Special Education District Profile: Port Edwards School District Port Edwards, WI Cara Christy, Elementary Principal

Overview of Port Edwards School District Port Edwards is located in Central Wisconsin along the Wisconsin River between Wisconsin Rapids and Nekoosa. Port Edwards has approximately 375 students 4K-12. There are four high schools within a 10-mile radius: Wisconsin Rapids, Port Edwards, Nekoosa, and Assumption. Port Edwards is the smallest of these districts. All four districts have students open enrolling in each other’s schools. Therefore, it is very important that our special education services are top-notch in order to retain students.

Overview of Port Edwards School District Port Edwards School District students had the highest Badger Exam scores in both reading and math in our Central Wisconsin Conference, as well as Wood County. Port Edwards School District students had the highest ACT Scores in our conference and second highest in Wood County. PESD District Testing Results

Special Education in the Port Edwards School District Since our school district is so small, much of our performance report has data that has been redacted. According to WISEdash redaction is “the process of masking data. . . to protect student privacy” (WISEdash, 2016). Redacting data is important in order to avoid direct or indirect disclosure. Direct Disclosure reveals a student’s identity when a group of students is so small that it would be easy for someone to figure out which specific student the data was referring to. Indirect Disclosure reveals a student’s identity based on secondary information that leads to a small subset of students.

Special Education in the Port Edwards School District Data must be redacted in order to follow state and federal student privacy laws. At the state level, student data is protected by Wisconsin State Statute 188.25 that states, “All pupil records maintained by a public school shall be confidential.” This includes any data that could be disclosed due to a small subset of students. At the federal level, student data is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

Special Education in the Port Edwards School District The following indicators have been redacted from the Port Edwards Special Education Profile: Indicator 1: Graduation Rate Indicator 2: Dropout Rate Indicator 3: Assessment targets and participation by students with disabilities Indicator 4: Suspension and Expulsion Information Indicator 14: Post High School Outcomes The following indicators are not required to be reported and/or have no data: Indicator 8: Parent Involvement Indicator 11: Timely Evaluations

Special Education in the Port Edwards School District Indicator 5: School Age Educational Environment Local State Target A. Percent of children with IEPs age 6-21 served inside the regular classroom 80% or more of the day. 53.85% 65.10% At or above 63.6% B. Percent of children with IEPs aged 6-21 served inside the regular class less than 40% of the day. 2.56% 9.56% At or below 9.5% C. Percent of children with IEPs aged 6-21 served in separate schools, residential facilities, or homebound/hospital placements. 0.00% 1.43% 1.4%

Indicator 5 Assessment STRENGTH WEAKNESS RECOMMENDATION Only 2.56% of children with IEPs aged 6-21 are served inside the regular class less than 40% of the day. 53.85% of children with IEPs age 6-21 are served inside the regular classroom 80% or more of the day. When considering the number of special education students in our small district, one child can make a huge difference in percentages. However, IDEA states that children must have the least restrictive environment and be included in the regular classroom setting “to the maximum extent appropriate”. Our district needs to re-examine some IEPs of students who are inside the regular classroom less than 80% of the day to make sure they are truly in the least restrictive environment. (U.S. Department of Education, Sec. 300.114, 2004).

Special Education in the Port Edwards School District Indicator 6: Preschool Educational Environment Local State Target A. Percent of children with IEPs age 3-5 attending a regular early childhood program and receiving the majority of special education and related services in the regular early childhood program. 16.67% 35.16% At or above 35.5% B. Percent of children with IEPs aged 3-5 attending a separate special education class, separate school, or residential facility. 18.53 At or below 21.25%

Indicator 6 Assessment STRENGTH WEAKNESS RECOMMENDATION According to the Individual Student Enrollment System (ISES), the 16.67% is only one child. Due to small numbers in our district, one child can count for a very large percentage compared to larger districts. This isn’t a weakness as much as a data issue. Make sure that people understand the data and how the percentages reflect a district of our small size.

Special Education in the Port Edwards School District Indicator 7: Preschool Outcomes Local State Target A. Positive social-emotional skills. 100% 64.55% At or above 73% B. Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills. No students in this category 53.2% At or above 61.2% C. Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs. 75.41% At or above 81.7%

Indicator 7 Assessment STRENGTH WEAKNESS RECOMMENDATION 100% of students met the indicator and exceeded the target. Due to small numbers in our district, we couldn’t assess areas because there were no students that were included in that category. Just as one student can make a huge difference in a percentage, no students give us no data. Once again, we need to make sure that people understand the data and how the percentages reflect a district of our small size.

Special Education in the Port Edwards School District Indicators 9 and 10: Disproportionate Representation in Special Education, Related Services, and Specific Disability Areas Local State Target Disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in special education, related services, or specific disability areas that is the result of inappropriate identification. NO 0%

Indicators 9 and 10 Assessment STRENGTH WEAKNESS RECOMMENDATION We have absolutely no disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in special education in our district. None We must always make sure that no student is ever disproportionately represented by race or ethnicity. The State of Wisconsin will not allow disproportionate representation at all. In addition to IDEA, States have a separate obligation, under 20 U .S.C. 1418(d) and 34 CFR §300.646. This means they must collect and examine data to determine whether significant disproportionality based on race or ethnicity is occurring in the State.

Special Education in the Port Edwards School District Indicator 12: Early Childhood Transition Local State Target Percent of children referred by Birth to 3 agency prior to age 3 who were found eligible for special education and related services by a local education agency, and who had an IEP developed and implemented by their 3rd birthday. 100% 98.85%

Indicator 12 Assessment STRENGTH WEAKNESS RECOMMENDATION We work very closely with our Head Start and Birth-3 programs to communicate needs in order to give our students the early childhood accommodations needed to make sure they are successful from a young age. Although we work closely with these agencies, we have no ultimate say over which students the agency identifies or qualifies for services. This is not a weakness, but something to understand that will be included in our district profile. Continue to maintain relationships with local agencies and communicate as often as possible in order to ensure all children are receiving proper services.

Special Education in the Port Edwards School District Indicator 13: Transition Goals Local State Target Percent of youth 16 and up with an IEP that includes post-secondary goals and transition services. 100% 99.65%

Indicator 13 Assessment STRENGTH WEAKNESS RECOMMENDATION Our LEAs and Special Education teachers do an excellent job preparing our students for the post-secondary transition. We need to continue this path; however, we need to include even more options for students and make sure they are transitioning to a logical and fitting post-secondary plan. Look for more opportunities in our community for students to gain post-secondary experiences while still in high school in order to make the transition even smoother.

Summary of Port Edwards School District Special Education District Profile I am very fortunate to work in a district that is pro-active and makes sure our special education students receive the best services in the least restrictive environment. Although we aren’t perfect and can always do better, I am very proud of our profile overall. I would like to see us improve in the area of offering more services within the regular classroom setting. This is something I plan to address with our Pupil Services Director in the near future. We should always be looking for ways to keep students with IEPs in an inclusive environment. Overall, our profile was very interesting to read. I would have liked to see more of the data that has been redacted due to our small size, and I plan to find it in my records here at school so I can make sure we are doing our best in every area, not just the ones that can be legally published.

REFERENCES: Building the Legacy of IDEA 2004. Retrieved July 26, 2016, from U.S. Department of Education, http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,statute,I,B,612,a,5 Code of Federal Regulations. Retrieved July 27, 2016, from U.S. Government Publishing Office, http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5&node=34:1.1.1.1.33 Legal Information Institute. Retrieved July 27, 2016, from Cornell University Law School, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/34/300.646 Port Edwards School District. (2016). Retrieved July 26, 2016, from http://www.pesd.k12.wi.us Special Education District Profile. (2015). Retrieved July 26, 2016, from Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, https://apps4.dpi.wi.gov/SpedProfile Wisconsin State Legislature: 118.125. Retrieved July 27, 2016, from State of Wisconsin State Legislature, http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/118/125