ARC Chairperson Resource SY 2011-12
Conference Summary Minutes Outline
Annual Review
Purpose of the Meeting: To develop, review, and/or revise the IEP and make placement decisions
Other Possible Purposes: To discuss post-secondary transition needs and/or services
Note: Determine prior to the meeting who will be sharing information and who will be taking minutes that are part of the “official record.” It is recommended that at least one other ARC member take additional minutes that might be included in the final version in case the official recorder missed an important supporting statement.
Sample statements provided are intended to provide some (not all) examples of statements that may be used on the Conference Summary. They are not intended to be used exactly as worded here but rather as samples that should be edited to fit the particular student and situation being documented.
Introduction/Roles of ARC Participants and Purpose for Meeting (Record Review Items # 15-#19, #21)
(Sample statement #1) All members of the ARC invited to the meeting were present with introductions being made for those who had not previously been introduced. The purpose of the meeting was confirmed to be an annual review to discuss progress and the needed services.
(Sample statement for transition meeting #2) All members of the ARC invited to the meeting were present with the exception of ______(student’s name). Mrs. ______noted that her son decided he did not want to be pulled out of class to attend the meeting but did share his input with his mother and special education teacher.
Parent Rights (Record Record Item #29)
(Sample statement) Parents were provided a copy of the procedural safeguards with a verbal explanation of those rights given by ______. Parents had no questions regarding their rights at this time but were encouraged to ask anything that might come up during the course of the meeting.
Section I: Description of procedures (Record Review Item #24)
Check Student Progress on IEP goals.
Have copy of IEP and progress data available.
Under Section I. Description of Procedures, check all descriptions used as a basis for the ARC’s decisions (e.g., Academic Performance, Multi-Year Course of Study, ILP, behavior data, etc.)
Other Data:
(Sample statement #1) ______has been in the primary program for five years.
(Sample statement #2) First Steps providers reviewed previous evaluations and progress.
Section II: Parent Concerns and Input (Record Review Item #46)
(Sample statement #1) Mr. and Mrs. ______reported to the ARC that even though they were getting a divorce, they would continue to work together in supporting ______’s educational needs and supporting the school’s efforts to educate him. They also expressed deep appreciation for everything the school had done on ______’s behalf.
(Sample statement #2) Mr. and Mrs. ______are concerned about _____ earning enough credits to graduate with his class since he currently has two low grades in elective classes.
(Sample statement #3) See input from the parent as noted in the minutes. Caution: If you use this statement, make sure you have included information, concerns, and comments from the parent in the minutes.
Section IIID: Individual Education Program developed/reviewed/revised (Record Review Item #25)
Review of IEP
Summary of Progress on current IEP goals and classroom performance.
(Opening sample statement) The ARC reviewed ______’s progress on the annual goals.
(Supporting sample statement #1) According to AIMSweb progress monitoring data, ______is reading ___words per minutes; the benchmark for the end of the year for his grade is ______. His spring statewide assessment score in reading was ______.
(Supporting sample statement #2) According to checklists and data from Check and Connect, ______has been in the program ____days and has achieved the 80% target on ______days. There have been ____ office discipline referrals since ______. They were for______(e.g., truancy, bus referral, etc.).
(Sample statement #3) Ongoing progress data has been collected once a week since the beginning of school on the annual goals. The data were presented in charts and graphs that indicated ______was making steady gains in his ability to calculate multiple digit problems.
Decision regarding need to develop new IEP (Record Review Item #26)
(Sample statement) Based on the progress data reviewed by the ARC, ______is performingsignificantly and consistently below his peers and continues to require special education services in the area of______in order to benefit from his education program.
Development of IEP: (Record Review Item #46)
Be sure to include parent input regarding IEP.
(Opening sample statement) A draft IEP was presented for discussion by the ARC.
- Present Levels and Special Factors (Record Review Items #33 and #34)
(Sample statement) Using the progress data and input from ARC members who have worked most closely with ______, the ARC discussed the present level of performance statements in the areas of ______as drafted by school personnel, including the special factors of ______. The parent expressed concerns about how ______’s behavior appears to interfere with his ability to learn. The ARC concluded there was sufficient evidence from observations to include behavior as a special factor.
Be sure to include Transition Present Level statements for student age 13 years + one day and older.
- Annual Goals, Benchmarks/Short-term objectives, Progress Monitoring(Record Review Item #35)
(Sample statement) Annual goals and short-term objectiveswere discussed targeting the identified areas of ______. The parent noted she wanted an additional benchmark to address taking turns with peers. Progress will be measured by scoring rubrics, checklists, and will be shared with the parent on a quarterly basis when the student receives his report card.
- Specially Designed Instruction (Record Review Item #36)
(Sample statement #1) The ARC determined that ______would need special individualized instruction in the use of assistive technology as recommended through the evaluation in order to meet the annual goal in written expression.
(Sample statement #2) The special education teacher presented options for specially designed instruction that included choral reading of passages and direct instruction in reading. The committee agreed that these strategies would be most supportive of reading instruction.
- Supplementary Aids and Services, Program Modifications, Testing Accommodations
(Record Review Items #39, #40,#41, and #42)
(Sample statement #1) ______will have access to additional adult support in the regular education classroom with modified tests and study guides. The school personnel will have specialized training in responding to medical conditions related to seizures. The ARC completed the Accommodations Determination Form to specify appropriate test accommodations for ______. The first option for accommodations was the use of assistive technology to allow ______to be as independent of adult assistance as possible.
(Sample statement #2) The ARC determined that ______is eligible for alternate
assessment; he is able to communicate with words and gestures. Current data indicate that
______’s cognitive and adaptive performance inhibit his being able to complete the
requirements of the general curriculum with accommodations allowed for the general
state assessment. He will be participating in the non-diploma program. The ARC completed the
Alternate Assessment Determination form, and the parent was given a copy of the Parent Guide.
- Least Restrictive Environment (Record Review Item #43)
(Sample statement #1) ______will participate in all regular education core content
classes. He will be removed from a general education non-core class for two periods a week
to receive speech services in the resource room.
(Sample statement #2) ______will not participate in the general education core
content classes of math, reading, science, and social studies. She will receive instruction for her
core content classes in the resource room.
- Special Education and Related Services (Record Review Items #44 and #45)
(Sample statement) ______will primarily receive special education services in
a co-taught classroom for ______minutes per day in the area of reading. Services in a
resource room to provide more individual pre-teaching of vocabulary concepts will be provided
for_____ minutes a week.
(Sample statement for related services) In addition to special education services to address motor deficits, ______will receive occupational therapy for 80 minutes each month to target the fine motor skills that are impacting his ability to dress himself and other daily living skills.
- Extended School Year Services (Record Review Item #48)
(Sample statement #1) The data reviewed indicate there is no regression on goals during breaks in instruction.
(Sample statement #2) The data from the current goal for expressive language supports the need for continued speech services during any break from services that is longer than two weeks. These ESY services will be provided once a week for 45 minutes per session for six sessions.
Additional notes regarding students who are Grade 8 or age 13 years plus 1 day:
(Record Review Items #47, #49a-i, #49, and #50)
- Transition
(Age 13 years + one day)
(Sample statement) ______was invited to the ARC but did not want to attend since he would miss a test in class. Information was obtained from ______through use of the Transition Student Survey that ____ completed with his special education teacher. _____ has indicated that he would like to attend college after high school and eventually be a teacher. His ILP was also reviewed. ______and his teacher completed his Multi-Year Course of Study to make sure that he is taking courses that will allow him to enter college. EXPLORE results were also reviewed. He is below benchmark in reading and will be targeted for assistance through the ______program.
(Age 15 years + one day)
(Sample statement) ______attended the meeting. With assistance from the teacher, he reviewed his interests as noted on his transition survey, PLAN, and ILP. His postsecondary goal indicates that he wants to pursue a career in criminal justice which will require an undergraduate degree. His Multi-Year Course of Study was reviewed and updated to ensure that he was taking the necessary courses to enter a four year college program. Transition services were also discussed along with annual goals from his IEP that would assist him in reaching his post secondary goal. No outside agency was invited to this meeting since he is a sophomore; however, a representative from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation may be invited to the next annual review.
Section IIIE: Placement Options (Record Review Item #53)
(Sample statement #1) The ARC first discussed ______’s placement full time in a regular education classroom. It was determined that the regular education setting allows for ______to have the opportunity to learn from same age/grade peers in order to generalize skills in a natural setting. ______may occasionally be pulled out to a separate setting for pre-teaching concepts, but this will not be on a daily basis.When calculating how much of the day ______will be removed from the general education classroom setting, it was determined that he will be in a regular education setting for more than 80% of the day.
(Sample statement #2) The ARC considered full time regular education, but due to the nature of ______’s reading problem, he will require small group direct reading instruction. The option of part time general education and part time special education was deemed to be the most appropriate setting to meet his needs.
(Refer to other LRE Justification Statements document for other examples.)
Section IIIF: Potential Harmful Effects (Record Review Item #52)
Make sure you check one of the two boxes. If there are harmful effects, complete the explanation in the space provided.
(Sample statement #1) The ARC believes there are no harmful effects from this placement. The setting allows him to generalize his skills with same-age peers.
(Sample statement #2) Even though ______may have difficulty with pacing his assignments in the general education class, he will have additional time to complete an assignment which would compensate for this issue.
Section IIIG: Notice of Graduation or Aging Out (Record Review Items #51)
For students beginning at age 15years + one day or younger, if appropriate.
(Sample statement) Mr. and Mrs. ______and ______were notified at last year’s annual review that ______will be able to obtain his Certificate of Attainment upon reaching his IEP goals at the conclusion of this school year. However, since he will not turn 21 years of age until next January, he may return to school until reaching age 21. Mr. and Mrs. ______felt that it would be in their son’s best interest to return and obtain more work skills.
Section VI: Other Factors Relevant to the Action (Record Review Item #28)
Place a checkmark in one of the two boxes.
(Sample statement for other factors) The ARC discussed possible complications that may arise from upcoming changes in medication for ______’s seizure disorder.
Other options rejected: (Record Review Item #27)
(Sample statement #1) No options were discussed that the ARC rejected.
(Sample statement #2) The ARC discussed and determined not to allow the use of a human reader on assignments since ______is becoming dependent on a human reader rather than learning to use technology.
(Sample statement #3) The ARC discussed whether ______would need to have extended school year services. The team determined that even though ______demonstrates some regression in the annual goals she has been working on, she is able to recoup those skills within approximately two weeks after returning to school.
Review the conference summary and obtain signatures. (Record Review Items #15-21, #29)
Disclaimer: This resource was developed as a guide for ARC Chairpersons in conducting a meeting which includes compliance documentation. It should not be considered a legally required document.
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