Novato Dr. Tracy Smith*

Communication with parents and guardians regarding special education services and resources at every child's development stage is critical to identifying whether children have learning differences. Response: Partially Agree The Novato Unified School District agrees that communication with parents regarding the provision of special education services is critical; however, the initial communication with the Novato Unified School District parents/guardians regarding special education services takes place when all general education interventions have been exhausted or the student is demonstrating acute educational needs that likely could not be addressed without the provision of special education support and services - and not before. The Novato Unified School District's communications with parents/guardians typically center on a child's present levels when compared to developmental milestones or age/grade level behavioral/academic expectations, not the provision of special education services -unless such discussions are warranted. The Novato Unified School District's approach is driven by Education Code section 56303, which states that "a pupil shall be referred for special educational instruction and services only after the resources of the regular education program have been considered and, where appropriate utilized." To ensure that all parents and guardians are made aware of the availability of special education services, the Novato Unified School District provides annual notice regarding special education and the Child Find process to all families of children enrolled within the district (see the 2024-2025 Novato Unified School District's Annual Notice driven by California Education Code 56301 at this link on ). Additionally, when general education supports are not Engage. Inspire. Empower. BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Debbie Butler, Diane Gasson, Julie Jacobson, Magali Limeta, Greg Mack, Ross Millerick, Abbey Picus www.NUSD.org August 20, 2024 Page | 2 Novato Unified School District Response to the Marin County Grand Jury Report "To Learn or Not to Learn: Are Children With Learning Disabilities Set Up for Success?" successful in addressing a student's needs, and again consistent with California Education Code 56301, all children within the Novato Unified School District who are or may be in need of special education and related services, are identified, located, and assessed. It is at this time, when the "Child Find" process has been initiated and a student is suspected of having a disability, that specific communication related to special education services takes place. Once the Child Find process is activated, the Novato Unified School District parents/guardians receive a more explicit and lengthy communication that provides a full explanation of parent's special education rights within thirteen identified categories. That statement of rights, commonly referred to as "Procedural Safeguards," is provided to Novato Unified School District parents upon initial referral for special education services and at least annually thereafter if the child is receiving special education services (see sample Attachment 1: Procedural Safeguards). All of the activities above permit the Novato Unified School District to meet or exceed their Child Find obligations under state and federal law.

Many school districts do not have sufficient information on their website to inform parents and guardians of their rights under federal and state laws to have their children assessed to determine whether they are entitled to special education services. Response: Partially Agree At the time the Grand Jury Report, To Learn or Not to Learn: Are Children with Learning Differences Set Up for Success?, was released, the Novato Unified School District did have information about special education available on their website. With that said, there are currently no statutes, federal or state, that require school districts to post information on their website to inform parents/guardians of their rights under federal and/or state laws related to having their children assessed to determine special education eligibility. Although the Novato Unified School District website does serve an important function related to generalized one-way communication with our school community, the Novato Unified School District elects to communicate with families regarding the federal and state laws concerning special education in many other ways, such as in-person meetings, phone calls, student study teams meetings, and Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, etc.

Each school district should have information on its website describing the services available for students with learning differences. Response: Partially Agree All parents/guardians should know what services are available to students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This is first accomplished by the Marin County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) developing and adopting an annual special education service plan consistent with California Education Code 56205(b)(2). The plan (see Attachment 2: Marin County SELPA 2024-2025 Service Plan) includes a description of special education services to be provided by the Novato Unified School District, Engage. Inspire. Empower. BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Debbie Butler, Diane Gasson, Julie Jacobson, Magali Limeta, Greg Mack, Ross Millerick, Abbey Picus www.NUSD.org August 20, 2024 Page | 3 Novato Unified School District Response to the Marin County Grand Jury Report "To Learn or Not to Learn: Are Children With Learning Disabilities Set Up for Success?" including the nature of the services and the physical location at which the services will be provided. Additionally, the Marin County SELPA has a description of special education programming available within Marin County school districts consistent with the California Education Code 56361 requirement for a continuum of special education programming options to be available within each SELPA. This information is updated on an annual basis and can be accessed on the Marin County SELPA website (see https://selpa.marinschools.org/about-selpa). It would be misleading to attempt to describe the specific special education services available under the IDEA on the Novato Unified School District's website. Every student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is unique and the range of services available to a student is dependent on the identified needs of the student and the recommendation(s) of the IEP team. By design, IEP service delivery is something that cannot be meaningfully prepackaged into a list or description. More importantly, posting a listing of possible IEP services available to students removes the "Individualized" from the IEP.

The Special Education Information System is a valuable tool that, when used consistently, will increase the likelihood that students with learning differences will have their Individualized Education Programs effectively administered, thereby increasing the chances of success for those students. Response: Partially Agree The Special Education Information System (SEIS) is a valuable tool that supports the Novato Unified School District with online access to develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), manage special education data, submit California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) reports, and track Individualized Education Program (IEP) service delivery. However, there are no findings in the report that suggest that the use of SEIS specifically or exclusively is connected to an increase in the effective administration of IEPs, or in student success.

Many school districts do not use the Special Education Information System to track whether the district has provided the service hours required by Individualized Education Programs. Response: Agree

Data is not available electronically in Marin school districts to ascertain whether the districts are providing the service hours required by their students' Individualized Education Programs. Response: Partially Agree While digital Individualized Education Program (IEP) service delivery data may not be available across all school districts in Marin County, the Novato Unified School District is recording and tracking IEP service delivery on an individual student level. If a parent/guardian has a question regarding the delivery of Engage. Inspire. Empower. BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Debbie Butler, Diane Gasson, Julie Jacobson, Magali Limeta, Greg Mack, Ross Millerick, Abbey Picus www.NUSD.org August 20, 2024 Novato Unified School District Response to the Marin County Grand Jury Report "To Learn or Not to Learn: Are Children With Learning Disabilities Set Up for Success?" services to their student, the parent/quardian may request records from the Novato Unified School District to help determine if special education services are being delivered at the frequency and duration indicated in the last agreed upon IEP. The Novato Unified School District will provide the requested information to the parent/guardian (electronically or otherwise) and work to address any reported discrepancies in service delivery, if needed.

The co-teaching method can reduce the negative connotations of a special education class by including the resource specialist in the general education classroom to assist students with learning differences. Response: Partially Agree Co-teaching is one method of instruction to assist students with learning differences in the general education classroom that may work to reduce any negative connotations associated with special education service delivery.