Department of Specialized Services Updates on Special Education Sandra Simpson Teresa Root, Kelly Sanson and Stephanie Thompson March 28, 2017
Focus Areas • Efforts to improve academic achievement • Academic and social/emotional/behavioral supports • Reducing the percentage of RCSD student classified as students with disabilities 2
Rochester City School District Graduation Rate – (Includes August Graduates) Students with Disabilities in Comparison to General Education Students Five Year Trend The Graduation Rate for Student with Disabilities has increased over the past five years. The 2012 Cohort Graduation Rate of 32.2% is the highest percentage of SWD graduates in over ten years. 58.8% 57.0% 56.1% 55.1% 53.8% General Ed 32.2% 28.8% 26.7% SWD 23.5% 18.7% 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Source: NYSED School Year Total Cohort Graduation Rate and Enrollment Outcome Summary Report Students are reported based on their date of entry in grade 9 and their last enrollment status as reported in the SIRS. 3
Strategic Action Plan Goal: Continuum of Services The Rochester City School District will implement an expanded continuum of services that offers a full range of special education program options designed to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. The expanded continuum of services will enable students with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate in accordance with 8NYCRR §200.6. Goal: Committee on Special Education (CSE) The Rochester City School District’s CSE process will develop high quality individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities that result in student access, participation and progress in the general education curriculum and address other disability related needs of the student. Goal: Career and Technical Education (CTE) The Rochester City School District will provide access to high quality CTE programming that enables students with disabilities to be placed in District-operated CTE programs and/or CTE programs operated by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). 4
Efforts to Improve Academic Achievement Improving Quality of IEP Development • Professional Development for Coordinating Administrators of Special Education with Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support Center (RSE-TASC), on a monthly basis throughout the 2016-2017 school year. • Professional Development for Special Education Teachers with RCSD Special Education School Improvement Specialists (SESIS). Multiple offerings throughout the 2016-2017 school year. • Directors have reviewed individual IEPs through random selection on bi-weekly basis to review CSE decision-making and data collection. • Directors have scheduled one-on-one meetings with Coordinating Administrators of Special Education to review IEPs in accordance with the Department of Specialized Services Local Guidelines. • The Department has requested that all IEPs during the 2016-2017 Annual Review season be visually displayed to review as a Committee with parents and students. 5
Efforts to Improve Academic Achievement Involvement with NYSED • The Lead Team (Department of Specialized Services Directors) meets on a monthly basis with New York State Special Education Quality Assurance Team to review NYSED regulations, memos and updates. Changes in Allowable Testing Accommodations - Tests Read Accommodation for the NYS ELA and Math 3-8 Exams Superintendent Determination of Graduation with a Local Diploma Guidance for CSE Transition Meetings, diploma Requirements, including multiple pathways 6
Efforts to Improve Academic Achievement Regular Data Review for Compliance • Students Awaiting Consent to Test • Students Awaiting Consent to Place • Annual Review Status Report • Open Events List (upcoming meetings) • FBA & BIP • Progress Reports Expect CASEs to know all students by name and face. 7
Academic and Social-Emotional-Behavioral Supports Continuum of Services The Department has worked to develop and expand our continuum of special education services within the District. Related Services: Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Consultant Teacher Resource Room Integrated Co-Teaching Special Classes Within the continuum, there are specialized programs for students with significant cognitive and/or physical needs, autism and speech and language needs. 8
Academic and Social-Emotional-Behavioral Supports Staff to Support Academic and Social-Emotional- Behavioral needs of approximately 6000 students Coordinating Administrators of Special Education assigned to each building. (38) Special Education Teachers: 603 Paraprofessionals: 122 Teaching Assistants: 214 1:1 Paraprofessionals: 108 TES (The Employment Store, Temporary 1:1’s): 83 Related Service Providers (School Psychologists, Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Teachers of the Deaf, Teachers of Visually Impaired): Approximately 250 9
Academic and Social-Emotional-Behavioral Supports Multiple Support Teams within District MATCH Behavior Support Teams – staff development, TCI and CPI Autism Team Special Education School Improvement Specialists (SESIS) Partnerships Hillside – Contracted with NorthSTAR program to provide additional behavioral support for students. Hillside – On-site Day Treatment program for elementary students at School #2 University of Rochester – Project Search 10
Academic and Social-Emotional-Behavioral Supports Overall Compliance and Special Education Supports for students with Behavioral needs: The Department of Specialized Services recognizes the importance of assessing behaviors (Functional Behavioral Assessment, FBA), and providing targeted intervention for such behaviors impacting educational performance (Behavior Intervention Plan, BIP). Over the past 18 months, multiple trainings have been provided for FBA’s /BIP’s. The focus has been on compliance with New York State Regulation, as well as development of quality assessments and plans. The Department, working with NYSED and the Special Education School Improvement Specialists, identified specific schools for targeted intervention and support. 11
Academic and Social-Emotional-Behavioral Supports Next Steps: Creation of Rapid Response Teams, in collaboration with the Office of Teaching and Learning, to address individual student on a needs basis. Instructional team with training. Development of team would be based on input from principals, and the needs of the individual student. Expansion of continuum for 2017-2018: for example: Consultant Teacher and Resource Room available in all schools. 12
Reducing the Percentage of Students with Disabilities By the numbers Classification Rates 2015-16 Beds data 18.3 17.48 17.43 16.62 Percentage of SWD 14.7 10.01 Rochester Albany Buffalo New York City Syracuse Statewide School District Students with disabilities are those who have been identified as such by the Committee on Special Education and are receiving services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Students with disabilities include those having an intellectual disability; hearing impairment, including deafness; speech or language impairment; visual impairment, including blindness; serious emotional disturbance; orthopedic impairment; autism; traumatic brain injury; developmental delay; other health impairment; specific learning disability; deaf-blindness; or multiple disabilities and who, by reason thereof, receive special education and related services 13 under the IDEA according to an Individualized Education Program (IEP), Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), or a services plan.
Reducing the Percentage of Students with Disabilities RCSD Referral Trends RCSD Initial Referral Data 2011-2016 1200 960 1000 864 800 658 644 575 558 600 497 411 400 319 316 288 289 247 239 209 200 0 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 Eligible Ineligible Total 14
Reducing the Percentage of Students with Disabilities Ensuring accuracy and compliance Referral process Consistency across all zones, schools, and programs Quality and process reviews conducted weekly Ongoing Professional Development related to established guidelines, program recommendations, diagnostic and clinical information, and the revised referral processes. 15
Reducing the Percentage of Students with Disabilities Classification comparison: RCSD vs. NYS NYS 2016 RCSD BEDS 2016 Visual % Disabilit y % DISABILITY Visual Impairment Traumatic Impairment Traumatic <1% Brain Injury <1% Brain Injury <1% Deafness<1% <1% Deafness <1% Emotional Autism Autism 8% Disturbance Emotional 7.14% Hearing Hearing 6% Disturbance Impairment Impairment< Speech or 8% 1% 1% Language Speech/Lang. Impairment Intellectual Intellectual Impairment 18% Disability 3% Disability 26% 7% Other Health Other Health Learning Impairment Learning Impairment Disability 27% 28% Disability 17% 36% Orthopedic Orthopedic 16 Impairment Multiple Impairment Multiple <1% Disabilities 3% <1% Disabilities 4%
Reducing the Percentage of Students with Disabilities Taking a look at classification LD RTI implementation and impact on referral process/eligibility determination ED and OHI Closer scrutiny on diagnostic information Tier one and Tier two interventions 17
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