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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
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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
Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities
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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.
Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities
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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.
OSEI will continue to provide professional development
and support to school teams for the implementation of
best practices for inclusion across the total school
environment.
Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities
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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.
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Provide coaches of current teams and co-curricular
programs ways to meaningfully include students with
disabilities.
OSEI will continue to provide professional development
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.
Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities
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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
Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities
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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
Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities
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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
Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities
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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
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