The Iowa Administrative Rules of Special Education require each school district to develop a plan for delivering special education services.  

Plan 

What was the process used to develop the delivery system for eligible individuals?

1. The delivery system was developed in accordance with Iowa Administrative Code rule 41.408 (2) c.  The individuals who developed the system included parents of eligible individuals, special education teachers, general education teachers, administrators, and a special education consultant from Northwest AEA.   

2. How will services be organized and provided to eligible individuals?

Services will be organized according to the continuum below:

Hinton Community School Continuum of Services

General Education with Consultation.  

The student is served in the general education classroom without any accommodations or modifications to the curriculum, instruction, testing or grading.  The service provider is responsible for consulting with the general education teacher and monitoring the student’s progress according to the IEP.

General Education with Consultation/Accommodations. 

The student is served in the general education classroom with consultation and support from the special education teacher.  The general education teacher is responsible for direct instruction, testing, grading, and behavioral management as specified in the IEP.   The special education teacher support may include assisting the general education teacher with the design and preparation of materials, adaptations and accommodations.  The special education teacher is responsible for monitoring the student’s progress on IEP goals.

General Education with direct special education support in the general education classroom.  

The student receives special education support for the general education curriculum in the general education setting.  The special education teacher, support service provider, or trained paraprofessional will be in the general education classroom to provide direct instruction, instructional support, or other assistance to the student or a group of students, through models such as collaborative or co-teaching.  The special education teacher/service provider is responsible for monitoring the student’s progress on IEP goals. 

General Education with direct special education support outside the general education classroom.

The student receives special education support for the general education curriculum outside the general education setting.  When the services cannot be appropriately provided in the general education setting, the student may receive selected services or all services he/she needs in a separate educational setting (including, but not limited to, special classes, special schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals and institutions).  The special education teacher/service provider is responsible for monitoring the student’s progress on IEP goals.

Notes:

• Students may receive different services at multiple points along the continuum based on the IEP.

• The district will provide access to this continuum for all eligible individuals based on their IEP.  

• Services may be provided within the district or through contractual agreements with other districts and/or agencies (i.e. early childhood programs in the community).

• Districts providing instructional services through a contractual agreement with other districts and/or other agencies will need to examine the preschool services annually to determine the availability of regular early childhood programs within the district.  

The continuum includes services for eligible individuals ages 3-21

Note: Supports could include travel time to students served off-site (e.g., hospitalized or homebound students, preschoolers served in their general education preschool classes).  If multiple students are served in one site, apply all travel time to one of the students, only.

Caseloads will be tentatively set in the spring for the following year.  Caseloads may be modified based on summer registration and actual fall enrollments.  Caseloads will be reviewed at least twice during the school year by individual district special education teachers with their building principal and/or special education coordinator. In determining special education teacher caseloads, the Hinton Community School District will use the following values to assign points to the programs of each eligible individual receiving an instructional program in the district.  

A teacher may be assigned a caseload with no more than 68 total points.  

A scheduled review of teacher caseloads will be conducted by the building principal as follows:  

1. at the beginning of the school year;

2. by November 30; and

3. by April 1 to plan for the following school year.

Upon review, if there appears to be an overload, the teacher may request, and the principal will arrange a Caseload Assistance Team (CAT) meeting.  The CAT will be comprised of 3 teachers, a building administrator, and an AEA representative.  The CAT will make recommendations as to whether there is a need for adjustments to a teacher’s schedule or roster.

At any other time, a teacher may request a caseload review by submitting, in writing, the request to the building principal.  The building principal must convene the CAT within five working days.  A resolution and written decision must be made available to the teacher within five days after the CAT meeting.  

How will the delivery system for eligible individuals meet the targets identified in the state’s performance plan and the LEA determination as assigned by the state?  What process will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery system for eligible individuals?

• The district will examine Iowa testing data to determine priorities and develop an action plan.  If the district meets the goals established, the delivery system will be considered effective.  If the district does not meet goals, the district will work in collaboration with the State and AEA.

The district assures it provides a system for delivering instructional services, including a full continuum of services and placements to address the needs of eligible individuals aged 3 to 21, and shall provide for the following:

1. The provision of accommodations and modifications to the general education environment and program, including settings and programs in which eligible individuals aged 3 through 5 receive specially designed instruction, including modification and adaptation of curriculum, instructional techniques and strategies, and instructional materials.

2. The provision of specially designed instruction and related activities through cooperative efforts of the special education teachers and general education teachers in the general education classroom.

3. The provision of specially designed instruction on a limited basis by a special education teacher in the general classroom or in an environment other than the general classroom, including consultation with general education teachers.  

4. The provision of specially designed instruction to eligible individuals with similar special education instructional needs is organized according to the type of curriculum and instruction to be provided and the severity of the educational needs of the eligible individuals served.

• The district assures the school board has approved the development of the plan for creating a system for delivering specially designed instructional services.

• The district assures prior to the school board adoption, this delivery system was available for comment by the general public.

• The district assures the delivery system plan was developed by a committee that included parents of eligible individuals, special education teachers, general education teachers, administrators, and at least one AEA representative (selected by the AEA Special Education Director).

• The district assures the AEA Special Education Director verified the delivery system is in compliance with the Iowa Administrative Rules of Special Education.

• The district assures the school board has approved the service delivery plan for implementation.