45 Responses
Teachers Responding | # of students in caseload | How many IEPs did you write this year for your students? | How many IEPs did you write for children who are not your students? | |
HHS | 7 | 9, 16, 16, 10, 13, 7 | 9, 15, 18, 10+,13, 7 | 2, 0, helped with numerous, 0, 0, 0 |
Rox MS | 8 | 13, 14, 49, 11, 9, 12, 7, 9 | 15+, 14, 49 WEPs no IEPs, 11, 8, 13, 7, 7 | 15+, 15, 0, 17, 0, 0, 0, 0 |
Monti | 5 | 8, 9, 14 IEP and 15 add’l goals for R/W , 9, 13, 15 | 13, 9, 14 IEP and 15 add’l goals for R/W, 9, 30 goals +13, 15 | 0, 0, ?, 0, 2, 5 |
Blvd | 2 | 16, 6 | 19, 6 | 2, 0 |
Cant | 2 | 13, 10 | 14, 11 | 0, 1 |
FFX | 4.5 | 10, 11, 17, 7 | 10, 12, 16, 7 | 3, 1, 1, 0 |
Gearity | 5 | 23, 15, 8, 7 | 16, 22, 6, 7 | 0, ?, 0, 0 |
Noble | 1 | 17, 13 | 17, 13 | 0, 2 |
Ox | 3 | ?, 20, 11 | 38, 20, 9 | 2, 0, 2 part for initial ETR |
Rox El | .5 | 15 | 17 | 3 |
not supplied | 4 | 19, 14, 13 | -, 4, 17 | -, 1, 2 |
How has your caseload or responsibilities changed this year?
addition of non-public work, but I have avoided it for a few years so I was expecting it sometime... |
Caseload changes were mostly from students moving or from students being newly identified. |
caseload has bene over legal limit (16) since winter |
I am assigned to two grade levels so the amount of IEP's and goals I wrote increased from years past. |
I was asked to provide services to a student that wasn't even on my caseload and kept him for the majority of the day |
I was case manager for 15 students but did service providing for 22. |
I was fortunate enough to have a good case load- I only had to complete 5 ETRs, 0 manifestations, 0 BIP/FBAs, 4 SOPs |
I was given 2 students from out of district; the board didn't provide data for them like they are supposed to. |
I went to cross -categorical from just AU |
Larger resource room classes and two resource room classes instead of one |
maxed out at 8 and they usually keep my caseload at 6 due to intensive needs of students |
More students |
More students I don't have in the classroom. |
my caseload number increased by 8 |
No time with kids who are not in my classes but are on my caseload. How can I provide services when I don't see the student? |
The amount of IEP goals we have to write beyond our own caseload has increased |
The number of IEP's we are asked to write continues to grow. |
We are required to complete the entire transition section for both IEPS and ETRS |
We are required to provide more documentation of what interventions we are doing with students. Especially if they are failing |
yes, sharing a caseload at two buildings was an enormous change this year |
8 teachers responded that there were no changes since last year |
Any comments around SPED duties and how they have changed.
not this year... but we do need to monitor district needs and expectations with the changes for 2017-18... |
It is very difficult writing IEP's for non-public school students. I have absolutely no up to date data to go by. Trying to contact the school the student attends is typically a waste of time, because they are not concerned about taking time to gather up data so an IEP could be written. Even when I do get a hold of them there typically is no follow through. l just gave up and took all of my data from the ETR. I wrote the IEP in the midst of several IEP's I needed to write for my own students. It would be great if a person was hired in the special ed department to just work on non-public school IEP's. |
Our caseloads are too big for the number of IS (2) in our building. There is a push to co-teach but no directives given as to how to make that work with 2 of us and 6 grade levels. Nor has there been PD offered or a way to identify gen ed teachers interested in co-teaching. |
Changes have not affected me this year. |
There needs to be an ELA and math IS for every grade level. The amount of work is not equitable among staff members. |
I was service provider for more students this year. This was due to the large number of students with IEPs at 5th grade. The numbers next year will be a little more equal between us. We did ask for help this year due to the number of students I needed to service. We already had 2.5 Intervention specialists. As a team, we presented the data along with information about the needs of some of our newly identified students and we were given another part-time IS to help with the load. Again, 2.5 ISs should be fine for next school year. The charge to do more co-teaching was beneficial to my students who were slightly below grade level. |
We have had to incorporate all of the transitional papers required for IEP and ETR- A case load is dependent on the students on your case load. Some caseloads have multiple kids who will need manifestations/FBAs/BIPs- these are meetings that will spring up without a moment’s notice. Some caseloads will have many students up for reevaluation (ETR)- this typically consists of an additional meetings/data collection and analyzing that data. Case loads are manageable- but it is dependent on the nature of that year. Caseloads could be regulated better- at the high school, numerous Intervention Specialists had students on their caseloads that they've never seen. This was very hard for these adults. Also- there should be a way to regulate how many students on a case load need a reevaluation- and prevent case managers from having too many, while others have none. |
More is being pushed onto SPED teachers. The district promised to provide the data for these IEPs so all the SPED teacher had to do was write them but the district hasn't followed through on that. SPED teachers are now responsible for parts of the ETRs that the school psychs did in the past because they are "too busy". If an administrator can't; make a IEP meeting it is the SPED teacher's responsibility to find another administrator...why isn't it there responsibility to find someone who can't make a meeting they are required by law to attend? |
I am part of the BLT and feel it is important to IS to be involved in this role in order to support what is best for kids, but we are not compensated the same. |
They have not changed in my particular situation. However, 2 years ago they dissolved the high functioning autism unit at my school. Those students who would have formerly been placed in that unit are now part of the cross categorical unit. This is not ideal because their needs are very specific and typically very different from students with learning disabilities or cognitive delays. The autism unit was an important and valuable service to our students and families. It also brought families into the district. It would be in the best interest of the student we serve and the district to bring those types of units back. |
Less time for "case management" duties such as behavior intervention plans, checking in on progress in general education classes. |
There was less district representation from the BOE at meetings which made decision making more difficult at times and increased time spent finding answers and solutions to problems. No added responsibilities. |
There is more to do each year with the same amount of time. Also, with administration being weak on discipline, it makes setting routines, attendance expectations and behavioral expectations very difficult, especially with our at-risk population. |
We appear to be losing students throughout the year. My caseload dropped by two - three students this year 2016-17. |
I would just say that I think it would be beneficial to have a SPED TBT. |
I had a very small caseload this year, but that is not the norm. |
Overall, this was an easier year for me. Next year, we will have around 30 sped 6th graders, which will mean double the caseload. I will make sure I take my vitamins this summer! |
The space provided for our program is an insult to the work we do with our students. Two teachers sharing one room. Running different classes at the same time. We have class sizes of up to 15 with about 20-25 each when 8th graders join us for a total of up to 40 kids in the room. We do not have space to accommodate them all. Next year we will have 3 MSSP teachers occupying one room. It is NOT an optimal learning environment for our students. |
As far as I know, preschool special education teachers are the only special education teachers whose caseloads include up to 8 (and next year 12) typically developing students - as well as of course the special education students on our caseload. |
I feel that they are the same as previous years, however writing an IEP is more laborious than in the past. I feel that it takes much longer to write a single IEP now. |
Having 2 grades makes things very difficult. Not co-teaching Science or Social Studies makes things very difficult. We need an advisory period. |
The paperwork required of preschool special ed teachers has exploded in the last 1-2 years. We are responsible for all paperwork for 16 sp. ed. kids and 8 typically developing peers. |
Documentation, printing and mailing progress reports for IEP information, Arranging Manifestation meetings and trying to secure a room and make sure all necessary people are in attendance. It seems there was a point in time where "SPED" kids could not fail, but if they aren't in class and don't do the work-they can fail. |
I had a unit for high functioning autism and now it is called "multi-categorical" I have students with autism and other disabilities. However, this is understandable and appropriate for the population that is here in my school. I am happy with my placement and caseload, as well as limited outside non-public IEPs. |
Being a part time teacher at Fairfax and Rox Middle School meant I had to do an incredible amount of planning. I had to do preps for K-3 Reading, Writing, and Math; Gr6&8 ELA. The travel was not the problem, but the fact that I never had enough time to plan with my colleagues was really frustrating for me. I think that spec ed teachers should only share buildings if they are teaching the same curriculum . |
They put low functioning ED kids in my class. Their needs to be a separate class for these kids. They are much more street-wise then my students and don't want to have anything to do with the kids who are more handicapped. They don't buy into our programs and they refuse to go on trips with us. They have seriously damaged my program and the benefits the other students should have received. |
It's not just IEP writing, if student is due for the three year evaluation (ETR) there is more paperwork. If a student on your caseload is suspended, then you have to hold Manifestation meetings and submit all that paperwork (3 separate forms) |
In addition to the above questions/answers. The concern is that we truly are not doing what is best for the students; we are doing what is best for the district plan. That to me is educational neglect we have lost the “I” in individual education plan. For example, we have many students who are coming in identified CD/ID (cognitively disabled or Intellectual disabilities). That truly needs to be put in a life skills class. IQ's 65 and below. We are told that those additional classrooms will not happen and that IS have to incorporate extended standards with the common core standards in their resource room. In other words all students will be together in a shorter amount of time 45 minutes vs the ELA/math block and we will be responsible for teaching this lower curriculum, as well as our typical resource room curriculum. We will also be responsible for preparing students to do both alternative assessments and state testing, depending on the students in our classroom. |
We need to hire more SPED teachers, to teach one grade level and core subject area, not two. Two teachers per grade level, one teaching ELA, the other math. This year I taught ELA in a resource room, and co-taught math in a general education classroom, due to not replacing the 8th grade math teacher. We need to put Paraprofessionals back into the resource rooms, due to having cross-categorical students. The number of students reading and writing on a much lower level continues to increase. Having a second pair of hands to assist with students worked well. Students were more successful academically and behaviorally. More things were accomplished within the classroom having a para there. Not all SPED students belong in an inclusion classroom. Again, more and more students do not possess the basic skills required upon entering school. I have been in the district for 15 years and student abilities have fallen lower and lower each year. We have more students identified now, then ever before. I feel we are not properly servicing them and providing them with the tools they need to be successful. As teachers, we are given new curriculums to teach, but not enough time to actually learn the curriculum and use it long enough to see if it's beneficial for our students. The expectation is to expose our students to the gen. ed. curriculum, which is great, however more and more of our students demonstrate a lack of understanding it. The time it takes to get our students "there" makes us as teachers work overtime. The need is there to have our students exposed to the gen. ed. curriculum; however it should be based more on the need of the students. Again, we are not providing our students with what they need to be successful, instead we are exposing them to higher things, but they are not understanding it, not able to integrate it independently for themselves. The goal is to teach our students to become independent thinkers and learners. |