Use the seven tips in this article to make the "Instructional Schedule" feature easier and more efficient to implement.

1. Timing of Current/Alternate Schedules

• The "Current" schedule is always the schedule that is closest in time to the IEP meeting date. If you are using an "Alternate" schedule, the services start date should be after the "Current" schedule start date.
• If an "Alternate" schedule is used, any PEIMS changes are not automatically triggered from this schedule.

2. Using the Program Name Field

The "Program Name" field can be customized by your district. The "Student Campuses, Grades, and Program Names" report can be run in order to see which students have been assigned to specific programs.

3. Using the Drop-Downs in the Subject Field

When entering a "Subject" into the "Instructional Schedule," always use the drop-downs. Do not type novel information in this field. If you don’t see what you need in the list, let your "District Admin" know. The "Class List by Subject" report can be run in order to see a roster of students who have specific subjects assigned to them.

4. Capturing In-Class Support Minutes

• In-class support minutes should be captured in the "SPED Minutes" field, even though they occur in the general education setting. This is because you are tracking special education support time, not location of services, in the "SPED Minutes" field.

• When you select either Consult/Indirect or In-Class Support, the system knows that the service is being provided without the student being removed from the general education setting.
• Any "Subjects" captured in the "Instructional Schedule" with SPED minutes (regardless of service type) is reportable by running the "Staff Planning" report.

5. Special Education "Direct" Services

• Special education services coded as "Direct" in our system refer to a student being removed to the special education setting in order to receive the service.
• If the service you are capturing is direct and daily, you do not need to capture any information in the "Removed From" field.

• If the service you are capturing is direct but not daily, you do need to capture where the student is going to be "Removed From."

6. Capturing Speech Therapy Services

• When capturing speech therapy services in the "Instructional Schedule," the subject you select from the drop-down must be Speech Therapy. This is the only subject that will trigger the appropriate speech count for the student.
• Once Speech Therapy has been selected, you cannot alter or edit the "Subject" field in any way. Any additional information needed can be added to the Comments field.

• The "Speech Services" report can be run to capture a variety of helpful data points for students receiving speech and language support.

7. Commensurate School Day Buttons

• If your district has the Commensurate School Day option enabled and the first commensurate day box is checked, you may enter only special education support minutes into the schedule. You can enter general education minutes if you would like, but you are not required to account for each minute of the student’s instructional day.
• The only function of the second Commensurate School Day radio button is to print a commensurate day statement on the hard copy of the student’s IEP.