MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Program Quality Assurance Services
COORDINATED PROGRAM REVIEW

CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN

Charter School or District: KIPP Academy Lynn Charter (District)

CPR Onsite Year: 2011-2012

Program Area: Special Education

All corrective action must be fully implemented and all noncompliance corrected as soon as possible and no later than one year from the issuance of the Coordinated Program Review Final Report dated 06/20/2012.

Mandatory One-Year Compliance Date: 06/20/2013

Summary of Required Corrective Action Plans in this Report

Criterion / Criterion Title / CPR Rating
SE 2 / Required and optional assessments / Partially Implemented
SE 4 / Reports of assessment results / Partially Implemented
SE 8 / IEP Team composition and attendance / Partially Implemented
SE 13 / Progress Reports and content / Partially Implemented
SE 18A / IEP development and content / Partially Implemented
SE 24 / Notice to parent regarding proposal or refusal to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child or the provision of FAPE / Partially Implemented
SE 25 / Parental consent / Partially Implemented
SE 26 / Parent participation in meetings / Partially Implemented
SE 29 / Communications are in English and primary language of home / Partially Implemented
SE 32 / Parent advisory council for special education / Partially Implemented
SE 33 / Involvement in the general curriculum / Partially Implemented
SE 40 / Instructional grouping requirements for students aged five and older / Partially Implemented
SE 56 / Special education programs and services are evaluated / Partially Implemented
CR 3 / Access to a full range of education programs / Partially Implemented
CR 7 / Information to be translated into languages other than English / Partially Implemented
CR 12A / Annual and continuous notification concerning nondiscrimination and coordinators / Partially Implemented
CR 13 / Availability of information and academic counseling on general curricular and occupational/vocational opportunities / Partially Implemented
CR 16 / Notice to students 16 or over leaving school without a high school diploma, certificate of attainment, or certificate of completion / Partially Implemented
CR 17A / Use of physical restraint on any student enrolled in a publicly-funded education program / Partially Implemented
CR 18 / Responsibilities of the school principal / Partially Implemented
CR 20 / Staff training on confidentiality of student records / Partially Implemented
CR 25 / Institutional self-evaluation / Partially Implemented
COORDINATED PROGRAM REVIEW
CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN
Criterion & Topic:
SE 2 Required and optional assessments / CPR Rating:
Partially Implemented
Department CPR Findings:
The student record review determined that the required Educational Status Assessment An evaluation, which consists of the student's school history and progress in the general curriculum, is not completed and kept in the student record.
Description of Corrective Action:
Prior to the CPR the district was using Educational Assessment "B" forms instead of Educational Status "A" evaluation forms during an evaluation process. Assessment forms can be found in the student's folders. The process for this has been altered to now include Ed Assessment A forms.
1. The Special Education Director, Susan Baceski, will meet with the entire Special Education Team to review the policy of having Ed Assessments completed by the Special Education Teachers prior to the Team meeting.
Title/Role(s) of Responsible Persons:
Special Education Director- Susan Baceski
Office Support Staff- Susan Vignolo / Expected Date of Completion:
10/10/2012
Evidence of Completion of the Corrective Action:
The Special Education Team will meet in September as part of a training process to reintroduce to the Team all new practices and standards.
Description of Internal Monitoring Procedures:
The Special Education Department Executive Assistant, Susan Vignolo, will review all Special Education folders post Team meetings to ensure the Ed Assessment A form has been completed and submitted. She will keep a compliance checklist documenting all required forms are added to the student folder at the close of the Team Meeting process. The Special Education Director will be attending Team meetings and will ensure the Ed Assessment A form has been presented as part of the Team meeting packet. The Director will also conduct record sampling prior to each staff meeting in order to ensure folders are containing the appropriate documentation.
CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN APPROVAL SECTION
Criterion:
SE 2 Required and optional assessments / Corrective Action Plan Status: Partially Approved
Status Date:09/24/2012
Basis for Status Decision:
The Department accepts the district's corrective action as proposed. In addition, the district is required to provide evidence that the missing required assessments identified by the Student Record Issues Worksheet have been completed. The Department provided the Student Record Issues Worksheet to the district under separate cover.
Department Order of Corrective Action:
Please provide a narrative description of the corrective action detailed in SE 2 of the Student Record Issues Worksheet listed under Next Steps no later than December 12, 2012
Required Elements of Progress Report(s):
Please provide a narrative description of the corrective action detailed in SE 2 of the Student Record Issues Worksheet listed under Next Steps. Please submit a copy of the procedures developed to ensure the completion of Educational Assessments A and B. Additionally, please submit evidence of the training held for all special education teachers and related service providers on the newly developed procedures, including the agenda, signed attendance sheets, and examples of the training materials. This progress report is due December 12, 2012.
Subsequent to the staff training, please conduct internal monitoring. Please provide the results of a record review from a sample of students, representative of the middle and high school levels (approximately 10-15 total) with initial reviews and re-evaluations, for evidence that Educational Assessments A & B were part of the evaluation process and included in the student's record. Please indicate the number of records that demonstrated the inclusion of both educational assessments for all initial evaluations and re-evaluations. If continued noncompliance was identified, please indicate the specific corrective action taken to address the noncompliance. Provide a detailed summary of the district's record review, including student’s grade level; method of determination; and the results of the review. Include in the narrative: 1) The number of student records reviewed; 2) The number of student records in compliance; 3) For all records not in compliance with this criterion, determine the root cause(s) of the non-compliance; and 4) The district's plan to remedy the non-compliance if applicable. Please provide the results of the student record review by March 5, 2013.
Please note that 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 level for the record review; b) Date of the review; c) Name of person(s) who conducted the review, their roles(s), and their signature(s).
Progress Report Due Date(s):
01/07/2013

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MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education,Program Quality Assurance Services

KIPP Academy Lynn Charter (District) CPR Corrective Action Plan

COORDINATED PROGRAM REVIEW
CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN
Criterion & Topic:
SE 4 Reports of assessment results / CPR Rating:
Partially Implemented
Department CPR Findings:
The student record review determined that the charter school is currently asking parents to sign a document that waives their right to receive assessment summaries two days in advance of the IEP Team meeting.
Description of Corrective Action:
Prior to the CPR the district has been using a checklist at parent meetings which was used to help generate documentation that the district had fulfilled their obligation to provide parents with reports at least two days prior to Team meetings. At no time was this form used to ask parents to waive their right for reports to be provided before a Team meeting. This checklist has already been discontinued for use at Team meetings all together. This form is not longer used at KIPP.
1. Template for this checklist will be removed from all databases.
2. The Director will meet with the entire Special Education Team in September to inform them of this policy change.
3. Office support staff will remove this checklist from the meeting-packet given to the learning specialists prior to their meeting.
4. The Special Education Director will sample folders prior to each bi-weekly Special Education Meeting in order to ensure this form has been fully discontinued.
5. Office support staff will review all paperwork prior to be filed into student folders in order to ensure this checklist is no longer in use. She will alert the director if any checklists are discovered.
Title/Role(s) of Responsible Persons:
Special Education Director Susan Baceski
Office Support Staff Susan Vignolo / Expected Date of Completion:
11/01/2012
Evidence of Completion of the Corrective Action:
The parent checklist form has been full discontinued within the district. This form will not be used, nor will be part of any student record moving forward.
1. The Special Education Director will sample folders to ensure this form has been fully discontinued.
Description of Internal Monitoring Procedures:
The Special Education Director and office support staff will ensure this form is no longer in use. Team meeting paperwork packets assembled ahead of time by the office support staff will no longer include this parent checklist form. The office support staff will also ensure this form is no longer part of the student folder moving forward, starting Sept 4th, 2012 when they review folders after Team meetings. The Special Education Director will meet with the Special Education Team in September in order to ensure the Team is aware this form is no longer a form that is used. The Special Education Team will sign in at this meeting in order to help document they have been made aware of this change in procedure.
The Special Education Director will review a sampling of folders prior to each special education meeting in order to track the elimination of this form.
CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN APPROVAL SECTION
Criterion:
SE 4 Reports of assessment results / Corrective Action Plan Status: Partially Approved
Status Date:09/24/2012
Basis for Status Decision:
The district's described corrective action to discontinue the use of the parent checklist is accepted.
Department Order of Corrective Action:
Please provide a description of the district's procedure for ensuring that assessment summaries are available for parents upon request at least two days in advance of the Team discussion and translated if needed.
Required Elements of Progress Report(s):
Please provide documentation of the meeting in September 2012 to inform staff of the discontinuation of the checklist, including the sign-in sheet. Provide the narrative description of the district's procedurefor ensuring that assessment summaries are available for parents upon request at least two days in advance of the Team discussion and translated if needed. Provide this documentation by December 12, 2012.
Subsequent to staff training, please conduct internal monitoring. Please provide the results of a record review from a sample of students, representative of middle and high school levels (approximately 10-12 total) with initials and re-evaluations for evidence that this form has been fully discontinued. Please indicate the number of records that demonstrated that the checklist for parents was not part of the Team packet or student record. If continued noncompliance was identified, please indicate the specific corrective action taken to address the noncompliance. Provide a detailed summary of the district's record review, including student’s grade level; method of determination; and the results of the review. For the results include: 1) The number of student records reviewed; 2) The number of student records in compliance; 3) For all records not in compliance with this criterion, determine the root cause(s) of the non-compliance; and 4) The district's plan to remedy the non-compliance if applicable. Please provide the results of the student record review by March 5, 2013.
Please note that 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 level for the record review; b) Date of the review; c) Name of person(s) who conducted the review, their roles(s), and their signature(s).
Progress Report Due Date(s):
01/07/2013

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MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education,Program Quality Assurance Services

KIPP Academy Lynn Charter (District) CPR Corrective Action Plan

COORDINATED PROGRAM REVIEW
CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN
Criterion & Topic:
SE 8 IEP Team composition and attendance / CPR Rating:
Partially Implemented
Department CPR Findings:
According to the student record review, the following issues were noted: 1) the IEP Team Chair is not noted on the IEP Team attendance form; 2) general education teachers do not always attend the IEP meeting when required to participate; 3) the district is currently asking parents to waive their rights to the attendance of specific IEP Team members, rather than using the excusal process established by regulation. According to district documentation, special education staff members chairing annual reviews do not have the authority to commit charter school resources.
Description of Corrective Action:
1) Prior to the CPR the School Psychologist or Director of Special Education served as Team Chairperson at Team meetings, but did not consistently site this dual-role description on the attendance sheet. They will now indicate this dual role on the attendance sheet and will introduce themselves as such when introductions are made at the Team meeting.
The Special Education Director will meet with the entire special education team in order to ensure moving forward that a Team Chairperson is identified on all attendance sheets for special education meetings. The District will update their list of individuals who is able to allocate district funds.
2) Prior to 2011-12 academic year, there were a small number of occasions in which a general education teacher did not attend a team meeting or failed to sign the attendance sheet while at the Team meeting. Since September 2011 it has been a mandatory school procedure that a general education teacher is present at all team meetings and consistently signs the attendance sheet showing they are present.
The Special Education Director will re-introduce this policy at the first all-staff special education department meeting in September. Each building principal will be made aware of this policy via a memo produced by the special education director. The office support staff will continue to monitor all attendance sheets prior to their filing in special education folders to ensure each special education staff is following the policy of having a general education teacher present at meetings.
3) Prior to the 2011-12 year parents were asked to initial next to an absent team members name on the attendance sheet if they were ok with the team members absence. KIPP now uses the full formal excusal process established by regulation. This includes, but not limited to, the use of a formal excusal form and written documentation provided by the absent member. Parents are always notified when advanced warning of an absence is known in order to provide them with an opportunity to reschedule to such time the team member can attend, or waive their attendance.
The Special Education Director will meet with the Special Education Team in September 2012 to review the excusal form and reintroduce procedures for role attendance at all team meetings. Staff signatures will be required when attending this training to further demonstrate they have been made aware of the updated policy.
The excusal form will now be part of the meeting packet supplied to each learning specialist prior to their meeting. The excusal form will be made available to the special education staff on their online documents library.
Title/Role(s) of Responsible Persons:
Special Education Director- Susan Baceski
Office Support Staff- Susan Vignolo / Expected Date of Completion:
11/01/2012
Evidence of Completion of the Corrective Action:
1). The School Psychologist, Director of Special Education or School Principal will attend each Team meeting and will indicate if they are serving as a Team Chairperson.
2) An excusal form is now used when it becomes necessary to excuse a member with parental permission. A written statement is provided by the absent team member and parent notification of an absence happens as soon as the information becomes known.
3) The School Psychologist, Director of Special Education or School Principal will attend each meeting. These individuals have authority to commit charter school resources.
Description of Internal Monitoring Procedures:
Office support staff will verify that attendance sheets include excusal forms in the event an absence occurred. The team member serving as Team Chairperson coupled with the special education learning specialist, will ensure a general education teacher is present, the attendance sheet reflects who is serving as team chairperson and ensures all excusal processes are properly executed. The Special Education Director and office support staff will review all attendance sheets to verify correct procedures have taken place.
The Special Education Director will sample student folders prior to each special education department meeting to ensure this policy is in practice. Office support staff will alert the special education director to any attendance sheets who have missing team members in order for the director to follow up with the staff member to correct this action.
CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN APPROVAL SECTION
Criterion:
SE 8 IEP Team composition and attendance / Corrective Action Plan Status: Approved
Status Date:09/24/2012
Basis for Status Decision:
The Department accepts the district's corrective action plan as proposed.
Department Order of Corrective Action:
Required Elements of Progress Report(s):
Please provide evidence of the district's training on IEP team composition as described in the district's corrective action proposal, including the building principals' memorandum, any training materials used with staff, the staff training agenda, and sign-in sheets. Please provide the updated list of individuals who are able to allocate district funds by staff initials, grade level assignment, and position. This progress report is due December 12, 2012.
Subsequent to the staff training, please conduct internal monitoring. Please provide the results of a record review from a sample of students, representative of the middle and high school levels (approximately 12-15 totals). Please review the records to ensure that 1) the Team chair is identified on the Team attendance sheet; 2) the required members of the Team were present or the district's procedures to excuse a required member of the Team were followed. Please indicate the number of records that demonstrated compliance. If continued noncompliance was identified, please indicate the specific corrective action taken to address the noncompliance. Provide a detailed summary of the district's record review, including student’s grade level; method of determination; and the results of the review. Include in the results: 1) The number of student records reviewed; 2) The number of student records in compliance; 3) For all records not in compliance with this criterion, determine the root cause(s) of the non-compliance; and 4) The district's plan to remedy the non-compliance if applicable. Please provide the results of the student record review by March 5, 2013.
Please note that 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 level for the record review; b) Date of the review; c) Name of person(s) who conducted the review, their roles(s), and their signature(s).
Progress Report Due Date(s):
01/07/2013

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