Informed and Ahead, Session 3 Recap: Accountability, Adjustments, and December Deadlines

As the semester winds down, special education leaders hit a decisive moment: move from monitoring to action. Session 3 of Parallel’s Informed and Ahead series, featuring Dr. David Bateman and special guest attorney Julie Weatherly, focuses on three high-stakes priorities you can control right now: progress reporting, Child Count compliance, and timely IEP adjustments for students who aren’t yet making meaningful progress.

“Compliance is the floor. Improvement is the goal.” —Dr. David Bateman

Parallel CEO Diana Heldfond opened with a reminder of why the work matters, and why support matters, too. For districts facing staffing shortages and rising expectations, strategic systems, clear routines, and the right partners turn pressure into progress.

What the Law Expects (Even When Systems Wobble)

Dr. Bateman’s frame is steady: the law hasn’t moved an inch, even if budgets, staffing, or tools feel unstable. Courts continue to look for:

• Services delivered as written in the IEP (and logged),
• Measurable progress monitoring tied to goals, and
• Responsive adjustments when data shows non-progress.

Monitoring is simply the signal that tells teams when to adjust support so students don’t fall behind.

December’s Three High-Stakes Moves

A) Progress Reporting You Can Stand Behind

Progress summaries like “doing well” don’t hold up. Reports must:

• Tie directly to each IEP goal,
• Use measurable data (frequency, percentage, duration, level of prompting),
• Be collected routinely and explainable to families,
• Point to instructional impact (e.g., “Marcus increased independent use of coping strategies from 40% in early September to 80% by late October”).

Director action to take this week: 

• Pull a sample of progress reports across schools. Ask: Could I explain this to a parent?
• Flag where teams need coaching on measurable goals or data habits.
• Ensure reports to principals are routine, not episodic.

B) Child Count: Error-Proof and On Time

Child Count accuracy is both compliance and credibility. Errors often come from inconsistent coding, missing logs, or late entries.

Director action to take this week:

• Run a pre-submission audit for coding, eligibility, and placement.
• Confirm service logs align with IEPs (minutes, frequency, providers).
• Assign a second set of eyes and lock a submission calendar everyone sees.

C) Adjust IEPs When Data Shows Non-Progress

Courts are clear: if a student isn’t progressing, the team must respond—not “wait and see” until the annual.

Director action to take this week:

• Reconvene teams for students off-track and decide what changes now (grouping, intensity, SDI method, environment, or frequency).
• Document the adjustment and set a review window (e.g., 4–6 weeks) to check the effect.

Remember: accommodations do not replace SDI.

Legal Lens with Julie Weatherly: Avoid the Common Traps

Weatherly distilled the pitfalls she sees most:

• Parent participation is paramount. It isn’t just presence, it’s meaningful participation documented in the record.
• Present levels are Point A. If they aren’t current or specific, it’s impossible to show growth to Point B.
• Progress monitoring doesn’t stop after eligibility; it intensifies so teams can teach, check, and adjust.
• Implementation matters. Staffing shortages are real, but they’re not a legal defense for missed services. Communicate early, plan comp services, and keep families informed.

Add in Bateman’s national trends to preempt risk: don’t delay evaluations under MTSS, ensure structured literacy for dyslexia, build math-specific tools for dyscalculia, and watch for procedural missteps (missing team members, boilerplate goals) that now carry substantive consequences.

Build Systems That Support Staff (Not Surveillance)

Data builds trust when it’s used to coach and solve, not to blame. Leaders can make that culture real by:

• Triangulating data (student, service, and staff indicators),
• Holding monthly data meetings with a shared template,
• Embedding routines in school improvement plans, and
• Celebrating staff who surface issues early and fix them.

“Data is here to support your work, not evaluate your worth.” —Dr. David Bateman

Finish Strong: Watch, Use, Act

By December, you can’t redo how the year started—but you can change how it ends:

• Verify services are delivered as written,
• Insist on clear, measurable progress data, and
• Adjust now for students off-track—then check the effect.

Parallel’s team is built to help districts do this work without adding burden. With session data, consistent documentation, clinical oversight, and staffing support across speech, psychology, social work, and specialized instruction, leaders gain the visibility and support they need before small gaps turn into big problems.

As Diana shared at the start of the session, districts are already seeing the difference:

“I was initially very hesitant to be the first district in our state to use Parallel. Other vendors said no or offered excuses, but Parallel found staff without hesitation, and that changed my mind. Since working with Parallel, we’ve had zero parent complaints. I’m now recommending Parallel to our state CASE board of directors.” — District special education leader

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About the Author

Laura McBride is a former English Learner educator turned educational copywriter who partners with mission-driven education brands to tell stories that inspire action and trust. With over 15 years in K–12 education, she brings a deep understanding of the challenges and triumphs within schools, especially in supporting multilingual and exceptional learners. Today, she helps organizations like Parallel Learning share stories that connect educators, students, and families, keeping them informed, inspired, and part of the conversation about what’s next in education.

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