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MINUTES November 13, 2003 CAC members present: Jeanine Bishop, Gretchen Borg, Duane Chapman, Carmen Cruz, Joy Deaver, Liz Jones, Barbara Large, Kathy Roehl, Staff members present: Steve Collins, Susan Keeffe, Kathie Shores, Jennifer Jenkins Guests present: Glen Price, Maha Hamdan, Donelle Oda, Denise Hunter, Cecilia Zepeda, Sandra Chaves, Debbie O'Brien Meeting started at 7:03 p.m. Welcome and introductions were made. Announcements: 1. Donations collected at the last meeting from CAC board members in memory of Jake Rockeman were made to Northern California Special Olympics. 2. A list of acronyms commonly encountered in discussions of special education were handed out to new members and guests. 3. Becky Valero, behaviorist for WCCUSD, sent additional information as a follow-up to her presentation on bullying given to the CAC in October. Mr. Collins offered to send copies of this information to anyone who was interested. A sign-up sheet was distributed. 4. A reminder flyer about the Parent Support Group was distributed. The group is intended for parents of children 7-14 years, and meets the first and third Tuesday of each month from 6:30- 8:00 p.m. at Collins Elementary School. 5. Jeanine Bishop circulated three newspaper articles of interest: from the Contra Costa Times, Sunday Nov.9th, on diversity and in the same newspaper an article on the Los Altos School District suing to remove an autistic girl from her classroom, and finally in the Washington Post, an article about an 8 year old child who is fully-included. 6. Kathy Roehl brought in handouts from the workshop on Text Comprehension given by the Diagnostic Center as a workshop for our District. Mr. Collins offered to make copies of the handouts and send them to all CAC members and guests. A revised agenda and minutes from October 9, 2003 were approved. Special Presentation: Standards Based Report Cards by Jennifer Jennings: Handouts were as follows: a parent brochure for the new elementary school standards-based report card, examples of report cards for the different grades, and a teacher guide to the standards-based report card which includes a section of FAQs. Several years ago, standards were developed in the core subjects of science, social studies, math and language arts. At Back-To-School Night each year, standards for a particular grade level are given to parents for review. The hand-out also contains tips for how to help children reach their standards with activities at home. Three years ago, the District started developing a standards-based report card for elementary school using as models report cards developed in other districts in California. Instead of topics, like reading or addition/subtraction for math, subjects are broken down into a list of content standards. Reading previously was broken into vocabulary and comprehension; now there are up to 12 standards listed under reading. Previously, there were three different report cards at the elementary school level: Kindergarten, grades 1-3 which were marked N, S and E, and grades 4-6 which were given A-F. The report card is now grade specific, and in language arts and mathematics given a 1-3 grading or a slash if the content standard hasn't been taught yet. It may take all year to meet some of the standards for a particular grade, so even an excellent student may receive a 2 for the first two trimesters. It is hoped that each student will receive a 3 by the end of the year. Kindergarten will have three report cards, up from two in previous years. The report card was piloted last year at 8 schools within our District. 800 surveys were collected from parents and teachers at the end of the year, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Suggestions from the surveys were used to refine the report cards now distributed district-wide this year. This year at parent-teacher conferences, parents should receive a sample report card. You can find the standards online (these are the numbers in parentheses). If a child is experiencing difficulty in reaching standards in a particular area, a progress report was given to parents at conferences in November. If you have an IEP in math and/or language arts, you will not be graded by the regular classroom teacher. Instead, your IEP progress report will cover progress in those areas.
Questions and answers will be made available online on the district web site. The report cards are available in English, Spanish and a special APL report card will be given for children taught in their primary language of Spanish. Duane Chapman asked how the needs of homeless children are addressed. Mr. Collins said he will be speaking about the new report card with program specialists who work with children in residential programs and leaders of group homes. Mr. Collins reiterated that for special education students, progress in the goals and objectives of the IEP will be attached directly to the report card. IEP goals in the future will have to address the standards. SH teachers are taking standards from the CAPA test. A workshop was given to principals and principals have been trained to give tips to parents on how to help their children. Duane Chapman commented that kids may live at home but their parents may not read or they may be raised by others who do not get involved in their child's education. Mr. Collins said that tapes are available for parents to hear information about the new report cards. Joy Deaver asked Ms. Jenkins how the new report cards might affect self-esteem. Ms. Jenkins had not heard that this was an issue. Students who are 2 grades below their level and are in an intervention program will not be graded with the regular report card. There will be a special attachment to show how they are making progress. It is planned to develop a standards-based report card for middle school but there will not be one for high school. Colleges rely heavily on the traditional GPA. A guest asked how you would interpret a midyear 2; is the child really then on target towards the goal? It was acknowledged that this might mean they are on target but again it might mean they are not reaching goal as expected. Surveys will be sent out again this year. The District will respond to survey results to make the report card more user friendly. Barbara Large asked if you get a 1, does that mean these goals need to be added to an IEP? And what happens to children in full-inclusion? Mr. Collins said it is important to stay in touch with the child's teacher to interpret these numbers. There may be unique interpretations of progress for full-inclusion students. Susan Keeffe reminded the group that in 1997 IDEA, it was stated that only a child's most critical needs must be addressed. Therefore, it wouldn't be possible to address all areas of need for a given student. Mr. Collins added that with reauthorization, goals and objectives may be framed every 3 years instead of annually so the integration of IEP goals with the report cards may change. Jennifer Jenkins said she could be reached at 307-5307 or at jjennings@wccusd.k12.ca.us. The CAC is grateful to Ms. Jenkins for sharing this information. SELPA Director's Report: Steve Collins extended a welcome to school board member Glen Price. Personnel: All classrooms are staffed with 3 OT positions still vacant. Stege's NSH class is closing by Thanksgiving. The teacher has been named a vice principal and enrollment is down so it was decided to close the class. Some students will transfer to Riverside, and others will remain at Stege and take part in the learning center there. A new TEP class (transitional education program) will open at Pinole Valley. TEP was developed for kids with extreme behavior issues. The goal of the program is to transition these students back to RSP or special day class instead of sending them to private school as has been done previously. TEP classes in the District are: 3 at the elementary school level, 2 for middle school and 1 for high school, with 12 students in each class for a total of 72 students. Students receive mental health day treatment and this will be enhanced with an on-site counselor and therapy. These services are paid through Medical. TLC which is a similar program costs $1 million, with $850,000 paid by Medical and $150,000 paid by the District for those who are not Medical-eligible. Budget Issues: There is a projected deficit of over $20 million for the academic year 2004-2005. The exact number depends on the new administration and how workers compensation and healthcare will be handled by the state. Our District has a $10 million deficit this year which will be covered by our reserves. Glen Price stated that our District should aim for a parcel tax to cover part of this upcoming deficit. Community meetings have taken place to discuss the priority services which might be covered by the parcel tax money (e.g., maintaining counselors, class size reduction, continuing certain programs like music and art). Gretchen Borg stated that she was a member of an oversight committee and that she was frustrated because she was unable to find out where and when these meetings take place. She also said she was skeptical that a parcel tax would pass considering Bond Measure C was defeated this past Fall. She felt there were other ways to generate money, such as selling land (e.g., the site of Vista Hills which was used for teacher training) and to cut budget expenses like the use of portables ($10,000 per month for each) and the recent payment of two superintendent salaries. Mr. Price responded by saying that there has been a history of community support for bond measures generating money for the schools. Measure E, Measure M and Measure D all passed by more than the 66% needed to pass the parcel tax. When Richmond Unified went bankrupt, the District was forced to sell property and this is now very much regretted because we need land to build schools. Generally speaking, it is not a good policy to sell off capital assets to cover operating expenses. Many of the portables being used are for building projects and are paid for by money generated by the bond measures; this money can not be used for operating costs. It is also necessary to pay someone to serve as temporary superintendent while Dr. Johnston is on medical leave because her duties can not be fulfilled by board members, especially since the time span may be 2-4 months. Mr. Price stated that a parcel tax will only bring in part of the $20 million deficit and that the District must continue to make major cuts. There will be an effort this year to keep people informed of budget cuts early on in the process. Kathy Roehl asked about the $1 million increase in special education costs projected for 2004-2005 and Mr. Price responded that he did not know exactly what these numbers represented. Last year, Mr. Collins stated that the Special Education Department was able to save 30-40% by using fewer outside contractors. Many thanks to Glen Price for coming to our meeting to answer questions about the parcel tax and to give us information about budget issues. Projects: 1. Alternative Dispute Resolution. We now have 12 trained coaches. A retired SELPA director named Lou Berrella from Upper Solano County has been working with staff and she facilitated one IEP meeting. Our District has paid for 5 days of her time for continued staff training. 2. The Full Inclusion Manual is finished and a draft will be given to CAC. 3. The Classroom Support Aide Manual is still in draft form (35 pages). Mr. Collins will bring it to the next CAC meeting for review. 4. The Service Plan was completed. Everyone on CAC's mailing list will receive a copy in the mail. This explains every program in the District. 2004-2005 Planning: The staff is already determining placement for special day students who are transitioning (primary to intermediate or to middle school or to high school special day class) and what all transitioning students will have in terms of changes in instructional minutes (e.g. RSP at 40 min per day may change to RSP for two periods per day). It will be necessary to show on a transitional IEP where the student will be placed if that child is in a special day class; this is a state-wide requirement as a result of a due process hearing. If a class is closed, there must be an IEP meeting to change class placement. Transportation information must also be provided. The transitional IEP meeting may not have all the service providers present because it will mainly deal with placement. Barbara Large asked when the final roster for special day classes is made and Mr. Collins stated in May. Ms. Large asked how we could get more information about a particular program. Apparently, you must arrange to visit a program with the program specialist and the visit is limited to one half an hour. She stated that this is not enough time to evaluate a program. Could a parent write up a list of questions for the teacher? Kathie Shores said this could be arranged but the teacher can not deal with the questions while teaching class. Steve Collins mentioned that we are getting outstanding teachers, such as the new TEP teacher at El Cerrito High and a behaviorist who will be the TEP teacher at Pinole Valley. This was the first year that we were fully staffed at the beginning of the year. This is due in part to our affiliation with Sonoma State's Intern Program which has 70 in their current cohort program, working on a special education credential. The interns are of high quality. Old Business: Newsletter: Joy Deaver said she was planning to send out a newsletter by December. She would like a letter from Mr. Collins. Any news item should be sent to newscac@aol.com. Making Math Real: We are still planning to have a workshop, hoping for a Saturday morning in January. Mr. Collins stated it would take 6 weeks to approve an outside contract. New Business: YMAD (You Make A Difference Awards Ceremony in March): Nomination forms must be sent out before the winter holiday. Jeanine Bishop described the YMAD purpose as a recognition ceremony. It will take place at Sheldon or some other site that is central. There was discussion about it taking place at the new Richmond Middle School and Mr. Collins agreed to look into the possibility. A sign-up for the nominations committee and for refreshments (reimbursed through CAC) was distributed. Disability Awareness: Jeanine Bishop proposed to hold a poster contest for all special day classes and RSP classes. Should it be judged? No, but groups should get a certificate of participation. Posters could be displayed at YMAD. The Collaborative Challenge Institute: A meeting will be held in San Diego on January 22nd through the 24th. Cal Stat will pay for CAC members and other parents to attend. There will be 3 school site teams (12 individuals) sent by our District. The meeting will review 6 model schools that do collaborations between special education and regular education and which have received awards of $10,000 through the Schwab Foundation. Susan Keeffe highly recommended parents to participate. Steve Collins needs to have the names of anyone interested in going by next week. PUBLIC COMMENT: none Final announcements: There will be a resource fair on Saturday, Nov. 15th, 8:30- 4:00, at San Marcos Church, 131 Harbor Way in Richmond. Information will be distributed for families with special needs children and their will be bilingual workshops. There have been no resource parent meetings scheduled this year. Mr. Collins will contact Darlene Jones about the matter. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Roehl CAC Secretary |