Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
  New Orleans School of Allied Health Professions
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National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring

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Educational Benefit WorkGroup Meeting Proceeds 
Baltimore, Maryland July 15 and 16, 2003

Tuesday, July 15

 

Session 1: 

The Context of Educational Benefit and State Examples—  
 

Expected Result - Participants will be aware of potential relationships among administrative supervision, focused monitoring, Educational Benefit (Rowley decision, etc.) and the selective purpose of the Workgroup and short-term and long-term expected results.

 
RESULTS of Session 1
The following background information was shared to provide the context in which the group will work.
 
Purpose of the workgroup
To utilize selected outcome measures and related procedural requirements in focused monitoring protocols (file reviews, interviews, focus groups, etc.) that carefully investigate compliance with important priorities in the implementation of state and Federal law.
 
Partner States
California  
 
Connecticut  

Florida  

Louisiana  

Mississippi  

New Mexico  

New York  

Texas  
Workgroup tasks for the two days (7/15 and 7/16)  
  1. States became informed about several approaches/protocols for examining Educational Benefit. 
  2. State participants clarified their premises and assumptions about how to investigate Educational Benefit.   
  3. Participants had access to resources (people and documents) that operationalize and implement focused monitoring investigations of Educational Benefit.

Introduction to Educational Benefit 

Assurance of compliance is a principle result of effective administrative supervision.  Traditional compliance has always been driven by numerous (more than 800) specific procedures.  Within a focused monitoring approach, selected but important procedures based on stakeholder selection are used to investigate a narrow area for compliance.

Compliance

=

Educational Procedures (traditional compliance)

+

Educational Benefit (evidence-based judgment about “Reasonably Calculated”).

The components of effective administrative supervision (monitoring):
  • comprehensive policies and procedures
  • data on program processes and results  
  • training and technical assistance (CSPD/SIG)  
  • effective complaint management  
  • investigations, corrective actions, and enforcement 
The history of Educational Benefit:
 
  • 94-142 Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) 
  • Board of Education vs Rowley (1982)—settling the question “what is FAPE? 
  • IDEA 97---shifted the focus to Educational Benefit
Rowley considerations:
 

Board of Education v. Rowley
Decided
June 28, 1982

Free Appropriate Public Education 

Justice Rehnquist, “we think more must be made of it than either respondents or the United States seems willing to admit…Thus, if personalized instruction is being provided with sufficient supportive services to permit the child to benefit from the instruction, and other items on the definitional checklist are satisfied, the child is receiving a 'free appropriate public education' as defined by the Act.”
The Act consists of access to specialized instruction and related services which are individually designed to provide Educational Benefit to the <child with a disability>”
 

Balance struck in Rowley

“Congress did not impose upon the states any greater substantive educational standard <than general education> Indeed,…Congress expressly ‘recognize(d) …the process of providing special education and related services … is not guaranteed to produce any particular outcome.”
“It would do little good for Congress to spend millions of dollars in providing access to public education only to have the …child <with a disability> receive no benefit from that education.”
 

A Standard (?) for some students

“Such instruction…if the child is being educated in the regular classrooms of the public education system, should be Reasonably Calculated to enable the child to achieve passing marks and advance from grade to grade" (Justice Rhenquist)

 
Note:  See the power point presentations What is Educational Benefit”  and “Educational Benefit Workgroup Meeting”  to review the entire presentation. 

Session 2:         

California's Protocol for Investigating Educational Benefit     
Expected Result - participants will be aware of California's State Department of Education's protocol including pre-visit staffing, use of software resulting in customized monitoring plan and customized monitoring record reviews, interviews, etc.
RESULTS of Session 2
 
The California Department of Education (CDE) has revised and focused its monitoring system to increase emphasis on Educational Benefit.  The monitoring process is based upon five monitoring questions:
 
  1. Does the district provide services that result in Educational Benefit using the 
    Rowley standard?    
  2. Does the district provide services that result in Educational Benefit as measured by special education goals and key performance indicators?
  3. Does the district comply with procedural guarantees that are known to be frequent noncompliance items in other districts?  
  4. Does the district fulfill its responsibilities as the district of residence when its students are served by other districts and programs?  
  5. Does the SELPA (of which the district is part) fulfill its responsibilities for monitoring the procedural elements of the local plan?
California defines compliance in the area of Educational Benefit as “the IEP team used procedurally compliant information and processes to plan a program that was Reasonably Calculated to result in Educational Benefit.”  Educational Benefit can be measured in a variety of ways including: achieving passing marks, advancing from grade to grade, making progress toward meeting goals and objectives, improved scores on statewide or district wide tests and alternate assessment measures, graduating with a diploma, passing the High School Exit Exam. 
 
Reasonable calculation is defined by California as:
  • complete assessment
  • needs identified by the IEP team related to the disability and involvement and progress in the general curriculum
  • established goals and objectives in each need area
  • planned services to support progress toward all goals, progress in the general curriculum, participation in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities, and education with other disabled and nondisabled children
  • review of the child’s progress by the IEP team and adjusted if progress was not made and/or to address anticipated needs
The California monitoring process looks at Educational Benefit in two ways:
  1. Uses Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data to identify procedural elements that are associated with Educational Benefit (CDE Special Education Goals)  
  2. Directly examines issues of Educational Benefit through team reviews of student records.
Key Performance Indicators
Districts are selected based on low KPI scores relative to other districts in key KPIs.  In order to examine Educational Benefit based on KPIs, specific “procedural guarantee” items were identified with KPIs if:
  • There was a direct programmatic relationship (e.g. child find and assessment procedures to percent of students served or ethnic disparity)
  • Analysis of preliminary research findings indicated that the item or cluster of items was associated with “better” KPI values (e.g. complete IEP and reading scores)
Thus, the analysis of Educational Benefit in this area is designed to show those procedural items that may be contributing to “less desirable” KPI values.
Team Review of Student Records
California uses a team review of student records approach when investigating Educational Benefit.  The purpose of the review is to determine whether the IEP was Reasonably Calculated for Educational Benefit.  Five student records per school site are chosen to reflect a full spectrum of the district’s special education programs and services.  Representatives from the district who are familiar with the student’s program meet with the state team to review documentation from the last three years of the student’s program (e.g., triennial assessments, IEPs, progress reports).  The documentation from each year is organized according to present performance (needs), goals, and services. This information is then charted on newsprint beginning with the most recent triennial.  
The process assists teams in visualizing the student’s special education program in order to ask the following important questions related to Educational Benefit:
  1. Is the assessment complete and does it identify the student’s needs?  
  2. Does the present performance include all of the needs identified in the assessment?  
  3. Are all of the student’s educational needs addressed by appropriate goals and objectives?  
  4. Do the services support goals and objectives?
  5. Did the student make yearly progress?  
  6. If the student did not make progress? 
    a.  Were the goals and objectives changed in the next IEP to assist             
         the student to make progress?  
    b.  Were the services changed in the next IEP to assist the student to 
         make  progress?  
  7. Were enough services provided to ensure that the student would make progress?  
  8. To assess for overall compliance, considering the answers in each of the above, was the IEP Reasonably Calculated to result in Educational Benefit?
Through the first year of implementation, California has found that this process:
  • is highly appreciated in the districts 
  • district staff are implementing new approaches and changing practice as a result of having participated in this process
  • seems to infuse meaning back into what is written on paper
  • highlights procedural issues in the context of the overall program
  • helps to spot emerging trends (e.g. drop outs)
  • forces continuity of program over time (every IEP is not a new day)
  • brings into question the reasons for the change in services-levels, amount and location
Based upon this experience, the CDE plans to refine criteria for compliance/noncompliance through focus groups with staff and with district personnel.  They also intend to train PTI staff in the process so that they can support parents and district teams to reflect back on prior IEPs in creating the next one.
Note: For more information see "CA Educational Benefit"  power point presentation.  

Session 4:

Louisiana's Protocol for Investigating Educational Benefit  
Expected Results - participants will be aware of the selective nature of how Louisiana monitoring of an LEA focusing the on-site protocol to investigate compliance areas related to the measurable indicator that led to the LEA's selection ("Boxes Methodology").
RESULTS of Session 4
The Louisiana Department of Education has developed a data-guided process in which many data elements are collected thereby providing information relative to student outcomes.  The information includes data specific to students with disabilities, school systems, and individual school sites.  Trends and patterns gleaned from the data assist the Department of Education in formulating a hypothesis to focus the on-site compliance monitoring. 
Louisiana organizes the focused monitoring process through a “Box” method.  For each regulatory issue, a “box” or protocol has been developed.  Regulatory areas include:
  • Child Find
  • Gifted Education
  • Screening, Intervention, and Appraisal
  • Program Placement Services (ages 3-5)
  • Program Placement Services (ages 6-21)
  • Transition
  • Discipline
  • Assessment/Outcomes
  • Disproportional
  • ESYPD
  • Professional Development
The process used to investigate educational benefit includes:
  1. Study the quantitative data to show the “numbers picture"   
  2. Form a hypothesis based upon that data  
  3. Go to the “boxes” (protocols) to determine what tools are most appropriate for the team to investigate or test the hypothesis  
  4. Determine whether there are additional methods of investigation needed  
  5. Conduct the on-site visit at which time more data are collected allowing the team to go deeper into the issues  
  6. Use the data gathered to make findings that will assist the school system in identifying non-compliance issues and in designing and implementing corrective action
Once the data are studied and a hypothesis is formulated, the team leader selects the “probes” or items for interviews, observations, and record reviews in order to conduct the investigations.  In other words, the “box” that has the most information that would probe the issues needing to be investigated to test the hypothesis on-site is identified.  There are three areas of probes contained within each “box.”  They include:
  1. Administrative issues for central office personnel  
  2. School site based issues for school based personnel  
  3. Parent and family issues for families and students  
Team leaders are trained to ensure that each investigation and all investigative techniques are tailored and focused specifically for each visit.  Teams are instructed to use specific materials and tools that are individually selected to focus the on-site visit thereby avoiding the temptation to “hunt” for everything.   However, teams are also trained and instructed on how to report issues that they “stumble upon” during the visit.  The balance is between focus and the flexibility to be able to address serious findings beyond the focus areas.  The parent on the team is trained with other team members and also leads the parent groups.
The professional development “box” has been created to identify how and what methods are used  by the district to provide training to teachers.  This will determine whether the training is adequate and what specific training is needed by the teacher in order to meet the needs of the students. 
Note: For more information see the  “LA Investigating Educational Benefit”  power point presentation and the  “LA Investigating LRE”  power point presentations.

Session 5:

Advocacy Perspectives on Investigating Educational Benefit
Advocates will react to content presented during the first day and to the general context of Focused Monitoring and Educational Benefit. Questions: What about these approaches is promising? What key indicators should be used to evaluate whether these approaches are improving compliance? Are we headed in the right direction of full implementation of IDEA?
Expected Result: participants will be aware of advocacy perspectives on Educational Benefit, the selective nature of focused monitoring procedures, etc.
RESULTS of Session 5
Comments by advocates included:
  • Do not focus just on the grade-to-grade information of children, because there is more to the picture than that. (e.g., student with high IQ receiving adequate grades yet reading 5 grades below level.) In other words, look at the whole picture.
  • CA handout about reasonable calculation deserves credit because they cover a global view of the students.  A global view that is done over a period of time (triennial).
  • States of course have the authority to monitor and to focus its monitoring system.
  • Narrowing what gets monitored, as long as what is being monitored is Reasonably Calculated, is within a state’s authority.   
  • Focused monitoring is a pragmatic solution to the fact that states cannot focus on all 814 IDEA requirements. An advocacy attorney has to focus on more than just the points of focused monitoring, yet focused monitoring is a tremendous way to aid the process of Educational Benefit.
  • Parents are often focusing on all 814 IDEA requirements when their child is not ‘succeeding’.
  • Keeping a stakeholder group involved is vital.
  • The 814 IDEA requirements and focused monitoring are on opposite extremes. However, using a robust due process system with the focused monitoring process creates a strong overall process for student outcomes.  If states have identified the problems through focused monitoring many of the 814 will be subsumed under these goals.

Wednesday, July 16

Session 1:

Exploring How Educational Benefit Can Be Monitored in Eight States
State Size-Alike Discussions on working definitions of “Educational Benefit,” and “Reasonably Calculated.”  Inevitably, each state must decide how it will define previously undefined terms, operationalize the general concept and related procedures, and generally decide that this (what has been presented and discussed) is what they want to do.  This session is designed to facilitate commonality, where feasible, in concepts and definitions. 
Expected Results - Each state will have the opportunity to clarify its thinking on their working definitions of "Educational Benefit," and  "Reasonably Calculated."
RESULTS of Session 1
The eight states were divided into two groups according to size.  Each group was asked to create working definitions of “Educational Benefit” and “Reasonably Calculated.”  The following reflects the discussion of both groups as recorded on newsprint.

LARGE STATES SESSION

What is Educational Benefit?

  • Change in Behavior
  • More complex goals
  • Meeting general education standards
  • Promotions (grades)
  • Passing marks
  • Parent/teacher observation of student integration into regular environments
  • "We know it when we see it!"
  • Acceptance; higher education; competitive employment
  • Attendance up--discipline rates down
  • Growth on tests, evaluations
  • Assessments show growth in need areas

What are the themes?

  1. Academic success- this can be operationally defined by a) passing; b) promotion; c) growth; d) greater goal complexity; e) meeting general education standards, etc. 
  2. Behavioral growth- operationally defined by a) change in behavior; b) discipline rates down; c) acceptance; and possibly d) student integration into regular education.  
  3. Future benefit- operationally defined by a) higher education, and b) competitive employment.  

What is Reasonably Calculated?

  • Evidence/How to know it is part of calculation
  • Plan, document, implement, evidence
  • Service quality
  • Assessment of long-term progress-time frame available
  • Having a system within a district dealing with assessing
  • All constituents are on the same page with short and long-term goals
  • "We know it when we see it!"
  • Coherent, clinical relationship between a) needs identifies, b) goals identified, c) services provided, and d) assessment
  • Sufficient/enough expectations
  • If low expectations-not Reasonably Calculated education
  • Multiple evidences to show Reasonably Calculated-all members of team have input (approach team membership)
  • “Reasonably Calculated” for student, NOT teacher
  • Student-centered and individualized
  • Reporting on regular basis; analyzing in context of Reasonably Calculated
  • Sensitive and periodic analyzing and revision when needed
  • Plan; document; implement; evidence (and causation among these notions).
  • Service quality
  • Assessment of long-term progress- use time frame available
  • All team members share common goals, etc.
  • Acknowledge/act on greater student progress 
  • Reasonably Calculated may mean convening IEP team more frequently to make adjustments
  • IEP dynamic tool; not just one-year look
  • Analyze connection between IEP and classroom implementation
  • Is failure-predictable

What are the themes?

  1. Validity- operationally defined by a) “how to know it is part of calculation”; b) evidence; c) assessment of long-term process; d) documentation 
  2. Reliability- a) operationally defined by multiple evidences; b) having a system to deal with assessing; c) analysis of connection between IEP and classroom implementation 
  3. Utilization of IEP’s 
  4. Development of a student-centered process- operationally defined by a) IEP as a dynamic tool, b) student-centered and individualized; c) “Reasonably Calculated” for student, NOT teacher.

What are the issues?

  • Educational Benefit and Reasonably Calculated are interactive, but difficult to know
  • Many factors that must be prioritized/distilled to most critical
  • Where does compliance/noncompliance fit in, i.e. legally defensible- district and student levels
  • Need to build a system that is Reasonably Calculated, to standardize, communicate, measure, monitor… Reasonably Calculated…through stakeholder involvement…the conversation is important!
  • Forward planning or backward diagnosis of Reasonably Calculated at student level
  • Determining how the individual level looks at the district level
  • Language critical (terms)
  • When do you reconvene, because early information suggests need; Ah-ha!
  • Standards for Reasonably Calculated and Educational Benefit need to be defensible and how do you set them? Evaluate them?
  • How do you individualize at state, regional, district, school, student levels?

SMALL STATES SESSION

What is Educational Benefit?

  • Access to general education and curriculum---if not individualized decision-making
  • Continuous progress on curriculum-related IEP goals
  • Development of self-advocacy skills for after school
  • Academic or social outcomes that occur as a result of the services and program provided to the student
  • Sense of self and community
  • Student receiving appropriate services to meet goals
  • Opportunities, supports, instruction, needed to exit
  • Program designed to ensure completion and students leave school with understandings, skills and abilities necessary to participate fully in democracy
  • Productive citizens, not just diplomas
  • Evolving IEP goals that build on mastery- overall plan for the student
  • Meaningful, visible, and measurable, individual, effective; provided through specially designed instruction, related and supplementary aids and services- result=educational success
  • Access to vs. assurance of
  • Acquiring skills to function in post-school community
  • Not limited by other people’s Reasonably Calculated perceptions
  • Meaningful, productive lives
  • Role of parent; parent perceptions of Reasonably Calculated of Educational Benefit
  • Goal of full participation, social and life skills, and academics
  • Assurance of progress
  • Ensuring or providing effective appropriate services, (academic and related extra curricula and other services) which would allow students with disabilities to succeed in the Least Restrictive Educational (LRE) setting
  • Progress on identified outcomes
  • Ability to think critically

Categories of Educational Benefit

  • Kinds of benefits: academic, social, life
  • Ongoing- short term, annual, long term, final outcome
  • Categories of results: systematic, sequential and measurable
  • Ultimate goal- end result mastery
  • Definable-academic
  • Harder to define others (social, sense of self)

What are the themes?

  1. Academic Success- operationally defined by a) academics; b) assurance of progress; c) progress on identified outcomes; d) continuous progress on curriculum-related IEP goals
  2. Personal- operationally defined by a) sense of self and community; b) not limited by other people’s perceptions of Reasonably Calculated
  3. Future Benefit/Life Skills- a) leave school with understandings, skills… to participate fully in a democracy; b) development of self-advocacy skills; c) productive citizens; d) think critically; e) meaningful, productive lives; f) goal of full participation and life skills
  4. Advocacy: a) role of parent; b) receiving appropriate services; c) supports needed to exit

What is Reasonably Calculated?

  • Systematic, measurable and sequential plan/process
  • Individually determined
  • Ongoing process- integrity
  • Honor and builds trust
  • Problem solving
  • Tied to comprehensive assessment of needs and strengths
  • Flexible enough to adjust
  • Responsive to the kids changing needs
  • Creative out-of-the-box and makes common sense
  • Why are you doing it? Consistent and rational OR why not?
  • Not tied to convenience or availability
  • Access to vs. assurance of for a period of time.
  • System perspective vs. individual kid- balance these
  • Support for teacher to make it happen.

What are the themes?

  • Validity- a) systematic, measurable and sequential plan/process; b) tied to comprehensive assessment of needs and strengths.
  • Reliability- a) ongoing process- integrity; b) honors and builds trust; c) consistent and rational.
  • Flexible parameters- a) flexible enough to adjust; b) individually determined; responsive to the kids’ changing needs; c) creative “out-of-the-box”.

Session 2: 
The Role of Families in Investigating Educational Benefit
Expected Result - participants will be aware of the unique and particularized contributions families can play in the investigation process.
RESULTS of Session 2
Parents from the states of California, and New Mexico presented strategies designed to honor the contributions and roles of parents in the focused monitoring system.

Framework For Discussing Parent Involvement In Focused Monitoring

Parent involvement in focused monitoring is a critical aspect of parent involvement in special education.  There are many key ways parents may be involved:
  • Defining Educational Benefit  
  • Planning of monitoring activities  
  • Providing data a) judgments of their children’s progress b) perceptions of Reasonably Calculated of school practices and services c) self-reports of participation  
  • Assisting in collecting data a) off-site activities b) on-site activities  
  • Interpreting the data (develop some hypotheses to why those actions occurred)  
  • Creating reports (particularly reports going back to parent audience; easily read and understood by audiences)  
  • Assisting in disseminating findings (take suggestions back to parent groups; close circle of parents being involved in full circle of the process)
  • Be a member of external third party evaluations of the monitoring process as that is put in place 
  • Be involved in education and training activities (in the training of monitoring teams, training parents, etc.)  
There are many ways parent input may be collected
  • Individual interviews
  • Focus group interviews  
  • Town hall meetings  
  • Phone surveys  
  • Mail surveys  
  • Web surveys  
Considerations regarding method:
  • Reliability and validity  
  • Credibility and trustworthiness  
  • Feasibility  
  • Utility  
Issues and challenges regarding parent involvement:
         
  • Resources
    (a) training
    (b) compensation 
    (c) technical support  
  • Changing the culture of accountability monitoring  
Note: For more information see “Framework for Parent Involvement in Focused Monitoring”  power point presentation.

California Parents Remarks

In California, parents in local districts provide direct input through meetings, surveys, and interviews.  Supporting Early Education Delivery System (SEEDS) parent consultants participate on monitoring teams to:
  • conduct input meetings and interviews,
  • provide summaries and analyses,
  • participate in monitoring planning, Educational Benefit and post-review meetings.
SEEDS Staff Who Are Parents Of Children With Disabilities:
  • Participate in the state-level design team
  • Provide analysis of parent input at the state level
  • Recruit, train, and coach Parent Moderators for input meetings.
  • Assist in the development of parent questions
  • Participate in the development and pilot of Educational Benefit review
  • Disseminate parent concerns via SEEDS website  
Parent Input Shapes The Monitoring Plan (Rationale)
  • Parents provide data on the compliance areas under investigation
  • Parents raise concerns about compliance in other areas
  • Parents share their experiences and perspectives on the relationships, processes, and results that affect their children receiving special education services  
Parent Input Into the Monitoring Plan (Criteria)  
  • Item is included in monitoring plan if:  
  • It is identified during one of the parent input process; 
    AND
  • It appears to be a violation of state or federal law or regulations; 
    AND
  • It is potentially systemic (e.g., expressed by several parents, affects a number of students, occurs at a number of school sites)

Parent Roles In Developing The VR Monitoring Plan  

  • Conduct Parent/Guardian Input Session in advance (use other methods if attendance is low)
  • Summarize key points at debriefing meeting following the Input Session 
  • Attend Monitoring Plan meeting to add parent perspective to other data sources  

Securing And Analyzing Parent Input for CCR SESR  

  • Overall purpose is to get meaningful input from parents of students
  • Requires district to design the method for gaining parent input with representatives from parent organizations (CAC and PTI - see 
    http://www.cde.ca.gov/spbranch/sed/caprntorg.htm)
  • Can select method(s) from focus group, parent input meeting or survey
  • Must use CDE questions at a minimum 
  • Must meet minimum participation criteria 
  • Must include all identified areas of concern in monitoring plan
  • Must include parent rep concurrence with issues identified in monitoring plan

Methods For Obtaining Parent Input For CCR SESR  

  • Focus Group  
  • Involves securing input from an invited group of parents using a specific question protocol (Participants should be invited based on specific criteria)  
  • Parent Input Meeting  
  • All parents and members of the advocacy community are sent announcements to provide input on specific questions at an open, public input session. 
  • Survey  
Origin Of Questions for both Verification Review and CCR Self-Review
  •  Purpose of the questions is to focus on most frequent concerns  
  •  Parents from SEEDS Project have conducted parent input sessions and interviews over two years  
  • SEEDS conducted analysis of most frequent concerns  
  • Reviewed most frequent noncompliant items  
  • Crafted questions and probes based on prior years’ questions that would most effectively elicit information in the “focus” areas  
  • Piloted questions in interviews with parents – analyzed responses to see if questions got responses in the “focus” areas  
  • Adjusted questions and identified compliance items associated with each of the questions and probes based on typical responses.  
  • Edited questions to be “family-friendly”  
  •  Brought to state design team for further revision  
Parent Involvement In Educational Benefit Review
  • Participated in the design and pilot of the Educational Benefit review process at the state level
  • Incorporated related questions into the Parent/Guardian Input Session protocol  
  • Participated in a local County Office of Education Educational Benefit review  

Next Steps  

  • Continue to build relationships with parent groups to enhance the diversity of the 
    SEEDS consultant bank and disseminate key concepts related to monitoring  
  • Continue to articulate the parent voice in state-level monitoring activities  
Note: For more information "The Role of Families in CA Monitoring System"  power point presentation.

New Mexico Parent Remarks

  • Dare to Dream: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams (E. Roosevelt)
  • Educational Benefit is not only about kids, but also about parents and families, so there is a very serious need for parents to be involved in Educational Benefit!!!
  • Parents need to be involved in the review process  
  • Parents in N.M. get stipends and they are full team members  
  • Monitoring teams are hard work--They include: a) team leaders; b) peers; c) parents; d) separate meetings to teach and help family team members participate equally in the process.  
  • Family roles: a) family meetings; b) phone interviews (more than just parents doing phone interviews, team leaders and peers do phone interviews with parents); c) observations (observers go and gather their own information at the end of day, meet together and see what peers have said); d) file reviews (Family members participate in everything and are equal team members.)  
  • Family Team Members have many responsibilities  
  • Family Meetings  
  • Support of the parents is so important-- Leaders are role model  
  • We are all role models of collaboration at the local level  
New Mexico believes that including parents meaningfully in the focused monitoring process brings trust, accountability, and integrity to their work!  
Note: For more information see "New Mexico Parent Presentation"  power point presentation.

Session 3(a):

Investigating student performance for Compliance -
How to conduct folder reviews and staff interviews