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Special education coordinator outlines IEP adjustments, free Region 10 AI training and due‑process improvements
Summary
Special education coordinator Penny Gallon described tiered standards-based grading adaptations for students with a wide range of needs, a move away from a paid Goalbook product toward a free Region 10 AI training to draft IEP goals, and efforts to strengthen due‑process documentation and behavior intervention planning.
Penny Gallon, special education coordinator for the district, briefed the board on how standards-based grading will be adapted for students with individualized education programs and on efforts to improve special education processes.
Gallon said the district will use a tiered approach: for students on functional curricula, teams will draw learning targets from Minnesota standards but modify them to align with IEP goals and focus on real-life, functional skills such as basic cooking and money management. "We're really focusing on growth and the skill mastery rather than some of these very traditional standards," she said.
The special education team considered purchasing a commercial product (Goalbook) but decided to use a free Region 10 AI training to help staff draft IEP goals aligned to Minnesota standards as a cost‑effective alternative. Gallon described ongoing work to improve the quality and accuracy of due‑process documentation, enhance positive behavior support plans and monitor effectiveness over time.
She said teams are balancing different needs across the continuum—from students requiring functional life‑skills instruction to those who are near grade level and need minimal supports—and will continue to develop tiered benchmarks and modified assessments.
Board members did not take formal action on the special education recommendations at the meeting; Gallon thanked the board for continued support.
