Jan 16 2024

What Are Your Special Education Rights?

At every IEP meeting I hold, I ask parents if they wish a copy of their Parent Rights and Procedural Sfeguards. Mind you this is in addition to the electronic copy I send when the meeting is scheduled.

Why you ask? The answer is special education Parent Rights and Procedural Safeguards are essential components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law in the United States that ensures that children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). These rights and safeguards are designed to protect the interests of parents and their children with disabilities during the special education process. Have you read yours? If not ask your school for a copy or go to your state’s Department of Education website to search for your Parent Rights. It should pop up. [Read more…]

Alison Whiteley

Alison Whiteley has been a special education teacher for over 15 years, spending most of her time working with elementary students and families. After graduating from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education and Psychology, she continued her education with a Masters in Reading from Walden University. In addition, she has achieved endorsements supporting Early Childhood Special Education and Diverse Learners which she uses to help identify needs across all learners.

Ms. Whiteley is trained in Wilson Reading System and Yoshimoto Orton-Gillingham. She believes all students can learn to read and be successful. She has served as a Special Education Coach and Mentor to fellow specialists and teachers, facilitated the creation of her elementary school’s Response to Intervention/Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (RTI/MTSS) process and helped parents through the Special Education process as IEP Coach for parents. In 2013 she completed the National Boards of Professional Teaching in Exceptional Needs with recertification in 2022. Her areas of expertise involve working with students with learning disabilities, supporting stakeholders moving through the special education process, and helping parents and teachers understand what they can do to support struggling learners in the public school settings.

She is a founding member of the Colorado Reading League and a member of the International Dyslexia Association in Colorado. Alison has two greyhounds and two nephews who keep her busy outside of school. She is the CEO of Toad-ally Exceptional Learners at http://www.toad-allyexceptionallearners.com. Alison is a valuable source of information to support teachers and parents, although she is not a lawyer and does not give legal advice. Her services support families through the IEP process and how they can be an equal member of the team through positive interactions. She focuses on collaboration and using tools to take IEPs to the new level of helping students achieve.

www.GenParenting.com

Dec 19 2023

What is an IEP?

An IEP, short for Individualized Education Program, is a comprehensive and tailored document designed to support students with disabilities in their academic pursuits. This personalized roadmap is created through a collaborative effort involving teachers, parents or guardians, school administrators, and, when applicable, specialists such as therapists or counselors. The main purpose of an IEP is to ensure that students with disabilities receive appropriate and tailored educational services and support to help them succeed academically and make progress toward their educational goals. The IEP serves as a blueprint for your child’s educational journey. [Read more…]

Alison Whiteley

www.GenParenting.com

Dec 05 2023

Parent Roles on School Committees

It’s that time of year! Schools are desperately reaching out to parents to provide extended services that may include:

Volunteering in your child’s classroom or lunchtime supervision support
Fundraising for the school or a student group
Driving for field trips or sports activities
Acting as a leader for the Parent-Teacher-Student Association
Serving on a school or district advisory team for curriculum adoption, school plan development, special education services, English language learner services, Title I services, gifted or talented services, or local education bond oversight
Providing added after school or weekend services

[Read more…]

Mary Ann Burke, Digital Education Expert

Mary Ann Burke, Ed.D., Digital Education Expert, is a substitute distance learning teacher for Oak Grove School District in San Jose, California and the author of STUDENT-ENGAGED ASSESSMENT: Strategies to Empower All Learners (Rowman & Littlefield: 2020). Dr. Burke creates digital language arts and substitute teaching K – 12 activities for teachers and parents. She is the Cofounder of the Genparenting.com blog. Burke is the former Director II of Categorical & Special Projects for the Santa Clara County Office of Education that supports 31 school districts serving 272,321 students in Santa Clara County. She is also a previous Director – State & Federal Compliance for Oakland Unified School District, the former Director – Grantwriter for the Compton Unified School District, and was the initial VISTA Director for the Community Partnership Coalition in southern California. Much of her work focuses on creating innovative digital trainings and partnership programs for teachers and families to support students’ learning. These programs were featured as a best practice at a National Title I Conference, California’s Title I Conferences, AERA Conferences, an ASCD Conference, the NASSP Conference, and statewide educator conferences.

Nov 21 2023

What Are the 6 Principles of IDEA?

One of the most important aspects of special education is understanding the law. It’s big. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s the cornerstone of everything I do as a professional. It doesn’t matter which state you live in or which district your school is in these 6 principles are EVERYTHING! (Don’t worry I’ll share more on these later, and give you more details.)

The 6 Principles of IDEA are what school districts are held accountable for funding. They must adhere to these principles and concepts or risk losing funding. And knowing these core special education concepts helps you as a parent with a child with a disability. If you have IEP issues and are having trouble defining them, chances are that issue will fit into one of these 6 buckets. First, a little background. [Read more…]

Alison Whiteley

www.GenParenting.com

Nov 07 2023

How our School Nurtures Students’ Positive Behaviors

How Our School Nurtures Students’ Positive Behaviors

Our students are encouraged to reach their fullest potential in their social, emotional, and academic skill development. Sakamoto School created the following system of support for three tiers of student growth needs (see PBIS: Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports at www.pbis.org): [Read more…]

Rafael Zavala

Dr. Rafael Zavala became passionate about learning at an early age. As a child of farmworkers in the Salinas Valley, Rafael attended Santa Clara University for his undergraduate degree and completed Masters’ Degrees at Saint Louis University and Harvard. Most recently, Dr. Zavala completed his Ed.D. from San Jose State University.

Mr. Zavala started teaching in 2002 at Solidad Unified School District in California and later at Cambridge Public Schools and Malden Public Schools in Massachusetts. After returning to California in 2015, Dr. Zavala served in diverse administrative roles including Assistant Principal, Administrator of School Climate and Culture, and Administrator II of Personnel Services. Rafael became the Principal of Sakamoto Elementary School in San Jose, California in 2021.

A primary focus of his work is to ensure the equitable educational support services for all students by implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Mr. Zavala firmly believes that when district and school staff collaborate to create effective tiered behavioral support strategies, students will succeed at grade level and beyond.