Report 2015-112 Recommendation 4 Responses
Report 2015-112: Student Mental Health Services: Some Students' Services Were Affected by a New State Law, and the State Needs to Analyze Student Outcomes and Track Service Costs (Release Date: January 2016)
Recommendation #4 To: Long Beach Unified School District
To better communicate with parents and future IEP teams about reasons for any changes to student services, including changes to mental health services and student placements, Long Beach should develop a process to ensure that IEP teams record these reasons in student IEP documents.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2020
LBUSD has applied directed staff to review IEPs to insure that student services are being discussed in a meeting in a manner that highlights why any change has taken place. Staff has been trained on the process for reviewing IEPs in addition to notes that should be included in the document.
- Completion Date: November 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented
Long Beach provided its written process for reviewing IEP documents to ensure that they include reasons for any changes to student services. As part of its review process, Long Beach staff verify specific components of the IEP documents, including a discussion of data leading to services offered and any changes to services. Long Beach staff communicate to IEP teams any deficiencies noted during the review process and provide guidance on how to amend the IEP documents as needed.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2018
We have directed staff to review IEPs to insure that student services are being discussed in an meeting in a manner that highlights why any change have taken place. Staff have been trained on the process for reviewing IEPs in addition to notes that should be included in the document.
- Completion Date: November 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
Long Beach did not provide documentation that supports its claim of full implementation. Accordingly, we continue to assess this recommendation as partially implemented.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2017
We have reviewed individual student IEP's for specific language on the need to change related services. After training the teachers on the content of the language, we did a review of documents and determined that the stated language is being included.
- Completion Date: February 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
Although we made a specific request, Long Beach did not provide any documentation to support its claim that it has fully implemented this recommendation. Accordingly, we continue to assess the recommendation as partially implemented.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
1-Year Agency Response
We have sought feedback from parents on the referral process and have made refinements that reflect an earlier point of communication when there are concerns. We have provided training to teachers on the IEP process and how to record concerns/conversations as they are taking place in IEP meetings. A random review of IEP's (done internally) reveals that teachers are beginning to use new and more specific language in documenting processes within the IEP.
- Completion Date: December 2016
- Response Date: January 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Partially Implemented
Long Beach held a special education teacher meeting in February 2017, and the assistant superintendent of school support services distributed a memorandum communicating the discussion from the meeting regarding documentation of related service changes, including mental health services. As part of that communication, Long Beach indicated that the notes in the IEP should include reasons for changes. However, Long Beach did not provide any evidence of the random review of IEPs it performed to substantiate the new and more specific language used within the IEP.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
6-Month Agency Response
We are working on a process with our Community Advisory Committee (parent group) to align the documentation that takes place for mental health services in IEP's
- Estimated Completion Date: 01/15/17
- Response Date: October 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
Long Beach has updated its status from its 60-day response by now stating that it is working on a process. Accordingly, we have revised our assessment to indicate that the status is pending.
60-Day Agency Response
In combination with required CDE monitoring and training, the District has implemented additional teacher trainings to review and train on applicable state and federal laws.
- Estimated Completion Date: Ongoing
- Response Date: April 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Partially Implemented
In March 2016 Long Beach provided training to its teachers on the continuum of placement options for students in special education. Although the training provided information on how to use the continuum of placement form, it did not communicate that the reasons for any changes to student services need to be documented and where those reasons should be documented.
All Recommendations in 2015-112
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.