MassachusettsDepartment of
Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-4096 Telephone: (781) 338-3700
TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370
January 20, 2012
James Quaglia, Superintendent
Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical School
800 Randolph Street
Canton, MA 02021
Re: Mid-cycle Report
Dear Superintendent Quaglia:
Enclosed is the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Mid-cycle Report based on the onsite visit conducted in your district in December 2011. During the Mid-Cycle Review the Department monitored selected special education criteria to determine your district’s compliance with special education laws and regulations. The review consisted of information gathered from one or more of the following activities: interviews, review of student records, examination of documentation, and classroom observation(s).
The Department determined that one or more of the criteria monitored in your district was “Partially Implemented” or “Not Implemented.”In all instances where noncompliance was found, the Department has prescribed corrective action for the district. This corrective action must be implemented as soon as possible, but in no case later than a year from the date of this report. You will find these requirements for corrective action included in the enclosed report, along with requirements for submitting progress reports using the enclosed form.
Please provide the Department with your written assurance that all of the required corrective action will be implemented by your district within the timelines specified in the report. You must submit your statement of assurance to Darlene Lynch, Director, Program Quality Assurance Services, by February 6, 2012.
Your staff's cooperation throughout this Mid-cycle Review is appreciated. If you have questions
about this letter or the enclosed report, please do not hesitate to contact Coretta McCarter at 781-338-3733.
Sincerely,
Coretta McCarter, Mid-cycle Review Chairperson
Program Quality Assurance Services
Darlene A. Lynch, Director
Program Quality Assurance Services
cc:Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education
Vani Rastogi-Kelly, Supervisor, Program Quality Assurance Services
Joseph A. Pascarella, School Committee Chairperson
Deborah Corvini, Local Program Review Coordinator
Encs:Mid-cycle Report
Mid-cycle Progress Report Form
1
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATIONMID-CYCLE REPORT
Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical School
Date of the Mid-cycle Review Onsite: December 20, 2011
Date of this Report: January 20, 2012
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REPORT IS IN TWO SECTIONS.
Required Special Education Criteria Monitored in this Mid-cycle Review
Current special education criteria available by scrolling down to the special education instrument at http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/default.html
Criterion / Criterion Implemented / Criterion Partially Implemented (PI) or Not Implemented(NI) / Method(s)
of
Investigation / Basis of Determination about Criterion / If Partially Implemented or Not Implemented:
(a)Required Corrective Action and
Timelines for Implementation / (b) Progress Report Due Date(s) and Required
Elements
SE 7
Transfer of parental rights and student participation and consent at age of majority / PI / Student Records
Interviews / One year prior to a student reaching age 18, the district is not informing the student and parent/guardian of the rightsthat will transfer from the parent/guardian to the student upon the student’s 18th birthday. / Develop procedures for notifying the student and parent/guardian, one year prior to the student reaching age 18, of the rights that will transfer from the parent/guardian to the student. The notification must state that all rights accorded to parents under special education law will transfer to the 18 year old student. Train appropriate staff on these procedures. See Administrative Advisory SPED 2011-1 on the Age of Majority http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/advisories/11_1.html.
Develop an internal oversight and tracking system to ensure that the district is following appropriate procedures for the transfer of parental rights requirements. The tracking system should include supervisory oversight and periodic reviews to ensure compliance.
Develop a report of the results of an internal review of student records, for those students who have turned 17since implementation of all of the district’s corrective actions, for evidence of compliance with the transfer of rights requirements.
*Please note when conducting internal monitoring the district must maintain the following documentation and make it available to the Department upon request: a) List of student names and grade levels for the records reviewed; b) Date of the review; c) Name of person(s) who conducted the review, with their role(s) and signature(s). / Submit a copy of the procedures and evidence of staff training, including an agenda and signed attendance sheets (indicating role of staff).
Submit the description of the internal oversight and tracking system, identifying the person(s) responsible for the oversight. Submit this information by April 9, 2012.
Submit a report of the results of an internal review of records and include the following:
- Number of records reviewed;
- Number of records in which appropriate procedures were followed for the transfer of parental rights requirements;
- Results of the root cause analysis of any records not in compliance; and
- Specific actions taken by the district to remedy any non-compliance.
SE 8
IEP Team composition and attendance / PI / Student Records
Interviews / Not all required Team members are consistently present at the IEP Team meeting, including the student’s general education teacher (if the student is involved in a general education program) and the special education teacher/special education service provider. When a required member of the Team does not attend the IEP Team meeting, the district is not following appropriate procedures to excuse the required Team member. / Develop procedures for ensuring the participation of the student’s general education teacher, if the student is involved in a general education program, and special education teacher or, if appropriate, special education provider of the student. Also develop appropriate procedures for excusing a required Team member from the IEP Team meeting. These procedures must indicate that to excuse a required Team member:
- The parent and district must agree, in writing, that the attendance of the Team member is not necessary because the member’s area of the curriculum or related services is not being modified or discussed; or
- The district and parent agree, in writing, to excuse a required Team member’s participation and the excused member provides written input into the development of the IEP to the parent and the IEP Team prior to the meeting.
Develop an internal oversight and tracking system for ensuring the following:
1)The required Team members attend the IEP Team meeting;
2)Appropriate excusal procedures are followed if a required Team member is unable to attend the IEP Team meeting.
The tracking system should include supervisory oversight and periodic reviews to ensure ongoing compliance.
Develop a report of the results of an internal review of student records in which Team meetings were held since implementation of all of the district’s corrective actions for evidence of compliance with IEP Team composition and attendance, as well as excusal procedures.
*Please note when conducting internal monitoring the district must maintain the following documentation and make it available to the Department upon request: a) List of student names and grade levels for the records reviewed; b) Date of the review; c) Name of person(s) who conducted the review, with their role(s) and signature(s). / Provide a copy of the procedures and evidence of staff training, including an agenda and signed attendance sheets (indicating role of staff). Submit a description of the oversight and tracking system and identify the person(s) responsible for the oversight. Submit this information by April 9, 2012.
Submit a report of the results of an internal review of records and include the following:
- Number of records reviewed;
- Number of records in which a general education teacher, special education teacher/special education provider attended the Team meeting, as appropriate;
- Number of records in which appropriate excusal procedures were followed when a required Team member did not attend the IEP Team meeting;
- Results of the root cause analysis of any records not in compliance;
- Specific actions taken by the district to remedy any non-compliance.
SE 18A
IEP development and content / / Student Records
Interview / IEP Teams consider and address the skills and proficiencies needed to avoid and respond to bullying, harassment, or teasing for students identified with a disability that affects social skills development or when the student’s disability makes him or her vulnerable to bullying, harassment or teasing, as well as for students identified with a disability on the autism spectrum.
SE 25
Parental consent / / Student Records
Interview / When a parent revokes consent, in writing, to special education services, the district provides written notice to the parent of its proposal to discontinue services based on the revocation of consent, and also provides information on how the parent can obtain a copy of his/her right to procedural safeguards. The district provides notice a reasonable time before it intends to discontinue services. Staff are aware that they may not use mediation or request a due process hearing to obtain agreement or a ruling for continuation of services.
Additional Special Education Criteria Monitored in this Mid-cycle Review
Current special education criteria available by scrolling down to the special education instrument at http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/default.html
Criterion / Criterion Imple-mented / Criterion Partially Implemented (PI) or Not Implemented (NI) / Method(s) of
Investigation / Basis of Determination about Criterion / If Partially Implemented or Not Implemented:
(a) Required Corrective Action and Timelines for Implementation / (b) Progress Report Due Date(s) and Required
Elements
SE 20
Least restrictive program selected / PI / Student
Records
Document
Review
Interview / IEP Non-participation Justification Statements consistently address why the removal of the student is considered critical to the student’s program and the basis for the Team’s conclusion that education of the student in a less restrictive environment, with the use of supplementary aids and services, could not be achieved satisfactorily.
The program selected is not always the least restrictive environment for special education students, as not all students have opportunities to participate in general education classes. Some co-taught classes are presented as general education classes in inclusive settings on IEPs; however, rosters show that these classes are substantially separate special education classes consisting of all special education students. / Review the class rosters for the district’s general education co-taught inclusion classes and revise the rosters for those classes that are presented as general education co-taught inclusion classes, but include all special education students.
Develop an internal oversight and tracking system for ensuring that general education co-taught inclusion classes are not substantially separate special education classes and are indicated as appropriate on the IEP service delivery grid. The oversight and tracking system should include periodic reviews of IEPs and class rosters by the director of special education to ensure ongoing compliance.
Subsequent to implementation of the district’s corrective actions, develop a report of the results of an internal review of student records, for students whose IEP service delivery grids indicate participation in general education classes in inclusive settings, for evidence of compliance with the least restrictive environment.
*Please note when conducting internal monitoring the district must maintain the following documentation and make it available to the Department upon request: a) List of student names and grade levels for the records reviewed; b) Date of the review; c) Name of person(s) who conducted the review, with their role(s) and signature(s). / Submit copies of the revised class rosters for the general education co-taught inclusion classes. Submit a description of the internal oversight and tracking system and identify the person(s) responsible for the oversight. Submit this information by April 9, 2012.
Submit a report of the results of an internal review of records and include the following:
- Number of records reviewed;
- Number of records in compliance with the least restrictive program selected;
- Results of the root cause analysis of any records not in compliance; and
- Specific corrective actions taken by the district to remedy any non-compliance.
SE 22
IEP implementa-tion and availability / PI / Student
Records
Document
Review
Interview / See SE 20 above regarding the co-taught inclusion classes. / See SE 20. / See SE 20.
SE 34
Continuum of alternative services and placements / PI / Student
Records
Document
Review
Interview / See SE 20 above regarding the co-taught inclusion classes. / See SE 20. / See SE 20.
SE 48
Equal opportunity to participate in educational, nonacademic, extracurricu-lar and ancillary programs, as well as participation in regular education / / Student
Records
Document
Review
Interview / Studentsrequiring academic supports, as indicated on IEP service delivery grids, participate in physical education classes and electives.
Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical School Mid-cycle Review Report
January 20, 2012
Page 1 of 10
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATIONMID-CYCLE REVIEW
School District: Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical School
M I D – CY C L E P R O G R E S S R E P O R T
Date Prepared: ______
Prepared by: ______
(name and title)
Criterion: ______
Topic: ______
For each criterion for which you prepare a progress report, please- make a copy of this cover page,
- fill in the information requested above, and
- attach a complete description of the corrective action taken and any accompanying documentation.
Send the whole set of completed progress reports to:
Darlene Lynch, Director
Program Quality Assurance Services
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA02148-4906
Rev. 6/30/08