This resource is intended to outline the Monitoring Review activity for ISD Monitors. Monitoring reviews may be on-site or virtual. The ISD determines whether virtual monitoring or an on-site visit is warranted. The decision should be made and indicated in Catamaran as soon as possible following the release of the monitoring review activity so the district can begin preparing materials to be uploaded and identify which students are still enrolled. Monitoring reviews may result in a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) or Student Level Corrective Action Plan (SLCAP).
Access the Activity
- Log into Catamaran.
- Access the activity in one of two ways:
- On the Dashboard, scroll down to the Tasks Overview Use the filters, as needed, to narrow tasks, and select the link in the Activity column to open the Monitoring Review Activity.
- On the Dashboard, select the Search link in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Using the Search function, choose Monitoring. Filter the search results by selecting Monitoring Visits. Next, search for the specific Monitoring Review.
Choose to Monitor On-site or Virtually
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, select the District Upload link to access the page.
- On the District Upload page, choose whether the Monitoring Review will be on-site or virtual by selecting Begin On-Site Visit or Begin Virtual Visit.
Note: Until the ISD chooses on-site or virtual visit, the Monitoring Review activity will not be on the district’s Tasks Overview, and the district cannot upload district procedures or verify students. Once the ISD chooses on-site or virtual visit, Catamaran will notify the district to upload district procedures and verify current students.
Note: If the ISD is unsure which visit type to select, reach out to Michigan Department of Education Office of Special Education (MDE OSE).
Note: Regardless of which type of visit is selected (on-site or virtual), all files for the review must be uploaded in Catamaran.
Prepare for the Monitoring Review
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, select the Monitoring Documents link in the Resources box.
- Review the Notification Letter and the Student List to prepare for the monitoring visit.
Plan and Conduct Interviews
ISDs are responsible for conducting interviews with district personnel participating in a Monitoring Review activity. For those member districts for whom the ISD has selected a virtual visit, the interviews may be done via phone or other methods. For either on-site or virtual visits, use the interview questions as distributed by the OSE while conducting interviews of district personnel.
- Suggested participants may include:
- Special Education Director
- School Administrator
- Teacher
- School Social Worker
Summarize the Interview
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, select the Interview Summary link.
- Record a summary of the interview(s) conducted with the district. Indicate any areas of strength, concern and/or opportunities for improvement.
Note: The district will not be able to see the ISD’s notes on this page.
- Choose Save to save the page or Save/Next or Complete to continue with the activity.
Select Student Records
The district will have verified which students are currently enrolled at the district.
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, choose Lead Student Selection to access the verified student list.
- Choose up to eight student records to review by selecting the checkbox by their name. When all selections are complete, select the Save & Create button to create the Student Record Reviews (SRRs).
Note: If a virtual Monitoring Review was selected, the district will be notified to upload student information to the Student Documentation page after the ISD selects the student records to review and selects the Save & Create button.
Complete Student Record Reviews (SRRs)
The method for reviewing the student records will depend on whether the Monitoring Review is on-site or virtual.
- If the Monitoring Review is on-site, then complete the SRR when meeting with the district and reviewing the student documentation in person.
- If the Monitoring Review is virtual, then the district will need to upload student documentation that corresponds to the selected students. For more information about reviewing uploaded information, please see the Additional Actions for Virtual Monitoring Reviews
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, select the Student Record Review link.
- Verify the prepopulated student information at the top of the form, edit if necessary, and answer Yes, No, or N/A for each item. Use the SLCAP Comments or Reviewer Comments boxes as needed.
Note: Only SLCAP Comments for correctable items will be carried forward to the SLCAP. The Reviewer Comments are for the review team and will not appear in the SLCAP.
- Before finalizing the SRR(s), contact MDE OSE to identify if additional student(s) need to be added that will require additional documentation. If so, use the Browse button to upload the documentation requested.
- At the bottom of the SRR, select Yes, No, or N/A to indicate if the student requires an SLCAP.
Note: Only use the N/A option if the SRR is not completed and explain why in the comment box.
Note: The correctable items for which No was chosen will automatically populate in the Citation, Item of Noncompliance, and Corrective Action Required sections at the bottom of the SRR after the Save button is selected.
Note: Catamaran will calculate the SLCAP due date; however, occasionally the ISD may need to adjust the due date to accommodate district calendars. SLCAPs should be due within 30-school days of the date issued to the district.
- A correctable No will result in an SLCAP and will populate in the Findings Table on the Final Report Worksheet.
- An uncorrectable No will populate in the Findings Table on the Final Report Worksheet.
- Repeat this process for each SRR. To move on to another student, select the next student from the dropdown menu in the upper right-hand corner of the screen and choose Go.
Navigation Notes:
- Save saves that SRR.
- Save/Next saves that SRR and redirects the user to the next form on the menu.
- Add Additional Students will return the activity to the previous status so that the user may add additional student records to be reviewed.
- Beginning February 2024, the OSE will change the status after all SRRs and the Procedure Review are completed.
Retrieve Uploaded Procedures
The ISD should review the uploaded procedures while completing the Procedure Review form.
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, select the District Upload page to retrieve the uploaded district procedures.
- Select the document link to automatically download the district procedures.
Note: If the district selected “Not Available,” then there will not be any procedures to review, and Catamaran will populate the Procedure Review form with N/As to all questions.
Resource: Monitoring District Upload Status Report
This query will show a list of districts and whether the district has opted out from uploading procedures.
- Access the report from the Reports page available under the user’s name in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
- Choose the Monitoring District Upload Status Report link under the Admin Reports heading.
- Choose the release to query upon (Monitoring Review) and the format for the query results (Excel or on screen) then choose Go.
Note: Exporting to Excel may be helpful to sort by which districts have opted out.
Complete Procedure Review Form
During the review of the uploaded procedures, complete the Procedure Review form.
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, access the Procedure Review page.
- Review the procedures for each item and respond by checking the Yes, No, or N/A If applicable, indicate a page number and section in the Comments box for any No answers.
Note: A No answer for Meets Legal Requirements will populate the Findings Table on the Final Report Worksheet.
- When all selections are complete, select Save or Save/Next to save the work.
Resource: Student Record Review Summary
After completing all the SRRs, a Student Record Review Summary is available from the Monitoring Review Page. This may help the Monitoring Team review the SRRs in aggregate.
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, select the Student Record Review Summary link.
- Choose the format to display the results (Excel or on screen) and choose Go.
- Choose the Return to Monitoring Review Menu button to close the summary page and return to the menu.
Additional Actions for Virtual Monitoring Reviews
Review Interview Summary
If the Monitoring Review occurred virtually, then the ISD will have conducted and recorded an interview summary. The Monitoring Lead should review the interview summary during the Monitoring Review process before completing the Final Report Worksheet.
- Access the Interview Summary from the Monitoring Review Menu.
- Review the information recorded in the Interview Summary and contact the ISD personnel who conducted the interview for clarification.
Review Uploaded Student Information
The File Export Tool:
Using the File Export Tool may be useful if reviewing student documentation for multiple organizations at the same time.
- Access the File Export Tool from the Administration page available under the user’s name in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
- Use the filter to select the activity then choose Search.
- Next, choose the organization and status, and then choose Go to run the export.
- Access the zipped file that includes the exported documents from the table at the bottom of the page.
Resource: SLCAP Summary
Before moving on to the Preliminary Summary, review the SLCAP Summary. This summary allows the Monitoring Team to see all potential SLCAPs at once. Use this summary to count instances of noncompliance, which will be needed to record on the Preliminary Summary.
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, select the SLCAP Summary link.
- To return to the Monitoring Review Menu, choose the Close this Page button.
Complete the Preliminary Summary
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, select the Preliminary Summary link.
- Record the date of summary and review date(s), and the name and title of all members of the Monitoring Review Team. If another row is needed to enter names, select the red plus button.
- Enter the number of instance(s) of correctable noncompliance related to specific students that were identified during the review of SRRs.
- Select Save to save the page or Save/Next to save the page and move onto the Final Report Worksheet.
Note: Beginning February 2024, OSE will issue SLCAPs by changing the status to Preliminary Summary Issued. Once this happens, SLCAPs will be issued to the district.
Complete Final Report Worksheet
The last step in the Monitoring Review process is for the ISD to complete the Final Report Worksheet.
- From the Monitoring Review Menu, select the Final Report Worksheet form.
- Enter the Review Date of the activity.
- On the Monitoring Review Final Report Worksheet,
- Enter the number of student records reviewed,
- Enter how many staff members were interviewed,
- And the Team Leader Recommendation of whether the monitoring review yielded no findings of noncompliance or yielded findings of noncompliance.
- Check the Display box to display the row in the Final Report.
- At the bottom of the form, indicate if there are findings or no findings.
- At the bottom of the form, indicate if there are findings or no findings.
What's Next?
MDE OSE will review the Monitoring Review activity and Final Report Worksheet to determine whether findings should be issued or not. The findings will be issued in the next major Catamaran release (September for B-9-B-10 (Identification) and May for B-4 (Discipline)).
If any SLCAPs are issued, these will be issued to the district at the end of the virtual or on-site Monitoring Review.
Need Additional Assistance?
For assistance in understanding how to navigate Catamaran, please contact the Catamaran Help Desk at 877-474-9023 or help@catamaran.partners.
