On August 5, 2020, Carole L. Clancy, Director of the PDE Bureau of Special Education, issued a PennLink message titled 2020-21 Special Education Compliance Monitoring Schedule. The message states that PDE has the responsibility to ensure that all local educational agencies (LEAs) providing services, whether directly or by contractual arrangements, administer special education services and programs that are compliant with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. In order to fulfill this responsibility, PDE has established administrative procedures for monitoring program implementation, including evaluating the appropriateness, effectiveness, and accountability of special education services and programs.

 To that end, PDE has developed the schedule for compliance monitoring for the 2020-21 school year, in which 125 school districts or charter schools of varying sizes across the commonwealth will be monitored. Additional monitoring reviews, if deemed appropriate, may be designated as the 2020-21 school year progresses. 

 The Cyclical Monitoring for Continuous Improvement usually includes a Facilitated Self-Assessment completed by the LEA and an onsite PDE review. This year, due to health and safety concerns for school personnel as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the onsite PDE review will be replaced by a virtual review. This process will largely mirror the onsite process, with some modifications. The virtual monitoring process will include a review of the Facilitated Self-Assessment submitted by the LEA; interviews with administrators, teachers, parents and students; and verification activities of the information reported in the Facilitated Self-Assessment. Verification activities include digital file reviews of student documents; studies of service delivery; and analysis of policies, procedures, and outcomes. 

Personnel from school districts, charter schools, and intermediate units undergoing monitoring are required to participate in the web-based monitoring training modules to familiarize themselves with the monitoring instrument and web-based process. District superintendents, charter school chief executive officers, special education directors, and additional appropriate personnel should view the web-based monitoring training. This training will review the virtual monitoring process, Facilitated Self-Assessment submission, documents to be submitted; and provide resources to assist LEA personnel to prepare for the monitoring process. 

The web-based training modules will be disseminated no later than August 14, 2020. LEAs must complete the trainings by September 4, 2020 and report to the chairperson, the date all relevant personnel completed the training. 

Questions regarding the 2020-21 monitoring schedule should go to Kelli Franklin at [email protected].