category; and Financial Summary for SY 2019-

20.

• Teresa Johnson (Assistant Superintendent, Department of Special Services) presented on Restraint

and Seclusion in FCPS.

• Teresa Johnson and Irene Meier (Director of Special Education, Department of Special Services

and staff liaisons to the ACSD) provided special education updates at each meeting.

• Mary Beth Cunningham (Manager, Parent Resource Center “PRC”) provided monthly updates

regarding the activities at the PRC.

14th Annual Special Education Conference

In partnership with the OSEI, the ACSD supported the April 6, 2019 Special Education Conference. Over

1100 parents, educators, pre-service teachers and other individuals registered for the conference, held at

Lake Braddock Secondary School. The ACSD appreciates the FCPS staff from the Office of Special

Education Instruction (OSEI), volunteers, and Lake Braddock students who worked to make this event a

great success.

This year, FCPS held a Self-Determined Student Strand initiated by FCPS twelfth grader, Sam Belkowitz.

The four-hour program emphasized learning and understanding of what self-determination is and why it is


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important to possess and implement these skills daily. FCPS also partnered with Fairfax County Therapeutic

Recreation to include team-building recreation activities for the last hour of the program.

Opening remarks by Dr. Scott Brabrand and School Board Chairperson Karen Corbett Sanders were

followed by the presentation of the First-Class Awards by Assistant Superintendent Teresa Johnson and the

Chair and Vice-Chair of the ACSD. The ACSD annually awards First Class Awards to individuals in the

FCPS community who display excellence in demonstrating inclusive practices for students with special

needs. This year, nominations were accepted electronically, and a record number of nominations were

received. The First-Class Awards were presented at the Special Education Conference to

• Kerry Peerman, Principal, Halley Elementary School

• Jordan Bristol, Teacher, Canterbury Woods Elementary School

• Nancy Lucas Heck, Teacher, Lake Braddock Secondary School

• Debra Opalesky, Speech/Language Pathologist

• Sara Chawki, Student, Bush Hill Elementary School

The keynote speaker was Dr. Mary E. Morningstar, Co-Director of Portland State University’s Think

College Inclusion Oregon project and a professor in the Graduate School of Education’s Special Education

Department. Dr. Morningstar teaches courses for pre-service students focused on transition and

postsecondary outcomes. She has a B.S.Ed. in special education from the University of Georgia, a M.Ed.

in special education from the University of Maryland, and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. She is

the author of “The Educator’s Guide to Implementing Transition Planning and Services” (2017) and over

40 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. For over 25 years, Dr. Morningstar has been involved

in training, professional development and research regarding transition from school to adult life.

The conference featured 52 educational workshops; including such topics as, “Dyslexia for a Day

Simulation”, “Mindfulness to Promote Stress Reduction”, “Restorative Justice in FCPS: Intervention and

Prevention Alternatives”, and “Benefits of Animal Assisted Programs”.6 There were approximately 84

exhibitors at the conference, including FCPS departments, non-profit organizations, and government

agencies.7 Fifteen (15) FCPS schools participated in an “Inclusion Hall,” an exhibit area highlighting the

inclusive practices at their schools. In response to prior feedback, the conference was relocated to Lake

Braddock Secondary School, which is more centrally located. Members of the ACSD volunteered at the

conference, and the ACSD had an exhibit table at the event.

Public Comment at Committee Meetings

The ACSD heard approximately twenty public comments on various topics, which was a notable increase

from previous years. Comments included the following areas of concern:

• Lack of awareness of the ACSD to FCPS families (need to promote ACSD);

• Concerns regarding failure to develop Functional Behavioral Assessments;

• Lack of appropriate Assistive Technology Services;

• Timing of hiring new teachers;

• Concern that a special education classroom with students with mobility issues were located on a

second floor (in the event of an emergency);

• Failure to provide appropriate individualized support for students;

• Improving collaboration between school staff and private service providers;

6 A complete list of sessions is included in Appendix B. 7 A complete list of exhibitors is included in Appendix C.


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• Placement of students in the least restrictive environment;

• Removal of Pinterest and Boardmaker from ATS options;

• Concerns that IEP teams are stating that a one-to-one aide in the general education environment is

considered more restrictive than a self-contained classroom;

• Challenges for students with disabilities who do not have opportunities to take electives;

• WAMU report regarding restraint and seclusion;

• Over use and inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion resulting in trauma and/or school

avoidance;

• Lack of timeliness in providing Homebound Services;

• Alleged interference of school social worker, preventing student from receiving services;

• Failure to provide Adaptive Physical Education in a timely manner;

• Unfair implementation of suspensions for students with disabilities;

• Transfer requests for siblings to attend the same school.

The ACSD also heard public comments appreciating the superintendent’s posting of School Board briefings

on line; appreciation of special education staff; and appreciation of the hard work of the members of the

ACSD.

Executive Summary

The ACSD was restructured this year to better align with the legally mandated requirements, including

assisting the School Board in determining the unmet needs of students with disabilities. In order to better

accomplish this goal, the ACSD requests assistance from the School Board and FCPS staff to better promote

and advertise the existence of the ACSD. In this way, the ACSD can direct parents to staff who can help

address concerns in a timely manner.

In connection with this restructuring, the ACSD revised its Bylaws to better reflect its legal functions. The

ACSD, by duly supported motion, requests that the School Board revisit the one-year term limit of ACSD

members. Special education services, laws, areas of need, and programs can be a complex compilation of

information, and a one-year limit exacerbates the committee’s inherent challenges with familiarization of

programs and needs. With a few exceptions, this year’s committee has had excellent attendance, and the

ACSD Bylaws has a mechanism by which recurring absenteeism of appointees can be addressed. The

ACSD requests its members be appointed for three-year terms; consistent with several neighboring SEACs.

This year the ACSD is organizing its first Meet and Greet, to be held on May 22, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at Luther

Jackson Middle School. This Meet and Greet will serve to increase awareness of the ACSD, as well as the

many resources FCPS has if a parent needs assistance.

The following are highlighted recommendations from this year’s ACSD Annual Report:

• Increase dissemination of information of the ACSD so that parents may attend meetings, contact

the Executive Committee of the ACSD, and improve the partnership between home and school in

the lives of students with disabilities.

• Disaggregate data on graduation rates and diploma types by disability subtype and collect and

report data regarding the causes of dropouts among children who identify as having a disability.

• Investigate the reason why statewide assessment scores for students with disabilities show a

significant achievement gap between students with disabilities and other subsets of FCPS students

(e.g., ESOL, economically disadvantaged students).


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• Target training for schools whose students’ pass rates do not carry over into the next instructional

level.

• Enhance mentorship of provisionally licensed special education teachers outside of building level

support and the Great Beginnings Program.

• Clarify guidelines and improve transparency regarding when behavior issues are considered a

manifestation of a child’s disability.

• Develop FCPS documentation on best practices for inclusion so that every school administration

has the tools to make inclusion an attainable goal.

• Convene a task force, including members of the ACSD, to amend the Strategic Governance Manual

to include language sensitive to the needs of students with disabilities.

• Convene a task force, including members of the ACSD to revise the FCPS Guidelines on the Use

of Physical Restraint and Seclusion for Students with Disabilities Receiving Special Education

Services, including, among others standardization of definitions, reporting requirements,

alternative interventions, and required training of FCPS personnel on matters involving restraint

and seclusion.

• Ensure parents of students with disabilities receive necessary and concise information and training

regarding successful transitions of students with disabilities post-graduation. The ACSD

specifically proposes early dissemination of Diploma Track Options, requirements for remaining

in FCPS until age 22, post-secondary options, and involvement of DARS and/or CSB. Additional

recommendations include the provision to parents with specific checklists for transitions and

development of videos explaining diploma tracks and post-secondary options

• FCPS should consider hosting a Transition Night in the fall for middle and high school students

and ensure that large FCPS transition events for students and parents rotate to different parts of the

county.

• FCPS should ensure that satisfaction survey data is sent to and received by every FCPS parent and

student. The survey should include a question related to the extent that the IEP process was student

directed. Incentives to improve response rate should be considered.

• A common theme discussed by the ACSD is the inconsistency of services and dissemination of

information across the FCPS district. This inconsistency is evident in application of Restraint and

Seclusion practices, as well as post-secondary transition processes. Consistent professional

development should be provided to all teachers and employment and transition representatives

(ETRs), annually, to ensure that policies and procedures are implemented consistently across

schools.

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

Family Engagement and Outreach Subcommittee Report

Subcommittee Chair: Ann-Marie Ward

Subcommittee Members: Darcy Acquavella, Brandon Cassady, Jeanne Frost, Elizabeth John, Toby

Latham, Joanne Walton

Proper engagement from the FCPS community ensures that the ACSD receives important input on the

School Board charge, identifies and recommends ways to meet the needs of students with disabilities, and

communicates important information to the community.

• Few members of the public attend ACSD meetings. Anecdotally, less than 10 members of the public

attend per meeting; outside of presenters.


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• Few members of the public comment at ACSD meetings. Between September 2018 and February

2019, the ACSD had fewer than five public comments per meeting and a total of twelve commenters.

Several of the comments received came from repeat Special Education PTA (SEPTA) members’

appearances versus the public at large.

• Parents and school staff have commented to ACSD committee members that they were unaware

of the ACSD or its purpose. Among other suggestions, the ACSD proposed producing a video for

broadcast on Channel 21.

• Parents approach the news media with their concerns rather than share them with the ACSD.

For example, we did not have any public comment on restraint and seclusion practices until after

concerns were reported by WAMU.

Our subcommittee researched ACSD’s current engagement approach, as well as approaches taken by other

school districts in Virginia, including the Arlington and Loudoun County Special Education Advisory

Committees (“SEAC”).

Recommendations to the School Board

• Use recommendations from the ACSD annual report to set the ACSD charge for the upcoming year.

• Produce and distribute the ACSD brochure.

o Ensure that this document is updated annually.

o Translate this document into multiple languages.

o Adopt a policy requiring:

(i) distribution of this document at initial IEP meetings;

(ii) display in locations where other information for parents is commonly made available; and

(iii) dissemination to school administrative staff, school special education staff, and school

parent liaisons.

• Ensure that the ACSD website makes clear the committee’s purpose and allows individuals to provide

input directly to the committee and its members.

o Create an email address ([email protected]) that forwards to the committee chairs.

o Describe the functions of the committee and the current charge at the top of the page.

o Include a link to the ACSD brochure.

Ensure that current policies allow the ACSD to establish and manage a social media presence (e.g.,

Facebook page and Twitter account) to promote meeting dates, agendas, reports, and other community

information, similar to the FCPS School Health Advisory Committee

(https://www.facebook.com/FCPSSHAC).

Provide additional detail in News-You-Choose emails advertising the ACSD monthly meetings. For

example, provide in each email the committee’s purpose, meeting agenda, planned speaker topics, and

information about public comment.

Student Achievement and Outcomes Subcommittee Report

Subcommittee Chair: Meghan Gray

Subcommittee Members: Joe Alston, Jessica Bradley, Michelle Cades, Susan Edgerton, Melissa Johnson,

Niki Zimmerman

mailto:[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/FCPSSHAC


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This subcommittee examined available data to determine how we are meeting student needs based on the

Virginia DOE indicators. Although the committee noted several areas of strength, there are opportunities

for growth that would support the achievement of students with disabilities as well.

Summary of Recommendations to the School Board

• Disaggregate data on graduation rates and diploma types by disability subtype.

• Collect and report data regarding the causes of dropouts among children who identify as having a

disability.

• Investigate the reason why statewide assessment scores for students with disabilities show a significant

achievement gap between students with disabilities and other subsets of FCPS students. (e.g. English

Language learners, economically disadvantaged students)

• Target training to schools whose students’ pass rates do not carry over into the next instructional level.

• Enhance mentorship of provisionally licensed special education teachers outside of building level

support and the Great Beginnings Program.

• Clarify guidelines and improve transparency regarding when behavior issues are considered a

manifestation of a child’s disability.

• Develop FCPS documentation on best practices for inclusion so that every school administration has

the tools to make inclusion an attainable goal.

Indicator 1: Graduation

64.07% of FCPS students with IEPs graduate from high school with a regular diploma, which exceeds the

state target. 79.2% of students who identify as having a disability graduate on time, across all degree types.

The subcommittee would like to see transparency regarding the breakout of graduation rates and diploma

types by children with physical versus non-physical disabilities.

Indicator 2: Dropouts

The number of students with IEPs in FCPS who dropped out of school exceeded the state expectation for

students in grades 7-12. Although information on the causes of dropouts for general education students

was available, information on the causes of dropouts for students with disabilities was not. The committee

recommends that this information be made available.

Indicator 3: Participation and Performance on Statewide Assessments

Students with disabilities (“SWD”) in FCPS (98% percent of whom participated in statewide assessments)

have lagged significantly behind the aggregate pass rates of all students, as well as been outperformed by

subsets such as economically disadvantaged and English learners.

It is recommended that FCPS analyze the gap within scores of SWD compared to all students, as well as

individual growth factors of SWD over time on statewide assessments. FCPS should also examine whether

some subsets of students, such as those identified as having an emotional disability or Autism, are less

likely to pass a state assessment.

FCPS should further target schools that may have pass rates at their instructional level that do not carry

over when feeding into the next school (middle or secondary). Furthermore, targeted schools should be

analyzed in terms of teacher quality to include years of experience, licensure, ongoing use and access to

training, and teacher turnover. Students with disabilities have complex needs, and adequately supporting


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them depends on rigorous educator training and support. Enhanced training and mentorship should be

offered to teachers working with students with disabilities, including those with provisional licenses.

Indicator 4: Suspensions/Expulsions

Fairfax County was not among Virginia counties found to be using discriminatory practices or policies for

either children with IEPs, generally, or children with IEPs, by race or ethnicity. Although Fairfax County

is in compliance with state requirements and federal law, surrounding counties do not report the same

discrepancy experienced by students in FCPS. The committee recommends that FCPS examine what issues

are contributing to the discrepant rates of severe punishment for children with disabilities, and especially

for disabled children from racial or ethnic backgrounds.

This subcommittee recommends that FCPS produce clear guidelines on when behavior issues are

considered a manifestation of a child’s disability, and to improve county-wide transparency regarding

disciplinary actions such as seclusion, restraint, and suspensions for students with disabilities.

Indicator 5: School Age Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Although there are mitigating factors relating to Fairfax County’s failure to meet the state target for

Indicator 5, such as the many excellent and sought-after programs we offer for students with high support

needs, the committee feels that FCPS would benefit from more aggressively incorporating the principles of

Universal Design for Learning. Further development of FCPS documentation on inclusionary practices

would help ensure that more students with disabilities are integrated into general education. To make

progress, every principal and teacher must consider inclusion an attainable goal and have the training and

resources available to make it happen.

Indicator 9: Districts with Disproportionate Representation in Special Education and Related

Services and Indicator 10: Districts with Disproportionate Representation in Specific Disability

Categories

While disproportionate representation was not found to be an issue in FCPS, it is important that FCPS

continue to ensure the integrity of its process in applying educational labels to students going through the

special education eligibility process and throughout their education.

Policy and Regulations Subcommittee Report8

8 Resources: https://schoolquality.virginia.gov

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/info_management/data_collection/special_education/ind ex.shtml

VA Dept. of Education “Discipline of Children with Disabilities Technical Assistance Resource Document https://osep.grads360.org/#report/apr/2016B/Introduction?state=VandA&ispublic=true

https://osep.grads360.org/#report/apr/2016B/Indicator5/HistoricalData?state=VA&ispublic=true

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/disabilities/autism/technical_asst_documents/autism_models_of_best_practice.pdf https://osep.grads360.org/#report/apr/2016B/Introduction?state=VandA&ispublic=true

https://osep.grads360.org/#report/apr/2016B/Indicator5/HistoricalData?state=VA&ispublic=true

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/disabilities/autism/technical_asst_documents/autism_models_of_best_practice.pdf http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/reports_plans_stats/special_ed_performance/division/2016-2017/lda/fairfax.pdf

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/osep07-09disproportionalityofracialandethnicgroupsinspecialeducation.pdf

www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/reports_plans_stats/special_ed_performance/division/2016-2017/lda/fairfax.pdf http://floridarti.usf.edu/resources/factsheets/suspension.pdf

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/reports_plans_stats/special_ed_performance/division/2016-2017/spp-app/fairfax.pdf


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Subcommittee Members: Judy Farabaugh, Rachna Heizer, Paul Keiser

As a dynamic global community, Fairfax County is home to individuals and groups of many perspectives

and sensitivities. The ACSD would like the perspectives and sensitivities of people with disabilities and

their advocates to be reflected in the policies and strategic documents of FCPS.

The Policy Subcommittee reviewed Section 1: “Student Achievement” of the Fairfax Country Public

Schools Strategic Governance Manual (“SGM”) (last revised July 23, 2015) from the perspective of people

with disabilities and their advocates. This Section presents the Beliefs, Mission, Vision and Student

Achievement Goals of the FCPS. Student Achievement Goals are the Board’s statement of expected

performance outcomes for students and therefore is directly relevant to the ACSD 2018-19 focus on

transition planning. In response to recent media coverage, the Policy Subcommittee also reviewed the 2012

Guidelines on the Use of Physical Restraint and Seclusion for Students with Disabilities Receiving Special

Education Services.

This subcommittee found several instances in which the language of the SGM did not seem fully supportive

of students with disabilities. The following are some examples along with recommended revisions:

• The Belief that “High expectations inspire high performance” should specifically apply “at all

levels of learning.”

• The statement that “Literacy is an essential life skill and reading proficiency by third grade is

critical for the academic success of all students.” should be immediately followed by a statement

regarding the fate of those who not achieve this level. For example, “Students who do not meet this

benchmark require and deserve a greater investment of resources to succeed.”

• In several instances the SGM refers to achievement “at high levels” and meeting “high academic

standards.” Using phrases that focus rather on students achieving and meeting their “full potential”

would more accurately reflect the FCPS commitment to students whose academic achievement is

not consistently “high.”

Regarding the Guidelines on the Use of Physical Restraint and Seclusion, a document specifically directed

at issues related to students with disabilities, there were fewer instances in which the language preferences

of the special education community were conspicuously lacking. However, failure to consistently adhere to

these guidelines suggests that processes are not standardized. We note the following specific issues:

• The glossary does not define several key terms such as “immediate danger” or “severe student

behavior.”

• The guidelines do not currently mandate that incidents of physical restraint or seclusion be reported

to the Individualize Education Plan (IEP) team or documented in the Present Level of Performance

(PLOP) section of the IEP.

• The methods for familiarizing staff, parents and students on the school division’s policies and

procedures are currently at the discretion of the principal or program administrator (Guidelines at

page 8). Standardization of these methods across the county could improve their implementation.

• The statement “The school division will ensure that all involved staff members have information

on these interventions and will decide who needs to receive specific training” (Guidelines at page

8) may be too ambiguous to be implemented consistently.


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• The process by which staff members are “certified to administer procedures in the use of physical

restraint and seclusion” (Guidelines at page 8) is not defined.

• A process by which seclusion areas are certified as meeting the requirements defined in paragraph

8 of “Procedures for the Appropriate Use of Seclusion” (Guidelines at page 10) is not described.

• Although the process and forms used for documenting incidents with the Office of Special

Education Instruction are described, it is not clear how that office will review and analyze that

documentation or provide feedback to the reporting entities or make the information available to

FCPS leadership or the general public. Without such review and analysis, the policies addressing

seclusion and physical restraint cannot be meaningfully examined or updated.

Recommendations

In summary, the Guidelines need to be more specific regarding the necessity, duration, proper procedures

and scope for restraint and seclusion. They need to be clearer regarding behavior interventions that should

be used prior to resorting to restraint or seclusion. Documentation of each specific incident should include

more information regarding antecedents to the behavior, methods used to manage the behavior prior to

restraint/seclusion, specifics regarding scope, type, and duration of restraint/seclusion, methods used to

mitigate behavior before, during and after restraint/seclusion and the outcomes of the restraint/seclusion

episode.

At the next revision of the SGM and other strategic documents and policies, we recommend that the FCPS

School Board convene a task force consisting of administrators, community disability advocates, ACSD,

and a school board representative to review and recommend changes. Broader community involvement will

ensure policies are more effective and the sensitivities of students with disabilities and their advocates are

accommodated. This will help ensure that strategic and policy documents accurately reflect FCPS’s

accountability for the academic, social and emotional achievement and the inclusion of all students.

School Board Charge: Transition Subcommittee Report

Subcommittee Co-Chairs: Linda Mason, Laura Allen

Subcommittee Members: Michael Beattie, Sandi Dallhoff, Rachna Sizemore Heizer, Erin Lauer, Phara

Rodrigue, Catherine White, Jane Wilson, Cindy Woodcock

The School Board tasked this committee to examine practices in FCPS related to providing transition

services for students with disabilities to maximize post-secondary student outcomes. The charge involved:

• Exploring FCPS practices regarding transition to post-secondary opportunities for students with

disabilities.

• Making recommendations designed to improve division wide practices to improve post-secondary

outcomes for students who exit or graduate from FCPS services.

Summary of the Charge

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”) requires that a “coordinated set of transition

activities is designed for children with disabilities within a results-oriented process, focused on improving

the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child’s movement

from school to post-school activities, including postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated

employment (including supported employment) and continuing and adult education, adult services,

independent living, or community participation. Transition planning is based on the individual child’s

needs, considering the child’s strengths, preferences, and interests; and includes instruction, related


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services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living

objectives, and, if appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.”

(IDEA Regulations: Secondary Transition, U.S. Department of Education, 2007).

The ACSD supports FCPS’ continued efforts to ensure that FCPS students with disabilities and their parents

benefit from transition planning. The subcommittee applauds the efforts of FCPS and the system’s standing

as a leader and a model for providing transition services in the state of Virginia. The subcommittee

appreciates the opportunity to look into FCPS practices and to provide recommendations.

Status of Student Progress

In FCPS, students with disabilities have available four pathways upon conclusion of high school

(a) Path 1: two- or four-year college; (b) Path 2: FCPS Vocational program for 18-22-year-olds; (c) Path

3: Competitive employment; and (d) Path 4: Military service. Data to support student outcomes has been

reported in the 2018 Virginia Department of Education, Indicator #14 Survey, and Frequency Report for

FCPS. The response rate for this survey was 46.3% (808 out of 1746) which is in the acceptable range - 30-

60% - for evaluating social science data (Nulty, 2008). Responses from the 72.6% of FCPS graduated

students with disabilities (i.e., had IEPs before leaving FCPS), who responded to current status question,

indicated that 48% were enrolled in a two- or four-year higher education program, 16.8% were

competitively employed, 5.2% were enrolled in post-secondary education or training, and 2.6% were in

some other employment. Percentages are currently above the Virginia target. Data reported in 2016

indicated that 67% of students with disabilities enrolled in a higher education institute, with 42% being

enrolled in two-year institutions within 16 months of earning a FCPS high school diploma.

Additional Indicator 14 data for 1746 students with disabilities indicated that 18.56% graduated with an

advance studies diploma, 60.48% graduated with a standard diploma, 2.98% graduated with a modified

diploma, 11.68% graduated with an applied studies diploma, 92% exited with a Certificate of High School

Equivalency Exam, .06% exited with a Certificate of Program Completion, and 5.33% dropped out of

school. Zero percent of students exceeded the age of eligibility, received a General Achievement Diploma,

or a diploma authorized by the School Board.

Status of Staffing Practices and Resources

Career and Transition training is provided to new special education teachers by FCPS Career and Transition

Services (CTS). CTS collects data to monitor Indicator 13: Secondary IEP Goals and Transition Services.

Support for teachers and schools not meeting guidelines is provided. With this support, FCPS met the state

standard of 100% in 2016-17. CTS provides a Transition Toolkit for Parents (42 pages) and a Transition

Resource Guide for teachers (104 pages). In addition, pamphlets are available for several topics ranging

from a parent checklist to transitioning to NOVA. Two YouTube video playlists are available (CTS and

Parent Resource Center). Six parent events were noted between October 2018 and April 2019. Data

collected at recent parent events indicated that parents were satisfied with content, with dissatisfaction noted

only for the Super Transition Saturday Event (2 out of 120 participants). The committee recognizes that

FCPS programming for Path 2 is comprehensive and vast in its offerings.

Courses are available to student in an adaptive curriculum to address life and independent living skills;

elective courses for addressing life skills, self-determination, and self-advocacy skills are also available for

all students with disabilities.

Barriers to Effective Transition


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In a report to ACSD, it was noted that 10,000 students in FCPS are transition age; during the 2017-2018

school year, with only approximately 1,400 parents receiving training. In addition, the committee noted that

the timing of transition planning (e.g., eighth grade or 14 years of age), although within the law, creates a

barrier for many students with disabilities who need additional support in obtaining their goals. The

subcommittee recognizes that in the middle grades, all students explore future goals in both general

education and special education classes. However, for some students with disabilities, unrealistic career

goals are set forth, placing an undue burden on the student and their parents. The subcommittee applauds

FCPS for recognizing the limitations of the currently used Education and Career Planning Portfolio and

looks forward to seeing the revised product which will attempt to address barriers recognized by the

subcommittee.

Subcommittee Recommendations

Develop and disseminate a “simple” parent-friendly and a student-friendly one-page bulletin of diploma

tracks, requirements for remaining in FCPS until age 22, post-secondary options, and DARS and CSB

options. These documents should be available in every middle/high school office and IEP meeting room

and, should include information/links for obtaining more detailed information and for contacting staff for

questions and concerns. Parents should have access to all documents, not just those deemed appropriate by

FCPS staff.

Provide parents with a goal checklist at first transition IEP meeting, a checklist that can be reviewed at each

meeting. The current checklist addresses many goals but lacks specificity for skills needed for transitioning

across options.

Develop videos explaining diploma tracks and post-secondary options. Disseminate broadly and improve

access, for example, links to specific YouTube videos that can be found within a searchable drop-down list.

The subcommittee recommends that every middle and high school should include a transition night in the

fall. Documents and resources can be shared and time for questions and discussion included.

Ensure that large FCPS transition events for students and parents rotate to different parts of the county.

Develop IEP team guidelines for beginning transition planning prior to age 14, as needed by a student based

on their IEP goals.

Work with school counselors and ETRs to create a plan for parents/guardians to have individual meetings

regarding options for students with learning differences. FCPS should ensure that satisfaction survey data

is sent to and received by every FCPS parent and student. The survey should include a question related to

the extent that the IEP process was student directed. Incentives to improve response rate should be

considered.

Inconsistent delivery of information and lack of individualized planning for students with disabilities and

their parents has been recognized in transition literature as a barrier to effective transition planning. As a

preventive measure, FCPS should include information directly related to post-secondary transition

processes in Virginia in the revised 2018 Special Education Handbook. Professional development should

be provided to all secondary special education teachers and employment and transition representatives

(ETRs) annually, to ensure that policies and procedures are implemented consistently across schools.

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT FOLLOW-UP


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Follow-Up Subcommittee Members: Cheri Belkowitz, Connie Lorentzen

The Follow-Up Subcommittee reviewed the FCPS responses to past years’ recommendations. The review

took place with FCPS staff. The Subcommittee understands that FCPS has the option to accept, respond, or

retire recommendations, at their discretion, and decisions are made based on feasibility, budget, and other

logistic considerations. The following chart represents the ACSD recommendations and the corresponding

FCPS staff responses.

Committee Charge for 2017-18

During the 2017-18 school year, the ACSD was tasked with examining practices throughout the school

division related to providing services at the building level for students with disabilities to maximize

inclusion in educating students with disabilities in their base school. The ACSD examined:

• How students with disabilities are making progress in the general education curriculum (IDEA, 2004).

Explore “progress” as supported by, at a minimum, student growth progression, cohort progression,

national data and parental goals.

• Current FCPS staffing practices and facility adequacy and limitations to evaluate efficacy in delivering

services at the building level while meeting the needs of a diverse population of students with

disabilities in grades pre-K-12 with current composition of FCPS facilities.

Committee Recommendation Staff Response

Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 6

Improve Early Childhood Identification Rates.

Initiatives such as universal public preschool and training

private preschool and daycare providers on how to screen

and refer students to Infant Toddler Connection and Child

Find would make it possible to catch issues before the cost

and effort to address them escalates significantly.

Early childhood special education home resource

teachers serve as a liaison with community early

childhood programs. Each registered community child

care program receives at least one documented visit

yearly to share information about Child Find, evaluation,

and special education services.

Early childhood special education leadership staff

members are working in conjunction with PreK

FECEP/Head Start and Fairfax County’s Office for

Children to provide ongoing professional development

to improve access to high quality child care, including

shared professional development of community early

childhood educators.

Update the staffing model to realistically allow meaningful

inclusion.

FCPS should complete a yearly analysis to determine the

peak number of special education students in elementary

school as part of staffing projections. The staffing model

must account for service delivery in various settings rather

than ratios. Staffing levels should be analyzed across

schools, as IEP hours and services may be reflective of

school cultures rather than student needs.

Offer teacher contracts throughout the school year to

improve recruitment of qualified teachers for special

education students.

Offer qualified special education teachers contracts

throughout the year would mitigate the impact on special

The current FCPS staffing model does allocate non-ratio

and unique needs positions. It does not solely focus on

ratio positions alone. The Human Resource, Finance,

and Special Services departments are currently

reviewing staffing practices.

FCPS offers contracts throughout the school year and

has offered multiple early hire contracts for the 2019-

2020 school year. Human Resources has increased

recruitment efforts to universities around the nation that

offer high quality special education teacher preparation

programs. In addition, Human Resources department is

partnering with several quality special education teacher

preparation programs around the country to offer

internships to pre-service special education teachers.


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education students due to potential staff changes throughout

the year. Surrounding counties offer teacher contracts later

than FCPS. Providing teacher contracts throughout the

school year will not only allow FCPS to address the needs

of students identified after the current cutoff but will

prevent FCPS from losing highly qualified special

education staff to other counties.

Reduce county-wide class sizes: Facility adequacy depends

on having classroom space and appropriate teacher to

student ratios for services to be delivered. Smaller class

sizes would facilitate the inclusive delivery of services.

FCPS currently has lower class ratios than VDOE

recommended class sizes for many special education

programs.

Create and fund the position of Special Education

Department Chair at each elementary school: FCPS should

staff a trained elementary Special Education Department

Chair in each elementary school to run local screening,

administer special education testing, monitor IEP

compliance/consistency, mentor provisionally-licensed

teachers, and support inclusive practices in elementary

schools. Creating a separate position for these tasks will

have a positive impact on special education staff retention

and on the delivery of special education services.

Currently, each elementary school receives an extended

contract for a lead special education teacher. At the

ACSD reporting session in May 2018, the FCPS School

Board made a recommendation to the Department of

Human Resources that they investigate the cost for

funding a dedicated special education department chair

at each elementary school.

Further develop the Twice Exceptional Learners Program:

FCPS should further develop its twice exceptional learners’

program, delivered in conjunction with all current AAP

offerings, to promote inclusion. While some students with

significant emotional or behavioral issues may be unable to

access intellectually appropriate instruction in inclusive

settings, providing appropriate supports for twice

exceptional learners will increase purposeful inclusion for

all children.

A Twice-Exceptional (2e) handbook committee was

created and an interactive handbook has been developed.

Parent and educator resources have been posted on the

FCPS public webpage for Twice- Exceptional Learners

and the 2e handbook is scheduled to be posted on the

public 2e webpage in August 2019. In conjunction with

ISD, there will continue to be professional development

offered focused on supporting twice exceptional

learners.

Continue to improve consistency of special education

services across FCPS pyramids.

Although Fairfax County arguably leads the country in the

exceptional delivery of special education, experiences differ

from school to school, particularly at the K-6 level.

Creating county-wide standards and accountability for

teacher training and adherence to best practice at the

building level will improve the county-wide consistency of

how special education policy is applied.

To improve division consistency, a professional

development (PD) play list was created for each FCPS

teacher and administrator. This PD play list outlines

required professional development for staff based on

their current job specifications. This year, DSS assumed

responsibility for providing the special education teacher

induction program for Great Beginnings. Over 250 new

special education teachers and speech-language

pathologists were trained throughout the 2018-2019

school year.

Continue to develop and analyze FCPS special education

data: Each student's educational progress is currently

monitored at the building level. FCPS should collect and

review comparative data regarding the delivery of special

education services across schools and regions. This will

lead to consistency in implementation of best practices and

ability to monitor student progress across the county.

Currently, we do centrally review countywide data on a

regular basis and school-level data as needed. Building

level administrators review student progress and school-

level data.

Develop and deploy a document outlining inclusive

schools’ best practices: The Commonwealth of Virginia

The Office of Special Education Instruction has made

enhancements to the current FCPS public inclusion


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maintains a list of model schools as examples of successful

inclusion. FCPS should refer to successful examples to

develop and deploy a document outlining model inclusion

practices based on best practice model of meaningful

inclusion.

website and continues to offer both school-based and

central training on best practices for inclusive education.

Publicize the ACSD to the FCPS community.

Meaningful inclusion depends on reciprocal

communication. FCPS efforts to solicit feedback inwards

from the community, such as the availability of public

comment at ACSD meetings, should be highly visible to the

FCPS community.

ACSD is publicized to the FCPS community through the

News You Choose invitation, the OSEI website, the

Parent Resource Center, and through SEPTA

collaboration. An exhibitor table was provided to ACSD

at the 2018 and 2019 Special Education Conferences.

ACSD brochures were delivered to all schools.

Grades 7-12

Plans to improve Inclusion be included as a separate goal in

FCPS’ Equity Plan and in all School Improvement Plans,

with requisite metrics and outcome reporting.

Provide a Strategic Goal, with related overarching strategy,

outcomes, implementation plan, and

measurement/assessment, based on Inclusion and outcome

measures in “Portrait of a Graduate” and Strategic Goal #1

or #2, in the revision of the strategic plan.

The School Innovation and Improvement Plan (SIIP)

template has been revised to address the approved

Strategic Plan by the School Board in March. Data

related to students with disabilities is analyzed and

considered by school teams when developing goals as

part the SIIP.

The FCPS Equity Profile is a part of the work outlined in

the One Fairfax Policy which states, "Fairfax County

Public Schools will incorporate data and publish

performance measures that can be analyzed, quantified,

and disaggregated to evaluate the extent to which our

systems are achieving goals."

Data is published online on an annual basis and can be

disaggregated and analyzed to view trends in division

and school performance. The Student Demographics

Data provides information about all students, various

demographic groups, and specific student populations.

A page for each of the four goals of our Strategic Plan

outlines our work around division-wide desired

outcomes and metrics. This information is monitored to

ensure that gaps in achievement, opportunity, access,

and attainment are being addressed. The Equity Profile

is interactive and allows for the ability to view data in

many ways.

Require School Improvement Plans and FCPS Equity Plan

to include improving Inclusion Goals and outcomes

measures. Improving Inclusion should be part of both the

School Improvement Plans and the equity plans/metrics in

the new Equity Initiative. Aggregate data should be

collected at a system, pyramid and school level and include

extracurricular, co-curricular and school community

participation. These plans must have specific goals to

improve and objectives and metrics regarding FCPS

developed inclusion plans/goals and metrics for meaningful

inclusion in school, CTE programs, extra-curricular and co-

curricular activities with data collected compared to the

A reflective tool has been provided to school-based

leaders to assist in determining entry points and action

steps for Equity work in schools. Language is included

in the tool specifically guiding schools to review data

points on environment, materials, instruction, placement,

participation, and family engagement by race, gender,

ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and ability.


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general education population to implement the requirement

of the Strategic Plan Goal #2 and Portrait of a Graduate.

Develop Infrastructure to provide support and monitoring as

part of the Equity Plan. Provide an “inclusion resource

team” as part of the equity team’s responsibility per

pyramid to include general education and special education

staff to help facilitate inclusion, review and improve current

inclusion practices, provide training and support local

school efforts to facilitate inclusion, from the proposed

equity staff (Program Manager, Resource Specialists,

school-based liaisons, and parent ombudsman). This team

should also help schools to draft inclusion goals as part of

their strategic plan and facilitate collaboration between

general education and special education. The family and

student ombudsman need training in the importance of

inclusion and how to facilitate parent school interaction to

support inclusion.

DSS has central office staff trained in best practices for

inclusive education who work closely with building

level administrators and school staff. DSS has four

designated staff to collaborate with the Equity Manager

and staff. An Equity and Cultural Responsiveness

specialist has been assigned to work directly with DSS.

Equity Staff provide ongoing monitoring and accountability

to inclusion efforts by developing and deploying a yearly

school inclusion quality checklist, with metrics and

outcomes for all students that address holistic

goals/outcomes for academic, life skills, social, emotional,

behavioral, strengths-based affinity/work skills, and post-

secondary outcomes to determine whether graduates are

meeting the requirements of Portrait of a Graduate.

The Office of Special Education Instruction and the

Office of Special Education Procedural Support will

continue to collaborate with the members of the Equity

and Cultural Responsiveness team to strengthen the

monitoring and accountability around inclusive

opportunities for all students.

Utilize ACSD and VDOE’s Quality Indicators for Inclusive

and Collaborative School Based Practices Checklist,

develop and deploy Inclusion Quality indicators at each

school and measure outcomes to assess and improve

meaningful inclusion for students with disabilities in

academic, non-academic, career and technical education,

extracurricular and co-curricular activities. This checklist

should help school teams determine if their school buildings

are inclusive and collaborative settings and meeting the

needs of their diverse learners. Data from this checklist is to

be reported each year as part of the School Improvement

Plan reporting. At minimum, FCPS must use VDOE’s

Quality Indicators for Inclusive and Collaborative School

Based Practices Checklist, including all assessment criteria

for Administrative support, collaborative planning and

teaching structures, individual student supports, and IEP

development.

The FCPS Inclusion Work Group has developed an

Inclusion Quality Indicators instrument designed to

provide schools with a self-assessment tool to guide a

review of current practices regarding inclusive

education. OSEI will continue to make enhancements to

the FCPS public and staff inclusion websites that will

include FCPS, state, and national resources on best

practices for inclusive education.

Embed Social/emotional/behavioral/EF, remedial and

organizational training in core academic classes and/or offer

after school or before school or intervention time programs

for this so that electives can be freed up to allow for greater

inclusion opportunities in gen education classes

OSEI will continue to offer professional development to

instructional staff and school-based administrators that

includes an overview of executive functioning and how

to embed executive functioning strategies and skill

development within core academic classes and across the

school day. Lessons are currently provided through

counseling,


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psychology, social worker services, and special

education resources at each grade level through a variety

of evidence-based programs. Strategies for Success

classes are offered at secondary schools.

Designate a school-based staff member to review current

inclusion practices, training and efforts to facilitate

inclusion.

Administrators and teachers are trained in inclusive

practices and have shared responsibility to ensure

students with disabilities access inclusive opportunities.

Based on the results of VDOE’s Quality Indicators and

metrics on participation in general education academic,

elective, and CTE and in extracurricular/co-curricular

participation, the school based Inclusion teams, and the

Inclusion Workgroup shall create, develop, deploy, and

revise yearly specific inclusion plans/goals and metrics and

timelines for improvement for meaningful inclusion in these

programs and annually release data on implementation

success in order to measure progress towards increasing

inclusive practices system-wide in order to answer the

charge regarding measuring progress. These metrics must

be for all students and reflect the skills of Portrait of a

Graduate, including academic, social, emotional,

behavioral, life and work skills and assess quarterly school

performance on these metrics. Collect and disseminate

metrics and reports on percentages of students with IEPs

included in general education core academic, elective and

CTE classes and disabilities participating in a meaningful

way in after school programs, extracurricular activities, and

co-curricular activities

During the 2018-2019 school year, OSEPS/OSEI

conducted extensive training of all special education

teachers and related service providers regarding the

changes in IEP forms to reflect a greater emphasis on the

intent of IDEA (2004) related to Least Restrictive

Environment (LRE).

Collect and utilize data on inclusion progress as part of the

budget process, to determine allocation of resources needed

to support inclusive practices and create progress towards

inclusive schools - these discussions shall be reported in the

budget report.

Special education services are determined by each

student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP),

which is developed by a team, including school staff,

parents, and at the secondary level, the student. The

allocation of resources needed to support inclusive

practices is determined at the school level based on

individual student needs. The Department of Special

Services allocates additional resources to schools to

support professional development around best practices

for building a culture of inclusive education.

Measurements/metrics: The committee recommends that

FCPS develop a series of 5 standardized questions that can

be used for both the teacher to do an assessment and more

importantly for the student to do a self-assessment

regarding their inclusion in the class. DSS and the Inclusion

Workgroup work with the Equity Staff in supporting these

efforts. We believe asking the student and the teacher to

answer the 5 questions on a regular basis will be helpful to

both adjust the experience of the student if needed, to

confirm it is the right placement for the student and for

FCPS to collect and provide data that will show the impact

and examples of inclusion.

FCPS will continue to offer professional development

workshops and resources to parents through the Parent

Resource Center (PRC) to create greater awareness and

understanding of the best practices for inclusion at the

elementary and secondary levels.

OSEI will continue to provide professional development

to school teams focused on making appropriate decisions

for students regarding accessing inclusive settings.


and support to school teams for the implementation of

best practices for inclusion across the total school

environment.


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Possible questions:

1. Is the student actively participating in the class (i.e. is

he/she asking or answering questions in class

conversations?) Provide an example.

2. Is the student participating in the same activities that the

rest of the class is performing? (If not, explain why not.)

Provide an example.

3. Is the student enjoying the inclusion in this class? Are they

happy to be in the class? (If not, explain why not.)

4. Do you have examples of educational progress this student

has made as a result of being included in this class?

5. How can this student be more included in this class?

As part of efforts to enhance the cultural proficiency for

students, families and staff, the Equity staff under the

Equity Plan, with support from the FCPS Inclusion

Workgroup, develop a district-wide and school-wide culture

of “total school” inclusion; including but not limited to

fostering disability awareness and acceptance, enhancing

understanding of the value of best practices for inclusion,

and knowledge of best practices for inclusion throughout

the total school community.

Training, developing, and disseminating best practices:

Provide the “inclusion resource team” mandatory training

on how to develop a culture of inclusion, increase

opportunities for inclusion and inclusive best practices, to

provide support to develop a climate of “total school”

inclusion, and offer the staff programs on the culture of

inclusion of children.

OSEI will continue to offer a compass course for

building level administrators focused on best practices in

special education including facilitating inclusive

practices.

Include a definition of inclusion, best practices, and other

information about LRE/Inclusion best practices and policies

on FCPS Special Education Procedures link:

https://www.fcps.edu/node/32532

Enhance the FCPS internal and external websites with an

inclusion resource page that contains links to definition of

inclusion, FCPS inclusive practices, trainings, resources,

metrics and improvement plans.

A division-wide definition of inclusion has been created

and shared with all special education teachers at the

August 22, 2018 LRE professional development. The

Office of Special Education Instruction will continue to

enhance the current FCPS public and intranet inclusion

websites to include additional information on best

practices for inclusive education, resources, and training

opportunities for parents and FCPS staff.

Provide mandated [administration/teacher] training along

with peer training as part of cultural competency/anti-

bullying/acceptance programming in health, assemblies or

other places to develop a culture of “Total School

Inclusion.”

OSEI will continue to offer a compass course for

building level administrators focused on best practices in

special education including facilitating inclusive

practices. Professional development sessions will be

outlined on the PD playlist with specific required

trainings outlined for each staff member.

Ensure Best Buddies, Unified Special Olympics and other

similar programs are in each school.

At the 2019 Special Education Conference, fifteen FCPS

schools highlighted their inclusive best practices and

programs as part of “Inclusion Hall”. OSEI is currently

making enhancements to the FCPSnet so that

information and resources related to school specific best

practices and programs can be shared and exchanged

between schools.

https://www.fcps.edu/node/32532


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Provide coaches of current teams and co-curricular

programs ways to meaningfully include students with

disabilities.


and support to school teams for the implementation of

best practices for inclusion across the total school

environment.

IEP process should have framework to guide inclusion

discussion as part of the revised IEP form training - 4

questions to ask at each IEP meeting to determine short

term and long-term meaningful inclusion.

During the 2018-2019 school year, the Office of Special

Education Procedural Support has developed and

provided professional development to teachers and

school staff on shifting practices toward a renewed focus

on least restrictive environments using a new IEP form

and meeting agenda.

The Inclusion workgroup should be a subset of the new

Equity initiative.

DSS and the Inclusion Workgroup shall support the work of

the Equity team and school-based inclusion teams.

DSS has four designated staff to collaborate with the

Equity Manager and staff. An Equity and Cultural

Responsiveness specialist has been assigned to work

directly with DSS.

Encourage FCPS schools participating in the Inclusive

Practice Partnership Project through VDOE to share their

inclusive practices initiative(s) with other schools through

videos, implementation guidance, distance mentoring, and

on-site visits. The types of inclusive practices initiatives

may be academic, extracurricular, and/or social in nature

(such as, clubs, sports, and community-based activities).

The two schools participating in the VDOE Inclusive

Practice Partnership Project will be disseminating their

practices through the inclusion website.

Unmet Needs Subcommittee

Hold two regular ACSD meetings at varied locations in the

county to permit ease of access to parents across the county.

ACSD meetings will continue to be held at Gatehouse

Administration Center (GAC) on the 2nd Wednesday of

the month due to site security issues. All advisory

committee meetings are held at GAC.

Assist the ACSD with holding a “Town Hall Meeting” to

hear views of interested parties.

OSEI is collaborating with the ACSD to hold a

community “Meet and Greet”.

Identify the location of special education policies and best

practices, and the ways in which those policies and best

practices are made available to and used by personnel and

other interested parties (e.g. parents).

Special Education policies and best practices will be

posted on DSS webpages and disseminated by the Parent

Resource Center (PRC).

Improve distribution of ACSD brochures at all FCPS

schools

OSEI will continue to distribute ACSD brochures to lead

teachers and department chairs during the 2019-2020

school year for display at all FCPS schools.

Identify opportunities to improve consistency in the

implementation of the school district’s policies and best

practices, and to determine whether previously identified

issues have occurred in other parts of the county.

DSS central office staff will continue to work directly

with building level administrators and school staff on

consistent implementation of FCPS best practices and

policies.

Offer extended contracts to first-year special education

teachers. The increased training requirements for teachers

new to special education necessitates extra training.

New teachers are currently contracted a week early so

that they may receive extra training. This year DSS took

the lead in providing training for over 250 special

education teachers at Great Beginnings. A mentor coach

course was created specifically for those who provide

mentorship to new special education teachers. Any

assigned mentors were required to take this course.

DSS will offer to meet regularly with the unmet needs

sub-committee of ACSD to address their concerns.


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APPENDIX A: ACSD Attendance


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APPENDIX B: Special Education Conference Sessions

• Executive Functioning Strategies Children and Teens Need During the Pivotal Transition Years

• Restorative Justice in FCPS: Intervention and Prevention Alternatives

• Supporting Success in Physical Education

• Developing, Teaching, and Implementing Social Skills Instruction for Elementary Age Children

• The Fairfax County Opioid Epidemic: What Parents and Community Members Should Know

• Scaffolding Essentials: Making the Impossible Possible with Fading Support for Inclusive Settings

• Resources to Support our Twice Exceptional (2e) Learners

• 8 Do It Yourself (DIY) Behavior Strategies for Home: Parent Edition

• Strategies to Promote Successful Transitions from Elementary to Secondary

• Understanding and Supporting Language Development in Preschoolers

• Designing 504 Plans that Promote Equity and Inclusion: Parents as Partners with Schools

• Sticking to It: Increasing Student Engagement with Sticky Notes

• Diploma Options for Students with Disabilities

• Staying Healthy and Strong While Helping Loved Ones with Special Needs

• Mindfulness to Promote Stress Reduction

• Mastering the Process of School: Helping Students Build Study and Organizational Skills

• Embracing Neurodiversity: How to Develop a Neurodiverse School Culture and Community for Post-

secondary Success

• Family Matters: Home and School Strategies for Helping Build Resilient Children and Youth

• Dyslexia for a Day Simulation

• I'm Determined: Building the Foundation for Your Youth to be Self-Determined and Life Ready

• FCPS At-A-Glance for Preservice Teachers

• Engaging with Families During Transition

• Get Your Kids Moving in Life without Yelling or Lecturing

• My Unique Cognitive Processes: Helping Me at Home and School

• Systems and Strategies for Success: Understanding and Managing Preschool Behavior

• High-Leverage and Evidence-Based Practices for Students Accessing the Adapted Curriculum

• Google Suite for Education in FCPS

• Helping Your Child with Developmental Disabilities Build a Circle of Vital Support

• Not Enough Time: Permission for Self-Care

• Benefits of Animal Assisted Programs

• Assessment and Treatment of Pediatric Anxiety

• Essential Soft Skills for College Bound Students with ADHD: What they are and How to Get Them

Jon Thomas and Pamela Barton

• Building Trust within the IEP team for Parents and Staff

• Considerations in the College Search Process and Beyond for Students with Disabilities Mindfulness

to Promote Stress Reduction

• Tips for Successful Middle School, High School, and Post-Secondary Transitions

• Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Families: Making Special Education Really Work

• Into Adulthood: The Journey from Dependence to Independence

• Creating Communication Opportunities Throughout the Day

• Trauma Awareness: A Primer for Families and Educators

• Unleashing the Power of Kids at Hope to Increase Integration Success for Students with Different

Abilities

• Not Enough Time in the Day: Permission for Self-Care to Invest in Our Children


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Developing Inclusive Classrooms through the Implementation of High-Leverage Practices

Age of Majority for Parents and Teachers

Building Independence in Students Accessing an Adapted Curriculum

Raising Children with Healthy Self-Esteem in a High-Pressure Culture

Navigating State Assessment Options: Standards of Learning (SOL) Versus the Virginia Alternate

Assessment Program (VAAP)

Portrait of a Deaf/Hard of Hearing Student

Vaping: What You Need to Know

Google to the Future!

Embracing and Loving the Interests of Preschool Boys

Special Olympics Unified Sports Team: Learn How to Get Started!

Creating a Home/School Partnership to Help Students with Anxiety Thrive

Navigating the Educational Journey of Students with Dyslexia

Emergency Preparedness Workshop


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APPENDIX C: Exhibitors at the Special Education Conference

Featured Inclusive Schools

Annandale High School

Belvedere Elementary School

Camelot Elementary School

Davis Career Center

Floris Elementary School

James Madison High School

Lane Elementary School

Langley High School

Lees Corner Elementary School

Newington Forest Elementary School

Quander Road School

Robinson Secondary School

Westbriar Elementary School

Westfield High School

Woodson High School

Fairfax County Public School Departments Adapted Curriculum, Office of Special Education Instruction

Assistive Technology Services (ATS)

Assistive Technology Services, AT Ambassadors

Behavior Intervention Services

Career and Transition Services

Child Find

Davis Career Center

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Family and School Partnerships

Medicaid Reimbursement Program

Office of Advanced Academics

Office of Special Education Instruction K-12

Office of Special Education Instruction, Extended School Year and Assessment

Office of Special Education Procedural Support (OSEPS)

Office of the Family and Student Ombudsman

Parent Resource Center (PRC)

Pulley Career Center

School Age Child Care (SACC)

School Counseling Services

School Psychology Services

School Social Work Services

Speech Language Services

Student Safety and Wellness Office

Government Offices ABLEnow

Center for Family Involvement at VCU

Child Care Assistance and Referral

Department of Defense Education Activity


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Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

Fairfax County Health Department Speech and Hearing Clinic

Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services

Fairfax County Therapeutic Recreation Services

Fairfax County Disability Services Planning & Development

Fairfax Falls Church Community Services Board

Family to Family Network at the Center for Family Involvement – VCU

Healthy Minds Fairfax

Infant & Toddler Connection of Fairfax-Falls Church

Kinship Family Institute

Parks Authority

School Age Child Care (SACC)

Training and Technical Assistance Centers (TTAC)

Virginia Department of Education

Non-Profit Agencies

ADHD Resource Group of Northern VA

Autism Society of Northern Virginia

Be SMART for Kids

Brain Injury Services

CHADD of Northern Virginia and DC

College Steps

Decoding Dyslexia Virginia (DDVA)

Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia

Drexel University Online

ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia

Fairfax County Special Education PTA

Fairfax Falcons Paralympic Sports

Formed Families Forward

Gunston TOPSoccer

Hire Autism

Ivymount

Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia

Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA)

JFGH-MOST Program

Loudoun Therapeutic Riding

Lutheran Family Services

MVLE

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Organization for Autism Research

Parents of Autistic Children – Northern Virginia

REACH program

Regent University – Corporate Partners

The Arc of Northern Virginia

Advisory Committee for Students with ... - Board Docs

Documents

Transcript of Advisory Committee for Students with ... - Board Docs