We are in the process of redesigning our monthly updates to make them more concise, organized, and accessible for readers. We will continue to provide videos that include overviews and highlights of important information about what is happening in special education across Washington state and nationally. While the Special Education division has been onboarding some new staff in recent months, our team has over 176 years of collective experience at OSPI! We thought it would be fun to highlight one of our colleagues, to learn more about what she does, how the division has changed over the years, and how she might support you in the work you do.
Meet our Data Coordinator, Sandy Grummick!
Q: You have worked with the OSPI Special Education team for several decades, which is amazing! What are some of the changes over time in special education that stand out to you the most?
Sandy: Seeing the shift from segregating students with disabilities from their non-disabled peers to focusing on appropriately integrating them into the general education environment. Also, the more recent focus on student equity.
As far as data is concerned, the specificity of the data collection, while burdensome at times, has given the ability to recognize the success of students through their entire educational experience. An example would be acknowledging that some students need more time to complete their graduation requirements. Allowing students up to seven years to complete their graduation requirements is something we celebrate as positive success for those students and their families.
I also remember when I first started at OSPI the person collecting the child count received paper reports mailed in by the districts. The report was the number of students by disability category and age. She would sit with her calculator and summarize the data—our child count application in Education Data System (EDS) is a huge improvement over that.
Q: What advice do you have for partners who want to learn more about special education data? How and where should they get started?
Sandy: There are so many different resources available to the public. The U.S. Department of Education has developed what are called Fast Facts. These focus on different areas and groups of students, but the data displays are wonderful. If you want to know about special education in Washington state, I highly recommend reviewing the State Performance Plan (SPP). This plan provides information on the federal performance indicators, how Washington students are performing on those indicators, and what targets we are striving towards. A companion to the SPP would be the District Profiles. These documents are posted annually, and they show how each school district within our state is performing on each of those indicators. Those resources are all great places to begin and also refer back to as the data are updated on a regular cycle.
Q: What's something you love to do for fun and to maintain balance between your personal life and your career?
Sandy: As everyone is aware, the work can be very difficult and emotional at times. But we celebrate the positives, and there are quite a few of those even though it is easy to get bogged down by the negative.
My family is small, but we are a tight knit group and have a lot of adventures together and are planning more now that we can do some travelling again. I am also extremely fortunate to have a solid and unwavering support group of very good friends, who are more of an extended family. That is essential for me whether I’m going through tough times at work or personally.
Another big add to my activity list is our new Seattle Kraken hockey team. Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I’ve been waiting for a long time for a National Hockey League (NHL) team to come to Washington.
Thank you, Sandy, for making sure we always have the data we need and for your decades of ongoing commitment to students, families, and educators across WA state!
2022–23 ESD Liaison Assignments
We are pleased to announce the following Educational Service District (ESD) Liaison assignments for 2022–23. These liaisons are OSPI Special Education staff members assigned to be primary points of contacts for families, educators, and school and district leaders across all of the ESDs.
Special Education and Local Bargaining Agreements
Individualized Education Program (IEP) team decisions are a critical component of the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Properly formulated IEPs designed to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities are the driver of the school district’s special education funding. Special education funding supplements the basic education program provided to each student enrolled in Washington public schools with an opportunity to meet the state’s education standards and can only be used to supplement basic education funds to pay for the excess costs of providing special education and related services.
School districts are responsible for providing FAPE to students eligible for special education, including specially designed instruction and related services that are provided by appropriately qualified staff. State and federal law do not mandate specific staffing ratios or models; those are local determinations of what staffing is needed to enable FAPE to be provided to all eligible students.
Supports needed for students with disabilities to be successful and make meaningful progress in the general education curriculum should guide school district contract negotiations. Unless otherwise explicitly allowed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or WAC 392-172A, the specific requirements of special education laws regarding the provision of services to students with disabilities cannot be bargained or contracted away.
For more information see Bulletin 047-18.
Back-to-School Checklist for Parents from the US Department of Education
In August 2022, the U.S. Department of Education released a resource for parents and families to engage with school leaders about how they are supporting students with American Rescue Plan (APR) funds. For more information, read the U.S. Department of Education press release and their back to school checklist for families. Also see the Fiscal & Data updates below for additional reminders and timelines about APR funds.
Recovery Services Reminders
Recovery Services for PreK to Age 21
Recovery services are additional services for students with disabilities designed to address lack of appropriate progress on Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals due to missed or limited services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential need for recovery services should be considered for every student with an IEP from preschool through age 21.
By now, IEP teams should have reviewed and determined the need for recovery services for most students during annual IEP meetings in the 2020–21 and 2021–22 school years. Students may have a continuing need for recovery services through the 2022–23 school year and beyond. Additional information on recovery services, including guidance, resources and recorded webinars, can be found on the OSPI Special Education Guidance for COVID-19 webpage (Special Education Planning Supports for School and IEP Teams during COVID section).
As part of the Washington Integrated System of Monitoring (WISM) for the 2022–23 school year, OSPI will continue to review recovery services determinations and the provision of recovery services.
Transition Recovery Services Funding
Funds continue to be available during the 2022–23 school year to support transition recovery services for students who are age 21 at the start of the school year. Transition Recovery Services are additional transition services for students with IEPs. These extra services can address lack of reasonable progress on IEP goals or the transition plan because of missed or limited special education and related services or for other reasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds are available for use for any transition-related needs, including special education and related services; transition services including education and training, employment, and independent living skills; and placement. See Bulletin No. 046-22 (page 2) and Transition Recovery Services Funding for Students with Disabilities who are 21 Questions & Answers.
Please direct any program questions on transition recovery services to the OSPI Special Education Office at speced@k12.wa.us or 360-725-6075. If you have a fiscal question about transition recovery services funding, please contact OSPI’s apportionment office at 360-725-7306.
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