PK Early Childhood (EC) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
Coppell ISD will ensure that learners identified as Early Childhood (EC/PK)  are provided with appropriate instruction based on the Texas PreKindergarten Guidelines.  We will ensure, to the greatest extent possible, each Early Childhood learner can be provided the instruction and  differentiation based on their academic and linguistic needs.

PK Early Childhood (In-Person) 
Whole group learning, small group instruction and interventions will be provided in person. Face to face instruction will occur with proper safety precautions, limited group size and sanitization protocols. Educators will develop a schedule to cover the required minutes for core content instruction. 

PK Early Childhood  (Remote, At-Home) 
Instruction will include whole group Zoom lessons and access to digital resources through Schoology. Small group intervention sessions will be scheduled for synchronous virtual participation and engagement.  Teachers will develop a schedule to cover the required minutes for core content instruction.

---

Early Childhood Special Education 
Under IDEA, “eligible” children with disabilities, ages 3-21, are entitled to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE).  The public school program for young children, ages 3-5, is called the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) (formally called Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD).

• Blended EC/ECSE - Learners receive instruction from qualified EC educators along with certified special education educators. Learners’ curriculum is based on the Texas Pre-K guidelines and IEP goals. 
• Self-Contained ECSE - Learners in the Self-Contained ECSE setting are working on their Individualized goals and PK guidelines. 
• Learners will receive small group intervention as identified in their IEP. Small group intervention may be scheduled as in class support, direct therapy or integrated services. 

Coppell ISD will ensure that learners who are identified as English Learners (ELs) are provided with appropriate instruction based on English proficiency levels. We will ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, each learner with limited English proficiency can be provided the educational and linguistic services identified in the student's Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) plan.

Instruction

• Learners will continue to be supported consistent with their LPAC Plan. Those who receive the majority of their services through the general education setting will continue to receive access to their instructional design and accommodations by general education staff. 
• Learners served through ESL/Bilingual will continue to receive accommodations and services. 
• Small group instruction and interventions for learners in the beginning stages of building English proficiency will be provided either in person or virtually (remote, at- home). In-person (face to face) instruction will occur with proper safety precautions, limited group size and sanitation protocols. Virtual Interventions will include direct access to the ESL facilitator.
• Remote (at-home) newcomer instruction will be scheduled in advance with the ESL facilitator. Learners will be expected to be available at their assigned instruction or small group time for synchronous learning. 
• Dual Language Immersion (DLI) will maintain fidelity to the CISD Language Allocation Plan for face to face and virtual learning in order to maintain the integrity of the program model. 

Parent Input

• If at any time you have questions about your child’s English language services, please contact your child’s educator and/or campus ESL Facilitator.
• Parents who do not speak or understand the language of instruction should continue supporting and encouraging their child through the productive struggle of learning a second language. 
• While the learning of a second language is best facilitated through a face to face model, the district is committed to providing language programs in both face to face and remote learning.

Assessment

• Remote data collection, social distance observation, and educator checklists will be conducted remotely to monitor language proficiency. 
• Safety precautions will be taken when face to face assessment is required for eligibility determination. Safety precautions include clear barriers, face masks/shields, hand sanitizer and cleaning protocols.

Resources
Link to parent DLI Guidance 
CISD Newcomer Family Resources

Coppell ISD will ensure that students with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). We will ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, each student with a disability can be provided the educational and related services identified in the student's individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan.

Instruction
Learners with identified disabilities will continue to be supported as stated in their IEP/504 Plan. 

• Learners who receive the majority of their services through the general education setting will continue to receive access to their IEP goals, accommodations and modifications provided by special education and general education staff. 
• Learners served in a special education setting will continue to receive individualized, modified and/or alternate curriculum based on their IEP. 
• Learners served through Section 504 will continue to receive accommodations and services identified in their Individual Accommodation Plan. 

Small Group Therapy and Intervention (In-Person) 
Small group instruction and interventions will be provided in person.  In-person, face to face instruction will occur with proper safety precautions, limited group size and sanitization protocols.

Small Group Therapy and Intervention (Remote, At-Home) 
Virtual Interventions will include direct access to the therapist or interventionist as well as access to relevant individualized digital resources to reinforce the target skill. Small group therapy and intervention sessions will be scheduled for synchronous virtual participation and engagement. 

Additional Access to the IEP
Learners who choose the remote (at-home) option for their learning location may receive some or all of their IEP services, such as “walk-in” therapy in person. Availability of walk in services may be limited due to local heath restrictions. Arrangements must be made with the Special Education Educator, campus administration and therapist. Transportation as a related service is available at the beginning and end of the school day. There will not be shuttle services for individual therapy sessions. If this is a particular hardship for your family, please reach out to Stephanie Flores, Director of Intervention Services sflores@coppellisd.com.

Dyslexia Services 

• Learners will have a scheduled time according to his/her individualized plan. Learners will be expected to be available at their assigned therapy time.
• Dyslexia services will be provided both in-person and virtually.  
• Small group instruction and interventions will be provided either in person or virtually (remote, at home). In-person, face to face instruction will occur with proper safety precautions, limited group size and sanitation protocols. Virtual Interventions will include direct access to the therapist as well as access to relevant individualized digital resources to reinforce the target skill. 

Specialized Services
Group sizes will comply with state and local guidelines. Intervention Services staff will be trained in COVID-19 safety protocols, including sanitization between small groups and social distancing when possible. 

• Direct Related and/or Instructional Services (speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, adapted PE, music therapy, direct psychological services, audiological and/or vision services) will be provided in person or via virtual platform and may include a combination of virtual lessons and activities. Virtual services will include direct access to the therapist (teletherapy), facilitator, or interventionist as well as access to relevant individualized digital resources to reinforce the target skill.
• In class support will be offered by special education staff to support the learner in the general education setting. Remote In Class Support includes consultation with the general education teacher and families,  participation through Schoology and group Zoom sessions and implementation and support of required accommodations and modifications.
• Inclusion support may be limited due to the health and safety of the learners. To the extent possible, educators will find meaningful and purposeful ways for learners to engage with same-aged, non-disabled peers. Inclusion support may occur virtually or after safe and healthy practices are determined reasonable and reliable. 
• Consultative Services may occur through parent training, teacher training, observation and feedback as well as access to online resources. 
• Homebound Services will be provided via virtual platform with direct access to the Homebound Facilitator. Homebound Eligibility is determined by the ARD/504 Committee.

Transportation

• Special Education Transportation services will be provided to eligible students as determined by the ARD committee.
• Transportation as a related service is available at the beginning and end of the school day. Shuttle services are not available for individual therapy sessions.

CISD Special Education Continuum of Services
As we work together to provide essential and engaging learning experiences for our learners (whether face to face or remote) we will rely on the planning and preparation of our CISD staff along with feedback from our staff, learners and families. Learners identified for special education will receive services as identified through their Admission Review and Dismissal (ARD) committee which determines their specific services and supports needed.  Our Special Education Continuum of Services is available to all eligible learners and utilizes evidence-based practices for curriculum, instruction and assessment. 

CISD Special Education Continuum of Services

• Content Mastery
  • Available on all CISD campuses (K-12)
• Resource
  • Available on all CISD campuses (K-12)
• In Class Support
  • Available on all CISD campuses (K-12)
• Personal & Academic Growth (PAG)
  • Currently located at Pinkerton Elementary, CMS-East, CHS9, and CHS
• Early Childhood Special Education
  • Currently located at Austin Elementary, Denton Creek Elementary, Lakeside Elementary, and Wilson Elementary
• Active Learning
  • Currently located at Richard J. Lee Elementary and CHS
• Structured Learning
  • Currently located at Cottonwood Creek Elementary, Denton Creek Elementary, Mockingbird Elementary, Valley Ranch Elementary, CMS-North, CMS-West and CHS
• Practical Academics
  • Currently located at Cottonwood Creek Elementary, Richard J. Lee Elementary, and Town Center Elementary
• Transitional Pathways
  • Currently located at CMS-North, CMS-West, CHS9, and CHS
• Adult Transition Services
  • Currently located at CHS
• Homebound
• Residential

CISD Special Education Clustering of Services
As we plan for the uncertainty this year might bring, we need to ensure we have structures in place to support educators if they might be impacted due to COVID-19 or impacted in some other way during the school year.  If an educator is not able to deliver daily instruction due to their health, quarantine needs, or other reason, we will have a back up plan to sustain instructional delivery and support.  

Learners will continue to be assigned to a class roster for attendance and grading purposes, but district administrators and campus principals will work with educators in order to group learners/classes together for instruction based on changing numbers of face to face or remote instruction. Learners served in Special Education will be clustered based on district, campus and learner needs as identified in the IEP.

504/Admission, Review, Dismissal (ARD) Meetings

• CISD will continue to hold required ARD/504 Meetings using a virtual platform to allow for meaningful participation and collaborative decision making.  Each learner’s Diagnostican, Campus 504 Coordinator, or Speech Language Pathologist will adhere to all federal timelines and ensure Procedural Safeguards are followed.  Informed agreement and consent will be captured via electronic signatures from all required members.
• If at any time the parent/guardian has questions about their learner’s IEP/504 Plan or services and wish to virtually convene an ARD/504 meeting to discuss, please contact the child’s Diagnostican, Campus 504 Coordinator, or Speech Language Pathologist.  A virtual meeting will be scheduled and an individualized link will be provided to all required members of the ARD/504 committee meeting.
• In making certain changes to a child’s IEP after the Annual ARD meeting, the parent and the school may agree not to convene an ARD/504 committee meeting.  Instead, they may make changes to the child’s current ARD/504 plan through an Amendment.  ARD/504 Amendments may address changes in instructional accommodations/modifications or adding/changing IEP goals/objectives.

COVID Response Services
COVID-19 response services are defined as: the provision of services for learners with disabilities in order to make up for service interruptions caused by temporary COVID-19 school building closures and the use of continuous learning options other than in-school instructional service delivery.  Neither the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) nor Article 7 (ESY) defines the term “recovery services.” This term is increasingly being used by educators across the country in lieu of the term compensatory services in response to the unprecedented impact COVID-19 has had on our schools and its impact on the learning of ALL learners. The term recovery services reflects the universal need of all learners to recover from any educational gaps in learning or loss of skills caused by the unexpected school building closures. 

Compensatory Services
Should CISD not be able to provide a specific service as it is written in the IEP/504 plan, TEA has provided a guidance document on compensatory strategies and services.  Compensatory services are generally defined as educational services that a learner needs to make up for skills lost because the school district did not provide the services required by the IEP. When it comes to compensatory services needed to make up for services that could not be provided because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ARD committee’s determination should not be viewed as remedy for a failure on the part of the school district, but rather as a means to mitigate the impact of the loss of critical skills or learning that might have occurred as a result of special education and related services that could not be provided during the pandemic.  

Consideration for COVID Recovery Services and/or Compensatory Services will be determined by reviewing relevant data through the ARD/504 committee meeting or amendment.

504/Special Education Evaluations

• A parent or guardian has the right to request a special education evaluation at any time. If you suspect your child has a disability, you can request an evaluation in writing to the school’s principal or the district Child Find Coordinator, Becky Rainbolt brainbolt@coppellisd.com. 
• If the school knows, or has reason to suspect, that the student has a disability and a need for special education services, the school must refer the student for a special education evaluation.
• CISD will continue to provide Full and Individual Initial Evaluations, 3 Year Re-evaluations and 504 evaluations to the maximum extent possible. 
• Remote data collection, social distance observation, teacher and parent interviews and checklists may be conducted remotely.
• The administration of a standardized test in a non-standardized way impacts the validity of the assessment. For that reason, critical components of the evaluation may not be completed remotely in order to come to an eligibility determination. 
• Safety precautions will be taken when face to face assessment is required for eligibility determination. Safety precautions include clear barriers, face masks/shields, hand sanitizer and cleaning protocols.

Learners who choose the remote (at-home) option for their learning location will be scheduled for critical components of the evaluation to be completed face to face. Availability of walk-in evaluations may be limited due to local heath restrictions. Evaluations will be scheduled with the campus diagnostician, speech therapist or dyslexia therapist. Transportation as a related service is available at the beginning and end of the school day. There will not be shuttle services for face to face evaluations. If this is a particular hardship for your family, please reach out to Stephanie Flores, Director of Intervention Services sflores@coppellisd.com.

Initial Timelines
While it is our intention to complete the evaluation within the federal timelines, we must follow local health mandates regarding face to face interaction. We are working closely with local and state officials for continued and up to date guidance regarding the completion of evaluations requiring face to face interactions. 

We will respond to the written request for evaluation within 15 school days.  Once we have determined an evaluation is needed and written parental consent is obtained  we  will complete the evaluation within 45 school days. Upon completion of the evaluation,  we will review in an Admission Review Dismissal (ARD) meeting within 30 calendar days to determine eligibility.

In the event that an evaluation can not be completed within the established timelines due to county health mandates, or the health and safety of the student, we will hold an evaluation review meeting and discuss intervention options that can be implemented through general education. At that point we will also discuss current options for evaluation and a plan for completion beyond the established timeline. 

Coppell ISD will ensure that learners identified as Gifted and Talented (GT) are provided with appropriate instruction based on their specific area(s) of identification.  We will ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, each GTi identified learner will be provided the differentiation and extensions aligned to the general classroom curriculum.

Health and Safety

• Gifted and Talented Interventionist staff will be trained in COVID-19 safety protocols.
• Additional PPE for staff as well as additional sanitization procedures will be in place to support learners in classrooms. 

Instruction 

• Students will continue to be supported in a manner consistent with the CISD Gifted and Talented Services model (elementary, middle school, high school).  Students will continue to receive individualized, modified and/or alternate curriculum as appropriate. 
• Elementary small group instruction for differentiation and extension will be provided either in person or virtually (remote, at home). In-person, face to face instruction will occur with proper safety precautions, limited group size and sanitation protocols. Virtual instruction will include direct access to the Gifted and Talented Interventionist as well as access to relevant individualized digital resources to extend a targeted skill. 
• Remote, at-home differentiation and extension will be scheduled in advance with the Gifted and Talented Interventionist. Students will be expected to be available at their assigned intervention or small group time for synchronous learning. 

Evaluations 

• We will continue to provide Gifted and Talented Identification assessment to the maximum extent possible once further guidance is provided from the Texas Education Agency regarding universal and ongoing screening.  
• Remote data collection, social distance observation, educator and parent interviews and checklists may be conducted remotely as needed.  
• The administration of a standardized test in a non-standardized way impacts the validity of the assessment. For that reason, critical components of the gifted and talented evaluation may not be completed remotely in order to determine instructional placement.  
• Safety precautions will be taken when face to face assessment is required for instructional placement.  Safety precautions could include clear barriers, face masks/shields, hand sanitizer and cleaning protocols.

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION  |  CLASSROOM DIFERENTIATION  |  PUSH IN/PUSH OUT INSTRUCTION
<---------------------------------------Based on Learner's Needs--------------------------------------->

Classroom Instruction: The classroom educator provides instruction for the learner based on his/her readiness for the content.  In some cases, grade level content is appropriate for GT identified learners. 

Classroom Differentiation:  The campus Gifted and Talented Interventions (GTi) Specialist and the classroom educator co-plan instruction based on the high priority learning standards and differentiation of those standards (depth and complexity).  Differentiation occurs most frequently based on pre-assessment of standards.

Push In/Pull Out Instruction: GTi Specialists push-in to the classroom to co-teach lessons, facilitate small group instruction, or work with an individual learner.  GTi Specialists might pull learners out of their regular classroom instruction when learners require acceleration beyond grade level content, are working on projects beyond the scope of the general classroom curriculum, or are learning in multi-grade groups.  

Social-Emotional Nature and Needs: GTi Specialists are trained in the unique social-emotional needs of GT learners.  Social-emotional learning and support might occur in any of the instructional settings detailed above.

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION  |  CLASSROOM DIFERENTIATION  |  PUSH IN/PUSH OUT INSTRUCTION
<---------------------------------------Based on Learner's Needs--------------------------------------->

Classroom Instruction: The classroom educator provides instruction for the learner based on his/her readiness for the content.  In some cases, grade level content is appropriate for GT identified learners. This will occur in conjunction with the other remote guidelines detailed in this document.  

Classroom Differentiation:  The campus Gifted and Talented Interventions (GTi) Specialist and the classroom educator co-plan instruction based on the high priority standards and differentiation of those standards (depth and complexity).  Differentiation occurs most frequently based on pre-assessment of standards.  This will occur in conjunction with the other remote guidelines detailed in this document. 

Push In/Pull Out Instruction: GTi Specialists may join classroom educators on their planned Zoom meetings to “push-in” to the classroom to co-teach lessons.  Small group instruction or work with an individual learner will occur through separate Zoom meetings or through folders designated in Schoology for learners to access.  GTi Specialists will provide “pull out” instruction for learners who require acceleration beyond grade level content, are working on projects beyond the scope of the general classroom curriculum, or are learning in multi-grade groups through separate Zoom meetings, access to the GTi Specialist’s Schoology course, or special folders in Schoology for learners to access.  

Social-Emotional Nature and Needs: GTi Specialists are trained in the unique social-emotional needs of GT learners.  Social-emotional learning and support might occur in any of the instructional settings detailed above through Zoom meetings or similar methods.