Update from CASE/ CEC Conference - IAASE Recognized for Outstanding Achievement

At our CASE Board of Directors meeting in Indianapolis, IAASE has, once again, been recognized for its outstanding work! This year, we have achieved the award for Outstanding Achievement in the area of Policy and Legislation.

This award is thanks to our tracking of bills, legislative advocacy, continued and ongoing presence in Springfield, well-developed relationships with legislators, legislative roundtables, conference events, and strong delegations each year at the Special Education Legislative Summit (SELS) in Washington, DC. We have done so much work in this area during the past several years including adding a full-time lobbyist (Shannon Miller Bellini) and reconstituting the Legislative Committee with representatives from across the state thanks to Melissa Taylor and Judy Hackett. Really, however, this award is for all of us who work so hard on an every day basis to help every legislator understand schools (and why special education matters).

We also received recognition for increasing our membership year-over-year in CASE by 3%. It was a small increase, but an increase nonetheless. A few people who should be recognized here. First off - Melissa Taylor had the idea to create a more "unified" membership a few years back and we have increased our membership every year since then. Second - Christine Putlak and our region reps have been working hard to increase our membership in IAASE as well and we are currently at 1215 members - the highest point we have been at the end of January - EVER! Finally - we are growing because of all of you. THANK YOU for helping us to be better.

For those of you who are CASE regulars and are curious - these were the other award winners:

Outstanding Award - Arizona
Outstanding Communication - Minnesota
Outstanding Member Development - Michigan
Outstanding Professional Development - Missouri
Highest Membership Growth - Mississippi CASE
Exemplary Unit - Indiana CASE

Updates from ISBE - Assessment & Assistive Technology

In the last week, ISBE has put out LOTS of information related to assessment and has updated a few forms for us. We've tried to cover it all here for you.

Assessment

Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) - General Information

The administration of the IAR will be very similar to last year. School staff can use the same training material and practice tools that were used last year. For additional information, see the recorded webinar from January 18. The agency will be providing more information in the coming weeks.

IAR Student Accommodations

School staff can begin to enter student accommodation indicators in SIS (or enter in to the school software package that feeds information into SIS). New Meridian will provide the test content/forms for the next two years to ensure compatibility and continuity through the transition. The agency will continue to use 100% PARCC content and forms built to the standard of the PARCC assessments, so the accommodations that were available last year, will be available for the spring 2019 administration.

IEP Forms

Assessment pages of the English and Spanish IEP forms (34-54O) have been updated to reflect recent assessment changes from PARCC to Illinois Assessments of Readiness (IAR) and the new PSAT and SAT Suite of Assessments. Find the new form by clicking here.

Assistive Technology

Parent/Guardian Notification of Conference form (34-57D) and the IEP Educational Accommodations and Supports page (34-54N) to reflect the passage of Senate Bill 0454, signed into law as Public Law 0993 on August 20, 2018. This amendment to the Children with Disabilities Article of the Illinois School Code requires written notification that informs parents/guardians that the IEP team is to consider assistive technology at all IEP meetings and provide a telephone number and an internet address for the Assistive Technology Program. Find the new form by clicking here.

You can find a whole explanation for the updated forms by clicking here.

US Department of Education Takes On Seclusion & Restraint

After an attempt to revive the Keep All Students Safe Act at the end of the last Congress, the federal Department of Education is taking a proactive stance with respect to seclusion and restraint initiatives. On Thursday, the Department released the following:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today that the U.S. Department of Education will launch an initiative to address the possible inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion in our nation’s schools. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), in partnership with the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), will oversee this proactive approach which will protect students with disabilities by providing technical assistance and support to schools, districts, and state education agencies, and strengthen enforcement activities.

“This initiative will not only allow us to support children with disabilities, but will also provide technical assistance to help meet the professional learning needs of those within the system serving students,” Secretary DeVos said. “The only way to ensure the success of all children with disabilities is to meet the needs of each child with a disability. This initiative furthers that important mission.”

The Department’s Initiative to Address the Inappropriate Use of Restraint and Seclusion will not only include components that help schools and districts understand how federal law applies to the use of restraint and seclusion, but the Department will also support schools seeking resources and information on the appropriate use of interventions and supports to address the behavioral needs of students with disabilities.

The Department’s initiative will include the following three components:

Compliance Reviews

OCR’s 12 regional offices will conduct compliance reviews on recipients’ use of restraint and seclusion on children with disabilities.

Compliance reviews will focus on the possible inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion, and the effect of such practices on the school’s obligation to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for all children with disabilities.

OCR will conduct compliance reviews and work with public schools to correct noncompliance.

CRDC Data Collection

OCR will conduct data quality reviews and work directly with school districts to review and improve restraint and seclusion data submitted as a part of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).

OCR will provide technical assistance to schools on data quality, to ensure that they are collecting and reporting accurate data relating to the use of restraint and seclusion.

Support for Recipients

OCR will provide technical assistance to public schools on the legal requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act relating to the use of restraint and seclusion on children with disabilities.

OCR will partner with OSERS to provide joint technical assistance to support recipients in understanding how Section 504, Title II, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) informs the development and implementation of policies governing the use of restraint and seclusion.

OSERS will support recipients identified by OCR through compliance reviews or through the complaint resolution process to ensure they have access to appropriate technical assistance and support.

OSERS will support schools to ensure they have access to technical assistance and available resources as they establish or enhance environments where the implementation of interventions and supports reduces the need for reliance on less effective and potentially dangerous practices.

OSERS will consider how current investments may be utilized to provide support and training to schools, districts, and states.

OSERS and OCR will jointly plan and conduct webinars for interested parties related to the use of appropriate interventions and supports for all students.

“In collaboration with OSERS, we will work to ensure that recipients are aware of their legal obligation under Section 504 and Title II, and that we have accurate information and data on the use of restraint and seclusion,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kenneth L. Marcus. “Working directly with schools and districts provides an excellent opportunity to help recipients and support their efforts toward compliance to ensure that all children have an opportunity to succeed in the classroom.”

“OSERS has long focused on improving results and outcomes for children with disabilities,” said Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Johnny W. Collett. “Rethinking special education and challenging the status quo includes examining systems that keep us from making the kind of improvement we know is necessary. This initiative furthers our ongoing efforts to examine any practice that limits opportunities for children with disabilities.”

At the same time, our national organization, CASE, released a statement regarding this work. You can read the statement by clicking here. IAASE will continue to work with our national organization to monitor and support schools so that all students are supported appropriately.

Update from Medicaid Committee - Provider Memo

A Provider Notice was issued on 12/28/18, that addressed the delay in implementation of the NPI requirements for referral form claims. The following clarification is provided:

Please note that the referring NPI number on the claim requirement has been delayed until 7/1/19, but LEAs are still required to have a referral form effective 1/1/19. The NPI number just doesn’t have to be reported on the referral form until 7/1/2019.

This clarification was obtained from the HFS School Medicaid representative by the IAASE Medicaid Committee Chairperson.

(LINK IS HERE)

Provider Notice Issued 12/28/2018

Date: December 28, 2018

To: All Medical Assistance Program Providers

Re: Ordering, Referring, Prescribing - National Provider Identifier (NPI) Requirements - Delay in Implementation

This informational notice applies to Medicaid fee-for-service claims and not managed care claims.

A November 9, 2018 informational notice informed providers that effective with dates of service on and after January 1, 2019, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (Department) would require all claims for services that require an ordering or referring practitioner contain the name and National Provider Identifier (NPI) of the practitioner who ordered, referred, or prescribed such services. The requirement also applied to claims where Medicare is the primary payer.

To ensure that this billing requirement is met, and that affected ordering or referring physicians or other professionals (ORP) may get enrolled in the Illinois Medical Assistance Program through the Illinois Medicaid Program Advanced Cloud Technology (IMPACT) system, the Department is delaying implementation of the billing requirement.

Effective with dates of service on and after July 1, 2019 (excluding pharmacy claims, see below), the Department will reject claims if the required ORP information is missing or invalid, or if the ORP is not enrolled with the Department.

Effective with claim receipt dates beginning July 1, 2019, the Department will reject pharmacy claims submitted through the pharmacy point-of-sale system if the prescribing practitioner identified on the pharmacy claim is not enrolled with the Department.

For dates of service prior to July 1, 2019, the Department will send informational messages to providers if the required ORP claim information is missing or invalid, or if the ORP is not enrolled with the Department.

Please refer to the November 9th informational notice for enrollment and specific claim completion requirements. Questions regarding this notice may be directed to the Bureau of Professional and Ancillary Services at 877-782-5565.

Teresa T. Hursey

Medicaid Director

Upcoming Webinar - 10 Special Education Mistakes to Avoid in 2019

You won't want to miss this great webinar with Cynthia Baasten and Teri Engler from the law firm of Engler, Callaway, Baasten, & Sraga. On February 13, 2019, they will take us through the 10 Mistakes To Avoid in 2019. Learn from your desk and get registered now at https://bit.ly/2M8AHtd

2019 CASE Winter Hybrid Conference

I hope you have already signed up for the 2019 Hybrid Conference. It is going to be amazing! It will be held on March 7-8. Here are the HINTS for virtual sites. We would love for every one of our 43 affiliates to make sure there are at least 3 virtual sites in every state and province. Except for the very first 3 hours, this conference will very much be applicable to our members to the North-Canada! We know school safety, trauma sensitive schools knows no boundaries! Please promote this conference...it is definitely more than a special education professional development. It is appropriate for principals, assistant principals, school psychologists, counselors, teachers, parents, community, just about anyone concerned for the education of our students! And if you would love to join us in Albuquerque, NM, we would love to have you! For more details on the sessions, look at this document!

CASE Activities at CEC

We hope you are planning on attending the CEC Convention in Indianapolis, January 29-February 2. Here is a preliminary CASE Events document to help you with planning your schedule. If you are attending, be sure you arrive in time to attend our Member breakfast, sponsored by eLuma ...I don't have the room yet but it will be in the JW Marriott. The member meeting following the breakfast will be full of information and the opportunity to provide input. We will be giving our Unit Awards, sponsored by Master Teacher in the afternoon. Please encourage all your members who will be attending CEC to join us for the member meeting-it is open to ALL CASE members! Houghton, Mifflin, and Harcourt will be sponsoring Julie Weatherly's 90 Tips in 120 minutes on Thursday. We are so excited about CASE Night this year! It will once again be sponsored by StarAutism and it will be at the Hall of Champions--which is in walking distance of the convention! So, if you haven't gotten your tickets yet, be sure and do that today!

Federal School Safety Commission Issues Final Report

Right before Winter Break, the federal School Safety Commission released its report and recommendations. CASE, the Council of Administrators of Special Education, (our national affiliate), released comments and you can read those along with the report below.

CASE Comments:
https://bit.ly/2s98itX

School Safety Commission Report:
https://bit.ly/2SVPqK6