State Rejects District's Special Education Plan

The OSPI has returned the Seattle Public Schools' plan to correct serious defects in Special Education services. More detailed is needed. Here is a Seattle Times story with more details than the District plan.

Comments

Charlie Mas said…
Student families were invited to provide input on the District's plan. Unfortunately they were asked to provide the input AFTER the plan was submitted to the state.

What's the point of that?

Seattle Public Schools commonly substitutes public relations for community engagement.
Patrick said…
The point of that is obvious... to provide the illusion of community engagement. Any real opportunity for input comes before public announcement.
Anonymous said…
OK the district screwed up, but my concern is how do I now comment or is it too late? I have heard nothing from my school, my district email list nor from the PTA.

Thank you.

SPS Mom
mirmac1 said…
Your comments are welcome. Email seattlespedptsa@gmail.com. Please provide them by Monday, 9/16. Better yet, attend the SEAAC meeting on 9/17 at JSCEE, Starts at 6:30 in Rm 2700
Anonymous said…
Thank you for the contact information Mirmac 1. I prefer to submit my comments directly to the state. How can I do that?

SPS Mom
Anonymous said…
SPS Mom

Gill gave this contact person as coordinating the program review: Valerie.Arnold@k12.wa.us

360 725 6075

His response to SPS about the August 29th plan suggests that after this round he'll put the OSPI rubber stamp on it.


disappointed in SPS

Anonymous said…
The main action SPS proposes to take in this "comprehensive" corrective action? Train staff on how to use the IEP software. IEP Online. (the IEP editing tool) Who knew? All the problems are because of software.

Ridiculous. No sense commenting on that!

Sped Reader
Anonymous said…
what about the ipads, sped reader? to improve leadership and decision making that's an item in the corrective action plan too! :-)

another reader
Anonymous said…
This is a plan only the apparatchiks downtown could love. The struggling staff in the buildings are just shaking their heads.

head-shaker
Anonymous said…
Oh, but software is the answer to everything! It drives our economy, tax policies, higher ed policies, labor policies, etc., etc. Shhh! Please, no mention of off-shoring jobs. How could a new computer program not be the best thing ever? And when we finally get those Honda robots figured out, we can replace our human capital with machines. The dream will be realized! No further need for humans.

Okay, I'm a broken record that other things are equally, or more important. But when I read about the shiny new software as a component of the compliance efforts, I just beat my head against the table. Really? I mean, really? Of all the complaints and needs in special ed, THIS is supposed to make a difference? Even worse is that OSPI will probably say "Oooooh! Cool New Software! Okay, you pass!"

WSDWG

Anonymous said…
@head-shaker: I think you nailed it. WSDWG
Anonymous said…
The district already has IEP Online. (wow wee, IEPs are online now instead of hundreds of pages of paper!) That's cool. Teachers have already been trained in it. (or how could they be using it?). That's cool. So this "compliance issue" is really "Do nothing at all, we already did it.". Furthermore IEP Online already makes sure the brainless pieces in compliance adherence are taken care of. This plan is the do nothing plan, OSPI will live it. All is well for the disabled kids in the flagship district.

Sped parent
Charlie Mas said…
Am I to understand that the two biggest problems in Special Education are:

1) Some of the people who are supposed to be doing the work are simply failing or refusing to do it, but there's no one managing them who can or will make them do it

and

2) The people who are supposed to do the work and want to do it are overburdened and under-resourced

And the District's solution is... professional development and a change in the software, but no effort to apply management where needed, no effort to reduce case loads, and no effort to provide needed resources. In short, no effort to address the real problems.

That's pretty much the deal everywhere in the District, isn't it?
Anonymous said…
Charlie re special ed's biggest problems ... not having a vision is one. but the other, which is most fundamental, is that nobody is accountable anywhere in the system.

reader
Anonymous said…
Actually OSPI is a big do-nothing. What's the stick? What's OSPI going to do? NOT provide federal IDEA funds of 11 million? That's ridiculous. Who would that help? OSPI is going to do nothing. Their interest in special education is even less than the district's. The district knows it, and has no inclination to do a single thing. So it won't.

-sped parent

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