West Mesquite High School

Special Education

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SPED Admin: Angela Adams

ARD Facilitator: Erika Herbert

Diagnostician: Layla Lewis

Department Head: Valinda George

Transition: David Delamar

Checking SPED Accommodations

SPED and 504 are not the same. SPED Accommodations are located in Frontline. They are NOT in Eduphoria or Skyward. You can always find the directions on how to check these on the WMHS Home Page. Please, please, please check these when you get the email to check them. Please do not let them all pile up. If you have not checked and signed then that student CANNOT fail your class, and you are breaking federal law by not checking, signing, and using SPED Accommodations in your class daily.

Checking Accommodations

• By federal law you are required to check and save a copy of each of your Special Education students Accommodations and Behavior Intervention Plan (If the student has one).
• You must use the student’s accommodations and BIP everytime that they are in your classroom, and document that you are using the student’s accommodations and following the BIP.
• If you notice that a student is offered an accommodation, but not utilizing it, then you must document it, and then let the SPED teacher or Case Manager know that the accommodation is no longer needed. Same for a goal or strategy on the BIP.
• If you have a question about how to use or how to document an accommodation then you need to ask the SPED teacher or Case Manager.
• Instructions for checking accommodations will be added to the WMHS site, and you should get an email notification when you need to check a student’s accommodations.
• You will receive a notification at the beginning of the school year, when the student has their Annual ARD meeting, or anytime that we make changes to the accommodations or BIP.
• Do not let these go without checking them because they can pile up on you if you have a lot of SPED students in your classes.

Examples of Accommodations

• Private discussion about behavior: There are many ways to handle this, and it is up to you as the classroom teacher on how you would like to implement this within your classroom. You can simply ask the student quietly to step outside with you if that is how you would like to do it. You can also use a color card system where you put a red card on the students’ desk when they are needing to come talk to you, or if they need a cool down. It is up to you what you choose to do, but setting it up on day one, teaching the student what your expectations are, and being consistent is key with students who have behaviors.
• Copy of class notes: This one is pretty self explanatory, but unless it says (at teacher’s discretion) you must provide that student with a copy of class notes any time that you are doing notes. Some teachers require the student to ask for the notes, and that is normally fine, but you have to be sure to set up that expectation on day one, and document it. For this one you may also need to get parent permission for the student to have to ask for them because technically the accommodation just states that you will provide it.

Examples of a BIP Part 1 of 3

Examples of a BIP Part 2 of 3

Examples of a BIP Part 3 of 3

ARD Invites

• If you get an invitation for an ARD meeting, then you are expected to attend the ARD meeting. Please be ON TIME! Sometimes I have back to back meetings, or a parent is there waiting for one teacher to show up, and it is very unprofessional.
• All ARDs will be run virtually. I must have your Unique signature immediately following the ARD that you attend. I will send instructions on how to sign on an ARD, and you will do this from your computer immediately following the ARD meeting. DO NOT WAIT!
• When you participate virtually you must be in a private area of the building or using headphones in order to not break any confidentiality laws. I no longer have the ARD room for anyone to attend in person, so if you don't have a place to go to attend ARD virtually please get with an admin to help you find a place prior to the ARD day.
• I have to have a Gen Ed teacher of record, so if you get an invitation for a student who is not in your class (besides LIFE Skills) then please let me know because it was probably done in error.
• Some LIFE Skills students only have one Gen Ed teacher, or no Gen Ed teacher, and in that case I just choose someone to come and attend in place as the General Education teacher. You will just be expected to attend, and answer any questions that may be related to General Education, but they would be general questions that are not specific to the student that the parent may have. (Rarely happens)

PLEASE BE ON TIME TO YOUR ARDs, and let me know if you are going to miss an ARD because I will have to find a replacement for you. When you do not attend an ARD we have to sit and wait for you. We can not start without you, so this is a waste of time for everyone in the room who has to sit and wait for you. If you have not notified me that you are out, and we get to the ARD and you just don’t come, then your name will be given to your TTESS Admin as a No Show to an ARD. Please don’t make me have to do that. If you are going to miss, or are out for any reason, please shoot Erika an email or a text as soon as you know that you will not be able to attend.

Erika Herbert

214-395-1633

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Put it in your phone now and shoot Erika a text with your full name.

Teacher Inputs

• Teacher Inputs are extremely important for us to know what is working and/or not working with the student’s education. We cannot make changes if we do not know that changes are needed.
• Teacher Inputs will be coming from the student’s Case Manager. Please be sure to complete them and return them by the due date.
• Each SPED student on campus has at least 1 Annual ARD meeting every year, so you will get a teacher input prior to the student’s ARD in order to give us information to use in the ARD.
• Strengths and weaknesses must be addressed, and the academic section should align with the TEKS. Not turning in work is a behavioral weakness not an academic weakness.
• It is very important that you provide us with as much information as you can about the student. I understand that sometimes you may get a form for a student that you haven’t had for long, but just do your best.
• Each SPED student is given an evaluation every 3 years. When a student is being evaluated Layla Lewis (Diagnostician) will send you her own input form. YOU MUST COMPLETE THIS ONE AS WELL AS THE INPUTS FOR THE ARD. The input sheets have some similar information, so you can repeat information, but we have to each get our separate forms because they are used in different ways within the ARD.

Good Example of teacher input

Bad Example of Teacher Input

Other Important Information

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• When communicating with a student’s parent(s) by phone and/or email, please make sure to document the conversation. We suggest keeping some form of parent contact log that includes the date & time of the contact and a description of the conversation. This is very helpful to have if concerns arise. This will also be helpful if the student fails for the grading period because you will need to document parent contact on the failure documentation form.
• Please be sure that you have documentation of using accommodations as well as 2 parent contacts before you fail a Special Education student. This cannot be ONLY by email. If one is by email then the next one needs to be by phone. If parent does not answer then document that as well.
• We no longer have Co Teach, so contacting parents is the General Education teacher’s responsibility because you are that student’s teacher of record.
• If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to support you.

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Important Information

• Please do not utilize alternative locations (i.e. library, SSC, alt. classroom) as a place for Sped students to complete work. Our students need to be in class in order to receive their IEP accommodations and services.
• If an alternate location it is being utilized as a “cool down area” then once the student is calm, they are expected to return back to class.
• Most of our students that require use of a “cool down area” have it listed as one of their accommodations and they are really good about self advocating for themselves.
• We understand that there will be other special education students who will require the opportunity to “cool down.” For these students who do not have it listed on their IEP, please take note of the frequency that they leave out of class to go to an alternative location. If the student is consistently asking to leave, we need to know so that we can meet to discuss the situation and determine if changes need to be made to their IEP or additional assessment is needed. Again, we are unable to meet a student’s IEP if the student is not in the location that the services are to be provided.