service: unique learners management1
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nameunique learners management
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MANAGERName:Nicole Woodward
Title: Unique Learners’ Manager
E-mail:
Direct #/Voice Mail:320-358-1237
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PROVIDERName: Nicole Woodward
Title: Unique Learners’ Manager
E-mail:
Direct #/Voice Mail: 320-358-1237
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DESCRIPTIONSince a 1969 federal law made funds available, individual school districts have found it useful to retain administrative personnel to provide leadership and manage services to students whose unique learning needs present instructional challenges to schools. During the build-up of special education when the emphasis was on process and access there was an increase in centralized administrative staff. The emphasis now is on improving outcomes and creating unified instructional and curriculum delivery systems for students with disabilities. Today's challenge is to serve children with handicaps as a part of the system not apart from the system. Unique Learners Management Services are designed to assist districts in implementing special education mandates and the problem-solving system that manages the delivery of special services.
PARTICIPAT-
ING DISTRICTSChisago Lakes and Rush City school districts
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OUTCOMESThis service will result in the following outcomes:
Outcome 1 Schools will have available a Total Special Education System (TSES) which supports student achievement and provides for the necessary legal mandates.
Outcome 2 Schools will have access to information in making decisions about resource allocation for students with disabilities.
Outcome 3 Schools will have a well-developed and coordinated training program for staff most involved with disabled students.
Outcome 4 Schools will have administrative tasks associated with disability programs carried out efficiently.
Outcome 5 Supervision and evaluation of SCRED unique learners staff will be done to ensure maximum benefit for area schools.
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ACTIVITIESThe Unique Learners Manager will conduct the following activities:
Consultation
- Provide technical assistance on legal and regulatory compliance in the area of special education.
- Assist principals in hiring unique learners staff.
- Develop and maintain child find, identification, assessment, placement, IEP development and review processes (shared responsibility with principals).
- Ensure legal and regulatory compliance including due process and procedural safeguards (shared responsibility with principals).
- Ensure the implementation of Extended School Year programs (shared responsibility with principals). Assist with the budget process for locally provided service.
- Advise principals regarding the utilization of Special Education staff.
Resource
Management
*Monitor resident handicapped students served in other districts.
*Determine the need for special education staff, transportation, equipment, services, outside evaluation, and placement.
Staff
Development
- Work with the Director of Special Education on the development of Best Professional Practices Manuals, Administrative Procedures and Guidelines.
- Provide input to the Director of Special Education on staff development needs for staff and administration working with students with disabilities.
- Assist principals in the development of meaningful systems for supervising and evaluating special education reimbursed staff job performance.
- Hold monthly special education department meetings in districts of assignment.
Communication/
Collaboration
- Establish and maintain service advisory committees.
- Provide mediation services between the parents and schools when necessary.
- Assess school/parent miscommunication issues common to member schools and develop products and processes for improving school/parent communication.
- Advocate for students' rights to a free appropriate education.
- Represent unique learner services and programs in the interagency system.
- Assist with evaluating special education services (e.g., consumer satisfaction ratings, progress toward expected outcomes and key indicators described in this service contract).
Administrative
Processes
*Work with the Director of Special Education to collect and report Federal unduplicated child count data.
*Collect and report MARSS handicapped data.
*Review EDRS entries for assigned SCRED districts.
*Collect summer school attendance data.
*Manage monitoring, complaint, compliance, mediation, hearing and conciliation issues.
*Request licensure variances when necessary.
*Facilitate application for and data collection involved with Alternative Delivery of Specialized Instruction Services waiver.
Staff
SupervisionResponsibilities include recruitment, hiring, supervision and evaluation of the following intermediate unit service support staff in cooperation with host district administrators:
- School Psychologists in district of assignment
- School Social Workers in district of assignment
- Level IV Social Behavior Programs in district of assignment
- Assist Director of Special Education as necessary.
System Coordination
- Attend the Superintendent Operating Committee and SCRED Governing Board at the request of the Executive Director.
- Attend Parent Advisory Council
- Attend SCRED principal, curriculum coordinator, business manager, ULC, MARRS, and implementation meetings.
- Participate in and attend SCRED cabinet meetings.
- Participate in yearly CIMP IEP and ESR monitoring.
BILLING
FORMULAThis service is billed using a cost per wadm formula. Districts are billed the percentage of costs equal to the percentage of their district’s wadm in relationship to the total wadms of participating districts.
April 2009