Monitoring

The Bureau of Special Education Support has developed a two-part process for the monitoring of Individualized Education Program (IEP) compliance,which begins with school district staff being trained to complete a self-assessment of their students' IEPs for compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Bureau feels the best way to ensure compliance is to increase school district staff's knowledge and understanding of the federal, state and local statutes, rules and regulations that relate to the development and implementation of students' IEPs to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities. The second part of the IEP compliance review process involves Bureau staff conducting an on-site file review of school districts' identified evidence for student IEPs to verify that compliance has been met.

The intent of the self-assessment is:

1. To determine compliance with IDEA;
2. For school personnel to gain a deeper understanding of the New Hampshire Standards for the Education of Children with Disabilities along with the responsibilities associated with special education; and
3. To provide information for the district to improve its special education policies, procedures, and practices.

Special Education Compliance Monitoring Reports 2013 to present

Through the Special Education Compliance & Improvement Monitoring (CIM) review, one method that the New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE), Bureau of Student Support (Bureau) utilizes to implement the general supervision system; the Bureau identifies and supports correction of noncompliance, consistent with the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Memo 09-02. Districts are provided written notification of their findings of noncompliance with corrective actions through the Special Education Compliance & Improvement Monitoring Review Report. The report also indicates recommended preventive actions by the Bureau. The Bureau identifies recommended preventive actions and potential remedies to these practices. Whereas these practices do not rise to the standard of noncompliance, and therefore require no corrective actions, the Bureau believes that the practices are noteworthy to be addressed.

The Bureau has compiled a list of the noncompliant practices and a list of the recommended preventive actions from the 2017-2018 Special Education Compliance & Improvement Monitoring (CIM) Reports. These lists have been created to help districts identify and rectify any practices that may be found as noncompliant or may become noncompliant in order to assist in preparing for Compliance & Improvement Monitoring visits and to assist districts in determining professional development needs based on an internal review and comparison with the data.

• 2017-2018 Noncompliant Practices
• 2017-2018 Recommended Preventive Actions

In addition, the Bureau is providing the Self-Assessment Compliance Comparison Chart 2013-2014 to 2017-2018 for review of trend data.

• Self-Assessment Compliance Comparison Chart 2013-2014 to 2017-2018

Public Academies/Joint Maintenance Agreement (JMA) Program Approval & Monitoring Process

The Public Academies Program Approval & Monitoring process is designed to monitor public academies' compliance with IDEA 2004, NH Statutes, and the New Hampshire Standards for the Education of Children with Disabilities, while placing particular emphasis on improving the outcomes for students with disabilities and their families.

Monitoring is done on a cyclical basis. During the year prior to monitoring, the New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE), Bureau of Student Support (Bureau) offers training to each public academy who is involved in the monitoring process. Training encompasses writing Measurable Annual Goals, Written Prior Notice, Specially Designed Instruction, IEP Self-Assessment form, and a topic selected by the public academy based on current need.

During the school year in which the public academy is being monitored, the public academy will send the Bureau descriptions of their approved programs as well as their program's special education procedures and special education personnel. Following a review of these documents, the monitoring team will look for evidence of implementation of the public academy's policies and procedures which pertain to program approval and conduct an on-site review in which student files are examined for evidence of implementation of the policies and procedures through the special education process. The Bureau will also conduct a follow-up review to verify the implementation of corrective actions as defined in the summary report.

2021-2022 Public Academies Program Approval & Monitoring

Monitoring Review

• 2021-2022 Sample Timeline
• 2021-2022 Special Education Procedures Review Form
• 2021-2022 Special Education Personnel Review Form
• 2021-2022 Example Description of Special Education Programs
• 2021-2022 IEP Monitoring Review Self-Assessment Data Collection Form

Public Academies Compliance & Improvement Monitoring Review Reports