Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education
75Pleasant Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-4906 Telephone: (781) 338-3700
TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370
May 21, 2013
Stephen M. Wilkins, Executive Director
Carroll School
Carroll School Day Program
25 Baker Bridge Road
Lincoln, MA 01773
Re: Mid-cycle Review and Verification of previous Program Review Corrective Action Plan
Dear Mr. Wilkins:
Enclosed is the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (“Department”) Mid-cycle Report based upon the Mid-cycle review conducted in your private school program in November 2012. This Mid-cycle Review Report contains the Department's findings regarding the implementation status and effectiveness of corrective steps taken in response to your previous Program Review Report issued on September 9, 2010. This report also includes a report on the status of implementation for new state or federal special education requirements enacted since your program’s last Program Review.
The Department will notify you of your program’s next regularly scheduled Program Review several months before it is to occur. At this time we anticipate the next routine monitoring visit to occur sometime during the 2015-2016school year, unless the Department determines that there is some reason to schedule this visit earlier.
While the Department found certain noncompliance issues to be resolved, others were partially corrected, not addressed at all and/or new issues were identified by the Department’s onsite team. Therefore, the Department is issuing a “Provisional Approval” status effective from the date of this letter and indicated on your approval certificate. Your “Provisional Approval” will expire onJune 28, 2013. The reasons for the “Provisional Approval” are clearly indicated on the attached Mid-cycle Review Report.
As the Department previously informed you, in cases where a program fails to fully and effectively implement a Corrective Action Plan which was proposed by your program and approved by the Department, the Department must then prepare a Corrective Action Plan for the program which must be implemented without further delay. You will find these requirements for corrective action and further progress reporting included in the attached report, together with any steps that must be taken by the program to fully implement new special education requirements. Please provide the Department with your written assurance that the Department's requirements for corrective action will be implemented by your program within the timelines specified. Your statement of assurance must be submitted to the Department's Onsite Chairperson by
May 31, 2013.
Please be advised that the attached Department Approval Certificate must be conspicuously posted in a public place within the program as required by 603 CMR 28.09.
Your staff's cooperation throughout these follow-up monitoring activities is appreciated. Should you require additional clarification of information included in our report, please do not hesitate to contact the Onsite Team Chairperson at 781-338-3713.
Sincerely,
Helen M. Murgida, Mid-cycle Review Chairperson
Program Quality Assurance Services
Darlene Lynch, Director
Program Quality Assurance Services
c:Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education
J. Sam Foster, Jr., Chairperson, Board of Directors
Mary Ellen Frechette, Local Program Review Coordinator
Encl.:Mid-cycle Review Report
Provisional Private School Approval Certificate, Expiration Date: October 17, 2013
Page 1 of 2
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OFELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
PRIVATE SCHOOL MID-CYCLE REVIEW
CARROLL SCHOOL
CARROLL SCHOOL DAY PROGRAM
MID-CYCLE REVIEW REPORT
Previous Program Review Corrective Action Plan Submitted on September 9, 2010
Progress Reports Submitted on February 14, 2011 and June 14, 2011
Mid-cycleOnsite Visit Conducted on November 6, and November 7, 2012
Date of this Report:May 21, 2013
CriterionNumber
and
Topic / Implementation Status of Requirements
or
Corrective Action Plan Determined
to be
Substantially Implemented
/ Method(s) of
Verification / Comments Regarding Corrective Action Plan Implementation / Corrective Action Plan Determined to be Not Fully Implemented orAdditional Issues Identified
/ Findings Regarding Incomplete Implementation of Approved Corrective Action Plan or Identification of Additional Issues of Noncompliance / Further Corrective Action
Ordered by the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
and Timelines for Implementation and Further Progress Reporting
Selected Approved Private School Program Mid-cycle Review Criteria
2.2 Approvals, Licenses, Certificates of Inspection18.04(1); 28.09(2)(b)(5); 28.09(5) (b); 28.09(6) (b, c) / / Documentation / Carroll School submitted all current approvals, licenses, and certificates of inspection by state and local agencies as required.
2.3 EEC Licensure
102 CMR 3.00
(Residential Programs only) / Not Applicable / Carroll School is a day program; therefore this criterion is not applicable.
6.1 Daily Instructional Hours
603 CMR 27.04
6.4 School Days Per Year
603 CMR 27.05(2); 28.09(9)(a) / / Documentation
Interviews / Carroll School submitted the Learning Time Worksheet regarding the instructional hours and the number of school days per year for both the Lower and Middle Schools. Staff interviews confirmed that both the Lower School (grades 1-5) and Middle School (grades 6-9) students are scheduled for the required number of hours of instructional time per year.
8.5 Current IEP & Student Roster
28.09(5)(a) / / Documentation
Student Record Reviews
Interviews / Carroll School has on file a current IEP for each Massachusetts enrolled student that has been issued by the responsible public school district and consented to and dated by the student’s parent(s) as required. In instances where the parent(s) have not consented, Carroll has documented their efforts to obtain such signatures.
11.3 Educational Administrator Qualifications
28.09(5)(a); 28.09(7)(a);
603 CMR 44.00 / Documentation
Staff Record Reviews
Interviews / The Educational Administrator for the Middle School meets the required qualification to serve in this position. The Special Education Administrator for the Lower School has a Special Education license through grade 3, but is not licensed and does not have a waiver in Special Education for grades 4 and 5. / / The Special Education Administrator for the Lower School is not licensed and does not have a waiver in Special Education for grades 4 and 5.
Another teacher who acts as a designee to the Special Education Administrator does not have a special education license or waiver as required. / By September 26, 2013
Carroll School must submit a license or waiver for the Lower School Special Education Administrator through grade 5.
Carroll School must also submit:
- Copy of licensure as a special education administrator
- Copy of ESE license as a special educator or copy of ELAR activity sheet; and,
- Evidence of Master’s Degree in special education or a related field; and
- Evidence of a minimum of one year of administrative experience
11.4 Teachers
(Special Education Teachers and Regular Education Teachers)18.05(11)(f); 28.09(5)(a); 28.09(7)(b, c); 34 CFR 300.321 / Documentation
Staff Record Reviews
Interviews / Carroll School has a total of twenty-two teachers who do not have a current license or waiver, are teaching outside of their licensed subject area or have a license that has expired. / / Carroll School has seven Special Education Teachers who are not licensed and do not have a waiver, thirteen Regular Education Teachers without a license or waiver, one Regular Education Teacher teaching outside of his licensed area, and one Regular Education Teacher with an expired
license. / By September 26, 2013
Carroll School must submit licenses or approved waivers for the seven Special Education Teachers and thirteen Regular Education Teachers who are not appropriately licensed or on approved waivers. Carroll School must also submit a license or waiver for the Regular Education Teacher who is teaching outside of his subject area and a current license or approved waiver for the Regular Education Teacher who was teaching with an expired license.
11.5 Related Services Staff
28.09(7)(d) / DocumentationStaff Record Reviews
Interviews / Carroll School has a School Adjustment Counselor who is not appropriately licensed and not on an approved waiver. / / Carroll School has one related service staff School Adjustment Counselor who is not licensed and does not have waiver. / By September 26, 2013Carroll School must submit a copy of thelicense or most current ELAR activity sheet for the School Adjustment Counselor.
11.6 Master Staff Roster
28.09(7) / / Documentation
Interviews / During the Mid-cycle Review, Carroll School Day Program documentation indicated that staff positions included on the Master Staff Roster are aligned as last approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
19 Anti-Hazing
M.G.L. c. 269, §§ 17 through 19 / / Documentation
Interviews / Carroll School Day Program does not enroll secondary students.
20 Bullying Prevention and Intervention
M.G.L. c. 71, s. 37H, as amended by Chapter 92 of the Acts of 2010. M.G.L. c. 71, s. 37O(e)(1) & (2). M.G.L. c. 71, s. 370(d). / / Documentation
Interviews / Carroll School has amended its handbook/admission material to include an age-appropriate summary of their Bullying Prevention Plan and included a description of how it was distributed. The program also submitted a description of the professional development plan developed by the program for all staff for the 2012-2013 School Year and provided evidence of its implementation including dates, format used, and a sign-in sheet indicating staff attendance.
Identified Areas of Non-Compliancefrom the 2009-2010 Program Review or Other Areas of Concern
5.1 Student Admissions28.09(11); 18.05(1)(b)(1-17); 18.05(2); 18.05(3)(c) / / Documentation
Interviews / During the last Program Review, Carroll School had a written admissions policy,but itdid not include a statement that the program provided written notice to the parents of enrolled students that copies of its policies and procedures were available upon request as required. This was to be included in the 2010-2011 Admissions Policies and Procedures and in the 2010-2011 Parent Student Handbook.
During the Mid-cycle Review, Carroll School submitted a copy of its Admissions Policies and Procedures that contains all required elements including a statement that the program provides written notice to the parents of enrolled students that copies of its policies and procedures are available upon request.
8.8 IEP – Progress Reports
28.07(3);
34 CFR 300.320(a)
(3)(i, ii) / / Documentation
Student Record Reviews
Interviews / During the last Program Review, Carroll School staff wrote progress reports for students four times a year that were thorough and specific, however, a review of documentation and interviews indicated that progress reports for previous school years werenot consistently maintained.
During the Mid-cycle Review, documentation, student record reviews and interviews indicatethatprogress reports for the previous school years since the 2010 Program Review are now consistently maintained in student records.
9.4 Physical Restraint
(Day programs only)
18.05(5); 603 CMR 46.00 / / Documentation
Student Record Reviews
Interviews / During the last Program Review, while the student population at Carroll School did not display behaviors that indicate the need for physical restraint as a typical behavioral intervention, Carroll School was required to seek written consent to restrain from parents annually included as part of their physical restraint policy.
During the Mid-cycle Review, documentation, student record reviews, and interviews indicate that Carroll School now seeks written consent to restrain from parents annually as part of their physical restraint policy as required.
10.1 Staffing for Instructional Groupings
28.06(6)(d);
28 09(7)(e) / / Documentation
Observations
Interviews / During the last Program Review, classroom observations, staff interviews, and documentation revealed that Carroll School maintained an average of 8:1 student to licensed educator ratio, while they were originally approved via their initial application to have a 6:1 ratio. Carroll School met with the Department regarding this matter and it was determined that the issue would be addressed and corrected through the Reconstruction Application that was on file at the Department. The 8:1 ratio was approved through Reconstruction on May 25, 2012.
During the Mid-cycle Review, documentation, observations and interviews indicate that the approved Student: LicensedEducator Ratio of 8:1 is implemented.
11.1 Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual
18.05(11); 18.05(11)(c)
(1); 28.09(7); 28.09(11)(a);
M.G.L. c. 71, § 38R; ESE Advisory on CORI revised 5/7/07 / / Documentation
Staff Record Reviews
Interviews / While Carroll School had a written policies and procedures manual, it did not include procedures for evaluating staff. Carroll does employ a method of teacher evaluation that they call TRIADS, which is observation and feedback from the staff member observed and two colleagues; however these forms were not consistently signed and dated. New staff did have close supervision and verbal feedback through a Mentoring plan. A plan for using volunteer and/or intern services was written and was to be in place for the 2010-2011 school year.
During the Mid-cycle Review, documentation, staff record reviews and interviews indicated that employee TRIADS, which is observation and feedback from the staff member observed and two colleagues are now signed and dated. Staff members also receive a performance evaluation by their manager on a yearly basis.There is alsonow a plan for using interns and volunteers in place as required.
12.1 New Staff Orientation and Training
18.05(11)(g, i); 28.09(7)(f) / / Documentation
Staff Record Reviews
Interviews / During the last Program Review, while Carroll School had developed an orientation and training plan for new staff, review of personnel records and interviews indicated that documentation regarding this orientation and training was not maintained.
At the time of the Mid-cycle Review, documentation, staff record reviews, and interviews indicatethat documentation regarding new staff orientation and training is now maintained.
12.2 In-Service Training Plan and Calendar
28.09(7)(f); 28.09(9)(b); 28.09(10);
18.03(3); 18.05(9)(e)(1); 18.05(10); 18.05(11)(h)
Title VI: 42 U.S.C. 2000d; 34 CFR 100.3; EEOA: 20 U.S.C. 1703(f); Title IX: 20 U.S.C. 1681; 34 CFR 106.31-106.42; M.G.L. c. 76, § 5; 603 CMR 26.00, esp. 26.07(2, 3) / / Documentation
Staff Record Reviews
Interviews / During the last Program Review, documentation and staff interviews indicated that all mandated trainings were being conducted for staff annually. However, a review of personnel records indicated that attendance at all mandated trainings was not documented and administrative interviews revealed that that the master sign-in sheet for the 2009-2010 school year was missing.
During the Mid-cycle Review, documentation, staff record reviews, and interviews indicate that attendance at all mandated trainings is now documented as required.
15.5 Parent Consent and Required Notification
18.05(5)(c); 18.05(8); 18.05(9)(f)(1); 18.05 (9)(j); M.G.L. c. 71, § 32A / / Documentation
Student Record Reviews
Interviews / During the last Program Review, while Carroll School had a policy and procedure to work with school districts to obtain required parent consents, it did not include obtaining annual parental consent to restrain.
During the Mid-cycle Review, documentation, student record reviews and interviewsindicate that the Carroll School policy and procedure to work with school districts to obtain required parent consentsnow includesobtaining annual parental consent to restrain.
Carroll School, Carroll School Day ProgramMid-cycle Review Report
May 21, 2013
Page 1 of 18
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
CARROLL SCHOOL
CARROLL SCHOOL DAY PROGRAM
a PRIVATE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM operated pursuant to
603 CMR 18.00 and 28.09
25 Baker Bridge Road
Lincoln, MA 01773
Program Rate Based on: 370Students
Approved Enrollment: 370StudentsDay Program / Residential Program
Summer Program / 10 month program / 11 month program / 12 month program
APPROVED STUDENT:LICENSED EDUCATOR RATIO:8:1
APPROVED STUDENT:LICENSED EDUCATOR:AIDE RATIO:Not Applicable
APPROVAL STATUS
PROVISIONAL APPROVAL
Expires on: October 17, 2013
The current approval is a result of a Mid-cycle Reviewconducted in the 2012-2013school year and the next review is scheduled for the 2015-2016 school year.
Helen M. Murgida, EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST, Program Quality Assurance Services
nina m. marchese, Supervisor, Program Quality Assurance Services
Darlene A. Lynch, DIRECTOR, Program Quality Assurance Services
Date issued:
05/21/2013