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
June 11, 2013
John Tuffy, Superintendent
Silver Lake Regional School District
250 Pembroke Street
Kingston, MA 02364
Re: Mid-cycle Report
Dear Superintendent Tuffy:
Enclosed is the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Mid-cycle Report based on the onsite visit conducted in your district in March 2013. 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: staff interviews, review of student records, examination of documentation, and/or classroom observation.
We are pleased to tell you that the Department has found your district to be in compliance with all of the criteria monitored in your district during the Mid-cycle Review. The findings of the Department are included in the enclosed report. You and your entire staff are to be congratulated for your success in implementing the requirements included in these criteria.
The Department will notify you of your district's next regularly scheduled Coordinated Program Review (CPR) several months before it is to occur. At this time we anticipate that this CPR will occur sometime during the 2015 – 2016 school yearunless the Department determines that there is some reason to schedule this visit earlier.
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 Doryce Smith at 781-338-3718.
Sincerely,
Doryce Smith, 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
Cassandra Hanson, School Committee Chairperson
Mary Kelley, Local Program Review Coordinator
Encs:Mid-cycle Report
1
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATIONMID-CYCLE REPORT
Silver Lake Regional School District
Date of the Mid-cycle Review Onsite: March 25, 2013
Date of this Report: June 11, 2013
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
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 / / Student Records
Interview / One year prior to the student reaching age 18, the district informs the student and parent/guardian of the rights that will transfer from the parent/guardian to the student upon the student’s 18th birthday.
The notification provided to both the student and the parent/
guardian states that all rights accorded to parents under special education law will transfer to the 18 year old student. The district also documents its notification with a statement in the Additional Information section of the IEP.
Upon reaching the age of majority, the district secures consent from the student if he or she is the sole decision-maker or shares decision making authority with the parent.
SE 8
IEP Team composition and attendance / / Student
Records / Members of the Team attend IEP Team meetings unless:
- The district and parent 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 IEP Team prior to the meeting.
SE 18A
IEP Development and content / / Student
Records
Interview / IEP Teams consistently 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 / / Document
Review
Interview / While the district does not have a parent who has revoked consent to a student’s special education services, the district has appropriate procedures in place regarding the revocation of consent. According to the district’s procedures, if a parent revokes consent in writing, the district acts promptly to provide written notice to the parent of the district’s proposal to discontinue services based on the revocation of consent. The procedures indicate that the district will provide this notice a reasonable time before it intends to discontinue the student’s services. The district will also provide information on how the parent can obtain a copy of the procedural safeguards.
Additional Special Education Criteria Monitored in this Mid-cycle Review
Current special education criteria available by scrolling down to the special education instrument at
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 3
Special requirements for determination of specific learning disability / / Student
Records / The district consistently uses the Specific Learning Disability-Eligibility Process/Forms when IEP Teams are determining whether a student has a specific learning disability. The Team creates a written determination as to whether or not the student has a specific learning disability, which is signed by all members of the Team, and if there is disagreement as to the determination, one or more Team members document their disagreement.
SE 12
Frequency of re-evaluation / / Student
Records / The district consistently conducts re-evaluations every three years.
SE 13
Progress reports and content / / Student
Records / The district consistently informs parents of the student’s progress towards reaching the goals set in the IEP at least as often as parents are informed of the progress of non-disabled students.
SE 24
Notice to parent regarding proposal or refusal to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the student or the provision of FAPE / / Student Records / The district is consistently providing the Notice of Proposed School District Action (N1) form to parents with the following required elements:
- A description of the action proposed or refused by the agency;
- An explanation of why the agency proposed or refused to take the action;
- A description of any other options that the agency considered and the reasons why those options were rejected;
- A description of each evaluation procedure, test, record, or report that the agency used as a basis for the proposed or refused action; and
- A description of any other factors that were relevant to the agency’s proposal or refusal.
SE 41
Age span requirements / / Document
Review / A review of the class roster of the students in the Life Skills classroom at the high school indicated that the age span of the students does not exceed 48 months.
Silver Lake Regional School DistrictCoordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
June 11, 2013
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