Pennsylvania Department of Education
COMMONWEALTH
OF PENNSYLVANIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
333 MARKET STREET
HARRISBURG, PA 17126-0333
Special Education Report
Wednesday,
February 20, 2008
Entity: Lackawanna Trail SD
Address: PO Box 85
Factoryville, PA 18419-0085
Phone:
Contact Name: Robert Jurbala
School District Demographics
|
School
District |
IU # |
Superintendent |
# of
Bldgs |
Total
Enrollment |
Total
Unduplicated SES Students |
|
Lackawanna
Trail SD |
Northeastern
Educational IU 19 |
Robert M.
Jurbala |
2 |
1353 |
253 |
District Special Education Contact:
|
Name |
Title |
Phone |
Fax |
Email |
|
JoAnn
Radicchi |
Director
of Special Education |
570-945-5184 |
570-945-3154 |
radicchij@ltsd.org |
Special Education Plan Team Members
|
Name |
Affiliation |
Membership
Category |
Appointed
By |
|
Jeff
Gregory |
Secondary
Asst. Principal |
Administrator |
Administration |
|
Donna
Salva |
Reading
Specialist |
Elementary
School Teacher |
Teachers |
|
Ellen
Frank |
Secondary
Guidance Counselor |
Ed
Specialist - School Counselor |
Educational
Specialists |
|
Gerauld
Frost |
Community
Member |
Community
Representative |
School
Board |
|
Jane
Richards |
Community
Representative |
Board
Member |
School
Board |
|
Janice
Joyce |
Curriculum
Director |
Administrator |
Administration |
|
JoAnn
Radicchi |
Special
Education Director |
Special
Education Representative |
Administration |
|
Maria
DelPrete |
Parent |
Parent |
School
Board |
|
Matthew
Rakauskas |
Secondary
Principal |
Administrator |
Administration |
|
Robert M.
Jurbala |
Superintendent |
Administrator |
Administration |
|
Robert
Scott |
Higher
Education Representative |
Community
Representative |
School
Board |
|
Timothy
Ronchi |
Secondary
Guidance Counselor |
Ed
Specialist - School Counselor |
Educational
Specialists |
Program Evaluation (P.L. 105-17, §612(2) and §613(a))
Current Program Strengths and Highlights
Lackawanna Trail maximizes its use
of available resources. The collaboration between special education and
general education leadership allows us to work within a schedule in both
buildings that promotes careful consideration of least restrictive environment. The
regular education administrators work with us to make the master schedule as
flexible as possible to make this happen. For example, all grade level teachers
at the elementary level are required to teach all subjects at the same time. At
the high school level, the guidance department hand-schedules our students so
that their identified needs can be met. That has allowed us to schedule our
special education staff so that there is direct teaching available outside the
general education classroom for those students whose IEP team has identified
the need for that, as well as special education supports and services delivered
in the general education classroom for students whose IEP team has identified
that setting as appropriate.
The special education staff have worked hard to
implement instructional strategies and materials that are
scientifically researched-based in special education classrooms. All of our
Learning Support teachers and teacher assistants are direct instruction trained
and use the PaTTAN trained progress monitoring methods routinely. Each year at
IEP time, we are recommending more and more of our students be included in
regular education classrooms the following year in Language Arts and Math
based on their progress in these programs such as Reading Mastery Plus,
Connecting Math Concepts, Expressive Writing, Corrective Reading and Math,
Language for Learning, etc. The use of these programs also provides
continuity for students from year to year as they move to new teachers.
The dedication of the special education staff is a
strength. While we are geographically distant from readily available
professional development, our teachers are willing to do what it takes to stay
current on best practices. The district is willing to commit the financial
resources for workshops, conferences, and trainings. Because we are a small
district, this often requires one person taking on several different types
of responsibility, and both our professional and para-professional staff
readily do this. Our special education staff has little turnover.
We maintain positive, collaborative relationships with
our parents by using student-focused problem solving strategies. The extra time
that this approach often takes is well woth it, as we have almost no parent
complaints to BSE or due process hearings.
Identifying Students with Learning Disabilities
Enrollment Differences
Ethnicity Enrollment Differences
Exiting Statistics
24 P.S., §1306 and §1306.2 Placements
Facilities for Nonresident Students
|
Facility
Name |
Provider
of Educational Services |
# of
Students Receiving Srvcs as of Dec 1 |
Incarcerated Students Oversight
Lackawanna Trail has no facility for incarcerated
students within its district boundaries.
Facilities for Incarcerated Students
|
Facility
Name |
Provider
of Educational Services |
# of
Students Receiving Srvcs as of Dec 1 |
Least Restrictive Environment 34 CFR §300.551
Ensuring Maximum Integration
The LEA at Lackawanna Trail attends both in-district and
out-of-district IEP meetings. The district understands that special education
is a service and not a place, and the discussions at these meetings are
conducted with that premise. The district uses both local and MA funds to offer
professional development to both its regular and special education staff to
build capacity within our district buildings to meet the needs of all of our
special education students.Trail is currently completing the first year of what
is projected to be a three year phase-in of Response to Intervention as a way
of working with struggling students. The Lackawanna Trail School District uses
a variety of supplementary aids and services to ensure that our students can be
educated in general education classrooms in our district whenever possible.At
the elementary level, the district has regular assessment procedures in place
(DIBELS) which gives us accurate information regarding each student's
skill level when considering instructional options. The LTSD uses its Class
Size Reduction funds to make a teacher available to do small group instruction
with a variety of instructional materials in the primary grade classrooms to
meet individual student needs. Several regular education teachers at the
Elementary Center are trained in researched-based intervention programs which
they incorporate into their regular education curriculum when a student is not
successful in the grade level regular instructional materials so that more
options are available in regular education classrooms. Special Education
teachers and teacher assistants at the intermediate level are scheduled so that
they are available to co-teach and assist with adaptations within
the regular education classroom in Science, Health, and Social Studies
classes. At the High School level, one Learning Support teacher and two teacher
assistants are assigned only to assist special education students who are in
general education classes.
Lackawanna Trail currently maintains a relationship with four agencies that
provide metal health and behavioral services throughout our district. These
services, such as TSS, Mobile Therapy, and Behavioral Specialist allow many
students to be successful in their home school, regular education environment. In
addition, our school guidance counselors and school psychologist work with IEP
teams to write, implement, and monitor postive behavior support plans for
students.
Supplementary Aids and Services
|
Service |
Comment |
|
Northeastern
Educational Intermediate Unit #19 |
Special
Education services, curriculum services |
|
Special
Education Director |
K — 12
position; district funded |
|
Assistive
technology |
Access to
all types of assistive technology for students from a grant received by
Marywood University in partnership with area school districts |
LRE Data Analysis
Least Restrictive Environment - Facilities
|
Facility
Name |
Type
of Facility |
Type
of Service |
# of
Students Placed |
|
Abington
Heights High School |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Emotional
Support |
3 |
|
Abington
Heights Middle School |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Autistic
Support |
1 |
|
Abington
Heights Middle School |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Life
Skills Support |
1 |
|
Clarks
Summit Elementary Center |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Autistic
Support |
1 |
|
Mayfield
Elementary Center |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Multi-Disabilities
Support |
1 |
|
Mayfield
Elementary Center |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Emotional
Support |
1 |
|
Carbondale
Area Jr/Sr HS |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Emotional
Support/Partial Hospitalization |
1 |
|
Tri-County
Human Services |
Other |
Emotional
Support/Acute Partial Hospitalization |
2 |
|
Mid-Valley
High School |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Life
Skills Support |
1 |
|
Valley
View Elementary |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Life
Skills Support |
1 |
|
Valley
View Middle School |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Life
Skills Support |
1 |
|
Jefferson
Center |
Special
Education Centers |
Life
Skills Support |
1 |
|
Clarks
Summit Elementary |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Life
Skills Support |
2 |
|
Old Forge
Elementary |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Life
Skills Support |
1 |
|
Old Forge
Jr/Sr HS |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Emotional
Support |
1 |
|
Elk Lake
High School |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Emotional
Support |
2 |
|
Elk Lake
Elementary Center |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Emotional
Support |
3 |
|
Lourdesmont
Day Treatment |
Other |
Emotional
Support/Partial Hospitalization |
2 |
|
Alternative
Learning Center |
Special
Education Centers |
Emotional
Support |
1 |
|
Scranton
State School for the Deaf |
Special
Education Centers |
Deaf and
Hearing Impaired Support |
2 |
|
Dana St.
Elementary Center |
Neighboring
School Districts |
Deaf and
Hearing Impaired Support |
1 |
Personnel Development for Improved Student Results
Technical Assistance and Training
Personnel
Development Activities:
|
Topic |
WRITING: Students
with disabilities will demonstrate increased educational results in writing
as outlined in the PA academic standards. |
|
Anticipated
Training Dates |
Training
Partners |
Training
Participants and Audience |
Training
Format |
Evidence
of Results |
|
Fall 2007
continuing through Spring 2010 as new information becomes avaialable |
PATTAN
Staff, IU Staff, School District Staff |
New
Staff, Instructional Staff |
On-site
Training with Guided Practice |
The
Learning Support teachers will be inserviced on the latest research on what
works in writing instruction and be given examples of tools and rubrics to
use to assess progress to inform instruction. Students in our special
education programs will expand the types of writing that they are proficient
with. |
|
Topic |
AYP |
|
Anticipated
Training Dates |
Training
Partners |
Training
Participants and Audience |
Training
Format |
Evidence
of Results |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic |
Proficiency |
|
Anticipated
Training Dates |
Training
Partners |
Training
Participants and Audience |
Training
Format |
Evidence
of Results |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic |
Participation |
|
Anticipated
Training Dates |
Training
Partners |
Training
Participants and Audience |
Training
Format |
Evidence
of Results |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Personnel Development - PA NCLB Goal #1
Personnel Development - PA NCLB Goal #3
Personnel
Development Activities:
|
Topic |
AUTISM:
Students with disabilities will be provided services by an adequate supply of
personnel with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet their needs |
|
Anticipated
Training Dates |
Training
Partners |
Training
Participants and Audience |
Training
Format |
Evidence
of Results |
|
Spring
2007, Winter 2008, Spring 2008, Winter 2009, Spring 2009, Winter 2010, Spring
2010 |
PATTAN
Staff, IU Staff, Higher Education Staff, Community Agencies |
Parent,
New Staff, Paraprofessional, Instructional Staff, Administrative Staff,
Related Service Personnel |
On-site
Training with Guided Practice, Workshops with Joint Planning Periods,
Conferences |
All
teachers who work with students diagnosed on the austism spectrum will have
the necessary knowledge they need to effectively include and teach these
students. |
|
Topic |
ROLE OF
PARAEDUCATOR/HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHER: Students with disabilities will be
provided services by an adequate supply of personnel with the knowledge and
skills necessary to meet their needs |
|
Anticipated
Training Dates |
Training
Partners |
Training
Participants and Audience |
Training
Format |
Evidence
of Results |
|
to begin
as soon as Chapter 14 regulations are finalized and to continue until all
specail education teacher assistants are highly qualified by that definition |
PATTAN
Staff, IU Staff |
Paraprofessional |
On-site
Training with Guided Practice, Conferences |
All
teacher assistants working in Learning Support programs will meet Chapter 14
guidelines for highly qualified. |
Personnel Development - PA NCLB Goal #5
Personnel
Development Activities:
|
Topic |
TRANSITION:
Students with disabilities will demonstrate increased ability to successfully
make the transitions to school age programs, to work, to post-secondary
education and/or adult |
|
Anticipated
Training Dates |
Training
Partners |
Training
Participants and Audience |
Training
Format |
Evidence
of Results |
|
Spring
2007 |
Lourdesmont
Therapist to describe truancy prevention program |
Instructional
Staff, Administrative Staff |
Conferences |
LTSD High
School will consider partnering with Lourdesmont in the implementation of
their program to reduce truancy. |
|
Fall 2007 |
PATTAN
Staff, IU Staff |
New
Staff, Paraprofessional, Instructional Staff |
On-site
Training with Guided Practice |
The high
school Learning Support teachers will take responsibility for conducting an
identified series of transition planning activities with the students they
are case managers for. |
|
Fall
2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2009 |
IU Staff |
Parent |
|
Students
and parents will be able to identify and access agency supports to pursue
post high school goals. Seniors and their families will participate in
Transition Roundtable to make direct contact with the agencies that may
provide them support. |