Special Education Case Management 101
No one really talks about case management, we all talk about the fun things about teaching from decorating our classrooms to finding those fun and exciting resources to enhance student learning. This is the first article of a blog series about setting yourself up for success for your case management and teaching duties throughout the school year.
Case management is a vital component as a special education teacher, but in order to be a good case manager you need to understand the four key components: Intake, Needs Assessment, Service Planning, and Monitoring and Evaluation.
Intake is when you review the IEP and write down key information that is important to convey to other team members, also at this time you can have a make action plan meeting with the parents and students. Check out the form that I use for reviewing IEPS.
Needs Assessment: this a quick survey that you can give to parents and the students where they can indicate what they need support with. I give this survey to both the parents and students because at times parents will indicate where they need support at home, and I can make sure that they are getting wrap-around services to support them and their family.
Service Planning: This is the nuts and bolts. After you have reviewed files, had a MAP meeting with parents and other service providers if needed and completed the needs assessment you can begin to write the education at a glance plan that details the students schedule, list the goals and the accommodations/modifications they need to be successful.
Monitoring: This is also called progress monitoring. As a case manager it is important to set up a system that works well for you. You may be managing other teachers and reviewing their data on a weekly or monthly basis or you may be a case manager that is reviewing the data that other adults are documenting after they work with a student on their IEP goals. Either way figure out a system stick for it for at least 6-12 weeks if it doesn’t work you can always revise it. Remember to make it simple but effective so everyone understands how to use it.
Evaluation: This is critical because you are looking at the data that has been gathered and determining if the student has made progress. The data has to be quantified and qualified rather than simply anecdotal. Have you heard the saying “without data it is just an opinion” well you need the data to support a change in placement, and additional services.
If you need support in setting up your system for case management for the students on your caseload, then send me an email at hello@nicolettelesniak.com. I look forward to working with you.
