ReNEW  SciTech  Academy  Corrective  Action  Plan  Status  Report   SPED-­Related  Actions   4/29/16       I. SciTech  Academy  -­  Provision  of  Compensatory  Services   ● Create  and  share  with  LDOE  a  comprehensive  plan  to  provide  compensatory   education  and  services  to  all  2014-­15  students  who  did  not  receive  the  number  of   minutes  required  under  their  IEPs.   ● ReNEW  must  make  all  reasonable  efforts  to  provide  all  compensatory  minutes  to   students,  regardless  of  their  current  school,  by  July  1,  2016  and  provide  on-­going   documentation  of  those  efforts.   ● Immediately  communicate  the  need  for  compensatory  minutes  to  all  impacted   families  if  this  has  not  already  occurred.     Status/Update  4/29/16  ​(see  “CS  Updates”  for  student-­specific  details):​   Total  number  of  SciTech  students  (2014-­15)  who  were  owed   compensatory  minutes  at  the  start  of  SY  2015-­16   62   Number  of  students  who  have  completed  all  compensatory  minutes   owed  as  of  4/29/16   32   Number  of  students  who  are  anticipated  to  complete  all  compensatory   minutes  by  12/31/16   13   Number  of  students  for  whom  compensatory  minutes  provision  has  not   been  established  or  requires  continued  resolution   ● Whereabouts  unknown  or  out  of  local  area  (3)   ● No  response  to  contact  (8)   ● Incarcerated  (4)   ● Long  term  delivery  of  services  needed  (1)   ● Parent  refused  services  (1)   17     As  of  4.29.16,  ReNEW  has:   ● Hired  additional  personnel  (extra  SPED  staffing  at  STA  for  SY  2015-­16,  SPED  Project   Coordinator,  Compliance  Consultant)  to  assist  with  resolving  service  delivery  issues   ● Hired  summer  school  staff  (2)  to  provide  compensatory  minutes  to  non-­ReNEW  students   during  the  month  of  June   ● Developed  a  contract  and  anticipating  finalization  by  May  6,  2016  to  secure  the   assistance  of  a  counselor/advocate  who  will  assist  in  resolving  complex  issues  related  to   resolutions  for  provision  of  services.  Implementation  to  begin  immediately  upon   finalization  of  contract.       II.   Ensure  all  SciTech  IEPs  and  evaluations  for  current  students  are  up  to  date  and  compliant   with  all  law  and  policy.  Provide  an  update  on  progress  toward  this  goal  by  May  1.  This  is   1       ReNEW  SciTech  Academy  Corrective  Action  Plan  Status  Report   SPED-­Related  Actions   4/29/16     inclusive  of:   (1)Reviewing  all  evaluations  conducted  between  May  2014-­June  2015  to  ensure  they   appropriately  identified  student  needs;  and   (2)  Reviewing  all  IEPs  whose  minutes  were  increased  or  decreased  between  May  2014   and  June  2015  to  ensure  that  they  are  currently  aligned  with  student  needs.     Status/Update  4/29/16     Fifty-­two  (52)  evaluations  of  current/former  SciTech  students  conducted  between  May  2014  and   June  2015  were  reviewed  by  Holly  Paczak,  Ed.  S  (LSU  Human  Development  Center/TIERS),   Susan  Ratterree,  M.S.,  NCSP,  M.Ed.  (Independent  Contractor),  and  Dr.  Mary  Cole-­Bush,  Ph.D.   (ReNEW)  in  March/April  2016.    The  team  found  the  following  trends:   ● 14  Evaluations  found  to  be  compliant  (27%)   ● 38  Evaluations  found  to  be  non-­compliant  or  problematic  (73%)     Total     Issue  /  Trend   Reference   33%   Missing  signatures  of  some  or  all  of  the  team   members   Bulletin  1508  (#513  B  1  n  and  o)   Evaluation  Components   17%   Lack  of  Determination  of  Eligibility  Form,  including   Bulletin  1508  (#515  B  2)   signatures  and  parents'  signatures   Determination  of  Eligibility   29%   Missing  Evaluation  Components  required  by   Bulletin  1508  which  concerns  appropriate   instruction  in  reading  and  math   (#513  B1  d  i  and  ii  and  #515  A1  a   and  b)  Evaluation  Components   9   17%   Missing  Evaluation  Components  required  by   Bulletin  1508  review  of  cumulative  records   including  discipline  records  and  statewide   assessments.)   (#513  A  2)  Evaluation  Components   13   25%   Missing  evaluations  /  pages  prevented  complete   review   n/a   17   9   15   %     IEP  reviews  are  in  process  and  should  be  completed  by  May  30,  2016.    Guidelines  to  ensure  all   ScitTech  IEPs  are  appropriately  aligned  to  student  needs  will  be  implemented  beginning  July   2016.     Given  the  findings  of  the  evaluation  review  team,  ReNEW  is:   1) Hiring  a  pupil  appraisal  team  and  an  evaluation  coordinator  to:   a) Immediately  address/correct  all  known  issues  to  ensure  all  SciTech  evaluations   are  up-­to-­date  and  legally  compliant  by  December  31,  2016.     b) Commence  a  review  of  existing  ReNEW  evaluations  to  ensure  they  are   up-­to-­date  and  legally  compliant  by  December  31,  2017.   2       ReNEW  SciTech  Academy  Corrective  Action  Plan  Status  Report   SPED-­Related  Actions   4/29/16     2) Developing  processes  and  specific  procedures  to  inform  the  development  and  ensure   the  1508  compliance  of  new  evaluations/re-­evaluations  going  forward,  with   implementation  commencing  in  July  2016.  ​(See  “Draft  of  SBLC  and  MTSS  Handbook”  and   “Clinical  Services  and  Pupil  Appraisal  Handbook”)       III. Develop  a  robust  plan  for  on-­going  special  education  monitoring  in  its  schools,  which  will   include  specific  procedures  for  more  accurately  tracking  special  education  minutes.     Status/Update  4/29/16   ReNEW  schools  engaged  Beth  Giovanetti  and  Nancy  Opalack  (Consultants,  Educational  Support   Systems,  Inc.)  to  conduct  a  comprehensive  assessment  of  special  education  across  all  of  its   schools  and  provide  technical  assistance  to  develop  a  robust  plan  for  ongoing  special  education   monitoring  in  its  schools,  including  specific  procedures  for  more  accurately  tracking  special   education  minutes.    This  partnership  has  resulted  in  a  Transformation  Plan  that  has  been   presented  to  and  adopted  by  ReNEW’s  Board  of  Directors,  Executive  Team,  School  Leaders,  and   Student  Supports  Team.    The  goal  of  ReNEW’s  Transformation  plan  is  to  build  operational   frameworks  for  compliant  and  effective  service  delivery  systems,  including  the  following   components:   ● Instructional  Support,  managed  by  an  established  School  Building  Level  Committee   (SBLC),  that  includes  three  well-­defined  tiers  of  academic  and  behavior  interventions,   with  start-­up  attention  to  enhancing  evidence-­based,  targeted  and  intensive  Tier  3   interventions  and  the  capacity  to  oversee  the  development  and  monitoring  of  504   plans.     ● Special  Education  Evaluation,  managed  by  Pupil  Appraisal  Teams,  that  ecompasses  a   holistic  process,  including  review  and  analysis  of  MTSS  information,  targeted  assessment   in  all  areas  of  suspected  disabilities,  and  evaluation  reports  in  of  prescriptive   recommendations  that  directly  translate  into  meaningful  IEP  goals.   ● Special  Education,  managed  by  an  adequate  number  of  Special  Education  Coordinators   (SECs)  that  promotes  improved  performance  outcomes  through  inclusion,  resource   classes  (remedial  and  replacement);  and  substantially  separate  classes.     The  draft  documents  ​(see  “SPED  Service  Delivery  Handbook,”  “MTSS/SBLC  Handbook”  and   “Clinical  Services/Pupil  Appraisal  Handbook”)​,  aligned  to  the  aforementioned  goal  of  building  a   comprehensive  framework  for  compliant  and  effective  service  delivery  systems,  will  be  finalized   by  July  1,  2016.    Roll  out  to  staff  has  already  begun  where  appropriate  (e.g.  SPED  staffing   models  for  SY  2016-­17  shared  with  leaders  and  used  to  determine  budgeting),  with  professional   development  and  implementation  support  for  all  staff  occurring  during  summer  months  and   ongoing  throughout  the  school  year.   3       ReNEW  SciTech  Academy  Corrective  Action  Plan  Status  Report   SPED-­Related  Actions   4/29/16       IV. For  the  next  two  school  years,  ReNEW  Schools  will  conduct  a  quarterly  meeting  with  LDOE   monitoring  team  to  review  the  following:   (1)  All  results  of  child  find  and  identification  activities;   (2)  All  services  provided  to  students  with  disabilities;  and   (3)  All  re-­evaluations  or  adjustments  made  to  student  service  plans.     Status/Update  4/29/16   On  Tuesday,  April  12,  2016,  ReNEW  participated  in  a  phone  conference  with  Ms.  Melissa   Anders,  Education  Program  Consultant  with  the  Louisiana  Department  of  Education.  The   conference  was  initiated  by  Ms.  Anders  via  email  on  April  5,  2016  with  the  following  statement:   This  email  is  in  reference  to  LDE’s  commitment  to  ensure  compliance  and  monitoring  efforts   under  IDEA.    As  a  part  of  this  process,  ReNEW  SciTech  Academy  at  Laurel  is  required  to  develop   a    corrective  action  plan  (CAP)  to  address  critical  areas  of  concern.  Tuesday,  April  12,  2016    has   been  reserved  to  begin  this  dialogue.   Per  Ms.  Anders  directive,  ReNEW  is  currently  preparing  to  submit  requested  documentation  to   the  LDOE  on  May  16,  2016  to  satisfy  the  quarterly  monitoring  mandate  outlined  in  the  schedule   provided  to  us  following  the  conference.       4