TEA conducted on-site and desk reviews during the 2019-2020 school year.  Some common areas for growth are listed below:

1. Though not required, written district SHARS procedures  support an effective program.

2. Third Party Liability (TPL) should be understood by staff responsible for its dissemination. It must be clearly explained to all parents, guardians, and adult students who participate in the SHARS program.

3. All services, including personal care services (PCS), require individualized frequency and duration in the ARD/ IEP.

4. Grouping (individual or group) designation is required on logs.  HHSC has recently indicated that individual or group designations will not be expected on ARD documents. Therefore, TEA will not include this in future audit reviews.

5. Logs can be specific to various services, but must have required SHARS elements (see District Self-Monitoring Tool)

6. A service in an ARD/ IEP(description and time) should be consistent with the SHARS log and billing.

7. Special education transportation is not the same as specialized transportation as defined by SHARS.  Staff should be able to differentiate between the two and only bill for SHARS specialized transportation.

8. PCS is an individual service based on SHARS guidance.  It does not include instruction, age appropriate support, or irregular intervention.  If billed for SHARS, individual ARD/IEP documents should reflect the HHSC limitations.

Desk reviews for the 2020-2021 school year may include up to 7 districts per quarter.  Each district will be notified if they are chosen to submit documents for review.

Onward encourages complaint and accurate SHARS documentation to meet audit standards.  If you would like to learn more about Onward please contact us at sales@onwardlearning.com.   The Onward Client Success Team is here to ensure our clients receive the BEST support, education and SHARS guidance in Texas.  We look forward to hearing from you.