Publications/Resources

Special Education Local Plan Area SPECIAL EDition Newsletter

• The SPECIAL EDition is for all educators, parents and community agency personnel. Each newsletter focuses on a specific special needs topic; current legislation affecting special education; and local programs serving children with special needs in our SELPA. Look for the current issue at SJCOE’s News & Announcements.
  Contact: PJ Hamilton

Procedural Manual Administrator Edition
Procedural Manual Teacher Edition

• The intent of this handbook is to provide teachers and service providers in general with a comprehensive resource related to the most critical areas of special education requirements and practices encountered in the day to day special education functions they perform. The chapters are sequenced logically in the order issues are encountered or processes generally occur. Early chapters deal with referral, eligibility and program continuums, types of IEP meetings and facilitation supports. The handbook moves on to provide guidance and resources around topics such as accommodations, modifications and STAR testing. Transition/Post secondary, ESY and Low Incidence as well as Early Start, Private School services and Educational Benefit. Later chapters include IDEA 2004, CASEMIS and Student Records. See the table of contents for a complete listing of chapters.
  Contact: Sharon Brenneise

Special Education Procedural and Resource Handbook - Administrative Appendix

• This appendix for administrators is intended to supplement the Procedural and Resource Handbook, which is a comprehensive collection of information designed to be useful to teachers, staff and administrators. The Appendix provides information on topics that have particular application for administrators striving to provide legally compliant, appropriate programs and services for their special education students. Some areas covered are; enrolling LCI students from group homes, prior written notice, independent educational evaluations, parentally placed private school students and several other topics that require administrative involvement. Of necessity, many of the topics are related to legal questions and requirements that we often face. In some cases, the applicable San Joaquin COE Policy or Administrative Regulation is included.
  
  We recognize that when dealing with special education, the administrator’s job is complex and challenging. It is our hope that the information in this Procedural and Resource Handbook and Appendix will help you meet those challenges in your daily efforts.
  Contact: Sharon Brenneise

Student Study/Success Team (SST) Handbook

• This handbook has been developed by a committee facilitated by San Joaquin SELPA and composed of special education directors, special education teachers, general education teachers, school psychologists, and program/educational specialists from districts within the SELPA. The purpose of the Student Study/Success Team (SST) Handbook is to assist general educators at the local school site in responding to the changing needs and demands of the educational setting and to support the functioning of SST teams as a general education resource, the function of which is to support student success in general education.
  Contact: Margaret St. George

Community Advisory Committee Brochure (English)
Community Advisory Committee Brochure (Spanish)

CAC Brochure Insert (English)
CAC Brochure Insert (Spanish)

Community Resource Directory – San Joaquin County

Parent Resource Guide (English)
Parent Resource Guide (Spanish)

• This handbook has been prepared by a sub-committee of the San Joaquin SELPA Community Advisory Committee (CAC) comprised of a group of parents and professionals in special education. They hope this handbook will be a useful resource for families who are seeking quality education for their children with special needs.
  Contact: Rolf Athearn

Parent Rights (English)
Parent Rights (Spanish)

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) (English)
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) (Spanish)

• The San Joaquin County SELPA has been developing and providing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) strategies and training for our SELPA since 2000. We have implemented several ADR programs and strategies during the past several years. These are described in our attached brochures. Two of the most widely accessed components of our Alternative Dispute Resolution program are Intake Coordination and IEP Facilitation.
  
  In our SELPA we have assigned five educational specialists to share the job of intake coordination. They assist parents with their questions and concerns and direct them on the next step toward resolving existing or developing disputes. We believe this first-line action is a preventative measure that allows parents, in many cases, to clarify concerns and discuss options with someone not central to their concerns.
  
  We have trained over 180 administrators, program specialists, psychologists and teachers in the IEP facilitation process. Facilitated IEPs are held across the districts in our SELPA and have proven to be very effective. The San Joaquin County SELPA continues to support ADR training opportunities in our area. SELPA staff regularly attends legal workshops and conferences to bring back and share current practices and programs in dispute resolution with our Council of Directors. Regular participation in the annual ADR conference is another way we stay current with what is happening in the ADR field.
  Contact: Sharon Brenneise

Behavior/Behavior Intervention Manual Guidelines

• Development of the BIM
  The Behavior Intervention Manual (BIM) was developed by the San Joaquin County Office of Education – Special Education Local Plan Area.
  
  The items in the BIM were derived from a variety of sources including federal and State law and regulations, scientific evidence, and professional literature. The BIM is as behaviorally oriented as possible. The committee included a Behavioral Specialist, an Autism Specialist, School Psychologist(s), and Program/Educational Specialists.
  
  The BIM was developed to apply to programs that serve children between the ages of 3 and 21, on the full range of the behavioral continuum, varying ability levels, and in all educational settings. Some items may, therefore, not apply to every program. The purpose of the BIM is to provide a tool for schools or programs to evaluate behavioral services as a whole and to evaluate behavioral services provided to any specific child.
  
  The advisory group strongly encourages districts to more extensively use Positive Behavior Support Plans, less complex than those generated through procedures associated with completion of a formal Functional Analysis Assessment (FAA) when appropriate. We see Positive Behavioral Support Plans as “prevention oriented”.
  
  You may duplicate any of the forms, and are encouraged to share information that may be of value to other behavioral case managers and/or teachers.
  Contact: Joan Justice-Brown

Parent/Teacher Resource Library
Contact: Joan Justice-Brown

Career Vocational Lending Library
Contact: Margaret St. George

Special Education Information Systems (SEIS)
Contact: CEDR Systems Support

Matrix of Autism Programs
Contact: Rolf Athearn

School –Wide Positive Behavior Support Institute (PBS)
Contact: Joan Justice-Brown