District Developed Service Delivery Plan for Special Education
July 15, 2024
Questions or comments? Contact Kim Neal at nealk@live.siouxcityschools.com
Question 1: What process was used to develop the delivery system for eligible individuals?
The District established a Special Education Task Force. The group included special education teachers, administrators, and at least one representative of the Area Education Agency (AEA).
Participants:
Cole Albright, Secondary Assistant Principal
Karley Bales, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Randi Barge, Secondary Special Education Teacher
Angela Bemus, Associate Superintendent
Jamie Blatchford, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Mandi Bradford, Elementary Principal
Amanda Brooks, Elementary Assistant Principal
Elizabeth Buster, Elementary Special Education Coordinator
Nicole Christiansen, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Leah Contreras, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Meredith Davies-Vogt, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Zachary Davis, Middle School Assistant Principal
Jacob Delfs, Middle School Special Education Teacher
Rachael Eggers-Ferry, High School Principal
Ashley Elsten, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Caroline Flannery, High School Special Education Teacher
Miranda Galvin, Middle School Special Education Teacher
Jennifer Garrison, Elementary Special Education Instructional Coach
Nicole Gigaroa-Berg, High School/Middle School Special Education Teacher
Amber Hannah, Preschool Principal
Kelly Hoak, Regional Director NWAEA
Sara Klingensmith, Regional Director NWAEA
Traci Kollbaum, Secondary Behavior Coach
Courtney Lahrs, 4+ Program Teacher (LIFE Academy)
Bethany Marcoe, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Kristine McCarthy, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Konnie Mouw, Middle School Special Education Teacher
Jarod Mozer, Director of Elementary Education
Kristina Murphy, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Lisa Muston, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Gina Navarrette, High School Special Education Teacher
Kim Neal, Director of Learning Supports
Annie Palen, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Paige Peck, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Katrina Reeder, Significant Disabilities Coach
Rebecca Reiken, High School Principal
Maria Ruelas, Elementary Principal
Kayla Ruhland, High School Special Education Teacher
Travis Schemmel, Middle School Special Education Teacher
Brittney Schindler, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Jill Sharp, Assistive Technology Coach
Mckinzi Shook, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Tammy Simmons, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Galen Slagle, High School Special Education Teacher
Blair Taylor, Elementary Principal
Jim Vanderloo, Director of Secondary Education
Jessica Voigt, Middle School Special Education Teacher
Fran Wetzbarger-Buckmeier, Elementary School Special Education Teacher
Shannon Wheeler, Middle School Special Education Teacher
The Plan was presented to the following committees within the Sioux City Community School District:
December 11, 2023—District Leadership Team (Cabinet level administrators)
February 7, 2024—Student Achievement Committee
February 21, 2024—Principals (Elementary and Secondary)
March 8, 2024—Equity Committee (Parents, community members, general education teachers)
July 15, 2024—Board of Education approved
The plan was made available for public comment via posting on the Learning Supports webpage.
Question 2: How will service be organized and provided to eligible individuals?
All students are general education students first and special education is a service, not a location. Students may receive different services at multiple points along the continuum based on the IEP. Services may be provided within the district, or through contractual agreement with other districts and/or agencies. The continuum includes services for eligible individuals ages 3-21.
With these facts driving the service model for students, the committee recommends that special education services in Sioux City be provided as described below:
General education with consultation: The student is served in the general education classroom or regular early childhood program without any accommodations or modifications to the curriculum, instruction, testing or grading. The service provider, such as a speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, or physical therapist, is responsible for consulting with general education teacher and monitoring the student’s progress according to the IEP.
General education with consultation/accommodations: The student is served in the general education classroom or regular early childhood program with consultation and support from the special education teachers. The general education teacher is responsible for direct instruction, testing, grading and behavioral management as specified in the IEP. The special education teacher support may include assisting the general education teacher with the design and preparation of materials, adaptations, and accommodations. The special education teacher is responsible for monitoring the student’s progress on IEP goals. These services are reflective of what is currently referred to as Resource.
General education with direct special education support in the general education classroom: The student receives special education support for the general education curriculum in the general education or regular early childhood program setting. The special education teacher, support service provider, or trained paraprofessional will be in the general education or early childhood program classroom to provide direct instruction, instructional support, or other assistance to the student or group of students, through models such as collaborative or co-teaching. The special education teacher/service provider is responsible for monitoring the student’s progress on IEP goals. These services are reflective of what is currently referred to as Resource or Co-Teaching.
General education with direct special education support outside the general education classroom. The student receives specially designed instruction and support for the general education curriculum outside the general education or regular early childhood program setting. When the services cannot be appropriately provided in the general education or early childhood program setting, the student may receive selected services or all services he/she needs in a separate education setting (including, but not limited to special classes, special schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals and residential facilities/institutions, 4+ programming). This model of service may be necessary for a portion or all of the student’s school day. The special education teacher/service provider is responsible for monitoring the student’ progress on IEP goals. Depending on the level of student need, this service may not be available in every building, but is available in the district. These services are reflective of what are currently referred to as Foundations, Compass Academy, Verbal Behavior Classroom, ASD Supports, and Life Academy. Additionally, courses referred to ACCESS at Middle School and Life Skills in High School provide additional specially designed instruction by a special education teacher and would meet this definition.
Regular early childhood program with teacher holding dual endorsements:
The student is served in the regular early childhood classroom by a teacher who holds a valid teacher’s license issued by the Board of Educational Examiners that includes prekindergarten and early childhood special education. The teacher is responsible for direct instruction, preparation of materials, adaptations, and accommodations as specified in the IEP. The teacher with the dual endorsement is responsible for implementing and monitoring the child’s progress according to the IEP. Preschool Program Standards:
Early childhood special education and regular early childhood programs providing instructional services to children on an IEP must implement Preschool Program Standards as defined by the Iowa Department of Education. All program services eligible preschool children must meet at least one of the following:
Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards (QPPS)
Head Start Program Performance Standards
National Association for the Education of Young Children Accreditation
General education with consultation | General education with consultation/ accommodations | General education with direct special educational support in the general education classroom | General education with direct special education support outside the general education classroom | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Special educator or service provider (SLP, OT, PT) responsibilities | General Education with Consultation Understanding of high-quality instructional practices, understanding of general education curriculum, awareness of available resources and engage in regular and frequent consultation with general educators regarding data collection and analysis. | Understanding of high-quality instructional practices, understanding of general education curriculum, awareness of available resources. Collaborative provision of specially designed instruction within specific skill areas and instructional activities (pre-teaching, remediation, re-teaching), along with the implementation of high-quality differentiation practices, collaborative provision of accommodations, and modifications needed to enable access. | Understanding of high-quality instructional practices (including small group skills-based instruction, pre-teaching, re-teaching, remediation), understanding of general education curriculum, awareness of available resources, co-plan, co-deliver, and co-assess instruction within the general education classroom. | General education with direct special education support outside the general education classroom Understanding of high-quality instructional practices, the ability to collaborate with general education teachers to understand learning progressions within the general education curriculum, knowledge of available resources, and the ability to deliver specialized curriculum. In some settings, this will include curriculum alignment to Iowa Core Essential Elements. |
General Educator Responsibilities | Oversight of all general education instruction, implementation of high-quality differentiation practices needed to enable access to the general education curriculum. | Regular and frequent consultation with the special educator, oversight of all general education instruction, provision of specially designed instruction, implementation of high- quality differentiation practices, provision of accommodations and modifications needed to enable access to general education curriculum. | Understanding of high quality differentiation practices, small group skills based instruction, collaborative provision of specially designed instruction, accommodations and modifications needed to enable access to general education curriculum. Co-plan, co-deliver, co-asses within the general education classroom. | Oversight of any general education instruction, implementation of high-quality differentiation practices collaborate with special education teachers to provide an understanding of learning progressions of general education curriculum. |
Question 3: How will caseloads of special education teachers be determined and regularly monitored?
Caseloads will be reviewed at least twice per year by individual LEA special education teachers with their building principal and/or special education administrator.
Caseloads will be reviewed by calculating the total “weighted count” from students on a teacher’s roster. Students are weighted a level 1, 2 or 3 based on matrix provided by the Iowa Department of Education. The matrix considers each of the following areas:
Planning and preparation required by teacher.
Amount of specially designed instruction delivered by a special education teacher.
Paraprofessional support needed for health, physical, or behavioral needs.
Paraprofessional support needed for instructional support.
Designated collaboration time with paraprofessionals and general education teachers.
Required specialized transportation services.
Assistive technology purchases (year of purchase or expenditure).
Caseload Monitoring Template
Consideration | Multiplier | Total |
|---|---|---|
Number of students on roster weighted as Level 1 | x1 | |
Number of students on roster weighted as Level 2 | x2 | |
Number of students on roster weighted as Level 3 | x3 | |
Combined Total |
A special education teacher should not have a caseload of more than “21.” If a teacher in any setting has a caseload of more than 21, building administration will work to adjust caseloads among teachers. If the average caseload among teachers in a similar program within a building exceeds 24, the district will consider adding a teacher. For example, if the average caseload among Compass Academy teachers in a building exceeds 24, the district will consider adding a Compass Academy teacher to that building.
Question 4: What procedures will a special education teacher use to resolve caseload concerns?
In addition to scheduled reviews, caseloads will also be reviewed under the following circumstances:
When a specified caseload is exceeded. If the caseload limit is or will be exceeded by 10% for a period of 30 school days, then a review may be requested in writing.
When a teacher has a concern about his or her ability to effectively perform the essential functions of his or her job due to caseload.
Requesting a caseload review
All requests must be in writing
Requests should initially be given to an individual’s building level principal/supervisor
A committee will be appointed annually to serve as a review team in collaboration with the building principal and/or Special Education Administrator. The person requesting the review is responsible for gathering relevant information to support their request. This information might include, but is not limited to:
*IEPs
*Schedule and instructional groupings
*Collaborative/co-teaching assignments
Procedural Steps
Informal problem-solving strategies in relation to caseload concerns have been exhausted.
A written request for caseload review is submitted to your building principal.
The request is reviewed for clarification with your building principal. The principal tries to resolve the concern at this point.
If the caseload concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved, the request is then sent to the caseload committee.
Within 15 working days, the caseload committee will review the request and give a recommendation to the individual’s principal.
Upon receipt of the committee’s recommendation, the principal will review the information and discuss it with the individual.
Within 10 working days, the principal will meet with the individual and provide a written determination.
If a person requesting the review does not agree with the determination, he or she may appeal to the AEA Administration in Special Education.
The AEA Director/designee will meet with personnel involved and will provide a written decision.
Question 5: How will the delivery system for eligible individuals meet the targets identified in the State’s performance plan and the LEA determination as assigned by the State? What process will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery system for eligible individuals?
The district will need to evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery system to determine if it is leading to improved outcomes for eligible individuals.
In order to meet ESSA and IDEA targets, accountability will be addressed using the following formative and summative data review.
Formative:
Quarterly individual student IEP goal progress monitoring
Semester credit monitoring at the secondary schools
Building level progress on goals based on SAMI work
Summative:
Iowa School Performance Profiles
Iowa Assessment data for participation, growth, and proficiency
Graduation Rate
Identification Rate
Climate Survey
Review of the formative data will allow for adjustments at the student, classroom, building, and district level.