The IBC Charter School

Most children learn the "ABC's" of day-to-day social behavior with no need for special intervention.  Other children require more intensive, individualized attention and support to learn the "ABC's" of social behavior and for them, we propose the creation of the IBC Charter School -- a school where the ABC's of social behavior can be learned through highly supportive, Intensive, Individualized instruction. 

The Institute for Behavior Change developed the following proposal for a Pennsylvania Charter School in November of 2003.  We believe that this proposal describes an ideal combination of the resources of the Departments of Education and Public Welfare, aimed at the common goal of maximizing the independence of children with autistic spectrum disorders.  We recognize that this proposal addresses only the needs of children through the age of 11, and encourage feed-back about this proposal in the hope that others may find it useful in their own work to improve the educational and behavioral development opportunities for children with autistic spectrum disorders of any age.  The Institute for Behavior Change grants permission for the duplication and use of this proposal by others, provided that recognition of the Institute for Behavior Change is given in the user's document. 

Click this link to read the article concerning the IBC Charter School that appeared on 12/29/2003 in the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Unfortunately, both of the school districts where the IBC Charter school was proposed have denied the Charter application and an appeal to the PA Department of Education is now the only route available to create the IBC Charter School....

I. SCHOOL DESIGN

 1.      Mission Statement:

A.       What is the mission of the Charter School?

The mission of the IBC Charter School is to promote the long-term independent functioning of children with autistic spectrum disorders.

The successful acquisition of effective communication and socialization skills, and the ability to be attentive and responsive to instruction are prerequisites for the achievement of long-term independent functioning of children with autistic spectrum disorders.  When children of compulsory school age lack these basic life skills, they are tremendously at-risk for peer rejection (including physical and other negative altercations with peers), and then become highly prone to academic stagnation and failure.  The IBC Charter School will dramatically reduce or eliminate these risk factors and thereby will enable children with severe developmental deficits to be more successfully integrated into the mainstream of childhood and public education.  We will concentrate on developing basic life skills (communication, socialization, attentiveness and responsiveness to instruction) in children with autistic spectrum disorders that will enable these children to be successfully integrated into inclusive classroom settings in public schools. 

 B.  What is your overarching vision of the school? 

The IBC Charter School will utilize state-of-the art behavioral intervention technology that has been developed over the past thirty years explicitly for the betterment of children with developmental disorders, and will involve parents and community resources in the education process to the utmost extent possible.  As the students mature, they will be integrated into mainstream education programs to the fullest extent possible.  Because children will need varying levels of intensive, individualized treatment to develop their potential, and because children develop skills at different rates, each child at the IBC Charter School will have both individualized education and behavioral treatment plans that will be reviewed, updated and fine-tuned no less than once weekly, to take full advantage of each child’s emerging skills and capabilities.   

Children who retain severely immature, intrusive, provocative, disruptive, and nonhygienic behavior upon the attainment of compulsory education age are routinely discriminated against by their peers, shunned, avoided and most sadly, are often targets for overt mistreatment as well.  Rather than simply expecting mainstream classroom teachers and fellow students to “accommodate and adjust to” the behavior of a severely developmentally disabled child who has been placed in their midst (as is commonly the case when children with developmental disabilities are “mainstreamed” in educational settings), we will prepare children with autistic spectrum disorders to be successfully integrated into mainstream, nonrestrictive, classroom settings at the earliest age at which this can be accomplished by providing the necessary training in communication, socialization and responsiveness to instruction that is required if truly successful integration is to be accomplished.   

2. Measurable Goals and Objectives: 

A.     What are the school’s measurable academic goals and objectives to promote student learning? 

The IBC Charter School will collaborate with parents, families, and community agencies to address and meet students’ intellectual, developmental, and social needs, while preparing each student to become a successful participant in mainstream educational processes to the utmost extent that this is possible for them.  We will provide the external structure, supervision and encouragement necessary for students to acquire:

·        age-appropriate life skills

o       toileting

o       basic personal hygiene

o       clothing use

·        tolerance for age-appropriate performance expectations

o       orienting to instructors

o       attending to presented tasks

o       completing assigned tasks

·        effective communication skills

o       expressive verbal skills to the utmost extent possible

o       skill in using adjunctive communication tools when necessary

§         Sign language

§         gestures

§         PECS 

Student progress will be monitored in the preceding and other critical need areas on an ongoing basis, using methods of data collection and analysis that have been developed in the behavioral sciences over the past 50 years.  Cognitive assessment will be performed upon admission, and annually thereafter, using measures that are appropriate for the child (e.g., the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test for nonverbal students, etc).  The IBC Charter School will contract with experts in the use of nonverbal intelligence testing who have more than 25 years’ experience in evaluating and designing education and treatment programs for children with autistic spectrum disorders.

Students who are able to accept age-appropriate curricula in reading, arithmetic, science, history and other academic subject areas will receive individualized instruction in those areas commensurate with their apparent ability to analyze and synthesize presented information.  The curriculum of the Kennett Consolidated School District, or the Unionville-Chadd’s Ford School District (depending upon the district of residence for each particular student) will be used as a foundation for setting academic achievement expectations for students to the extent that this is reasonable, given the functional capacity of students.  The curriculum will be adapted insofar as its scope and sequence so as to present students of the IBC Charter School with reasonable academic performance expectations on a student-by-student basis.  Allowance and encouragement will be made for individual tracking of student academic interests and achievement.

Adaptive & social assessment (CARS, Vineland, WIAT II as appropriate) will be conducted at the time of admission and not less than annually thereafter.  The IBC Charter School will contract with Certified School Psychologists, including one who has provided consultations and support to parents regarding the education needs of children with autistic spectrum disorders since 1984. 

Parents will be trained to implement the instructional and behavioral strategies that are found to be successful at the IBC Charter School.  Their effectiveness as facilitators of their child’s learning process will be evaluated on an ongoing basis by self-report and by observation and analysis of videotape recordings. 

B.      What are the schools measurable non-academic goals and objectives to promote student performance? 

     The IBC Charter School will collaborate with parents, families, and community agencies to address and meet students’   emotional needs.  We will provide the external structure, supervision and encouragement necessary for students to acquire:

·        age-appropriate frustration and anger management skills

·        tolerance for delayed gratification of perceived needs

·        tolerance for time-out strategies when misbehavior occurs

·        tolerance for redirection to alternative tasks   

·        ability to request “a break” to restore emotional equilibrium 

When a child graduates from the IBC Charter School and enrolls in a mainstream public school classroom setting, the IBC Charter School will continue to support the child by facilitating the child’s accompaniment by appropriately trained and experienced providers of behavioral support services into the public school setting.  Ongoing parent support will be facilitated through the same means.  In this way, the successful behavioral treatment strategies discovered and fine-tuned at the IBC Charter School can be taught readily to public school classroom aides and teachers, so that the probability that an IBC Charter School graduate fails to successfully integrate into the mainstream education environment is absolutely minimized.

3. Educational Program:

A.     Describe the educational program of the school, providing an overview of the curriculum and the content in all subject areas.

The IBC Charter School will be a “magnet school” for children with autistic spectrum disorders.  It would open at 8:30 am and close at 3:30 pm, and provide educational and support services to children five years of age or older for seven hours per day, Monday through Friday, with additional in-home and in-community supports available for children through the outpatient mental health service delivery system as necessary.  Placement of children will be based on the child’s intellectual, social and emotional development with groupings that consider the age and physical capabilities of the children.  We project an initial enrollment of 30 students in the first year.  We will provide: 

o       a highly supportive teaching environment.  IBC Charter School faculty have will have acquired experience as Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS) providers in the outpatient mental health system.  They will have been rated as among the most supportive, helpful professionals encountered by parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders. 

o       predictable routines.  IBC Charter School faculty will have been rated by parents as highly reliable providers of TSS services who clearly recognize the necessity of adhering to predictable schedules and behavioral principles. 

o       carefully planned transitions across intervention settings.  As TSS providers, IBC Charter School faculty will have been well-accustomed to implementing complex treatment plans that may include dozens of planned interventions in a day, all delivered in an orderly sequence and all documented appropriately. 

o       The Kennett Consolidated School District curriculum, or the Unionville-Chadd’s Ford School District curriculum (depending upon the residence of the student) for grades K-5 will be the starting point in the process of amending the scope and sequence of each student’s Individual Education Plan so that each student can achieve optimal academic achievement in all areas of instruction typical for a child his or her age in the Kennett Consolidated School District or the Unionville-Chadd’s Ford School District (as appropriate given the residence of the student), to the utmost extent that this is possible.

o       use of routine Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA) approach to behavioral problems.  The psychologists to be utilized by the IBC Charter School have been using this approach to behavioral problems for more than 20 years.  They have developed revised and improved behavioral assessment and treatment technologies for mentally retarded children and for children who are nonverbal.  The certified school psychologist consultants to be employed by the IBC Charter School will be knowledgeable regarding the new regulations governing special education services specifically for children in Charter schools, as well as the regulations governing regular public schools, private schools, and homeschooling.   

o       A basal curriculum, fully compliant with Chapter 4 of the Public School Regulations, is presented in  Appendix AA.

o       A summary of the Performance Levels for Assessment in Math and Reading, fully compliant with Chapter 4 of the Public School Regulations, is presented in  Appendix AAA.

B.     Provide a projection of the number and type of special education programs that will be operated directly by your charter school or through contracts. Provide a projection of the number and type of related services that will be provided directly by the charter school or through contracts. 

Although college students have played a key role as providers of instruction almost all programs geared toward children with autistic spectrum disorders, this is largely due to the low cost of employing college students as “paraprofessionals.”  This is a sad commentary on the “state of the art” in the education of children with autistic spectrum disorders.  However, it is absolutely not necessary to rely on such marginally trained people to deliver sophisticated treatment services to children with autism – especially in Pennsylvania!  At the IBC Charter School, we will employ a classroom teacher with a Bachelors degree, and a classroom aide, for each group of six students.  Additional in-school behavior support personnel will also be available through the mental health support system that each enrolled child will be qualified to receive services from, so an effective instruction ratio of 1:1 can easily and routinely be achieved during all critical instruction times, and an adult-to-child ratio of not less than 1:5 will be maintained at all times (oftentimes it will be 1:3), without ever employing one, single college student as a child’s “teacher.” 

In its 2001 report entitled Educating Children with Autism, the National Research Council praises the results achieved by the 10 programs studied, but they state explicitly:  “It is unlikely that similar child outcomes can be achieved if expertise in autistic spectrum disorders is not readily available to the program staff."  The IBC Charter School faculty and its consulting psychologists have decades of professional experience in diagnosing and treating children with autistic spectrum disorders, and are among the most experienced and highly regarded practitioners of child psychology with developmentally disabled children in Pennsylvania.   

C.     What teaching methods will be used? How will this pedagogy enhance student learning? 

o       Play will be the primary philosophy of instruction.  With oversight by Masters-level supervisors who will develop and monitor sophisticated educational and behavioral treatment plans, the IBC Charter School faculty will deliver a coordinated, emotionally engaging (“playful”) program of developmentally sequenced instructional experiences that will address the six domains identified by the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders: 

§         The ability for regulation of affect and shared attention with another person

§         Engagement with another person that includes warmth, trust and intimacy

§         Two-way purposeful communication with another person

§         Interactive problem-solving including use of gestures in a continuous flow

§         Functional use of ideas (including communication of basic needs)

§         Building bridges between ideas (including development of age-appropriate language fundamentals)

§         Generalization to additional persons, including parents and siblings.

§         Generalization to peers, both familiar and nonfamiliar 

In addition to this emphasis on learning through active engagement with others (“play”), the IBC Charter School will provide: 

o       low teacher-to-student ratio.  The ratio of teachers to students will be 1:5 at times, but 1:1 during critical instruction times.  The IBC Charter School faculty will be highly experienced and successful in the delivery of 1:1 and small group behavioral intervention strategies, both in classroom settings and in home settings (involving both teachers and parents).  The IBC Charter School faculty will be recruited from among the highest-regarded providers of outpatient mental health treatment services to children in Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties. 

o       engagement with others vs. engagement with objects.  The IBC Charter School faculty and consultants will develop a wide variety of innovative and individualized intervention strategies to address this critical area in each child’s life.  The faculty and consultants of the IBC Charter School will have worked directly and collaboratively with Dr. Stanley Greenspan (Founder of the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders), and other luminaries in the field of autism and developmental disabilities, to deliver excellent treatment programs to children in their homes and schools. 

o       active family involvement.  The IBC Charter School faculty and its consultants will facilitate active collaboration between family members and school staff.   

o       social Interaction goals, including facilitating access to typical peers, especially at home as “homework.”  The IBC Charter School will provide parents with complete program plans, and will facilitate the delivery of in-home behavioral support to implement those plans so that children can practice the skills taught in the school in the evening and on week-ends, with their siblings, neighborhood peers, and others in various social situations. 

o       cognitive skill goals emphasizing social independence and achievement of mastery of age-appropriate academic goals to the utmost extent possible.  The IBC Charter School will employ licensed psychologists and certified school psychologists who have been providing assessment services to students in several Charter schools in Chester county and Philadelphia for more than two decades.   

o       self-help skill goals (emphasizing social independence in dressing, toileting, and personal hygiene).   

o       motor Skills goals (emphasizing social independence in basic ball-play activities, use of table-top games and other social interaction modalities).  

o       plans for generalization and retention of skills.  The IBC faculty will be adept at designing individualized education and behavioral treatment plans with generalization and long-term skill retention in mind. 

D.     Attach the school calendar and identify hours of the school operation, as per section 1715-A(9). 

The IBC Charter School calendar will match the Kennett Consolidated School District calendar, with allowances for differences that may exist between it and the Unionville-Chadd’s Ford School District calendar, in order to facilitate transportation arrangements, and so that Act 80 training days will coincide.  The IBC Charter School plans to offer training opportunities on these days to any district personnel who may wish to partake in them.  This calendar has not been formalized as of the date of this writing.  The school day will run from approximately 8:30 am until 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday. 

The IBC Charter School will accommodate students with special needs according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Revised 1997 regulations, and Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements.  Each student in the school, regardless of ability level, will have an Individualized Education Plan ensuring that instruction is designed to meet specific needs.   

4. School Accountability: 

School Evaluation 

1. What methods of self-assessment or evaluation will be used to ensure that the school is meeting its stated mission and objectives?

The IBC Charter School will establish clear, measurable student and school performance objectives that will measure student and school progress. 

            School Performance Objective #1: 

o       Students will successfully integrate into a “mainstream” educational placement by generating “satisfactory” reports concerning student behavior for six months. 

o       Success will be measured by baseline data taken on a sample target population who have not attended the IBC Charter School.  The data will measure the ability of an individual to be successfully maintained in a “mainstream” educational placement for six months. The same data collection procedure will be used to follow students who have graduated from the IBC Charter School.  The comparison and analysis of the data collected will demonstrate successful integration into mainstream educational placements, and maintenance in that setting with “satisfactory” behavioral reports at a higher rate for those who graduated from the IBC Charter School as compared to those individuals who graduated from other programs, or who have not received the intervention provided by the IBC Charter School.  This information will be reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Education in the form of the annual report. 

            School Performance Objective #2

o       Parents will become active partners with the school and will demonstrate satisfaction with the school’s progress in educating their children. 

o    Success will be measured by 100% of parents attending the IEP conferences and parent/teacher conferences. Success will be measured by 100% of parents completing written school evaluations that demonstrate consistent high scores.  Parents and/or family members will be expected to pledge a certain amount of volunteer hours per year and fulfill that amount utilizing their unique talents or skills where needed.  Parent involvement statistics will be made available in the annual report to the Department of Education.

School Performance Objective #3 

o       The school will meet projected enrollment and demonstrate legal and financial viability. 

o       Success will be measured by following proper application and enrollment procedures and guidelines. The school Board of Trustees will establish budget and finance committees who will be responsible for fund raising and overseeing financial concerns. 

            School Performance Objective #4 

o       The School will maintain a safe environment in which students can learn effectively. 

o       The IBC  Charter School will work closely with building inspectors and Bureau of Labor and Industry personnel to ensure effective and timely compliance with building requirements. 

2. How will teachers and administrators be evaluated? Describe your standards for teacher and staff performance.

The founders of the IBC Charter School anticipate utilizing an Evaluation Plan similar to that shown in Appendix D.  For each administrator, teacher and staff of the school, an annual improvement plan will be compiled by a joint effort of all.  The plan will detail the strategies to improve the results for the individual.  The responsiveness of staff, their knowledge, and skills will be included in the evaluation measure, in addition to an evaluation of staff effectiveness facilitated through: 

o       Self-evaluations

o       The total aggregate performance of assigned students

o       Peer review

o       Reviewing parental feed-back 

3. How do you plan to hold your school accountable to the parents of the children attending your school?

Parents will be allowed continual access to the school during instructional times, and will have unrestricted access to the educational records, including daily progress reports, of their children.  The school will require parental acknowledgement of the receipt of progress reports on at least a Quarterly basis.  Parents will be provided with satisfactory notice of Board meetings (two weeks’ advance notice), access to Board meeting minutes (during hours of school operation), and a monthly newsletter describing recent and upcoming events of interest to the students, faculty and parents of students.  The use of e-mail correspondence will supplement telephone contact and other written correspondence.  Parents will be integrally involved in the development of Individualized Education Plans for their children, and will be referred to the Parent Involved Network and other advocacy groups for additional resources that may be helpful to them.

4. Discuss your plan for regular review of school budgets and financial records.

The IBC Charter School will submit to financial audits and comply with all required audit procedures, including an annual audit by the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Comptroller’s Office. 

An independent certified public accounting firm will audit The IBC Charter School annually by according to the same guidelines applicable to public school systems in Pennsylvania.  Copies of this audit will be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education within 180 days of the end of the fiscal year.

The IBC Charter School Director will be responsible for managing the financial aspects of the school on a daily basis and will be responsible for submitting a monthly budget report to the Board together with a projected budget for the remaining year.  This will be subject to Board approval.  As the IBC Charter School grows, it is anticipated that a business/program manager will assume these accounting and auditing responsibilities.

The IBC Charter School will establish a budget committee consisting of the Director of the school, a Board member and an accountant that will review the budget and maintain records and projections for the next fiscal year.

5. Describe your system for maintaining school records and disseminating information as required under the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA).

The IBC Charter School will comply with all regulations concerning student records and access thereto; the records of students will be considered privileged and confidential records and will not be disclosed without appropriate authorization.  The terms of FERPA shall be complied-with in all cases, including the maintenance of student records in a locked file cabinet.  A log-in sheet will be maintained in each file, to be used to identify the name of the examiner, the date and the purpose of the file access.  Teachers will only access the files of their assigned students.

If a parent requests access to a child’s educational records, this request will be accommodated if the parent has the legal right to such access.  Any request for access to or copies of records will be managed within a reasonable period of time to allow for checking of authorization to review or receive copies of records.  Records will not be released, nor access permitted, without appropriate consent on-file.  It shall be the responsibility of the Director of the IBC Charter School to maintain student records in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including HIPAA in the case of protected health information (PHI).

6. Describe your system for maintaining accurate student enrollment information as required under section 1748-A, Enrollment and Notification.

The IBC Charter School will utilize the required enrollment and notification forms published by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for use in Charter Schools.  Standardized enrollment practices will be adhered to upon receipt of an enrollment form.

A database of all students will be established and the Director of the IBC Charter School will continually monitor the access of each student and their attendance.  The staff of the IBC Charter School will ensure that there is no significant gap in access and if such a gap occurs, the parent/guardian of the student will be contacted to ascertain the status of the student.  All notifications to school districts will be handled promptly. 

Monthly enrollment reports will be prepared by the Director of the IBC Charter School and will be submitted to the Board.  These reports will be used to generate tuition bills for the district(s).

 Student Evaluation

 A.     Describe plans to evaluate student performance. 

Student Performance Objective #1: 

o       Students will demonstrate progress on all goals in their Individualized Education Program.  If a goal is found to be too difficult for the student to demonstrate apparent progress, the goal will be broken-down into more easily-accomplished objectives (steps) so that progress on the goal can be ascertained. 

o       Student success will be measured by precise data collection and trend analysis, teacher observation, criterion referenced tests, creating and maintaining a student portfolio and standardized testing when applicable.  Success will be measured by the student’s achievement of specified target goals.  Data will be reported during IEP conferences, and within the school’s annual report to the Department of Education. 

Student Performance Objective #2: 

o       Each student of the IBC Charter School will work toward the goal of being enrolled in, and successfully integrated into, an appropriate education program in a public school system, with the utmost involvement in “mainstream” activities as deemed appropriate by the child’s parent(s) and the public school district where the child is enrolled, in the shortest amount of time necessary to prepare the student for this.   

Student Performance Objective #3: 

o       Students in grades 3 and 5 will be evaluated with the Pennsylvania System of School Accountability (PSSA) testing process, with appropriate accommodations as permissible under state regulations.  Walter Howard of the PA Department of Education will provide guidance to the IBC Charter School regarding all matters pertaining to special education regulations.  Mr. Howard has warmly encouraged the work of Mr. Kossor and his associates in the delivery of psycho-educational evaluation and other support services to children in several Charter Schools in the southeastern region over the past several years. 

B.      How will student development towards the school’s overall learning goals and objectives be measured? 

Students will have “baseline” assessment of cognitive, achievement and behavioral attributes, and at least once each year, these same attributes will be re-evaluated.  Student progress on individual education goals will be monitored on an ongoing basis, and the results of this progress monitoring will be conveyed to parents and other appropriate authorities as required by regulation.  The IBC Charter School recognizes the importance of ongoing parent-school collaboration and will strive to achieve the highest level of collaboration possible on an ongoing basis.

C.     Describe how student evaluation will be used to improve student achievement and attain the stated learning objectives. 

Each student will have a specific set of behavioral objectives to accomplish at any given point in time.  Progress toward attainment of these objectives will be kept on an ongoing basis, so that it will be possible to create visual graphs depicting the student’s progress toward the attainment of all behavioral objectives. 

In addition to monitoring progress toward attainment of behavioral objectives, each student’s IEP will contain objective, measurable criteria by which the student’s progress toward attainment of academic achievement goals can be measured. 

It is expected that all IEP goals will contain language similar to the following statement, which will facilitate the recording of objective data that will make it possible to understand the student’s position on a developmental continuum at any given point in time:  [student name] will [objective statement of a measurable behavioral goal] on at least 80% of trials for two consecutive weeks by [projected completion date].   In this way, the student is maintained in an optimal learning status (neither being challenged too severely, nor being too accommodated-to).  When the student attains the behavioral or educational goal at 80% efficiency for two consecutive weeks, it is reasonable to change the goal (make it a bit more challenging) until the child has achieved full age-appropriate development in the area being addressed. 

5. School Community: 

A.    Describe the relationship of your school with the surrounding community. 

The IBC Charter School is expected to enjoy a very positive relationship with the community.  Support for the School has been received from a wide range of individuals, including Pennsylvania Representative Arthur Hershey, who have strongly encouraged the founders of the IBC Charter School to pursue the development of this Charter (see Appendix G).   Because the IBC Charter School would be preparing students for successful integration into their own home-town school districts’ mainstream education programs, it is anticipated that the school districts whose students enroll at the IBC Charter School would have a vested interest in facilitating a working, productive relationship between the IBC Charter School and their own teachers and administrators.   The future staff and consultants of the IBC Charter School have already been widely recognized as some of the most effective, knowledgeable and compassionate providers of behavioral support services to children with autistic spectrum disorders in the region.

B.       Describe the nature and extent of parent involvement in the school’s mission. 

Parents will be expected to implement the educational and behavioral treatment plans that are found to be useful at the IBC Charter School in their homes with their children in the evenings and on week-ends.  This “homework” will facilitate the most rapid acquisition and strongest maintenance of newly-acquired skills and abilities, and will facilitate the most rapid generalization of these skills and abilities outside of the IBC Charter School.  Parents will be expected to document their implementation of treatment plans, educational interventions, and other programs and procedures as they are taught to implement them by IBC Charter School staff or consultants.  Parental documentation of their implementation of programs will be kept on-file with the student records, and parent effectiveness in implementing these programs will be evaluated by videotape documentation of program implementation with analysis by appropriately credentialed experts.

C.       Describe procedures established to review complaints of parents regarding operation of the charter school. 

The IBC Charter School will continually be: 

  Receptive to suggestions for improvement

  Continually assessing student progress and IEP appropriateness

  Monitoring student behavior on a daily basis

  Contacting parents when necessary (via a progressive discipline policy)

  Allowing for direct communication with school when it is open

  Requiring parental involvement

  Posting Quarterly report cards

  Producing semi-annual progress reports

  Posting monthly newsletters

  Archiving Board meeting minutes

  Establishing liaisons with parent advocacy group

Maintaining relationships with state government bodies to provide ongoing input to the Autism Task Force in response to their agenda items

6. Extra-curricular activities (athletics, publications and organizations): 

A.     Describe the program of extra-curricular activities planned for the charter School.   

The IBC Charter School will participate in off-campus activities and outings to familiarize students with community settings, opportunities, and standards of behavior on a frequent basis.  Outings with parents and siblings will be an integral part of the educational program, so that students are receiving training in natural settings on a regularly-scheduled basis, and so that learning can generalize most readily to nonschool environments.  Safety issues will be addressed conscientiously so that students learn essential risk-avoidance skills, especially regarding use of streets, driveways and parking lots, and attentiveness to vehicular traffic.  The students of the IBC Charter School may compete or participate in sporting activities to the extent that they are capable and regular exercise will be incorporated into the curriculum for all students.  Special Olympics participation and opportunity for support during participation in other sporting events and activities on scheduled school days will be available to interested students. 

B.     Describe whether any agreements have been entered into or plans developed with the local school district regarding participation of the charter school students in extracurricular activities within the school district. 

At the time of this writing, no agreement has been entered in-to regarding student participation in extra-curricular activities within any school district.  It is understood that students in any Pennsylvania Charter School can be considered “dually enrolled” so that their participation in the extra-curricular activities of the public school district which serves the location of their parent’s home cannot be denied.  It is anticipated that, especially with the provision of appropriate behavioral support from appropriately trained and experienced providers via the mental health system, students of the IBC Charter School should be welcome participants in extra-curricular activities of school districts. 

II. NEEDS ASSESSMENT 

1. Statement of Need: 

A.     Why is there a need for this type of school? 

The incidence of autistic spectrum disorders in American children is rising at a frightening pace – children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders have increased by more than 400% in the past 10 years.  Nationally, autistic spectrum disorders are estimated to affect as many as one in 500 persons, making the condition more common than childhood cancer or Down Syndrome.  Autism is a IBC  of complex developmental disorders that result in problems communicating or interacting with others.  The severity of symptoms and when they appear vary greatly; some children have mental retardation or severe language impairments, but all children with autistic spectrum disorders require some degree of specialized education and behavioral support services.   

Locally, hundreds of children within a short commuting distance from Kennett Square have been identified as having an inadequately met need for special education services on account of an autistic IBC  disorder.  Locally and nationally, authorities are struggling to identify the cause(s) of this terrible increase in the numbers of children with autism, and the parents of these children are conscientiously sharing information and forming support groups calling with increasing urgency for improvements in education opportunities and related services for their children.   

In 2001, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences published its report called Educating Children with Autism.  The Council report recognized that the “education” needs of children with autistic spectrum disorders were much broader than those of typically developing children.  They stated:  “For the purposes of this report, ‘education’ is defined as the fostering of acquisition of skills or knowledge -- including not only academic learning, but also socialization, adaptive skills, language and communication, and reduction of behavior problems -- to assist a child to develop independence and personal responsibility.  Education includes services that foster acquisition of skills and knowledge, offered by public and private schools; infant, toddler, preschool and early education programs; and other public an private service providers.”  

The National Research Council carefully studied 10 Model Programs for children with Autistic spectrum disorders.  All had one over-riding goal:  to promote children's long-term independent functioning in the community.  The Council noted that funding has only existed for programs serving children age 3 and up so programs for younger children have been a rarity to date.  This is most unfortunate, since diagnosis at or before age 2 is becoming increasingly common.  

The following is a summary of the programs studied by the Council, with the most promising programs (based on research evidence collected through 2001) listed first.  In the time since the Council’s report was issued, additional research has continued to support this ranking of education programs for children with autistic spectrum disorders. 

o       Developmental Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR) model at George Washington University:   

Started in 1996.  Home and center-based, using concepts developed by Greenspan & Wieder (Shared attention & regulation; Engagement; Affective reciprocity, communication through gestures; Complex, pre-symbolic, shared social communication and problem-solving; Symbolic and creative use of ideas; and Logical and. abstract use of ideas and thinking).  At least 10 hours per week of active parental treatment involvement (peer play dates, home and community-based interventions) is required.  Of 200 student records reviewed in 1997 after 2 years of program involvement, 58% of parents reported "good to outstanding" outcomes, 25% had "medium" outcomes and 17% had "low" outcomes, with "marked" gains in CARS and Vineland scores for top 20 students. 

o       LEAP (Learning Experiences, an Alternative Program for Preschoolers and the Parents) at University of Colorado School of Education: 

Started in 1982.  Program is based on work done at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh.  A preschool program and behavioral skill training program for parents, as well as national outreach activities.  Inclusive; uses behavioral approaches and “developmentally appropriate practices,” peer-mediated social skill interventions targeting goals in social, emotional, language, adaptive behavior, cognitive and physical development areas.  Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) scores for 30 children age 30-53 months that had been "Moderate" or higher were uniformly below cutoff for autism through age 10, with large decreases in noncompliance and increases in positive engagement with peers.  Five of six students in the sample spent their school careers in regular education placements. 

o       Pivotal Response Model at the University of California at Santa Barbara:   

Started in 1979.  Parent education approach to provide individuals with autism the social and educational proficiency to participate in inclusive settings.  Discrete Trial Training (DTT) and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) used initially, but a shift toward more naturalistic interventions recently.  Change in "pivotal areas" is the focus (responsiveness to multiple cues, motivation, self-management, and self-initiation).  Interventions are in-clinic and at-home (1:1) with special education services in school.  Curriculum targets communication, self-help, academic achievement, socialization and recreational skills.  All 10 children studied in a long-term outcome study had positive responses (increased interaction, better language usage), but no "control group" was available, so it is impossible to determine if these improvements were attributable only to the Pivotal Response treatment program. 

o       UCLA Young Autism Project (Lovaas model):   

Started in the early 1970's.  One-to-one Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is implemented by parents and trained therapists (college students) who work primarily in the child's home.  Emphasis is on developing language and early cognitive skills, and decreasing excessive rituals, tantrums and aggressive behavior.  First year of intervention is aimed at teaching the child to respond to basic requests, to imitate, to begin to play with toys, and to interact with family members.  During the second year, a shift toward teaching emotional discrimination, pre-academic skills and observational learning is added to the language-building component.  When a child receiving this treatment program enters an inclusive setting, a paraprofessional (college student) assists with participation in regular preschool or kindergarten settings.  At least 10 hours per week of active parental delivery of treatment is required.  College students typically have 6 months' supervision (rapid turn-over).  Supervisors have a MA degree plus 2 years' experience in the program.  Nine of 19 children who received 40 hours of DTT weekly achieved significantly higher IQ scores (at least 20 points higher) after 2+ years than those who received 10 hours of DTT weekly.  By age 13, eight of nine high-outcome students continued to have high IQ scores and were unsupported in regular education.  Only one child who received 10 hours of DTT had a "best outcome." 

o       Walden Early Childhood Programs at Emory University School of Medicine:   

Started in 1985.  Utilizes an “incidental teaching” model in a classroom-as-laboratory.  Toddler & preschool programs include autistic children among a majority of typical peers.  Center and home-based interventions are used in the toddler program to increase sustained engagement, functional verbal language, responsiveness to adults, tolerance and participation with typical peers, and independence in daily living (e.g., toileting).  Of 28 children enrolled, 36% were verbal upon enrollment, but 82% were verbalizing meaningful words by the end of the preschool program.  71% of children showed increased time spent in close proximity to peers, with only 1 child showing abnormal peer proximity behavior. 

o       TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children) at U. North Carolina School of Medicine @ Chapel Hill.  

Started in 1972.  Regional centers provide consultation statewide; program replicated in education settings nationwide via support from U.S. Department of Education.  One demonstration classroom in North Carolina.  Based on a “structured teaching” approach, in which environments are organized with clear, concrete visual information.  Parents are “cotherapists” and taught strategies used in school.  Communication curriculum makes use of behavioral procedures, using naturalistic procedures along with alternative communication strategies for nonverbal children.  Staff are trained via a six hour introductory workshop, with a one-day visit to successful site, and a 40 hour training institute that includes 20 hours of didactic instruction, 8 hours of guided observation and 12 hours of individual consultation on plans for implementing the model at a new site.  Videotape review at six-week intervals across a four-month period followed by two 2-day follow-up visits to each new replication site.  As is typical in education settings nationwide, there are no direct studies of program impact.  Substantial improvements in IQ scores for nonverbal children diagnosed at early ages is reported, but children in a TEACCH program with a home-based component showed greater progress than children in a TEACCH program without a home-based component. 

o       Douglass Developmental Center at Rutgers University:   

Started in 1972, preschool program added 1987.  Three programs:  home-based, segregated preschool, and integrated preschool.  Developmentally sequenced ABA programs focusing on compliance, cognitive and communication shills, rudimentary social skills and toilet training, as well as elimination of serious behavior problems.  Small group emphasis (1-8 adult-to-child ratio).  IQ scores rose an average of 26 points for those who entered intervention prior to age 4; for older children the increase was only 13 points.  Only 1 child of 26 was in a regular class placement at follow-up.   

o       Denver model at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.   

Started in 1981.  Playschool (developmental model) program.  Center closed 1998 in favor of home-based interventions, but “impressive gains in language development, improvement in classroom behavior, significant improvement in symbolic, social and communicative play skills” documented in 4 peer-reviewed journal articles.   

o       Individualized Support Program at University of South Florida at Tampa:   

Started in 1987.  Parent-training model based on West Virginia model (as an adjunct to ongoing daily Special Education services in school).  Helps families gain knowledge and skills needed to solve problems, as well as the competence and confidence needed to continue effective intervention and advocacy over the course of their children's educational history.  Includes development of functional communication skills, facilitation of the child's participation in socially inclusive environments, and multifaceted family support.  Limited research but one study showed positive pre-post changes on Autism Behavior Checklist. 

o       Children's Unit at State University of New York at Binghamton:   

Started in 1975 using the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) model.  Designed as a 3-year (short-term), site-based treatment program.  Staff training consists of one week intensive & one week-end "immersion" program, with written exam on policies & procedures, videotape reviews of skills integrated with training, weekly supervision and feedback sessions, and two objective performance evaluations yearly.  Outcome data has not been published in any peer-reviewed journals. 

CONCLUSION: 

Children who receive less than 25 hours per week of intensive, individualized treatment (education being  synonymous with treatment) focusing on behavior change have a significantly lower probability of demonstrating improvement in functioning, regardless of the particular teaching approach that is used.  All 10 programs reviewed by the Council provided 20 to 45 hours of intervention per week.  Pennsylvania’s Charter School framework is ideally suited to the delivery of such interventions, and the most apt name for a Charter School delivering these interventions would be the “IBC” Charter School – “I” for the Intensive and individualized approach, and “BC” for behavior change -- teaching children the basic “ABC’s” of social behavior in a highly individualized and intensive way. 

B.     Explain why the charter school model is an appropriate vehicle to address this need. 

The Pennsylvania Charter School regulations offer a marvelous opportunity to achieve the goal of providing the sort of intensive, individualized treatment program that has been shown to be effective with children who have autistic spectrum disorders.  By allowing teachers the freedom to implement Individual Education Plans and Individual Behavioral Treatment Plans in a smaller classroom setting, it is possible to direct a sustained, intensive, individualized treatment program toward those deficits that are most problematic in any given child with an autistic IBC  disorder.  Through this intensive, individualized focus of behavioral attention, the results of the Educating Children with Autism study show that it is possible to significantly reduce stigmatizing behavior and thereby promote greater social integration and foster long-term independence. 

2. School Demographics: 

A.     What are the school’s enrollment projections for the first five years?   

The IBC Charter School anticipates an initial enrollment of 30 students.  However, it is reasonable to anticipate that many more students will be presented as candidates for enrollment after a relatively short time, because of widespread parental dissatisfaction with currently available educational placements for children with autistic spectrum disorders.  It is distressing to note that other schools specializing in work with developmentally disabled children have long been reporting “waiting lists” that are years long.  Within five years, the IBC Charter School could grow to accommodate one hundred or more students, but the growth will be managed to assure that only excellent services (intensive, individualized education and treatment) are delivered to students.  Students living in the Kennett Consolidated School District and the Unionville-Chadd’s Ford School District would have the first access to the IBC Charter School; students from other districts would be admitted via a lottery system. 

B.     What is the school’s ultimate enrollment goal?  

The goal of the IBC Charter School founders is to deliver only excellent services to students, and would not consider any expansion proposal or opportunity that would jeopardize that fundamental principle.  In order to maintain a noninstitutional learning environment, it will be essential for the IBC Charter School to maintain a small student enrollment at any given site, although expansion by developing other sites, all implementing the same approach to the child as the original, could be considered. 

C.     What grades will be served?  

Initially, it is expected that students who would be placed in grades K-5 based on their chronological could be accommodated successfully.  If children require additional learning time, the IBC Charter School could accommodate children at higher grades, but the compatibility of educating older children among younger children could limit the age range of students that could be accommodated while providing opportunities for age-appropriate socialization. 

D.     What is the age of kindergarten entry and the age of beginners entry?  

Kindergarten begins at age 5; beginners at age 6.

E.      How many students are expected to be in each grade or grouping? 

The highest proportion is expected to be children in the 5-6 year age group, and the fewest are expected in the highest (10-11) age group. 

F.      Describe the community or region where the school will be located. 

The Kennett Consolidated School District and the Unionville-Chadd’s Ford School District are located in southeastern Pennsylvania, in a rural area noted for its production of mushrooms and picturesque countryside.

G.      Why was this location selected? Are there other locations suitable to the needs and focus of the school? 

A large number of children with autistic spectrum disorders lives within the district, and many families within a short distance from the district have expressed strong interest in having their children attend the school.  This area has been under-served by human services agencies for many years, and it is clear that an acute increase in the number of children with autistic IBC  diagnoses has occurred in the past few years, necessitating an urgent response in terms of creating educational and treatment programs for these children that will enable them to be integrated into mainstream life to the utmost extent possible.  Other locations for the IBC Charter School exist within the region, but the Kennett Consolidated School District and Unionville-Chadd’s Ford School District have already demonstrated significant commitment to assisting and supporting children with special needs.  

H.     Describe any unique demographic characteristics of the student population to be served, including primary languages spoken. 

Students of the IBC Charter School will primarily be identified as children in need of special education services,