Minutes
Quincy School Committee
Special Education Subcommittee Meeting
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
A meeting of the Special Education Subcommittee was held on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at 6:00
pm at the Coddington Building. Present were Mr. Noel DiBona, Mr. Dave McCarthy, and Mrs. Anne
Mahoney, Chair. Also attending were Superintendent DeCristofaro, Mrs. Catherine Carey, Mrs.
Donna Cunningham, Mrs. Mary Fredrickson, Mr. Richard Kelly, Ms. Madeline Roy; Ms. Judy Todd;
Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education Board Members Ms. Beck, Ms. Campbell, Ms.
Gichuhi, Ms. Hurld, Ms. Nabstedt; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Mrs. Mahoney called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Ms. Todd reviewed the Coordinated Program
Review process that just concluded. A self-study was completed and then many weeks of
preparation for the file review. Over 80 people were interviewed and observations were conducted
at various school locations.
For the 2014-2015 Program Improvement Plan, Ms. Todd reviewed that the mission of the Special
Education Department is to provide specially designed instruction and/or related services. The
program builds on individual strengths and abilities, meeting the diverse academic, emotional, and
social needs of all students. Professional development last year included curriculum alignment,
creating District-Determined Measures, pacing guides, and alternative strategies for Math
Reteach. Elementary resource room teachers worked on identifying progress monitoring.
In reflecting on last year's goals, the middle school MCAS Math goal was achieved with scores
showing an improvement of 1% on Number System for Grade 7 and 3% for Grade 8. The reteach
model has been consistently implemented at every middle school. Teachers reteach using alternative
strategies, supported by professional development and common planning time. System-wide
professional development included special education and regular education teachers.
The goal of Grade 3 students increasing their word recognition level by 17 words was exceeded and
the third goal of creating an informational presentation for general education teachers to inform
them of their responsibilities to students with disabilities was also completed.
Special Education Goals for 2014-2015 are: (1) During the 2014-2014 school year, all students with
Math goals in their IEPs in Grades 7 and 8, will increase their total Math MCAS percent correct by 1%.
(2) The average gain for word reading, as assessed by DIBELS Next was 25.35 words by 2014. By June
2015, the average word gain will be 30. (3) Through the Coordinated Program Review selfassessment, two areas, bullying and autism questions were not consistently applied. In 2014-2015,
Quincy Public Schools will demonstrate 100% compliance.
Special Education Team goals are: Occupational Therapy: develop and implement new treatment
activities for visual tracking. Speech Team: Create a form to track the number and type of prompts
needed for children to execute multi-step directions. Language Development Team: Develop a
consistent approach to writing. Positive Academic and Social Skills (PASS) Team: Increase student
understanding of the benefits of anxiety and depression management. CARES Team: Identify and
Implement appropriate curriculum-based assessment tools to monitor student progress. Elementary
Resource Room Team: Increase average gain in word reading by 30 words. Middle School Math:
Increase total math MCAS average percent correct by 1%.
QPAC’s goals for 2014-2015 are: (1) Increase participation in QPAC; (2) communicate with the
citywide community, specifically to work with the YMCA to implement social groups and share
information with principals and teachers through school newsletters; and (3) Share resources with
parents, teachers, and others by creating an information packet for parents, hosting a resource fair,
and hosting multiple presentations of special education-related topics.
Ms. Todd concluded her presentation with an analysis of school demographic changes over time.
Mr. McCarthy thanked Ms. Todd for her presentation, much work goes into the Program
Improvement Plan and the student achievement gains are great to see. Mr. McCarthy asked about
outside placements and whether that population is growing. Ms. Todd said there has been a slight
increase in recent years.
Ms. Gichuhi asked for more specifics on the presentation that was created for special education
teachers. It reviews basic information, the referral process, the student support team, and
emphasized consistent service delivery.
Mrs. Mahoney thanked Ms. Todd for highlighting the student demographics. She asked for more
detail about the outside placements and what types of schools. Mrs. Mahoney asked about
transitioning back to Quincy Public Schools, most students typically transition at the end of the
year. Mr. Kelly said that a small percentage of students transition back. The largest population
attends the South Shore Educational Collaborative. Mrs. Mahoney asked about Carroll School, which
is phasing out the program over the next five years. The Landmark School will become the program
of choice for students with these program needs. Mrs. Mahoney asked if we would consider having
this program in Quincy Public Schools and what are the cost ramifications. Mr. Kelley said other
schools may take the opportunity to expand their programs.
Dr. DeCristofaro thanked the Special Education Team Administrators and Ms. Todd for her
management of the Special Education program.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Special Education Program Improvement Plan. Mr.
DiBona seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Ms. Todd gave a brief update on the Aspen Special Education module implementation. A project
team is being formed to plan the transition to Aspen. Beginning in September 2015, IEPs will be
entered into Aspen and progress reports will be able to be shared by teachers. Ms. Hurld asked
whether students who are out of district will be on Aspen, but their schools’ systems may or may not
be compatible. This is something to assess during the planning process. Mrs. Mahoney asked if this
can be followed and compatibility assessed.
Mr. DiBona asked whether substitute teachers will have access to accommodation data and they will
under Aspen. He also asked whether parents know if a substitute is in the classroom that day but this
is not part of the notifications. Mr. McCarthy said that sometimes the fact a substitute is there might
be enough to disrupt a Special Education student's routine. Ms. Hurld said that is always a Special
Education concern, so there was a student information sheet developed for inclusion in substitute
folders. Ms. Beck said that for some parents, it is a huge concern since it can trigger a crisis. Ms.
Todd said that for students with communication books as part of their accommodation plan, this
information would be noted. Mrs. Mahoney said this comes down to the detail of the IEP, students
who have these needs should have this accommodation.
For the QPAC Update, Ms. Nabstedt reviewed that the Rights and Responsibilities training was held
last week for parents. For goals, communication is managed through social media and email, press
releases to the Quincy Sun and Patriot Ledger, the QPS website, and Instant Alert. Concerns were
expressed about the accuracy of the Instant Alert group. Upcoming events include the November 4
General Meeting; November 13 is the next workshop on Understanding Educational Evaluations.
In terms of QPS/QPAC Collaboration, Ms. Gichuhi said that in past years, there has been consistent
collaboration, equipment, postage, financial support, and use of the Quincy High School Resource
Room. Accessing PTOs has been an issue, and QPAC is asking for assistance from the
Superintendent. QPAC would like to collaborate on bringing in outside presentations, through writing
grants or sharing costs. For the QPAC website, would it be possible host on the city server or for QPS
to cover the $50 annual fee. QPAC cannot have a bank account, per DESE guidelines.
Dr. DeCristofaro said that Ms. Todd and other members of the Superintendent’s Leadership can assist
with working on Principal collaboration and outside presentations. Dr. DeCristofaro suggested a
planning meeting and including Mr. Mullaney for the financial questions. Ms. Gichuhi and Ms.
Nabstedt thanked School Committee and Superintendent for their continuing collaboration.
General Parent Concerns: At the high school level, confusion about whether there is one or two
Parent Conferences per year. Dr. DeCristofaro will follow up with the information. Concerns have
been shared about the availability of Occupational Therapy and Ms. Todd asked for individual parents
to contact her about their concerns.
Ms. Nabstedt asked about the meeting dates for the 2014-2015 school year. At the Special Meeting
on September 17, the dates of January 21, 2015; March 25, 2015; and May 27, 2015 were planned.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:00 pm. Mr. DiBona seconded the motion
and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.