RCSS SPED Newsletter

As we celebrate Occupational Therapy Month, it is with great pleasure that we take this opportunity to recognize and express our heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding work and dedication of Claire Lierman.

Occupational Therapy Month holds special significance as it allows us to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of occupational therapists in enhancing the lives of individuals facing various challenges. Claire's unwavering commitment to her role as an occupational therapist has truly made a positive impact on the students and families of Robertson County.

Claire's hard work and dedication have been evident in the transformative outcomes achieved by the students under her care. Her ability to address the unique needs of each individual, coupled with her compassionate approach, has undoubtedly contributed to the well-being and success of those she serves.

In recognizing Claire during this month dedicated to occupational therapy, we extend our sincerest thanks for her tireless efforts in fostering growth, independence, and improved quality of life for the students and families within our community. Her passion for her work serves as an inspiration to her colleagues and a source of reassurance for those she assists.

We are truly fortunate to have Claire as a part of our team, and her impact reverberates throughout Robertson County. As we celebrate Occupational Therapy Month, let us take a moment to appreciate the significant role that Claire plays in enhancing the lives of others through her dedication to the principles of occupational therapy.

So many parents are often worried about why their child is not able to write by the age of 4 and why instead of writing, the teacher is allowing them to play, or be creative with intricate or fine motor materials?

This picture explains why.

Up until 6 years of age, their tiny hands are still developing and are not fully formed. Children require progressive development in their hands to enable them to grasp and hold things and eventually develop their writing skills.

Like any muscles, we must train them, strengthen them and ‘work out’ to get them stronger - this is just the same for the muscles in children’s hands.

So what should be done to support this?

PLAY! Playdough, colouring, tearing, sensory play, beading, picking cotton balls with tweezer/cloth clips, cleaning, wiping, holding, grabbing, sweeping, cutting, planting, digging etc.

These types of activities may not seem like education to you, but they are the foundations of what is to come. Rush the process and the results will be catastrophic.

We must allow our children to develop their fine motor skills which in turn, develop the skills required for early, emergent writing and later full writing skills.

When children are ready to write, they will. No need to rush them, they will show you when they are ready.

© Gavin McCormack

As we celebrate Administrative Professionals Day, we would like to take a moment to recognize and express our gratitude to two exceptional members of our team, Lorena and Madison.

Lorena and Madison exemplify the highest standards of professionalism, dedication, and efficiency in their roles within our co-op. Their tireless efforts and unwavering commitment contribute significantly to the smooth operation of our administrative functions, ensuring that our staff, students, and parents receive the support they need.

On this special day, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to Lorena and Madison for their outstanding contributions and unwavering dedication to excellence. Your hard work does not go unnoticed, and we are truly grateful for everything you do.

In addition to recognizing Lorena and Madison, let us also take a moment to honor all the administrative professionals who diligently serve in our school districts. Your behind-the-scenes efforts are the foundation upon which our educational community thrives. Whether it's managing schedules, organizing events, facilitating communication, or providing vital support in myriad other ways, your contributions are essential to our collective success.

Thank you to each and every administrative professional for your hard work, commitment, and invaluable contributions to our schools. Your dedication does not go unnoticed, and we are immensely grateful for the vital role you play in shaping the future of our students.

Please join us in extending our warmest wishes to Lorena, Madison, and all administrative professionals across our school districts on this special day.

April 3 - Supporting Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities Series: Teach, Practice and Reinforce Positive Behaviors with Narratives and Video Modeling- 4:00 - 5:00 pm - free and virtual Event # 535657

April 8 - Behavior Specialists Network: SEL Curriculum Integration - presented by Jennifer Cunningham - free and virtual Event # 542917

April 16 - Team Toolbox! Perfecting the Behavioral PLAAFP for Students with Autism and Low Incidence - 4:00-5:00 pm free and virtual Event # 535609

April 18 - Restorative Discipline Practices Coordinator Support Group: Hot Topic - 1:00 - 3:00 pm - free and virtual Event # 537838

April 29 - Disproportionality, Equity and Diversity Series: Brown Bag Book Spotlight: Inequality in School Discipline - Research and Practice to Reduce Disparities - 11:30 am - 12:30 pm - free and virtual Event # 535302

Behavioral Principles:The Basics of Understanding Student Behavior

This module explores the ABC (antecedent-behavior-consequence) model, including information on:

• Ways that antecedents and consequences can influence behavior
• Features of reinforcement that affect a student’s likelihood of engaging in a behavior
• Ways that educators can help students generalize newly learned behaviors across contexts

It also includes interactive practice activities with feedback and expert audio interviews.

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/bp/

Enhanced IRIS Modules—Progress Monitoring

Our modules on progress monitoring contain updated examples and Research Shows boxes, revised graphs and interactive activities, and new content on trend line analysis. Choose mathematics, reading, or both!

• Progress Monitoring: Mathematics
• Progress Monitoring: Reading
  

Need professional development hours? You can earn a PD Certificate for Educators for both modules.

Child Find Duty-Everyone's Responsibility

The intent of this training is to provide participants with a fundamental understanding of the definition and purpose of child find and requirements for Local Education Agencies (or LEAs).https://spedsupport.tea.texas.gov/learning-library/child-find-duty-everyones-responsibility

Foster Care 201

March 26, 2024 – 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (CST) - Register

Learn more about addressing the education of students in foster care within your LEA. The Foster Care & Student Success Guide information will also be covered during the webinar. Encourage your district and campus personnel to attend and build their knowledge about students in foster care.

Creating a Positive Classroom Climate

Establishing a positive classroom environment is an important component to the success of your classroom. You can not control student behavior, but you can control your classroom environment. In this section, you will explore the importance of establishing relationships between staff, students, and peers, provide ways to build your class community, and develop an understanding on the importance of preventing behavior before it occurs. Classroom Climate is the foundation for creating a classroom that works. You will read sections and articles, watch videos, and reflect on your approach.https://esc13.net/events/creating-a-positive-classroom-climate

Best Practices in Classroom Management

In this online course, we will navigate through best practices in classroom management. The course is intended for you to develop a deeper understanding on the importance of relationships, establish a connection between your classroom and your student's social-emotional learning growth, create your classroom management plan, and develop classroom systems for student success.

The structure of this course has been created in 3 modules for your ease of learning.

1. Creating a Positive Classroom Culture
2. Establishing Structures for Success
3. Teaching Expectations for Managing Student Behavio

Calvert ISD will be participating the 2024 Texas Parent Involvement Survey. Parents whose students have been chosen for the survey will receive a PIN to complete the survey. Not all parents will be chosen to participate.

1. What is this survey about?

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is conducting its annual survey of parents who have a student receiving special education services. This survey is required by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and measures the extent to which parents feel their school is facilitating parent involvement as a means to improve services and results for children receiving special education services. For more information on the parent survey and results from prior years, please visit: https://www.spedtex.org/parent-involvement-survey.

2. Who is asked to complete a survey?

Not all parents of students receiving special education services are asked to complete a survey. We use a sampling approach to select a subset of students' parents across the state. This sampling method is used to reduce the burden on schools, on districts, and on parents since Texas is so large. A well-designed sample ensures that data collected is representative of the state's population of students receiving special education services.

3. Which districts are participating?

Districts that serve 50,000+ students participate every year. All other districts are assigned to one of three groups, and one group is surveyed each year.

4. Which schools are participating?

In small districts, parents in all or nearly all schools are selected for the parent involvement survey. In larger districts, a subset of schools are randomly selected to represent the district.

5. If a student is selected to receive a survey and is no longer enrolled in the school, what do we do?

If a student on the list recently left the district (e.g., they un-enrolled, moved, graduated, withdrew from special education services, etc.), please still send the invitation to the students' parents (using last known email or other information). We want to reach parents of students who attended any portion of the 2023-24 school year.

6. I have a student who is 18 and signs their own IEP. Do they get a survey themselves?

No. The Parent Involvement Survey is intended for parents.

7. A parent(s) signed the IEP and during the IEP term the child turned 18. Do the parents still receive a survey?

Yes, the parent(s) should receive a survey.

8. What is the definition of "Parent" for this survey?

For the purpose of the Texas Parent Involvement Survey, a parent is any biological or adoptive parent, foster parent, guardian authorized to act as the child's parent or make educational decisions, someone acting in the place of a biological or adoptive parent (such as another relative) with whom the child lives, or someone assigned as a surrogate parent. This definition comes from the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (2004) and is what the Texas Education Agency uses for the purposes of this survey. See this link for more information.

9. Do we send Educational Surrogate Parents a survey?

Yes.

10. Can parents whose students were not selected participate?

Participation is limited to the parents of the randomly selected students to ensure that we have a representative sample of responses.

11. Why should parents take this survey?

This is an opportunity for parents to share their opinions with their schools, with their district, and with TEA. Statewide results will be reported to OSEP, and district-level results will be reported to the school district. These results should also be used to guide improvements to special education services and parent involvement. The more parents who participate, the more reliable the resulting data will be, particularly at the district level.

12. How can parents take this survey?

Parents can complete the survey at http://www.ParentSurveyTX.com (they will need a PIN, sent to you separately). Or, they can call Gibson Consulting Group to complete the survey over the phone in either English or in Spanish. Or they can email support@gibsonconsult.com to request a callback.

13. Where do I find the parent's PIN if they don't have it?

Your district's Special Education department received an excel list in early April for all of the students selected to participate in the parent survey this year. That list contains student PINs. If you cannot find the document or cannot find the PINs, have the parent contact Gibson Consulting Group via phone in English or Spanish and we can provide the PIN for the parent. Or, parents can email us at support@gibsonconsult.com requesting their student's PIN

14. When are surveys due?

Surveys must be completed online by May 17, 2024.

15. What do we do if a parent of a selected child did not receive a survey invitation?

If the parent was selected to be a part of the survey and did not receive an invitation, you can provide them with their PIN and direct them to www.parentsurveytx.com. Or you can have them call Gibson Consulting Group to complete the survey over the phone or they can email support@gibsonconsult.com

16. How can I help?

Publicize the survey in your district! Encourage parents to respond. Send emails or text messages or include a link to the survey on the school website. Help parents find their PIN. Contact Gibson for additional assistance at any time.

17. What is the timeline for the survey?

18. Who is Gibson Consulting Group, Inc.?

Gibson Consulting Group, Inc. is a research firm that has been supporting the Parent Involvement survey for TEA for the last seven years. They have worked with over 250 school systems in the past 23 years nationwide, conducting rigorous research and delivering high quality assistance to advance K-12 education at the state, regional, and district levels. They have conducted large-scale survey work in Texas, Kentucky, Florida, and Colorado and have extensive experience administering surveys to parent populations.