Message from the Executive Director
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Dear Families and Friends of Special Education Services in Seattle Public Schools,
We are committed to ensuring equitable access, closing the achievement gap, and achieving excellence in education for each and every student. For the past month I have been out in schools observing instruction and supports for students with special needs and seeing the commitment of our staff. One guiding plan is our District's RC-CAP (Revised Comprehensive Corrective Action Plan) which is in response to a federal and state review conducted in 2011-13. I am happy to report that we are making progress on the RC-CAP:
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A new SPS Special Education Policy and Procedures Manual is in the final revision stage. The manual, to be released by spring 2015, will provide school and central office staff, information and procedures within the following topics:
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Child Find and Referral
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Evaluation and Eligibility
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IEP Process and Components
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Placement and Programs
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Discipline
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Early Childhood
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Private School Procedures
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Central Office Operations
- We have made upgrades to our Data Management Systems.
- And we have designed and are in the process of providing coaching and support for leaders who are overseeing special education services in Seattle Public Schools.
We will be holding regional meetings as an opportunity for families to learn about the transformation that is happening in Special Education and to learn about the vision for the future. We want to listen to you and hear your questions. Here are details of the upcoming regional meetings (interpreters, supervised children's activities, and light snacks will be provided):
Southeast Region:
Aki Kurose Middle School, 3928 S. Graham St., Seattle, WA 98118
Mon, March 2, 6 to 7 p.m.
Northeast Region:
Roosevelt High School, 1410 NE 66th St., Seattle, WA 98115
Mon, March 16, 6 to 7 p.m.
Central Region:
Washington Middle School, 2101 S. Jackson, Seattle, WA 98144
Mon, April 6, 6 to 7 p.m.
West Seattle Region:
West Seattle High School, 3000 California Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98116
Mon, April 20, 6 to 7 p.m.
Northwest Region:
Ballard High School, 1418 NW 65th, Seattle, WA 98117
Mon, May 11, 6 to 7 p.m.
The new year, 2015, holds a lot of promise. We recognize the significance of our relationships with you and we want to build a strong partnership.
Sincerely,
Wyeth Jessee
Executive Director of Special Education Services
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If you are concerned about a preschooler with a possible delay in development, call:
Child Find Screening and Referral:
(206) 252-0805
To contact Enrollment Services call: (206) 252-0760
General Special Education Questions by Region please contact the Regional Special Education Supervisors listed below:
The SPS Special Education Ombudsperson is here to help you:
Margo Siegenthaler at (206) 252-0794
Director of Special Education
Michaela Clancy at (206) 252-0807
Director of School Based Special Education Services
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Being an Effective Advocate in Special Education Saturday January 31, 2015 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
At The Arc of King County, 233 6th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
How to Talk to Families About Disability, An Arc Ambassador Somali Workshop
Saturday January 31, 2015 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
At 21st Century Basic Human Services (located inside Afrikando Bandir Restaurant) - 5212 Rainier Ave S Seattle, WA 98118
18-21 Special Education Transition Services Program Information Night
Come learn about Seattle public Schools' special education transition programs for young adults with disabilities ages 18-21. Meet transition teachers, adult-service agency providers, and ask questions.
Thurs, Feb 5th, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
John Stanford Ctr for Educational Excellence Auditorium, 2445 3rd Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98134
Kindergarten Enrollment Nights
--Northgate Elem, 11725--1st Ave NE
Tues, Jan 27th, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
--Hawthorne Elem, 4100 39th Ave S
Thurs, Feb 5th, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
--Emerson Elem, 9709 60th Ave S
Tues, Feb 10th, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
--Roxhill Elem, 9430 30th Ave SW
Thurs, Feb 12th, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
--West Seattle Elem, 6760 34th Ave SW
Thurs, Feb 19th, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
--Dunlap Elem, 4525 S Cloverdale
Thurs, Feb 26th, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
--Wing Luke Elem, 3701 S Kenyon St
Wed, Mar 4th, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Pacific Science Center-free session for families who have children with autism
--Sat, Feb 14th, 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
for more information go to:
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Family Gathering
John Stanford Ctr for Educational Excellence
Auditorium
Tues, Feb 24th, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
(Interpreters, child care, and light snacks will be provided)
8th Annual Transition Resource Fair
Two dates and two locations. You may attend one or both.
--Microsoft, The Commons
15255 NE 40th street
Redmond, WA 98052
Thurs, March 5th, 9:00 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.
--Renton Technical College, Roberts Campus Center
3000 NE 4th St.
Renton, WA 98056
Sat, Mar 7th, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Special Education PTSA Meeting
Location: John Stanford Center,
2445 3rd Ave S., Seattle, WA, Rm 2700
Mon, Jan 26, 2015, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Special Education Advisory and Advocacy Council
Location: John Stanford Center Auditorium
2445 3rd Ave S., Seattle, WA,
Tues, Feb 3, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Tues, Mar 24, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
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SPS Special Education PTSA
ARC of King County
Open Doors for Multicultural Families
Sound Options Group (mediation services)
Developmental Disabilities Administration
Behavior Support Team (BeST)
Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO)
OSPI Guidance for Families
Asian Counseling and Referral Services
The Fathers Network |
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Welcome to the Special Education Family Newsletter. Please share the SpEd Newsletter with others, and send comments to [email protected].
If someone forwarded the Special Education Family Newsletter to you, sign up here. (http://bit.ly/SPS_newsletters)
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The Special Education Family Newsletter is for you!
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The Special Education Department wants to use this newsletter to provide important information for families with children who receive special education services in Seattle Public Schools. Please send your questions and ideas for information and articles to: [email protected]
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Winter Tours and Open Enrollment
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Most schools schedule tours to occur in late January or February, before the open enrollment period. This is the time to find out more about your neighborhood or option schools. Each school plans its own open house and/or school tours. You can find information about school tours on individual school websites. To access school websites and contact information, go to: School Directory. (http://bit.ly/SPSschooldirectory)
Next year assignment letters for all students will be mailed to families on February 13th, before Open Enrollment.
Open Enrollment is Feb. 23 to Mar. 6, 2015
The Open Enrollment period is your opportunity to request a different school or program for your student. You must first register your student for school, if he/she is not already registered, and then you can submit your Choice request between Feb. 23 and Mar. 6. For more information about school registration for next year, go to: http://enrollment.www.seattleschools.org
Families who submit a student choice application during Open Enrollment will receive a new assignment letter for their student around the end of April. This letter will inform you of which school your child has been assigned to as a result of Open Enrollment for the 2015-16 school year, and if your child is on a waiting list for the school or program based on your choice selection(s) and tie breakers. Once you have received your child's assignment letter, you may contact the principal of your assigned school to inquire about policies around school visits. School visit policies are made at the school level. A link to the waiting list will be available mid-April on the Enrollment department's website.
To see the special education service locations for 2014-2015, go to: Elementary (http://bit.ly/1EObud8), Middle School (http://bit.ly/1zVKVUi), High School (http://bit.ly/1JDDT8j). Though many of the locations will remain the same for the 2015-2016 school year, there will be some changes.
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Vision Services program at Lowell
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Two years ago, Lowell Elementary School became a site-based, District wide center for children who are blind, from age 3 through 5th grade. Currently the school serves about 20 of the 100 visually impaired students (ages 3-21) in Seattle Public Schools. The school uses the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), which teaches the knowledge and skills that are needed by students with visual impairments. The ECC supplements the core academic curriculum of general education (language arts, math, health, science, etc.) and is also a framework for assessing students, planning goals, and providing instruction. The Expanded Core Curriculum teaches:
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During an Orientation & Mobility lesson, Zoe Newton, navigates her way from the lunchroom to art class.
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* Compensatory or functional academic skills
* Orientation and mobility
* Social interaction skills
* Independent living skills,
* Recreation and leisure skills
* Career education
* Use of assistive technology
* Visual efficiency skills
On Tuesday, January 20, in the Vision Services classroom, three students received individualized instruction: fourth grader Lora Woodward, was working with Sara Zachariah, team leader/teacher. Lora demonstrated some assistive technology that she has become adept at using: the refreshable braille display where she could braille her spelling words and they would show up in print on the iPad, the Braille writer, and a book written in the Braille code. AJ Lewis was doing a lesson on the computer with Special Ed Instructional Assistant Pat Nord. And Oramae (Ori) Bray was working with Elizabeth Umphress, Teacher of the Blind, on visual fixation. Ori loves lights. Using a lightbox and movement helps focus her attention and helps with fixation and localization.
 | | Lora Woodward reads the Braille code while her teacher, Sara follows along. |
On Wednesdays, Elizabeth instructs three girls of the same age, all learning Braille, in daily living skills and social skills. Both Sara and Elizabeth are National Board certified teachers.
Many of the visually impaired students at Lowell spend a large percentage of their time in the general education classrooms and go to the vision room for specialized instruction. Last year Zoe had been in a self-contained classroom. This kindergarten year has been a big year of growth for Zoe now that she is part of the "inclusion model" and has the opportunity to be around children in the regular classroom. On the braille writer, she now knows 23 of 26 letters. (Zoe's parents, Kellie Newton and Jeff Blank, were instrumental in establishing the site-based program at Lowell.)
 | | Elizabeth Umphress is using the lightbox and movement to help Ori focus her attention. Ori loves lights. |
The Third Annual Blind Awareness Resource Night will be held in the cafeteria at Lowell Elementary School on Thursday, April 30, 2015. Blindness-related resources from around the state will be available to meet with families from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
To tour the Vision Services Program at the school, contact Sara Zachariah at 206-252-3064 or [email protected].
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Open Doors' IEP Workshop for families
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On three Saturdays, January 3, 10, and 17, 22 parents participated in a training series at the Atlantic Street Family Resource Center in the Rainier Beach neighborhood, to learn about IEPs--Individualized Education Programs for children with special needs.The parents were accompanied by interpreters who represented 7 different home languages including Amharic, Somali, English, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, and Japanese. 
Ginger Kwan, the executive director of Open Doors for Multicultural Families presented the workshops, which were packed with information about how to participate in developing their child's IEP and how to prepare for the IEP team meeting. They learned about the evaluation that precedes the writing of an IEP and the parent's role in understanding more about their child's disability. There was a relaxed buzz in the room as the interpreters, who are also advocates for the families, with a depth of knowledge around special education issues, explained the information in the language that families could understand.  At the end of the second workshop, families were given a binder and materials (pictures, pens, stickers, etc.) to develop a book about their child with special needs. It was suggested that parents bring family members and friends of their child together to work on the pages of the book. It could include, words, pictures, photos or anything that describes the child. Page headings included "Who Am I?", "People in my life", "Gifts and Talents", "Things I like", "Things I don't like", "Things to avoid", etc. This book about their child is then presented to a new school, a new teacher, or a new care provider in order for them to know important information about the child. This is an especially good tool for non-English speaking families because it contains a lot of visuals. |
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As a parent, do you sometimes get confused by all the abbreviations and acronyms used by educators in meetings? Hopefully this list will help take some of the mystery out of the special education jargon.
ADA-- Americans with Disabilities Act AD/HD-- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder APE-- Adapted Physical Education ASD-- Autism Spectrum Disorder AT-- Assistive Technology BeST-- Behavior Support Team BIP-- Behavioral Intervention Plan CAPD-- Central Auditory Processing Disorder CLD-- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse CCSS-- Common Core State Standards DD-- Developmentally Delayed DDA-- Developmental Disabilities Administration DIS-- Designated Instruction Services EBD-- Emotional Behavioral Disability ECC--Expanded Core Curriculum ELL-- English Language Learner EOC--End-of-Course...Exam ESIT-- Early Support for Infants and Toddlers ESD-- Educational Service District ESY-- Extended School Year FAPE-- Free Appropriate Public Education FBA-- Functional Behavioral Assessment FOIA-- Freedom of Information Act FRC-- Family Resources Coordinator HI-- Hearing Impaired IA-- Instructional Assistant (paraprofessional) ICS-- In Class Support ID-- Intellectual Disability IDEA-- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act IEE-- Independent Educational Evaluation IEP-- Individualized Education Program IFSP-- Individualized Family Service Plan IHP--Individualized Health Plan ISP-- Individualized Service Plan (for private schools) LD-- (See SLD) LDA--Locally Determined Assessment LEA-- Local Education Agency (Seattle Public Schools) LRE-- Least Restrictive Environment MD-- Multiple Disabilities MDR--Manifestation Determination Review MTSS-- Multi-Tiered System of Support NDA-- Notice of Disciplinary Action OHI-- Other Health Impairment O & M-- Orientation and Mobility OCD-- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ODD-- Oppositional Defiant Disorder OCR-- Office of Civil Rights (Department of Justice) OHI-- Other Health Impairment OI-- Orthopedic Impairment OT-- Occupational Therapy PDA--Parent Designated Adult PBIS-- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports PDD-- Pervasive Developmental Disorder PECS-- Picture Exchange Communication System PLAAFP-- Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Statement PLEP-- Present Level of Educational Performance PT-- Physical Therapy PWN-- Prior Written Notice RC-CAP-- Revised Comprehensive Corrective Action Plan RISERS--The RISER process in SPS is the transition between schools when students with disabilities graduate from one school and go to the next. RtI-- Response to Intervention Section 504-- Section 504 of the "Rehabilitation Act of 1973" SEA-- State Education Agency ( SEAAC-- Special Education Advisory and Advocacy Council SLD-- Specific Learning Disability (includes dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other learning disabilities) SLI-- Speech/Language Impairment SLP-- Speech Language Pathologist SS-- Study Skills SSDI-- Social Security Disability Insurance SSI-- Supplemental Security Income TBI-- Traumatic Brain Injury VI-- Visual Impairment
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A Great Program Just for Dads!
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The Washington State Fathers Network (WSFN) is for dads who have children with special healthcare needs/developmental disabilities.
The mission of WSFN is to promote fathers as crucially important people in their children and families' lives "We firmly belive men are superb resources for each other and fathers have special needs of their own when it comes to raising a child with chronic illness or developmental disability.
WSFN, a program of Kindering, is funded by the Office of Children with Special Health Care Needs Program, Washignton State Department of Health, grants, and private donations.
To find out more about The Fathers Network go to fathersnetwork.org or www.kindering.org
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The Special Education PTSA is a great advocacy organization for families whose children are in special education. You are invited to come to their monthly meetings. The next one is on February 23, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the John Stanford Center, Room 2700. In future issues, look in this section for communications from the SPED PTSA. http://seattlespecialedptsa.org |
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Special Education Advisory and Advocacy Council (SEAAC)
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The Special Education Advisory and Advocacy Council (SEAAC) had its first meeting for the 2014-2015 school year on December 2. The group talked about the charge of the council and its role - to provide the district with parental and community agency perspectives on special education programs. This includes current operation and management, policies, proposed changes, future plans, and goals. The next meeting will be on February 3, 2015, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., at the John Stanford Center, Auditorium.
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The District is committed to nondiscrimination in all its education and employment activities. Specifically, the District prohibits discrimination based on sex (gender); race; creed; color; religion; ancestry; national origin; age; economic status; sexual orientation including gender expression or identity; pregnancy; marital status; physical appearance; the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability; honorably-discharged veteran or military status; or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, and it provides equal access to designated youth groups.
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