Specifications include, but are not limited to: The United States Department of Education (USDE), Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requires states to monitor Local School Systems (LSSs), State Operated Programs (SOPs), and Public Agencies (PAs) in the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004. This is done in order to ensure that students with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The purpose of this position is to assist the MSDE, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services (DSE/EIS) to: 1. Ensure that Individualized Education Program (IEP) Teams appropriately identify students to participate in the MSAA and ALT-MISA based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards; 2. Ensure the appropriate application of the ESR on the MSAA; and 3. Monitor for appropriate identification for the use of Text-to-Speech/ Human Reader accommodations for the PARCC English language arts/literacy assessment. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services (DSE/EIS) is seeking consultants to work up to 315 hours during a oneyear contract to do the following: 1. Attend mandatory training for each monitoring to be completed. 2. Review IEPs (hard copy and electronically) for students with disabilities in the local school systems and state operated programs. Collect data from IEP reviews and document the results to determine if procedures are consistent with State guidance. 3. Utilize MSDE developed rubrics to collect data on the eligibility criteria for participation in Multi-State Alternate Assessments (MSAA), Alternate Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (ALT-MISA), appropriate application of the ESR, and appropriate identification for the use of the text-to-speech or human reader accommodations on the PARCC. 4. Input data into a specific database. 5. Document trends, summarize data, provide initial analysis to support technical assistance and training pertaining to the Maryland general and alternate assessments.