Special Services

2006-2007 Special Services Annual Report

by Connie Biaggio

June 01, 2007

During the academic year of 2006-2007, Seward Schools provided quality special services to students in need through utilization of Special Education programming, 504 accommodation plans, English Language Learner services, Title One instructional programming, and High Ability Learner activities. Within these five programs, 652 students ages birth to 21years received specialized help with their specific academic needs. This number includes students with special needs who attend area parochial schools.

*Special Education Programming*

Special education staff members provided individualized services to a total of 366 students over this past year. Of those students, 64 were students who moved into our District with previous special education verification. In addition, 67 new referrals for initial special education evaluation were received for students ages birth through 21years. 47% of those students that were referred qualified for some form of special education programming. The individual programming that was then designed for each student may have included one or more of the following services: resource instruction, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision and /or hearing instructor consultation and vocational transition coordination.

*Improving Learning for Children with Disabilities *

In the fall of 2003-2004 Seward School's special education program began a new state-monitoring format identified as ILCD which stands for Improving Learning for Children with Disabilities.

The concept of ILCD is that special education program improvement should be tied to a district's overall school improvement format and in fact it should follow the five year timeline of the regular school improvement plan.

An ILCD Steering committee was selected and the first meeting was held in early March 2004 with a second occurring in April. The committee's membership includes parents of special needs students, special education teachers, a regular classroom teacher, para educators, a regular education administrator, the special education coordinator, a service coordinator, the curriculum director and related service providers.

Given the task of evaluating special education programming across eight state-chosen indicators, the ILCD committee has outlined the necessary data that needs to be collected and reviewed, recommended the processes for completion of parent and staff surveys required by the Nebraska Department of Education and reviewed the results of the formal special education student file review which Seward participated in at the beginning of May 2004.

During the 2004-2005 school year, the committee met twice and completed all data analysis across the eight indicators. This was an enormous undertaking but in the end it was a job that produced terrific results.

Seward Schools then entered into Phase III of the ILCD school improvement plan during the 2005-2006 academic year. The committee meet twice to finalize our eight indicator rankings and to write our ILCD Action Plans to address three areas that showed a need for improvement in order to assure the academic success of Seward's special needs students ages birth thru 21 years.

Personnel from the Nebraska Department of Education completed an on-site ILCD visit with the Seward Committee on March 15, 2006. The complete ILCD data collection and the ILCD Action Plans were reviewed and found to be exemplary! Thus…we have two academic years to work on our action plans and in May of 2008 we will meet again with the NDE individuals and share the results of our goals and objectives for improvement.

On March 22, 2007 the Seward ILCD Committee completed Phase 4 of the ILCD process by updating Seward’s three ILCD Action Plans. New data was collected and reviewed for each of the action plans and comments about the momentum towards the completion of the goals were then sent into the Department of Education for verification.

*Title One*

The goal of Title One programming in Seward Schools is to aid students who have difficulties with early primary reading development. Seward utilizes the traditional format for Title One instruction that addresses specific reading curriculum standards through small group instruction, practice and direct coordination with the regular classroom goals.

Funding for Title One services in Seward Schools is based on Free and Reduced School Lunch funds. Of the funds that are then received by the district, part goes to provide special reading instruction to the qualified parochial schools within our district area and our public elementary school. A piece of the funding also goes to a tutoring program for students within any group home setting specifically located within our district boundaries.

During the past year a total of 116 students received specialized reading instruction and 10 students received tutoring through Title One programs. To show adequate yearly progress within Title One at least 72% of our public school fourth grade students needed to achieve proficient or advanced levels on the State Reading STARS Assessments and 74% had to achieve proficient or advanced on the Math STARS Assessments given over the 2005-2006 school year. Seward Public Schools’ proficient and advanced percentage indicated that we continued to meet the expected yearly progress criteria for our Title One services.

*English Language Learners*

Seward Public Schools English Language Learners (ELL) program strives to meet the following goals:
*Establish that the education of ELL students is the responsibility of every teacher and administrator in the district
*Promote the academic achievement of ELL students *Enable ELL students to develop academic skills while learning English
*Provide for linguistic, academic, and affective needs of ELL students
*Provide ELL students with instruction necessary to allow them to progress through school at a rate commensurate with their native-English -speaking peers
*Coordinate the ELL program with the regular education program to ensure ELL students receive subject matter content as quickly as possible.

During the 2006-2007 school year thirteen students were formally assessed in the areas of speaking, reading, writing, and understanding per Nebraska Department of Education and No Child Left Behind regulations for consideration as an English Language Learner.

Those students who qualified for ELL programming where then served in an alternative language program. Progress of those qualified students was assessed during the spring of 2007. Students who performed at a level comparable to non-ELL peers and were able to participate meaningfully in content areas were then exited from the program.

Those who were exited will receive monitoring of their academic levels throughout the 2007- 2008 year. Any of the exited students who do not exhibit passing grades each quarter will then be considered for re-entry into the ELL program at that time.

*High Ability Learner Programming*

The High Ability Learner Program Philosophy at Seward Schools is:
“We believe that children learn best when they are challenged and nurtured in methods that are commensurate with the levels of their abilities. It is the responsibility of the school to facilitate and/or provide opportunities to meet the needs of each of our students.”

The District-wide Leadership Team facilitates identification and implementation of the High Ability Learner program for the High Ability Learner. The Leadership Team consists of Elementary, Middle School and High School Teachers and the Special Services Coordinator. The identification process includes multiple criteria in an effort to be inclusive rather than exclusive. The process is based on a combination of standardized instruments and non –standardized means and criteria. Nominations for the High Ability Learner Program are received October 15, January 15, and April 15 of each academic year. Following the receipt of the nominations the Leadership Team reviews all supporting materials for possible identification.

Currently the School district of Seward has 127 identified High Ability Learners in Grades 4-12. Curriculum for identified High Ability Learner students incorporates the core curriculum of the classroom with a differentiated curriculum. The student, parent(s) and teacher(s) for each identified learner, beginning at Grade 4, create an individual education program. Prior to Grade 4, High Ability Learners are nurtured through differentiated curriculum and enrichment activities. The program seeks to achieve excellence by building upon the strengths and the interests of the students and by focusing on the delivery of five major services to the students:

*Identifying student’s academic strengths, interests and learning styles
*Curriculum compacting
*General exploratory activities
*Group activities that develop high level of thinking and affective processes
*Individual and small group investigation of real problems.

During the 2005-2006 academic year the High Ability Learner program was formally reviewed utilizing best practice concepts/ research information. As part of this review significant changes were recommended and accepted within the teacher nomination form layout. Updates were also made within the differentiation activity lists of individual curriculum areas by grade levels.

Below is a sampling of activities that Seward Public Schools High Ability Learners participated in during this past year:

Attendance at an Omaha Symphony performance of Romeo & Juliet “Unplugged
Participation in the “Hydro Heroes” weekend leadership adventure.
Attendance at the University of Nebraska –Lincoln Math Day.
Field Trip to the State Capitol to visit the Unicameral and the State Historical Society Museum
Provision of working with a Math Mentor.
Participation in the Images of Greatness program.
Visitations to the SAC Museum and Stuhr Museum.
Art Mentorship class offering.
Attendance at the “Expanding Your Horizons” conference.
Participation in an Astronomy Workshop.
Attendance at “The Train” at the Lied Center.
Participation in the MAA American Mathematics competitions
Attendance at the GFWS Nebraska Federation of Woman’s Clubs Leadership conference
Participation in the Nebraska Academic Decathlon competition.
Attendance at the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Student Conference.
Participation on multiple Quiz Bowl teams.

*Baby Dibels …IGDI (Individual Growth and Development Indicators) Community Based Screenings*

This community service program for Seward Public Schools began during the 2005-2006 school year and was continued through out the 2006-2007 year as well. Baby Dibels is a beginning literacy screening tool which is formally known as the Individual Growth and Development Indicators or IGDI. The three indicators or mini assessments within IGDI provide a measurement of beginning literacy basic skills. The indicators specifically address development of picture naming skills, rhyming skills and alliteration for children ages three to five years of age.

The first ever IGDI screenings were held in mid October and late February of 2005-2006 and two more screenings were completed this school year. year. The screenings are open to all preschoolers, living in the Seward District, free of charge. The children who attend are screened on each of the three indicators across a time span of just 5 minutes per child. This quick but efficient format then allows for a base line scoring in each assessment area and a picture of measured growth when the children return for follow up screenings. To date approximately 31 children were provided the free IGDI screenings thanks to the commitment of 8 Seward Elementary certified and classified staff members.

Recently, parents of all preschoolers screened over the past two years where asked to complete a survey regarding the ILCD screenings. The results of this April 2007 survey indicated that 100% of the parents felt that the Baby Dibels gave them a good look at their child’s beginning literacy skills!

Plans are currently being made to hold three screenings during the 2007-2008 school year in hopes of reaching even more preschoolers across our district communities. The screening will be held once again in conjunction with Seward County Family Nights. When the dates are set, notices of the IGDI screenings will be placed on the district web site, in the Elementary School newsletter and at local daycare centers.