Student support services outlines new IEP format and transition curriculum mapping

Caroline Flynn, head of Student Support Services, briefed the committee on two priorities: implementation of Massachusetts' new individualized education program (IEP) format and a district curriculum-mapping effort for transition programming.

Flynn said the district completed year-two implementation of the new IEP and rewrote each IEP on the district caseload to conform to new state-prescribed wording. "The new IEP is very detail oriented now, for the parents," Flynn said, adding that the new post-secondary transition planning section provides a more structured approach. She described the student-support team (speech and language staff, psychologists, school adjustment counselors and ESPs) and a multi-tiered curriculum-mapping pilot covering four program levels with teacher volunteers, PLCs and trialing with two students to collect data and refine the curriculum.

During Q&A, committee members asked whether teachers find the IEP format workable. Flynn said teachers told her they like the format and that the district schedules PD and one-on-one meetings so teachers receive IEPs and meet about students before school starts.

Finance staff later noted a year-over-year decrease in IDEA funding of about $80,000, which the presenter attributed to local year-end reporting and case-load differences rather than a federal or state policy change. Committee members discussed the need to monitor grant continuity and to include grant-risk considerations when developing the preliminary budget.

Why it matters: IEP changes affect compliance and parents' understanding of transition planning; decreases in IDEA funding have budget implications for services and staffing.

Staff said they will continue to pilot the mapped curriculum, collect data, and coach teachers through UDL-aligned professional learning supports.