Special Education Task Force Meeting #4: Meeting Summary

Contemporary Learning Academy

November 29, 5 pm to 8 pm

I. Opening

• Purpose
  • This task force is charged with making recommendations in three areas:
    • Support for Student Achievement and an End to Disparities
    • Inclusive Practices
    • Structures for Ongoing Engagement and Accountability
• Process
  • Meeting 1 – hopes, creating process, and establishing criteria for evaluating options
  • At the end of the six meetings, the goal is a consensus on a recommendation that can be effective and will be implemented; that will be relatively easy for teachers and parents to do; to change things in terms of equity; that can be implemented at all levels in all types of schools

II. Drafting Committee

A group of volunteers will make up a drafting committee to work on getting the recommendations to the final form – Paula, Pam, James, Ron, Meryl

III. Generating Options for Inclusionary Practices and Least Restrictive Environment

1. Master Scheduling – Student Individualized Education Plan (IEP) needs considered to ensure co-teaching can happen

a. Prioritize IEP needs when planning schedule

b. Prioritize placement of special education students into the schedule

c. Prioritize co-planning time when building schedule

d. Stagger schedules to allow for limited specialized staff to be able to balance caseloads

e. ELA should also have a seat at the master scheduling table as well

2. Co-Teaching

a. At each grade level there would be a co-teaching model with 1/3 of students with an IEP, and 2/3 without, with no more than 20 students in total in the class

b. Provide professional development around the co-teaching model to maximize the best practices of co-teaching

c. Differentiated small group as a part of that model

d. Common plan time for co-teaching

• Advocacy for item a.: Not convinced that kids make the progress we expect if they are assigned to a center-based program; resources should be spread out across schools with highly qualified teachers and support staff rather than putting resources into centers

2.a. Specific training for Gen Ed teachers for social emotional disabilities

a. Behavior coaches for Gen Ed teachers to help those students participate in general ed

b. Teach the general population of students as well – increase their ability to deal with social and emotional differences in their peers

3. Define what inclusion is to make that a cultural expectation

a. People-first language

b. Admin buy-in that creates top-down approach of culture setting

c. Clarify staff expectations – roles and responsibilities of teachers, Specialized Service Providers (SSPs) and special education teachers & paraprofessionals

d. There are some fundamental definitions that need to go with recommendation three

e. Need to lead with the vision of why this is important – without a defining sense of purpose, we won’t be able to change all the other things

4. Improve classroom practices

a. Look at teaching practices and what we are teaching by leveraging Universal Design for Learning

b. Universal Design should be the work of C&I not just special education

c. Shift from training to development

d. Instructional coaching for teachers and leaders through these practices

5. There isn’t autonomy to opt out of inclusive practices or working with inclusion

a. That includes charter and innovation schools

b. Identify what accountability looks like for inclusive practices

c. Accountability can come from Instructional Superintendent for each network - and this should be a part of the principal evaluation

d. Teachers really do need help with this

e. I’ve seen this really help teachers serve students’ needs

6. Staffing in centers – link this to the recommendation re: resources from meeting 2 (currently #2 on the draft recommendation list)

a. Raise minimum to 3 paraprofessionals in every AN center

b. Review and improve allotment of special education teachers to students

i. Current recommendation is 1 teacher:23 students. No clarity around the cap

ii. There are requirements within budget guides now. There are range targets for center-based programs based on program type

c. Going to need even more staff if moving to inclusionary practices

d. Staffing should be based on IEP minutes allotted not number of students

• If we are really going to emphasize inclusion, we must think about how we are going to staff this and how we are going to increase resources for students

6a. Pay for paras

e. Allow paras to increase their hours if they want to do custodial staff work even if their hours go over

7. Continued advocacy looking at whole child

a. Language development for language learning students in IEP meetings

b. Craft an educational experience that is engaging for students – balances the provision of their accommodations with the extracurricular that keeps them engaged and ensures the full body of supports are being provided

8. Support multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) process to ensure the definitions of the intervention model

a. We need to tier supports for intervention

b. There needs to be shared responsibility for the process management of the MTSS process in a school so that it’s not just the special education teachers managing/ driving that work.

c. How do we provide more clarity about the delineation of tiers, the transition/ delineation of services between 504s and IEPs

d. Accountability related to who owns it

9. Lab Schools and shared learning

a. Identify or create a model that is doing inclusion well

b. Sharing the inclusionary best practices across the district

10. Promotion and education

a. Educate families and communities

b. Public campaign centered around inclusivity and public education. Embrace the idea of value of differences and diversity. Not just for special education but also socioeconomic, race and ethnicity

c. Demonstrate to the parents of gen ed students that having special education students in their classroom is good for their students too

d. Convince the community of the value of inclusion

e. People should be asking ‘Why isn’t my student in a class with a student with a disability?’ not ‘Why is a student with a disability in my student’s classroom?’

f. NY just incorporated curriculum called Just Say Hi that values inclusion

g. Students can help in center-based programs for credit, need to share more about that

Discussion

• Lisa – I want to make sure that we take time with the draft to sit with the recommendation and see if this feels true for the students that we serve
• In working with these students, the students do have a lot of apprehension about going into the gen ed classroom. They don’t feel seen. They don’t feel as supported. They want to be with their peers, but it is hard for them. They don’t feel comfortable outside of their resource rooms. They can read you when you’re not authentic.
• The students who spoke to us focused on difficulties with the teachers in the school, not the students. Students usually are more inclusive
• Our students want to be seen more. If we could improve the training for our gen ed teachers to be able to get it, and to be able to better support these students to see and know them
• When the student said listen to my parents, they know what I need. We are seen as pushy parents, but we know what they need.
• When teachers facilitate inclusion, it can create inclusion for all students

IV. Selecting Topics and Beginning to Draft Recommendations

• Co-Teaching – Pam and team
• Staffing for Center Programs – Michelle and team
• Public Campaign – Tywanna and team
• Improving Classroom Practices – Cara and team

V. Next Steps

REMINDER: Wednesday, December 5, 4:30 pm-5:15 pm, Contemporary Learning Academy

Optional Task Force Session with DPS Chief Financial Officer: Special Education Funding

VI. Student Panel

Several DPS students in special education spoke to the panel about their hopes and dreams as well as their experiences in special education. In order to ensure student privacy, below is a summary of what students shared:

• Students appreciated having the extra support they needed to thrive academically and having multiple adult resources to help address challenges.
• When a student does not have a visible disability, it can be challenging to feel seen and get the needed support.
• Students want and deserve to understand more about their IEP and what the school is doing to help them succeed.
• Students expressed frustration when people make assumptions about them because of their disability. They want their teachers to know more about how their disability may impact their educational experience and to feel supported.