- What is SERC?
- Upcoming CADRE Webinar
- The Difference Between IEP’s and 504 Plans
- School Suspensions are an Adult Behavior – Dr. rose Marie Allen
- IEP CHALLENGE: Is this team properly gauging student’s progress in communication?
- Which Dispute Resolution Process is best for me?
- Upcoming Events
What is SERC?
The Special Education Resolution Center of OSU (SERC) has been collaborating with the Oklahoma State Department of Education for over 10 years to help families and school districts resolve conflicts at the earliest stage possible. SERC provides services for children from birth to 3 in SoonerStart and for students 3 through 21 in public schools.
What does SERC provide to schools, SoonerStart, and families at no cost?
- Training on communication and collaboration skills to help prevent conflict.
- An IEP Facilitator to manage conflict during contentious IEP meetings.
- A Mediator to guide a structured process in which parents and school personnel can resolve specific issues related to special education.
- A Due Process Hearing Officer at an administrative hearing to resolve, what could not be resolved at an earlier stage. During the resolution time of the process, SERC can provide a facilitator to help the parties discuss the hearing issues in a safe and structured setting and try to resolve them if possible.
Upcoming CADRE Webinar
Managing Truth Decay in the Intersection of Logic and Emotion
Clients and parties spin when the law and their emotions collide. The ability of participant to make good decision declines and they often blame others for the situation. during this webinar, you’ll learn practical tips, techniques, and tools for counseling folks through the uncertainty, fear and frustration they experience when they believe the likely outcome is unfair or the process is too long and expensive.
August 27, 2019. 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM Central Time.
View the CADRE webinar here:
The Difference Between IEP’s and 504 Plans
Both Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans can offer formal help for k-12 student who are struggling in school. They’re similar in some ways but very different in others. This chart compares them side-by-side to help you understand the differences.
School Suspensions are an Adult Behavior – Dr. Rose Marie Allen
There is an epidemic of school suspensions in the U.S. and the downstream consequences are severe. Adults suspend students, and while that may sound obvious, Rosemarie Allen realized that the problem might be the solution. When dealing with the difficult behaviors of children, what if we turned our focus inward?
Dr. Rosemarie Allen works passionately to ensure that children have access to high-quality early childhood programs that are developmentally and culturally appropriate. She teaches classes at Metro State University focused on raising teachers’ awareness of the impact equity, privilege, and power can have in the classroom. Dr. Allen serves as an intern on the Early Childhood Task Force with President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative and is a respected keynote speaker on culturally responsive practices and cultural competence.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
(Kim – I put the best link I could make on the notes below.)
View the TEDx Talk here:
IEP CHALLENGE: Is this team properly gauging student’s progress in communication?
Bradley is a bright 4-year-old boy with speech-language impairment who loves talking about his favorite TV shows.
Bradley can speak in four-word sentences and is mostly intelligible. But he sometimes mixes up pronouns, ascribing “he” to “she” and “him” to “her.” He also sometimes says “me” when he means to say “I.” He can usually clarify what he means when asked but doesn’t always independently correct himself after an erroneous utterance.
The team discusses Bradley’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance and devises measurable goals, including this one related to promoting his communication skills: By the end of the year, when describing something he has watched or experienced, Bradley will correctly use pronouns, including “he,” “she,” “him,” “her,” “me,” and “I,” with 80 percent accuracy 3 out of 5 times.
The team agrees to use this method to monitor Bradley’s progress:
PLAN: Bradley’s teacher and speech-language pathologist will track Bradley’s progress as measured by observation and recorded on charts.
Is this plan for progress monitoring sufficient?
IEPs should detail when periodic reports on the progress the child is making toward meeting his annual goals will be offered. 34 CFR 300.320 (a)(3).
The hypothetical plan mentioned above for Bradley lacks information about how often the child’s teacher and speech-language pathologist will share Bradley’s progress in communication with his parents.
A more appropriate description might be:
Bradley’s teacher and speech-language pathologist will track Bradley’s progress as measured by observation and recorded on charts, sharing his progress with his parents quarterly.
This plan is better suited to keep Bradley’s parents up to date on their child’s growth.
“IEP Challenge” is a Special Ed Connection® feature that details a hypothetical scenario involving a student with a disability. With each installment, you’ll get to decide the adequacy of either an IEP goal, present level statement, or a method of progress monitoring given the fictional student’s strengths and weaknesses. Then use these scenarios to kickstart your next staff training session.
Which Dispute Resolution Process is best for me?
You may be wondering which dispute resolution process would be the best for you when dealing with special education-related disputes. This dispute chart will help you understand the differences between the three processes offered in Oklahoma. Each of these processes is offered at no cost to schools or parents. Please contact us with any questions related to our dispute resolution processes. We can help you decide which process will work the best for your situation.
View the English version of the dispute resolution chart here:
View the Spanish version of the dispute resolution chart here:
Upcoming Events
- Art Cernosia will be coming to Oklahoma City on Wednesday, October 23, 2019. Art will be presenting a legal update on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Registration forms will be available in September. Check with the SERC Website for further information.
- SERC will host its first Dispute Resolution Conference on Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. Mark your calendar and save the date! Further information on location and registration will be available on the SERC website by October!
Jo Anne Pool Blades, Program Manager
Special Education Resolution Center (SERC)
Oklahoma State University Sponsored Program 9726 E. 42nd Street, Suite 203 | Tulsa, OK 74146
Phone: 918.270.1849
Email: jo.blades@okstate.edu