Special Education Chat

Special Education and High School Reform

Kim Sweet, David Bloomfield, and Laura Schulz discussed the challenges of delivering high-quality special education services in the context of a reforming high school.

November 10, 2008

Special Education and High School Reform

Guests:

Kim Sweet is executive director of Advocates for Children of New York, an organization working to secure quality and equal public education services for New York City’s most impoverished and vulnerable families.
David Bloomfield, an expert on special education and school district reform, is a professor and head of the Educational Leadership program at Brooklyn College and former president of New York’s Citywide Council on High Schools.
Laura Schulz is an experienced special educator and former division manager/organizational facilitator with Talent Development High Schools. She is currently a Resident Principal with New Leaders for New Schools, and is doing her residency in Baltimore City at Academy for College and Career Exploration High School (ACCE).

Christina A. Samuels (Moderator):

Good afternoon, and welcome to the second in a monthlong series of chats devoted to critical issues facing special education in the nation’s schools. I’m Christina Samuels, and I cover special education and student health for Education Week. Here to speak about high school reform efforts and how they affect students with disabilities are Kim Sweet, the executive director of Advocates for Children of New York, David Bloomfield, a professor and head of the Educational Leadership program at Brooklyn College, and Laura Schulz, a Resident Principal with New Leaders for New Schools. A reminder that you can read a copy of the EPE Research Center’s recent report on high schools and students with disabilities here . We’ve got a lot of good questions, so let’s get started!

Question from Christina A. Samuels:

This question was addressed to each of the chat participants, so I will address it to you individually: “What one request would you make of President Barack Obama and the federal gov’t to help with the mission to educate high school special needs students?”

David Bloomfield:

I rarely see mentioned that many students receiving special educational services are foreclosed from the NCLB choice options available to students in general education. While this solution is not optimal for parents and does not directly improve special education in schools failing to make AYP, students in special education must have specific, proximate transfer options under any NCLB reauthorization.

Question from Christina A. Samuels:

Ms Schulz: “What one request would you make of President Barack Obama and the federal gov’t to help with the mission to educate high school special needs students?”

Laura Schulz:

All students, not just students with special needs need highly qualified and caring teachers who have been effectively prepared for the challenges they will face as educators. I would request the funding needed to ensure every student in every classroom would find this educator as their teacher.

Question from Eve Brooks, Senior Advisor, PCS Student Support Center:

While it is clear that small personalized high schools are essential for students at high risk of drop-out, what specific supports are most important for those with special education needs, and what additional supports will be needed for those with juvenile justice involvement.

Kim Sweet:

Schools need to be prepared to teach reading to struggling learners, support students with challenging behaviors, and differentiate instruction across diverse classrooms. This preparation requires access to intensive, specialized techniques for reading instruction that have been proven to work for students with severe learning disabilities, as well as well-trained staff with ongoing access to expertise that can be applied in the classroom. It also requires time for collaboration and planning between teachers and service providers. With respect to students involved in the juvenile justice system, we also need more coordination with families, counselors, juvenile justice facilities, and others to ensure that transitions go smoothly and support is available where needed.

Question from Melissa D. H. Keenan, Ed.D., Consultant, Lancaster Learning Center:

Many students arrive at high school performing significantly below state/district proficiency standards and benchmarks. If they are reading at an elementary level, and they are perfectly capable of reaching these standards, these students need foundation skills from an efficient/effective program so their learning is accelerative. And yet, these students also need to be enriched with continued learning about their world through the regular academic program. How do we provide access for all students to an academically rigorous program, while also teaching, in an accelerative fashion, the foundation skills they need to perform at proficiency? What is currently being done and works?

Laura Schulz:

Scheduling time for students to have the opportunities for both acceleration and their “regular academic program” is key. Utilizing a 4x4 block which provides the opportunity to “double –dose” students in both Math and English, and allows for additional coursework in classes such as Freshman Seminar (skill building) is a way that many school are approaching this issue. The additional time can also be used to provide intensive supports (such as an additional Reading or Math lab). You might want to explore reform models that recommend extended learning time and flexible use of time. Also, some models provide curriculum, training and technical assistance to support school faced with this challenge.

Question from Sonja Luchini, mother of disabled child and Special Education Community Advisory Committee Secretary, LAUSD:

Students with disabilities, especially at the high school level, are the most likely group to drop out. Since requiring students to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in order to receive a diploma, disabled students are discriminated against even more. A “Certificate of Participation” doesn’t open employment doors the same as a “diploma”. We face bigger drop out rates due to discouraged students who become serial test-takers, but have no hope of passing the exam so they just give up. There should be alternative means of determining a disabled student’s academic comprehension (portfolio review for example). Why should a student’s entire academic experience from K-12 be determined by one test that discriminates against those with disabilities? Why should they be considered “second class” students and receive an alternative to a diploma? Many entry level jobs require a diploma and a “certificate of participation (COP) won’t do. Why do our legislators, many who have no educational background, think that Algebra (a CAHSEE requirement)is the key to success? Many special needs students cannot comprehend algebra, but they could pursue other job opportunities that do not require it...if they had a diploma. We need to bring back career education that includes learning a trade and have that just as viable a graduation requirement as the algebra. I haven’t used algebra since leaving school and would probably never have graduated based on today’s standard. It’s yet another way to legislate discrimination and we need to rethink the entire process of what a high school education means.

Kim Sweet:

I agree with you that there should be alternative means by which students with disabilities can demonstrate their knowledge and skills and obtain a high school credential that will open doors to meaningful career and work opportunities. There should be options between the CHSEE and the COP.

Question from Margaret Sorensen, PhD Candidate, Walden University:

I wonder if you can comment on the effect of HQT on high school special education teachers. Initially it looked as though the requirement that core courses be taught by highly qualified teachers might move more kids into regular classrooms--perhaps team taught by special education teachers. What seems to have happened instead is a hasty qualification of special ed certified teachers (through PD)--who are now, on paper, highly qualified to teach courses such as biology, chemistry, geometry and algebra. Where did we go wrong?

Laura Schulz:

As long as special education certifications remain general (in that SpEd teachers are not content specific ) this will be a challenge. Schools need to look at the needs of their students and provide the right person for the right classrooms. As a former special educator, I was not HQT to teach Biology to my students, but I was prepared to support the Biology teacher in providing the differentiated for all students in the classroom to meet with success.

Question from Ann Bernard, graduate student, Governors’ State University, University Park, Il:

How effective has No Child Left Behind been in improving outcomes for high school students in special education classes?

David Bloomfield:

While causation is hard to determine, students in special education as a whole have shown improvement in many national outcomes. According to The Condition of Education 2008, Indicator 22 (National Center for Educational Statistics), “in 2005-06, the percentage of students with disabilities exiting school with a regular high school diploma was 57 per cent, an increase from 43 percent in 1996-97 . . .” My thanks to Dr. Michael Planty, NCES, for this and other helpful data on the issue.

Question from Wanda Allen, Special Ed Teacher, Crab Orchard Elementary School:

Why can’t High School be more ability friendly. For example; students who are cognitivly challenged find it difficult if not impossible to grasp the concept of more abstract subjects of higher level math courses or creative writing. Why can’t high schools give an aptitude test and plan the classes which would better suit that child’s abilities and interest. Required courses could be geared toward real life skills that the student would need in their chosen field and then have a deploma for that field of study. There are many students who are borderline cognitive that do not qualify for special education services and still have difficulty with abstract concepts. Other than special needs students, these are your students who are highest at risk for dropping out of highschool. I believe such a change would be the most effective way to reform high school and meet general goals while also serve student populations with distinct educational needs.

Kim Sweet:

I definitely agree that flexibility and individualization are important. I do see problems, however, with giving everyone an aptitude test and then planning their high school curriculum and field of study from there. One risk, for example, is that students are assigned to tracks that don’t interest them or motivate them to finish school. To the extent that the aptitude test may, like many tests, have built-in biases, there is also a great risk that students will be tracked according to unfair criteria. On the other hand, I agree with you that we need to make diverse options available to students with different abilities. Not everyone can be expected to go the same route and accomplish the same things.

Question from Cynthia Gran, Special Ed Teacher:

My first position as a SPED teacher was 2 yrs ago at a Chicago Public School high school. I was told never to dx a student as “emotional” or “behavioral” or the “Principal will have my job.” I was also designated by 1 of my colleagues to make copies and correct tests and homework. The Asst. Principal told me I had to “fight for a better position” rather, I thought the school might see the need for real inclusion classrooms. Sorry to use the cliché, but, many, many students are left behind there. Students are graduated to get them out because their behavior is so intolerable, but the “passing” grades are not legitimate. With such apathy toward students, how do we begin to properly serve students?

David Bloomfield:

This is the BIG question: how to really serve special needs students rather than creating a mechanistic system that arbitrarily labels children, then disgorges them, unprepared for post-secondary opportunities. Luckily, the law is on our side (I am attorney; former General Counsel to NYC Board of Education and author of American Public Education Law (Peter Lang, 2007)). By fighting for appropriate placement and IEPs, under the standard of the Least Restrictive Environment, we can serve special needs students in an instructionally effective manner.

Question from Cindy Baumert, Executive Director, Dyslexia Solutions Inc.:

There have been rapid advances in technology to improve access to knowledge for students with disabilities, yet I see very little of it used at the high school level. What is being done in high school reform to address this? And how are high schools and post secondary institutions working together to provide a seamless transition for these students? Graduating high school students should be well trained to hit the ground running as they enter college and I don’t see that happening.

David Bloomfield:

Money and training are needed to augment adaptive technologies available to high school students with disabilities. Training is probably most important since unless educators know the technologies exist and can implement plans using them, the money is incidental. Parents and professional organizations can work hand-in-hand to make sure districts provide publicly-supported appropriate technologies to these students.

You are right that high schools and post-secondary institutions fail to talk about services for students with disabilities. States should do a better job assuring that public post-secondary education is aligned with high school graduation standards (and the other way around!).

Question from Irene Abruzzese, Recently Retired Teacher:

How are services mandated on students’ IEP’s , being monitored, to insure that these provisions are met?

Kim Sweet:

In New York City, schools are supposed to track their provision of IEP-mandated services. But most students with disabilities participate in the high school choice process without really knowing whether they will match with a high school that provides the program or services required by their IEP. If the student arrives at a high school that does not have the program or service on his or her IEP, the school will either change the IEP or ask the student to transfer out. From our standpoint, both of these alternatives have great potential for abuse. We hear from students whose IEP’s have been changed to require a lesser level of service that does not meet their needs. We also hear from students who are pushed to transfer out of a school that they very much wanted to attend.

Question from Christina A. Samuels:

Ms Sweet: “What one request would you make of President Barack Obama and the federal gov’t to help with the mission to educate high school special needs students?”

Kim Sweet:

I would focus on funding. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has never been fully funded, and states need more money to comply with NCLB’s mandates. Unfortunately, most interventions that have been shown to work with students with disabilities are not cheap; without funding, they won’t happen.

Question from Timothy Urban, Assistant Principal, Zephyrhills High School:

What graduation transition support models can be put in place for our SWD’s in order to effectively prepare them for the competitive global marketplace? Is there anyone out there who has an effective and proven model for this and what does it look like?

Laura Schulz:

Career Academies that are intentionally planned and implemented to provide rigorous instruction and real world experiences for all students are a place to start. Schools moving to career academies or looking to improve their current academies consider the data about their school population, the interests of their students, and the jobs/careers available in the current market place to plan opportunities for students who will leave the school to be employed immediately, attend a technical or trade school, attend a two or 4 year college and beyond. These academies provide the opportunity for all students to explore chosen career/post secondary options not just a few in a vocational setting.

Question from Devon Anderson, teacher:

I have students who read on the first and second grade level. I only have then for one period of Language Arts. How do I teach them reading skills and all the content at the same time? I know that I must teach the content, but should I not focus on the lack of reading skills too? How do I do both?

Laura Schulz:

As an advocate for your students, you may need to work with your school to find a way to provide your students with the additional instructional time need to provide specific reading instruction.

Question from Karen Glanert Special Education Teacher Middle school grade 7 Farnsworth Middle School Sheboygan, WI kglanert@sheboygank12.wi,us,:

The current trend is focused on the high school. We are failing at the middle school level for special education students to be successful. Kids need life/social skills that do not fit into the curriculm. How can educators change this? We have no time in the curriculum to adress needs/survival of our kids?

David Bloomfield:

Life and social skills can be built into the IEP, tying these to students’ academic progress. More important, though, is for districts to create opportunities for cross-faculty collaboration so that these needs are identified and addressed. Family engagement in this process is key to promoting consistency in adults’ behavior toward students’ socialization.

Question from Mike Landram, VP Workforce Development, Fort Wayne Indiana Chamber of Commerce:

What are some approaches and ways the business community can assist schools on this topic of high school reform?

Kim Sweet:

Many of the new high schools, and many of the old ones, are looking to strengthen their ties to their local communities. There is definitely a move towards preparing all students for the world of work. Businesses can work with their local schools or school districts to develop internship programs and other work-based learning opportunities, or to mentor or speak to students about their choices. Schools will need the cooperation of the business community to make work-based learning opportunities and other work-related programs available to students with disabilities. Another option for businesses is to get involved in efforts to promote family involvement in the schools. Businesses sometimes co-sponsor events that promote academic achievement or provide an incentive for families to participate in their school communities.

Question from Kath Smith, teacher, Boston:

I hear many argue that the concept of graduating “on time” is outdated, and that many students would do well in a 5 year plan, especially students with reading disabilities. By reducing the number of courses enrolled per semester, students can take on more rigorous courses with high-volume, high-density reading assignments (e.g, AP courses). Should we be advocating a new definition of “on-time graduation?”

David Bloomfield:

“On time” graduation is a budgetary as well as an instructional issue and, for students in special education, may be complicated by their disproportionately higher rates of dropping out (would a more drawn out high school career increase or decrease this metric?). NCES Indicator 22 at previously cited, at Table 22-2, clearly demonstrates the large numbers of 19 - 21 year olds exiting from special education with a regular high school diploma. The National Governors’ Association has recommended common standards for reporting of gradutation rates, including those beyond the traditional 4 year diploma.

Question from Kathleen Kosobud, Doctoral Candidate, Michigan State University:

Michigan recently began implementing its 21st Century High School Curriculum, which requires all students to meet certain minimum outcomes within the core curriculum, regardless of seat time. For the “gifted” learner, this means that students can proficiency out of courses, and advance on their own. For students who may struggle in academic courses, there are provisions for taking longer to meet the core proficiencies. These include 4 years of English, 4 years of Math (Algebra I & II, Geometry, 1 other course), 3 years of Science, 3 years of Social Studies, 1 credit of the Arts, 1 credit of P.E., an online experience, and 2 credits of a Language other than English. A personalized curriculum is allowed, if requested by family, emancipated minor, or adult student still in high school. MY QUESTION: What dilemmas or concerns do you anticipate, based on your knowledge of other states where there is a core curriculum requirement? What recommendations would you have for Michigan as it begins this journey?

Kim Sweet:

Unfortunately, I have not studied states that have such a requirement. In general, though, I think flexibility in seat time requirements is an important innovation in educating students with special needs at the high school level. In reviewing the description you’ve set forth, I’d be concerned that there are adequate protections to ensure that the student/the student’s family are the decision makers, and that “personalized curricula” do not become an excuse for segregating students with disabilities or inappropriately reducing expectations.

Question from Sonja Luchini, mother of disabled child and Special Education Community Advisory Committee Secretary, LAUSD:

Los Angeles Unified School District has been cutting it’s budget for the last 10 years and now it looks like public education will receive another massive statewide cut due to the economic crisis. LAUSD had to cut 9 of 19 compliance specialists when the state failed to resolve the budget in June. I help parents/guardians with IEPs and have found that the local school site personnel have great difficulty in following basic IEP accommodations/modifications. In one instance, the school personnel are purposely NOT providing proper services because they’d rather have the child in “Special Day Class” as opposed to full inclusion with supports. Even with continuous contact, the school does not respond to parent requests or answer basic questions. If local site personnel do not perform, and the budget constraints placed upon the second largest district in the nation cause disabled students to suffer due to neglect or lack of compliance, what can one do? I’m already active on committees at the main office level and see that policy and procedure are understood with administration from the top, but it’s always the local school site where parents have difficulties. What can be done to create more accountability, or better still, the willingness to provide services as stated in a child’s IEP? Where is the “buy-in” for these students?

David Bloomfield:

The 2-fold question requires at least a 2-fold answer. Regarding local site personnel who do not perform, these instances need to be documented and reported to (a) supervisory personnel at the district level and (b) local advocacy organizations and unions. Sometimes the poor special education services are grievable contract issues, impacting teachers as well as students. Too bad the documentation burden falls on individual parents and teachers, but there is obviously administrative complicity in denying services.

Regarding budgets, the key in federal funding under IDEA at statutory levels. Despite the current economic crisis, a Democratic Congress is likely to be sympathetic to this decades-old demand.

Question from Bill Riggar, Spec Ed Advisor, PA Dept Education:

How are high school reform efforts addressing the practice of ability grouping and tracking in high schools? I find students with disabilities, when included, are often included with lower achieving general education students.

Kim Sweet:

That is what we’ve seen as well. The problem can be particularly acute when a school system embraces a collaborate team teaching model as the preferred method of inclusion, and the lower-achieving general education students are the students placed in the team teaching classes with the students with disabilities.

I tend to think that the most promising models, from the perspective of inclusion, push services for students with disabilities into general education classrooms. Also, of course, schools can do away with ability grouping altogether.

Question from Frank J. Hagen, Adjunct Faculty - Wilmington University, Principal - Retired (MD/DE):

The “inclusion model” is viewed in negative terms by some teachers when they are faced with the challenges of teaching to a very wide range of student abilities in a single class setting. What is the responsibility of the school principal in insuring that “all” teachers welcome “all” students to their classrooms and engage them in rigorous and relevant lessons in preparation for success in the 21st Century?

Laura Schulz:

A negative reaction typically occurs when teachers are not prepared and do not feel confident about what we are asking them to do. Providing teachers with the tools they need to be successful, working with any students is one of the roles of the principal. When specifically talking about inclusion, teachers need to be provided with an awareness about their student’s needs in addition to an understanding about why inclusion has been chosen for their students and what supports their students will need to be successful. Teachers need to be provided with updated information about their inclusion students so they will be able to make informed decisions about instruction. In addition to awareness, teachers need high level, on-going professional development providing them with proven instructional and behavioral strategies, real world examples/samples, and job-embedded coaching supports to assist them with implementing new ideas and strategies. Principals also need to provide structures/schedules to allow for this assistance – providing common planning time for collaboration and opportunities to model and observe in other classrooms. Differentiation can be challenging to even the most seasoned teacher, principals need to be aware of this challenge and provide models/examples/samples and the safe space for teachers to be able to try new ideas.

Question from Kathleen Carpenter, Editor, Teachers.Net Gazette:

Do NCLB standards sometimes get in the way of the mission to educate all students? Are some high schools - faced with having to demonstrate ayp with limited space and resources - applying less than aggressive methods to keep special needs students in attendance? If so, what is the solution?

Kim Sweet:

My opinion is that NCLB, as well as other state and local initiatives that hold schools to high performance standards based mostly on test scores, does create a disincentive to take and keep students who will require more resources to meet those standards. One solution would be for government at all levels to increase funding so schools have more resources to bring all students up to speed. Another solution is to give schools more credit for educating students with disabilities.

Question from Gregory Sinner, School Redesign Specialist:

Why not require SpEd training of all teachers...or index the salary schedule upward for all teachers with SpEd and subject matter expertise

David Bloomfield:

There is no question that all teachers need to master the basics of special educational methodologies and differentiated instruction in their preparation programs. I am shocked by the lack of experience with special education and children with disabilities among many of my Educational Leadership grad students. And there is a degree of rancor because, as teachers, they have been exposed to terrible administrative practice; using general ed. teachers to stop-gap lack of special education services. Good practice and No Child Left Behind both should promote teachers’ possessing dual mastery in their subject area and special education. Salary indexing would be an interesting incentive though unlikely to find favor in collective bargaining agreements.

Question from Kathleen Carpenter, Editor, Teachers.Net Gazette:

How do magnet schools, and charters, fit in with the mission to educate high school special needs students?

Laura Schulz:

If a magnet or charter’s mission is to educate all students, they will have intentionally recruited a range of students for admission and will be organized in a way to support their students. If it is not their mission, they will not have provided for the variety of students with special needs that may apply. It can be challenging for smaller schools to provide all of the necessary supports due to funding, but as schools are writing their plans and determining their programs – their vision of who they will serve must be considered.

Question from Gregg Betheil, Senior Executive for Career and Technical Education, NYCDOE:

What strategies do recommend for academically rigorous career and technical education pathways to meet the needs of a range of special education students, without revisiting the stigma of tracking long associated with vocational education?

Laura Schulz:

Question from Maisie McAdoo, Researcher, United Federation of Teachers:

Who in your opinion(s) would be the best advocate for special education as Obama’s new Secretary of Education?

Laura Schulz:

I would want for the new Secretary of Education to be someone experienced in Special Education either through having been a Special Educator or perhaps a parent or advocate for a student(s) with special needs. I would want for the person to have a wide range of experiences in urban, suburban, and rural education and an in depth knowledge of the challenges students with special needs, the educators who work with them, and their families face on a daily basis.

Question from Susan, SpEd teacher, Region One:

The high school where I work has 560 students, 65 students receiving SpEd services from 4 SpEd teachers and 6 aides (3 of whom are 1-on-1)and 81 students receiving Title 1/504 supervion and services (by 1 teacher/1 aide). We are already spread very thin, and are struggling to incorporate all of the mandated supports and programs. In your experience, what are the absolute essentials for fulfilling the needs of the students receiving services? We are also in a rural area, so outplacement is difficult and costly.

Kim Sweet:

My experience is only urban, so unfortunately, I don’t have any strategies to suggest particularly for people in rural areas. My initial reaction, however, is that if you are struggling to meet the needs of all of these students, your school district needs to hire more staff. (I know -- you’ve probably already thought of that one!) Although for each individual student, there may well be some mandated supports or programs that are more crucial than others, it is difficult to make any sort of generalization on a broader level as to what is or is not essential. Also, legally, the school district is obligated to comply with each IEP in full.

Question from Kevin Hunking, Principal, Multnomah ESD:

With all the new requirements needing to be addressed, we seem to be doing a personalized education plan for each individual student. How do we provide the manpower for this? or is there a better way to make sure all the students needs are met?

David Bloomfield:

The great paradox of teaching is that while we attempt to meet each child’s needs, we can always help them more! Good teachers have always tried to have a sense of each student’s present skill set, with a plan for attaining the next levels. We probably do this best for students with special needs because we have almost 30 years’ experience with IEPs. Technology provides new tools for assessing and recording achievement but is getting a bad name through over-use of imperfect standardized tests and, as you note, a resulting narrowing of the curriculum. In place of greater labor-intensive regulation, educators must assure parents and the public that systems are in place to assess and promote student progress.

Question from Cheryle Adams, Community Activist, Washington, DC:

With violence running rampant throughout some of the public school systems (see the Washington Post article on “Overhauling D.C. School Overcome by Violence”, November 9, 2008), how is it possible to implement high school reform?

Kim Sweet:

The best approaches I’ve seen focus on whole-school reform and bringing positive behavior interventions and supports into the schools. Bringing mental health services into the schools is also a good idea, as is addressing overcrowding.

Question from Kathleen Carpenter, Editor, Teachers.Net Gazette:

Should secondary level, special education, high risk ESL/ELL students be taught in their first language?

David Bloomfield:

Districts are legally required to provide non-English dominant students with instruction from which they can benefit. Instruction in the primary language may not always be possible for students in ESL classrooms and for some ELL students because of their disabilities.

Question from Nancy Moser, Project Coordinator, DCPS:

If you were a principal of a high school whose students receiving special education services were completely segregated from the general education population, what would your first three steps be to move your school towards a more inclusive model?

Laura Schulz:

1. Educate my staff on special education legislation and student needs -building the sense of urgency to change our current practice. 2. Locate/Determine resources to support this transition (human resources) 3. Provide professional development to all staff including the opportunity for visitation to schools successfully implementing inclusion. (Include parents and community in the awareness and planning process)

Question from Michelle Bullard, student teacher, Flagler College:

Private schools work in part because of the intrapersonal relationships. How feasible is it to have public high schools work in the manner as subsets of mini-schools within the larger building? In this way the ESE and lab facilities can be shared, but the teachers and the fewer students would get to know each other better.

Kim Sweet:

I really like this idea. If small schools within a single building collaborate and share resources, it seems that students with disabilities are more likely to have their needs met.

Question from Deborah Tynes, Special Education Teacher, Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts:

What effective models can be instituted to involve and engage parents/guardians of students with Special Needs as stakeholders in ensuring their child is receiving both the educational instruction and support services they are entitled to by law and that school districts are being held accountable?

Kim Sweet:

We find that the vast majority of parents want their children to do well in school. It is key to build a relationship of trust and mutual understanding. Parents tend to disengage when they feel like they are being judged or accused. They tend to engage when they feel like school staff really want their opinion and will do whatever they can to help their child. Also, many parents find the special education system to be completely overwhelming; arranging for a “know your rights” presentation by the local Parent Training and Information Center or other group might bring parents into the school and help orient them to what’s going on. Finally, for parents who do not speak or read English, it is important to translate IEP’s and other documents and to provide interpreters for meetings.

Question from Melanie Corbett, Special Education Teacher, Troy High School:

Is there any talk in legislature with regards to special education students who are at lower math and reading levels and are still required to take the 11th grade PSSA tests? I give these tests to students and it is terrible to watch their faces when they realize that they are not capable of answering the questions even though they are hard working students. Will the state of Pa ever allow testing special education students at their current levels, instead of 5-7 grades above their grade level equivalents?

David Bloomfield:

I am not familiar with the specific requirements of the PSSA, though this is an issue facing all parents and educators in our standards-based era, especially regarding high-stakes exit exams. There appears to be a developing consensus (see, for example, NCLB reauthorization recommendations from the NEA and Aspen Commission on NCLB) to permit greater numbers of students with disabilities to be exempted from these requirements or to use other instruments to assess mastery. In addition, individual exemptions might be made through the IEP process. My concern, of course, that this will allow an end-run around appropriate expectations for subject mastery, allowing districts to return to their old widespread complacency concerning the academic success of students with special needs.

Question from Shelley Reed, parent activist:

The state of Oregon recently increased its high school graduation requirements and passed legislation relating to a modified diploma, stating that students who do not meet the new requirements are given the “opportunity” to earn the modified diploma. It is my further understanding that a student with the Oregon modified diploma does not qualifiy for federal financial aid. I see this as discriminatory in that I don’t see a direct correlation between the new requirements and a student’s ability to benefit from higher education. This is especially problematic for those children who are weak in maybe one area and strong in others. What can be done to keep these students from being shut out of higher education and the ability to support themselves?

Kim Sweet:

I’m not familiar with Oregon’s new requirements, but the first question is to figure out where it says that students with the modified diploma don’t qualify for federal financial aid. Is that a federal or state law? Or is it just a policy, and not a law at all? The next step would be to analyze whether these new requirements violate any laws protecting people with disabilities, such as the ADA or Section 504.

Question from Sandra Myers, retired spec. ed teacher, current university mentor for new teachers:

What is your opinion or rationale for those states who require all special ed students to take some form of a Standard of Learning exam to qualify to move up to the next grade level and/or graduation?

Kim Sweet:

These requirements can be extremely problematic for students with disabilities. We’ve represented a number of students who have repeated grades twice. IEP’s should be able to modify promotion criteria, including the performance required on these exams. The potential opportunity offered by these exams is that they could provide a warning sign for a student who is having trouble but going unnoticed. Of course, this opportunity will not be realized if schools lack the resources and expertise needed to address the problems.

Question from Arthera Shell, Ph.D., President & CEO, AMSECS, LLC:

The gap in inclusive education and disability service delivery is very real, yet our students are supposed to pass state mandated exams, that even when considered modified, are insufficient in measuring competencies and skills towards the attainment of a diploma. When are we going to become real and understand that full inclusion is not a realistic nor justiable direction for many children and youth with disabilities. What are your views?

Kim Sweet:

In order for full inclusion to be a realistic direction for all children and youth with disabilities, we have a long way to go. In my own school system, the fact remains that many students with a wide variety of needs are still unable to get the support they require in inclusive settings. I’m not yet ready to give up on inclusion as an ideal, but I do not expect any parent to sacrifice his or her child to that ideal if the school system isn’t ready to deliver the support that’s needed. We have to be careful, though, not to presume that segregated schools or classrooms work better. Many of them have problems, too.

Question from Dr. Ted Mauro, Vision for Education:

Would you comment on your perception of the current focus on Vocational training as a method of dropout prevention for students with disabilities and comment on the perceived value of collecting post-secondary student outcome assessments undertaken with in a year of graduation by school districts?

Laura Schulz:

Many years ago, (and often still today) vocational education was seen as the only way to keep students with special needs in school and I think it is viewed as a safe fallback. Perhaps vocational training is the one place where students are meeting with success and that motivates them to continue to come to school. We need to increase our expectations for students beyond just vocation pursuits. We need to do a better job of setting students up for success in academic courses which will increase their options after graduation.

Question from Tim Dawson, Prinicpal-Baltimore City College:

Districts around the country are breaking up large high schools into smaller schools. Has there been an attempt to conduct program evaluations to see if it is working. Are test scores increasing, are schools making AYP, and are the classroom environments more conducive for student learning?

David Bloomfield:

I currently have a pending U.S. Office of Civil Rights complaint against the New York City Department of Education concerning what I regard as its discriminatory conduct denying admission to large numbers of special needs students. In addition, even when admitted, many of these students do not receive IEP services. Not that many large high schools are different -- IEPs are widely ignored. One of the greatest failings of the high school reform movement has been to ignore the needs of disabled students. I believe this has been willful since fewer special needs students probably results in inflated attendance, promotion, and graduation rates. Many program evaluations appear to be funded by those responsible for the small schools or small learning communities (i.e., the Gates Foundation) so results are not only preliminary but suspect.

Question from Denise Stanley, Teacher, Dickenson County School System:

Will professional learning communities (PLCs) play a major role in high school reform? Should it?

Laura Schulz:

PLC’s are already making an impact on schools across the nation. PLC offer the opportunity for teachers and administrators to share best practices and build on the strengths in their buildings, solve problems collaboratively and consider the needs of all students when developing and implementing instructional strategies and curriculum. PLC provide a structure/ vehicle.

Question from Nancy Moser, Project Coordinator, DCPS:

Have you seen a particularly effective inclusion model at the high school level? How was it structured?

Laura Schulz:

Co teaching when it functions as it is supposed to is a very powerful model to meet the needs of all learners in the classroom. Providing the time and supports need to foster this relationship are key. Co teaching increases teacher capacity while providing optimal support for students.

Christina A. Samuels (Moderator):

Great questions! I’d like to thank Mr. Bloomfield, Ms. Schulz and Ms. Sweet for spending some time with us this afternoon. Please come back at 3 p.m. Nov. 17 for a chat about high schools, students with disabilities, and transition planning.

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Special Education and High School Reform

Special Education and High School Reform

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