Access to Success:

1. Access to Success: Justifying the Need for a TOD & Ensuring Appropriate Service Delivery to Students with Hearing Loss

2. Learner Outcome for this Session… Participants will develop strategies for ensuring that the student’s individual needs are recognized and met through special education services that promote his/her academic achievement by service providers who are trained to address the impact of hearing loss on learning.

3. Who’s providing support? According to the Gallaudet Research Institute (2009-2010),only 41% of DHH students included in general education classroom are receiving services from a teacher of the DHH.

4. Regional Trends Midwestern states (Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana): Informal discussions with TDHHs typically revealed a trend toward a reduction in minutes provided, resulting in indirect consultative services rather than the provision of direct instruction.

5. Example: Minnesota Commission for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans, 2013

6. Reality “Cost containment impacts the delivery of specialized services, and TDHHs … are frequently asked to do more with less time by districts who are seeking to reduce costs, placing students and teachers in a challenging situation.” Technological Education Center for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

7. Reality “I was at a complete loss for words—we sat there, as a team, discussing the significant impact of Amy’s hearing loss on her learning; identified some great workable goals and were starting to discuss service when the principal stood up to leave and said that the building’s LD teacher would be Amy’s IEP manager and service provider! I wanted to cry...” Licensed Teacher of the DHH

8. Serious Situation “Many students receiving itinerant services from a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing are met with inadequate academic support because the deaf and hard of hearing teacher ”specialist” is the person who has the least amount of student contact time (sometimes only 10 hours per week) and therefore is out of touch with the student’s needs… “ Szymanski, Lutz, Shahan and Gala, 2013

9. Challenge • How do you ensure the most appropriate service provider is actually delivering the appropriate amount of service? • How do you make sure it all gets addressed in the IEP?

10. Typical Situation …the student in question has a hearing loss that is seriously affecting his achievement. You know this because of the results of his evaluation and all of the data you have gathered and analyzed…

11. How do you convince the team that the student needs direct services from a service provider who:1) thoroughly understands the impact of the student’s hearing status on his ability to make progress in the GE classroom and 2) is able to adapt and accommodate to minimize the impact?

12. Who are you? • A professional serving a low-incidence population with a disability with which other professionals may have had little or no experience • A professional trained in a discipline that is science-based and complex • A service provider whose expertise is essential in ensuring student achievement

13. Your task: Defining your expertise and role for key players: • Parents • Principal • SE coordinator • GE staff • Student • Other stockholders

14. Establish your expertise… • Spend time doing your own “skills” inventory; review licensure competencies; these skills were typically the focus of your training • Establish how your competencies are necessary to reduce the impact of the student’s hearing loss on his/her academic achievement.

15. Examples of Competencies of Teachers of the D/HH • Historical, philosophical, cultural and legal foundations and issues relating to Deaf/Hard of Hearing education • Auditory system:anatomy and physiology of the hearing mechanism; etiologies and their impacts ;co-morbidity • Audiological foundations: measurement; relevance to criteria; amplification • Communication systems:modes; normal language development; linguistics • Programming and placement options and indicators • Evaluation: screening and identification; appropriate assessment tools across domains; interpreting and reporting results • IEP planning Sources: various states’ licensure requirements

16. Examples of Competencies of Teachers of the D/HH Instruction • Impact of hearing loss including cognitive, psychological, social, behavioral, etc.) • Incidental and experiential learning implications • Oral-aural methods • Auditory skills development • Communication strategies • Environmental modifications • Evidence-based instructional strategies/interventions • Instructional materials modification • Progress monitoring • Technological applications Sources: various states’ licensure requirements

17. Examples of Competencies of Teachers of the D/HH Collaboration • Community resources • Options for family support • Professional and supporting (e.g., paraprofessionals) roles Sources: various states’ licensure requirements

18. To ensure the critical involvement of the TDHH as appropriate, you must begin with the student’s IEP.

19. The impact of the student’s hearing loss must be specifically addressed in the Present Level of Academic and Functional Performance.

20. Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance Section 300.347(a)(1) requires that the IEP for each child with a disability include ``… a statement of the child’s present levels of educational performance, including--(i) how the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general curriculum;… Wrightslaw - IDEA Regs Appendix A http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.law.appendixa.htm

21. …how the child’s disability affects his/her involvement and progress in the general curriculum… This requires: • identifying the specific impact of the student’s hearing loss relative to every domain under consideration and, • documenting the strategies needed to minimize the impact.

22. Integral Issues in Considering Student Needs • Speech Audibility: Under typical classroom conditions, how does the student understand speech in noisy and quiet situations? What accommodations, technology and/or supports does he need to access instruction? • Speech Perception and Listening Skills: What is the student’s range of speech perception under typical classroom listening conditions? What is her level of listening skill development and how does each deficit area impact her academic achievement? Anderson, Karen L. and Arnoldi, Kathleen. A. Building Skills in the Fast-Paced Classroom: Optimizing Achievement For Students with Hearing Loss, 2011

23. Integral Issues in Considering Student Needs • Self-Concept: How would you rate the student’s self-concept? Does he admit to having a hearing loss and can he explain its impact on social situations? What are peer relationships like? For example, is the student passive or assertive in getting his needs met? • Self-Advocacy: Can the student maintain her amplification adequately? Does she transfer the transmitter as needed? Does he use the FM or aid consistently? Can she answer questions about its use? Can she describe her needs for accommodations and strategies she can use to address his hearing needs? Does she seat herself appropriately? Does she use mediated communication services effectively (interpreter, transliterator, notetaker, captionist, etc.)? Anderson, Karen L. and Arnoldi, Kathleen. A. Building Skills in the Fast-Paced Classroom: Optimizing Achievement For Students with Hearing Loss, 2011

24. Integral Issues in Considering Student Needs Access to Instruction: • How does the student handle questions posed by the teacher during typical instruction? Does she understand various forms of figurative language, including idiomatic expressions used in conversation, instruction and in grade-level reading materials? • Can she follow multi-part directions in both oral and written formats? Does she comprehend the print posted in the classroom and school environment? Can she comprehend grade-level texts adequately enough to access critical content? I • Is she able to fully participate in classroom rituals and routines? Can she demonstrate knowledge using typical testing procedures? Anderson, Karen L. and Arnoldi, Kathleen. A. Building Skills in the Fast-Paced Classroom: Optimizing Achievement For Students with Hearing Loss, 2011

25. Integral Issues in Considering Student Needs • Social and Communicational Competence: Does the student demonstrate pride in accomplishments? Know how to handle defeat, disciplinary action, negative comments, bullying? Establish friendships? Initiate conversations? Maintain topics? Give-and-take in conversation? • Communication Repair: Does the student recognize when he is missing information? Ask for repetition or clarification when he doesn’t understand? Clarify communication? How does the student’s level of skill development in this area impact achievement? Anderson, Karen L. and Arnoldi, Kathleen. A. Building Skills in the Fast-Paced Classroom: Optimizing Achievement For Students with Hearing Loss, 2011

26. Potential Areas of Impact: Hearing Loss and Learning • Delays or deficits in speech and language development • Articulation and pronunciation issues • Poor attending skills, especially with background noise • Difficulty following directions • Problems with phonemic awareness (potential reading delays in syntax, morphology, fluency, comprehension etc.) • Delays in social skills development • Difficulty hearing in noise, localizing sound • Poor organizational skills • Fatigue due to extra effort in listening • Deficits in background knowledge • Working memory issues, including secondary issues related to efforts needed to listen and attend (fewer cognitive resources) • Delays or deficits in social communication skills (pragmatic language) Etc.

27. PLAAFP: Strength in the Details The information provided in the PLAAFP forms the basis for : • The type of service the student needs to make progress • The frequency and intensity needed to make progress • Who is qualified to deliver the service

28. Make sure to… …generate a Present Level of Academic and Functional Performance and Special Education Needs statements to which your competencies are directly linked.

29. Example of Potential Impacts Requiring Knowledgeable Intervention • Phonemic awareness: student can’t hear consonants due to a hearing loss in the higher frequencies • Science: lacks the (experience, language, background knowledge) to understand complex concepts • Reading comprehension: limited vocabulary; has difficulty connecting prior knowledge to text • Math: Poor working memory resulting in difficulty memorizing math facts and understanding operations

30. Present Level of Academic and Functional Performance must also include: • Ending levels of performance on last year’s goals • New assessment results • Performance on district and statewide assessments, including skills and knowledge related to grade-level standards • Classroom grades and observations, including behavior data • Input from the student and parents • Interests and strengths, including noncurricular areas • Successful strategies, accommodations or assistive technology devices or services PACER ACTION Information Sheet

31. “Successful strategies, accommodations or assistive technology devices or services”can only be generated by a professional who understands the impact of the student's specific hearing loss on his or her learning.

32. Example of a Statement re: Strategies, Accommodations Joe needs services from a licensed teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing who adapts instruction and materials to address the impact of his mild-moderate sensorineural hearing loss on his ability to make progress in the general education curriculum. This includes… (specific strategies as they relate to core standards, etc.)

33. Utilizing a Standards-Based IEP Can Help! • Evaluates student functioning in light of grade-level standards and raises expectations • Helps parents understand student levels • Ties the IEP to instruction • Helps to reduce the gap between a student’s performance and grade-level expectations • Assists in identifying learning problems • Highlights disability-related issues that create barriers to success on the academic standards

34. Resources Available to Assist in Identifying Potential Impacts Anderson, K.L. and Arnoldi, K. A. Building Skills in the Fast-Paced Classroom, 2011

35. Addressing “Special Factors”in IEP Development …consider the communication needs of the child, and in the case of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, consider the child’s language and communication needs, opportunities for direct communications with peers and professional personnel in the child’s language and communication mode, academic level, and full range of needs, including opportunities for direct instruction in the child’s language and communication mode; US Dept. of Education; A Guide to the Individualized Education Program https://ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html#writing

36. Documenting Communication Needs on the IEP • Utilize a state-adopted communication plan if available • In lieu of a communication plan, document the student’s communication needs and characteristics in the context of instructional access • Include where you, as the TDHH, fit in as a “mediator” of communication in the classroom

37. Example: Communication Description Mai uses spoken English as her primary mode of communication; she has learned English as a second language. Her receptive language is at least two years behind that of her peers, making the comprehension of instruction difficult, as well as interaction with teachers and peers. She will need modified instructional language, a slower pace of instruction and instruction that is visually supported. A licensed teacher of the DHH will assist with the following: aiding the classroom teacher in modifying instructional language; and assisting in the provision of visually-based materials to support content/concept mastery; advising the classroom teacher re: enhancing the classroom visually and acoustically; inservicing the teacher and peers re: hearing loss and helping the teacher identify ways of improving communication with her and her peers.

38. A Legal Leg* to Stand On The [multidisciplinary] team member licensed in a pupil's disability shall be responsible for conducting the pupil's evaluation and participating at team meetings when an IEP is developed, reviewed, or revised. Consultation and indirect services as defined in part 3525.0210 must be provided to the general or special education teacher providing instruction if not licensed in the disability. The frequency and amount of time for specific consultation and indirect services shall be determined by the IEP team. Pupils may receive instruction and related services from any or all of the [multidisciplinary team members with appropriate skills. The special education provided by each team member shall be included in the IEP. Minn. R. 3525.2350, subp. 3 & 4. *Refer to IEP rules and regulations specific to each state.

39. Another Critical Consideration: Determining the Amount of Service Needed In the March 22, 2017 US Supreme Court decision, Chief Justice Roberts wrote, “…IDEA demands more. It requires an educational program reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances.”  Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, decided March 22, 2017.

40. Determining the Amount of Service: Service Delivery Matrices • Educational Impact for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing : The Michigan Department of Education – Low Incidence Outreach • Hearing Itinerant Services Rubric • Service Delivery Guide for Educating Students Who are Deaf and Low Functioning : Region 4, Houston Texas • Matrix of Services : Florida Department of Education Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, 2017

41. Hearing Itinerant Services Rubric SEDOL IL: https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Hearing-Itinerant-Services-Rubric.pdf

42. In Summary… • As a professional, there are strategies you can use to maximize your involvement in the delivery of services based on student need. • To ensure appropriate service delivery, the IEP must reflect in detail the impact of the student’s hearing loss on learning; strategies that work; communication specifics, technologies required, etc.

43. References • Anderson, Karen L. and Arnoldi, Kathleen. A. Building Skills in the Fast-Paced Classroom: Optimizing Achievement For Students with Hearing Loss, 2011 • NYC Public Schools. Special Education Services As Part of A Unified Service Delivery System (The Continuum of Services for Students with Disabilities) Retrieved from: http://schools.nyc.gov/documents/d75/iep/Continuum%20of%20Services.pdf • PACER Center. A Place to Start: Understanding the Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Statement Retrieved from: http://www.pacer.org/parent/php/PHP-c186.pdf • Szymanski, Christen; Lutz, Lori; Shahan, Cheryl; Gala, Nicholas. Critical Needs of Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Public Input Summary by Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C. 2013 • SEDOL IL: https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Hearing-Itinerant-Services-Rubric.pdf • Technological Education Center for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students. Itinerant Teaching. Retrieved from http://deaftec.org/itinerant/indirect-services • Wrightslaw IDEA Appendix A http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.law.appendixa.htm • US Dept. of Education; A Guide to the Individualized Education Program https://ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html#writing