Special Education Program Evaluation Brighton Central School District May 2016

Dimensions Number of students in each group, disabilities, ethnicities, gender, and program Writing, implementing, and evaluating IEPs with fidelity Having honest communication regarding common assessment, grading, and meeting grade level standards  

Survey Response Special Education Teachers: 12.5% 23 General Education Teachers: 52.2% 96 Service Providers: 13% 24 Other Staff: 22.3% 41 Total 184 Parents of Classified Students: 98 Parents of General Education Students: 330 Total 428

Classification by Sub-Group District Overview Learning Disabled: 157 Other Health Impaired: 106 Speech and Language Impairment: 47 Autism: 67 Emotional Disturbance: 6 Deaf-Blind: 1 Hearing Impairment: 6 Intellectual Disability: 2 Multiple Disabilities: 10 Orthopedic Impairment: 4 Traumatic Brain Injury: 1 Visual Impairment: 7 Deaf: 3

Classification by Ethnicity and Gender District: Special Education Classification: White: 70% Hispanic: 6.5% Black: 7% Asian: 11% Male 50% Female 50% White: 78% Hispanic: 2.9% Black: 12.5% Asian: 5.9% Male: 60% Female: 40%

Council Rock Primary School and French Road Elementary School

Parent Satisfaction with Educational Program Overall satisfaction was high While we know it is difficult, our goal is for all parents to be satisfied with their child’s education. Looking at some of the comments, it seems that when parents aren’t satisfied, they seem really not satisfied – working on these more specific issues which may impact only a few families, is important when looking at this measure.

School/Home Communication Overall communication Report cards & reporting on student progress Parent Perception Teacher’s Perspective

Overall Communication Parent Perspective: Teachers Report: Email was the most used/effective form of communication Teacher/School websites are not always up to date or utilized effectively Consistently use email (83% CRPS, 95% FRES) Consistently use teacher website (15% CRPS, 7% FRES) Looking forward: CRPS and FRES use other forms of communication with parents not reflected in this survey. Administration points to frequent weekly newsletters and telephone calls as additional forms of communication As a school look for consensus about what could be used most consistently and then streamline options Identify any potential uses for Parent Portal at each building

Report Cards and Reporting on Student Progress Teacher’s Perspective: Parent Perspective: Most parents report that report cards reflect their child’s progress towards grade level expectations. Parents also report that they are usually provided with samples of their child’s work. 75% of teachers feel that IEPs reflect a student’s needs and abilities Teachers also report that report cards do not always reflect their student’s progress towards grade level expectations. Looking forward: Set clear expectations with teachers about providing student work samples to parents Parents & teachers agree that report cards could be more clear, both in how they reflect the individual child and in the alignment to curriculum/grade level expectations Review IEP writing process and identify if additional professional development is needed

Understanding of Special Education Terms, Special Education Process, and Academic Assessments General education teachers & parents of general education students reported a less than favorable understanding of terms and criteria. Parents of classified students have a stronger understanding. Parents & teachers both report that, overall, they know how to access additional support if/when a child struggles academically, emotionally, behaviorally, or physically (CRPS parents & teachers: 89-93%, FRES parents 74-85%, FRES teachers 84-93%) Teachers report that the RTI process takes too long to get student support; parents also report difficulties navigating the RTI process Looking forward: Provide more clear and more frequent support to families from the beginning of the special education process Provide more staff training around process, core terms, & supporting families Provide staff additional training in available resources within the district Provide parents and staff with information regarding graduation requirements and pathways.

Twelve Corners Middle School

Parent Satisfaction with Educational Program 70% of parents/guardians of classified students responded that they are satisfied with the education that their child is receiving. 71% of parents/guardians of general education students responded that they are satisfied with the education that their child is receiving. Looking Forward: How can we address the 30% that are not satisfied? Increased participation in Special Education Coffee Hours Building level presentation on Special Education 101 Consistent communication with families

School/Home Communication At TCMS, about ½ of the parents feel work samples are provided at meetings. 56% of parents have a clear understanding of their child’s academic progress. 62% of parents feel report cards reflect progress as they relate to grade level standards. 57% of parents feel report cards reflect what the child knows and can do. About ½ of the parents are satisfied with the level of communication from school. Majority of parents access Parent Portal, Email, teacher websites, school websites, and BCSD websites with 81% saying they are helpful. 90% of parents of Special Education students feel that they are involved with the development of their child’s IEP. Looking Forward: Develop a clear protocol for parent/teacher communication; which may include looking at how we report grades.

Understanding of Special Education Process, Academic Assessments, and how to Access Support 86% of all parents of special education students understand the terminology used by the special education teacher. 65% of all parents of special education students feel that special education meets their expectations and that IEP progress notes are helpful in understanding their child’s progress. TCMS teachers report having some familiarity with most assessment measures. 80% of teachers have a strong understanding of IEPs and 504s. 80% of teachers report a strong understanding of RTI and AIS.

Understanding of Student Progress 70% of TCMS teachers feel that the IEPs accurately reflect students’ needs and abilities. 56% of teachers feel that report cards accurately reflect grade level standards. More than 90% of TCMS teachers know how to access assistance for a student who is struggling academically, emotionally, behaviorally, or physically. 55% of TCMS teachers know the process and criteria for classification. 76% of parents know how to get a child classified, but fewer than half have an understanding of the different paths to graduation. Looking Forward: Professional development for all teachers on the process for special education classification. Professional development for all teachers on the various pathways to graduation, in turn helping teachers to communicate these pathways to parents.

Brighton High School

Parent Satisfaction with Educational Program Generally, parents are satisfied with special education programs at Brighton. Regardless of whether the student is in a regular or special education program, parents are similarly satisfied with their child’s education.

School/Home Communication Parents and teachers report that teachers rarely provide student work and comparable work at meetings and case conferences. Parents of students in special education want more communication with general education teachers (65%) and to some extent special education teachers (35%). Overall, parents and teachers rely most on email communication (80%) and parent portal (60%) compared to others (50% or fewer). Parents of students in special education are less satisfied with communication than parents of general education students. Looking forward: Define roles for communication for parents to know who typically communicates and how to reach everyone Case managers could communicate with parents in the beginning of the year to define communication methodology between parents, general education, and special education teachers. Teachers could be encouraged to provide samples of student work and comparable grade level student work

Understanding of Special Education Process, Academic Assessments, and how to Access Support The vast majority of parents and teachers feel that they know how to access support when their children/students struggle, but feel they least understand pathways to graduation. Teachers have a strong familiarity with assessments. Teachers report a strong understanding of IEPs and 504s. Little more than ½ of teachers have a strong understanding of RTI and AIS. Vast majority have at least some understanding of Social Emotional Supports and Special Education Program Looking forward: BHS teachers strongly understand IEPs and 504 plans and a vast majority have some understanding of supports and programs offered; however, they could benefit from additional instruction in Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions. Case managers can communicate with parents regarding their child’s individual pathway to graduation.

Understanding of Student Progress 40% of teachers don’t feel that IEPs accurately reflect student needs. 50% of teachers don’t feel that report cards accurately reflect grade level standards. About half of parents of special education students feel that they have a clear understanding of their child’s academic progress as compared to grade level standards in comparison to 64% of regular education parents. A little over half of parents of special education students feel that report cards accurately reflect progress as it relates to grade level standards in comparison to 77% of regular education parents. Half of parents of special education students feel that report cards accurately reflect what their child knows and can do in comparison to 55% of regular education parents. Looking forward: We could look into why/where the disconnect is occurring. We could more effectively involve general education teachers in robust IEP development.

Future Considerations and Questions Inclusion Taskforce Educating parents and faculty on the various pathways to graduations Study how we report progress to parents/Report cards/IEP Progress Increase communication between parents and teachers/Service providers Summer 2016 Case Manager/Service providers communication Parent Frequently asked questions Special Education Overview for all faculty/staff Parent night for parents who are concerned about their child’s progress

Future Considerations and Questions What is the breakdown of ethnicities by program? Number of students predicted not to graduate with a regents or local diploma is increasing due to the common core and new exams. Why are white students and black/African American students over represented in the special education population? Why are Asian students and Hispanic students under represented in the special education population?

Questions