hands, learning how to socially distance, need for social-emo- tional supports due to losses or lack of socially engaging with other children, etc) then these too should be added to the IEP. DISTANCE LEARNING PLANS/REMOTE LEARNING PLANS Your district might be creating additional plans to be utilized during the time of distance learning. This should not replace an IEP, but rather should be a detailed outline of HOW the IEP would be implemented remotely. There may need to be additional ac- commodations added, different ways to implement IEPs, addi- tional training required to parents, and more. If there are tangi- ble accommodations that are required in the IEP but you do not have at home the school is responsible to provide these to you to use at home. (ie; visual schedule, seating cushion, fist - then board, text to speech, timers, slant boards for writing, communi- cation boards/books, etc). The school may mail, drop off or have you pick them up. DATA Where does the data now come from? You and the staff. Your data is just as important. You are there with your child and have been there with them supporting the instruction since the be- ginning of the pandemic. Please make sure that you are shar- ing this information via email to the school staff. You also want to see this included in the upcoming IEP document. Your data should be documented within the IEP as part of the present lev- els of the IEP. If you do not know how to take data then request support from your school staff. DOCUMENTATION Document everything: What was provided to your child? What your child was able to access? How your child respond- ed to instruction or if they could even respond? What level of support did they need from you? Not only will this be used as data it will also be important to use when considering compen- satory education. Parents should keep detailed documentation of all educational opportunities provided to students during any suspension of in-person instruction. Input and information from parents concerning student performance during closure/dis- ruption is very important. Create a binder or notebook to keep this information together in one place. COMPENSATORY SERVICES The U.S. Department of Education (ED) describes compen- satory services to be services/supports that may be required as an equitable remedy designed to repair educational and func- tional deficits resulting from the denial of a FAPE. This denial of FAPE can be a result of extended school closures, disruptions to in-person instruction, delays and/or changes in how services were provided that caused the special education and related services outlined in the IEP to not be effectively implemented
and caused a loss of skills and/or regression. If your child could not access and make gains through remote learning or if the services outlined in the IEP were actually not provided, then compensatory education needs to be considered. You will want to determine if your state is a Quantitative or Qualitative. Qual- itative looks at what is needed to place a student in the same position they would have been in if FAPE had been provided. Quantitative calculates the exact amount of service minutes identified on the IEP that were not implemented. The IEP team must make an individualized determination whether and to what extent compensatory education services may be needed to make up for any skills that may have been lost or lack of gains as a result of COVID-related disruptions to the provision of FAPE. Consider the below when determining if compensatory education is needed:
What was the rate of progress on IEP goals prior to closure/ disruption vs during the closure/disruption;
Is there a difference between IEP progress monitoring data immediately preceding closure/disruption and IEP progress monitoring data collected a reasonable time after the return to in-person instruction; Was there a difference between services identified on the IEP and services offered during closure/ disruption, including amount, frequency, duration, type and delivery model; Was your child able to access services offered to your child during closure/disruption When determining a remedy the IEP team will look at com- pensatory educational services that are sufficient to allow the student to recoup lost skills and continue to make progress on IEP goals. Parents and schools are encouraged to consider col- laborative, creative and innovative ways to address regression or loss of skills that carefully consider a student’s individual needs, including strengths, impact of disability on learning and stami- na. HOME IS NOW SCHOOL For many of you your home is now functioning as the school. Create a space in your house where school/learning will take place. If at all possible try not to use the kitchen table for this table has a different function typically and can be confusing to children. Look for a way to block off the space with a divider, a sheet hung up, large cardboard, etc. Label the area with the words and/or symbols including“Work”or“School”. Create a rou- tine/schedule that works for your household. Your school might be giving you a schedule as well. Communicate and collaborate with the school to figure out what works best for all parties. If you have to work as well, let them know. Post the schedule visu- ally for your child to see (on a poster, white board, piece of paper,
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October / November, 2020 | www.closingthegap.com/membership Closing The Gap © 2020 Closing The Gap, Inc. All rights reserved.
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