Keystone AEA is excited to support special education teams through a Special Education Program Review offering.
Special education program reviews help schools understand what’s going well, where there’s room to grow, and how to better support students with disabilities. They also make sure schools are following important laws like IDEA, using their resources wisely, and spotting any gaps in services or staff training. These reviews give schools useful, easy-to-understand information that helps leaders make smart decisions, build trust with families, and make sure every student gets the support they need. The process looks at seven key areas, with district and AEA teams working together to focus on the priorities that matter most to each school.
Program Review Areas
A comprehensive review of the special education program will address each of the program review areas listed below. The program review process will address all areas, but higher priority will be given to areas identified by the district and through the initial data collection phase.
Explore:
Equitable Representation & Access
Reviews whether students from diverse backgrounds are being identified appropriately for special education services and whether they have fair and equal access to the resources and support they need to succeed.
Compliance with IDEA
Review key General Supervision indicators and data elements to assess district compliance with legal requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including writing compliant IEPs and implementing IEPs as written
Student Performance & Post-Secondary Achievement
Information on how well students with disabilities are progressing academically, socially, and behaviorally. Additionally, it examines how well students are being prepared for post-secondary opportunities, including college, career, and independent living, ensuring they have the skills needed for life beyond school.
Continuum & Delivery of Services & Programs
Reviews the range of special education services available to students, ensuring they have access to the appropriate level of support in the least restrictive environment. It may also include a review of areas of growth to decrease the need for out-of-district placements and the use of paraprofessionals to support various student needs.
Professional Learning & Teaching Capacity
A review of the implementation of high-leverage practices from professional development offerings may be completed.
Family, Student, & Community Engagement
Examines how well families, students, and the community are involved in the special education process, including communication, collaboration, and access to resources. Gains information from family and student perspective on their experiences with the special education services provided by the school district.
General Supervision & Leadership
Information on how school and district leadership oversee special education programs, including decision-making processes, resource allocation (finances, materials, and staffing), and support for staff and students.
Anticipated Timeline
Typically, a comprehensive program review requires 10 days (a mix of on-site and off-site activities) and may be completed within 4-6 weeks. The timeline for each district may vary depending on the size of the district and the number of special programs included in their continuum of services. AEA and LEA teams will work together to determine timelines for each district.
Recommended Team Members
Special education program reviews are a team effort. AEA staff, district leaders and school staff come together to take a close look at how things are going and where support is needed. Everyone brings their own expertise to the table, which helps make the review fair, thoughtful and useful.
Working as a team also helps build trust, keeps everyone on the same page and leads to better support for students with disabilities. Some team roles are essential, while others can be added to give even more helpful insights during the process.
Program Review Components
There are six components to completing this process. A brief description of each component is listed below. However, more information is shared with participating districts during the initial kickoff meeting and throughout the program review process.
Component 1: Purpose and Scope
During this phase, the AEA team will share more in-depth information about the program review process. AEA and LEA team members will work together to identify focus areas for the review, and schedule on-site days.
Component 2: Data Collection and Analysis
The AEA team will spend some time on-site completing observations, focus group interviews, and providing timely updates to the LEA team. Additional work will occur off-site through IEP compliance reviews, district and building data analysis, and survey data analysis.
Component 3: Findings and Interpretations
The AEA program review team will work off-site to review and analyze all data gathered. If additional information is needed, the team will reach out to the LEA team.
Component 4: Conclusions & Recommendations
Often, components 3 and 4 happen concurrently. Information that has been synthesized will be formatted into a report with individualized recommendations aligned to program review areas and district-identified priority areas.
Component 5: Reporting and Dissemination
When possible, the AEA team will share a finalized report prior to meeting with the LEA team. AEA and LEA teams will review the finalized report and recommendations. Lastly, team members will work through a consensus building process to identify priority recommendations to begin targeting in building and/or district action plans.\
Component 6: Action Planning
After the completion of the consensus building process, LEA teams will have identified beginning areas of focus based on the results of the program review. LEA teams should consider how those identified recommendations can be incorporated into existing plans. AEA support can be requested and added for an additional fee.
Contacts
Alicia Helle, Regional Administrator
(563)-241-5397
Email Alicia Helle
Suzie Maas, School Improvement Facilitator/School Psychologist
(563)-241-5397
Email Suzie Maas