Massachusetts Students with Disabilities in Out-of-District Programs: Preliminary Findings Todd Grindal Abt Associates School Mental Health: Treating Students K - 12 February 1, 2014 Research work conducted in collaboration with Dr. Thomas Hehir,., Monica Ng, Laura Schifter, Hadas Eidelman, & Dr. Shaun Dougherty

Primary Research Questions Question 1: What are the student and district-level characteristics associated with placement in out-of-district programs? Question 2: What are the processes and pathways through which students with disabilities are referred to and placed in out-of-district programs? Question 3: What are the implications of enrolling students in out-of-district programs?

Massachusetts’s students with disabilities, on average, outperform students with disabilities across the country on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Massachusetts’s students with disabilities are educated in classrooms with their typically developing peers at similar (slightly higher) rates as students with disabilities across the country. Massachusetts’s students are identified as eligible for special education vary substantially by category. In some categories MA students are identified at the same rate as students across the country and in other categories MA students are identified at rates higher than other U.S students Special Education in Massachusetts

Displaying rates of disability identification in specific categories in MA and the U.S Sources: MA DOE, 2011; IDEA 2010 Percentage of all Students in U.S. vs. Massachusetts 4

Instructional settings for students with disabilities in 2012 (n=198,875) Total Number of Students with Disabilities Percentage of Students with Disabilities Traditional public school177, % Charter school4, % Private special education school6, % Private non-special education school1, % Collaborative program5, % Home-schooled (Related services only)1, % Early intervention/preschool1, % Institutional (SEIS program) % Out of state % Correctional facilities910.05%

Total Number of Students with Disabilities Percentage of Students with Disabilities Traditional public school177, % Charter school4, % Private special education school6, % Private non-special education school1, % Collaborative program5, % Home-schooled (Related services only)1, % Early intervention/preschool1, % Institutional (SEIS program) % Out of state % Correctional facilities910.05% Students for whom their local school district supported all or some of their tuition, transportation, or other special education associated costs. For more information on approved private special education schools see Instructional settings for students with disabilities in 2012 (n=198,875)

Total Number of Students with Disabilities Percentage of Students with Disabilities Traditional public school177, % Charter school4, % Private special education school6, % Private non-special education school1, % Collaborative program5, % Home-schooled (Related services only)1, % Early intervention/preschool1, % Institutional (SEIS program) % Out of state % Correctional facilities910.05% Public regional inter-district partnerships that provide direct services for students with disabilities, transportation, and support for special education professionals. For more information on collaborative programs see Instructional settings for students with disabilities in 2012 (n=198,875)

Rates of out-placement have remained stable over time, but the characteristics of students who use these programs are changing. Finding 1a:

Number of students in out-of-district placements by disability category and year

Percentage of students within each disability category in out-of-district placements, by year

Number of children in private special education schools and collaborative programs by disability category and year

Low-income students enroll in private special education schools at substantially lower rates than their non-low-income peers. Finding 1b:

Low-income students enroll in private special education schools at substantially lower rates than their non-low- income peers

Non-low income students with emotional disabilities are approximately twice as likely to be placed in private special education school than their similar low-income peers. Low- income student Disability category, grade, student race, student over-age for grade, District percent low-income Controls: Odds Ratio = 1.9 ; p<0.001 Non-low income student

Towns vary widely in their use of out-of- district placements. Finding 1c:

Town-level variation in the percentage of special education students enrolled in private special education schools (2012)

Question 1: What are the student and district-level characteristics associated with placement in out-of-district programs? Question 2: What are the processes and pathways through which students with disabilities are referred to and placed in out-of-district programs? Question 3: What are the implications of enrolling students in out-of-district programs? Primary Research Questions

The majority of children move into out-of- district placements in late middle and early high school. Finding 2a:

Profiles for initial placement in private special education schools by grade

Special education directors cite safety as the main reason for referring students to out-of-district programs. Finding 2b:

Distributed to 277 Directors of Special Education. 239 Directors (86%) responded to at least one question. 221 Directors (79%) completed the survey. Table of respondents by district size. Number of Students in DistrictNumber of respondents Percent of all respondents Less than 1,000 students % Between 1,000 – 2,000 students % Between 2,000 – 4,000 students % More than 4,000 students % Survey

Reason for OOD referral across all categories. Reason% of all respondents Access to related services3% Academic difficulty21% Problems with peers23% Inappropriate school behavior 46% Social Emotional issues60% Survey Results

This pattern differs slightly by student disability type

“This student physically harmed one of our staff members (broke ribs) when attempting to physically attack another student.” “She engaged in self harm, tantrums, acting out, disrupting others, and did not show any remorse/ or willingness to be learn appropriate coping strategies. The student has a history of cutting at home, bringing this to school… Safety is the concern. We could not guarantee her physical safety in the larger school environment.” Quotes from Special Ed. Directors

The outplacement process for children with emotional, developmental and learning disabilities is less contentious than placements for other types of disabilities. Finding 2c:

“Students placed at private 766 schools to address specific learning disabilities is a disservice to students. The curriculum is not rigorous, students are removed from their community and in reality, leave these schools with skills far more deficient than when they left the district.” Special education director commenting on private placements of children with learning disabilities

“Student was receiving services in substantially separate program with all available district resources in place. The students behaviors continued to escalate and was unsafe despite the efforts of all district service providers, outside consultants, and parent collaboration. “ Special education director commenting on private placements of children with emotional/behavioral disabilities

Question 1: What are the student and district-level characteristics associated with placement in out-of-district programs? Question 2: What are the processes and pathways through which students with disabilities are referred to and placed in out-of-district programs? Question 3: What are the implications of enrolling students in out-of-district programs? Primary Research Questions

Relatively few out-placed students ever return to an in-district placement. Finding 3a:

The percentage of out-placed students who ever return to an in-district program 17.8 % of students placed in private schools ever return to an in-district program 25.4 % of students placed in collaboratives ever return to an in-district program

Students who enroll in out-of-district settings, on average, do not experience greater or lesser gains in reading or mathematics MCAS scores when compared to similar students who were not outplaced. Enrollment in an out-of- district program is associated with greater increases in student attendance. Finding 3b:

Districts that place a larger percentage of special education students in private schools, on average, receive a significantly larger per-pupil reimbursement from the circuit breaker. Finding 3c:

Estimated Per Pupil Reimbursement from the Circuit Breaker (2012)

Recommendations 1.Improve General Education Approaches to Discipline and Behavior 2.Promote Inclusion and Universal Design for Learning 3.Improve High School Options for Students with Disabilities 4.Provide Low-income Parents Access to Meaningful Advocacy Support. 5.Create Opportunities for Private Schools and Public Schools to Collaborate to Help Support Students in a More Fluid Manner 6.Restructure the Circuit Breaker to Directly Support the Expenses Related to Children with Complex Needs

Thank you! Please contact Todd Grindal with further questions or comments.