1. Special Education Program Evaluation
Brighton Central School District
May 2016

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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%

6. Council Rock Primary School and French Road Elementary School

7. 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.

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

9. Overall Communication
Parent Perspective:
Teachers Report:
was the most used/effective form of communication
Teacher/School websites are not always up to date or utilized effectively
Consistently use
(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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. Twelve Corners Middle School

13. 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

14. 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, , 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. Brighton High School

18. 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.

19. 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 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

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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

23. 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?

24. Questions