[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6653585,"mediaKeyId","2478121-fa928f6fa1aa0141abcc41ba7677f7e8","parentId",2478121,"title","Fox Chapel presents draft special-education plan after state cyclical monitoring flags participation, placement and transition items","audioSeconds",639,"startMs",2933000,"endMs",3572000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2478121-fa928f6fa1aa0141abcc41ba7677f7e8&start=2933&end=3572","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2478121-fa928f6fa1aa0141abcc41ba7677f7e8/thumbnail_2933000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6653585/Pennsylvania/Fox-Chapel-presents-draft-special-education-plan-after-state-cyclical-monitoring-flags-participation-placement-and-transition-items","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653585-9724c61373d40f93b75969f53b0099b0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771189417&Signature=WJZCPokFJ4ahtuOHeZqDY3tkZysW5RKqwJKuXbNhyqc1LSArVDmlqqA44cM2X4bsWMRe64TtSo9dGuUBCfgtjMxR3u6hY59Ta2FoArMYlsyBJCYzuhEiyRmgPuzXYp81kB5iMfQEtrjmdfGIrhCZk4rdUiUZSlgstmYPIJxjxc~5NYG0QHp7DpP8uqeLmkq~RYxJRsvjtJysLIjbImdDNw3jtp8RBjUVhKewcPD3w5rAOcZirgPSCEo4Aqu1d7I~O3kxWdgVf27hx-FbN9rUSr1uH8G~1V4NT1U8~wtywq17dILqquHMDd1pLWsxvZ~o5n30uL6wj5PGiO~Fo8Uplg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Fox Chapel Area School District","date","2025-03-04T02:17:22.123Z","article","Dr. Tim Mahoney, the district's director of special education and people services, presented an overview of the Fox Chapel Area School District K–12 special education plan required by Pennsylvania and federal law.

Mahoney said the plan follows Pennsylvania code and supports federal IDEA requirements, and that it is assembled through the state's Future Ready planning portal using publicly reported special education data (Penn Data/SEDR). He identified three indicators flagged in the district's latest cyclical monitoring for improvement: indicator 3 (participation in state assessments for students with IEPs), indicator 5 (students placed in other settings), and indicator 13 (transition planning compliance in IEPs).

On indicator 3 (participation), Mahoney reported the district's 2022 cohort participation rates for students with IEPs were 94.5% in fourth grade, 88.4% in eighth grade and 97% in 11th grade for reading and math — noting that the federal/state benchmark is 95% participation. Mahoney said small absolute counts can change the percentage for these subpopulations and that the district is taking steps to educate staff about the importance of those data points.

For indicator 5 (students educated in other settings), the plan noted a standard of 4.8% and a district rate of 5.5% in 2022. Mahoney said the district has reduced the number of students placed in alternative settings from 52 when he began to 26 currently. He estimated about seven students were placed for medical needs and roughly three to five for behavioral needs, with the remaining placements for other specialized needs. Mahoney described recent targeted efforts — including partnerships with the School for the Blind, expanded positive behavior supports and interagency work — intended to reduce out-of-district placements.

Indicator 13 (transition planning) showed 76.9% compliance in the cyclical monitoring file review; Mahoney explained that a clerical miscalculation for a single IEP of a student who turned 14 during the plan cycle resulted in multiple questions being marked \"no,\" lowering the compliance percentage. The district is expanding transition training and working with national and regional organizations (notably the DCDT and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit) to strengthen planning for students aged 14 and above.

Mahoney outlined the public review and approval timeline: the draft plan will be posted publicly on March 17 for a 28-day review period with hard copies available in buildings and libraries and an email address for public comment; the board is scheduled to consider adoption on April 14; the district plans to submit the approved plan to the Bureau of Special Education (BSE) by May 1; and implementation is scheduled to begin July 1, 2025. Mahoney described which portions of the plan are \"live\" (caseloads, staffing, age ranges) and which require formal state approval for changes to facilities (a Special Education Plan Revision Notice, called a SERPENT, plus state review and site visit).

Mahoney said the statewide parent survey that accompanies cyclical monitoring had low response rates for the district (about 530 surveys sent with two responses received in the recent cycle) and that the district will continue outreach through building-level PTOs and other channels to gather feedback during the public comment period. He summarized next steps including additional parent outreach, continued staff professional development, and planned incorporation of feedback gathered through the 28-day review prior to board action.

Board members asked about the composition of placements and community outreach; Mahoney said the district will share a summary of public comments it receives during the review period when the plan comes to the board for a vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Fox Chapel Area School Board Agenda Study Session (3/3/25)","oneSentenceSummary","Director of Special Education Tim Mahoney reviewed the district's three-year K–12 special education plan, noting three indicators of concern identified by state cyclical monitoring and outlining a public comment process, planned revisions and next steps toward submission to the state.","taxTitle","Fox Chapel Area SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",58073,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6653590,"Fox Chapel director reports high PSSA, Keystone and AP outcomes; board discusses testing timing and curriculum",3583,833000,4416000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2478121-fa928f6fa1aa0141abcc41ba7677f7e8&start=833&end=4416","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2478121-fa928f6fa1aa0141abcc41ba7677f7e8/thumbnail_833000.jpg","/articles/6653590/Pennsylvania/Fox-Chapel-director-reports-high-PSSA-Keystone-and-AP-outcomes-board-discusses-testing-timing-and-curriculum","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653590-046e21a9415fd5e89814f154ca96dc22/orig.mp4?Expires=1771189417&Signature=XpzAfieBq8uol141Lv8srrcp62FplBqLbQVl34sNMTKEfLuXd0PLwIrS-7jXBbwtrR8cKWcyjb8N8d0n3jXjkvnF1zRgMHP~d-3KAdPDtTn1GX-Nd9J5pui3FdM66F2Ln3fOJzHVIfW3oHYfqW2VAidnm1ObkAbtuWgtogbFXe4CUmR7TOtOuZOLKnOfbRLe98lNiv4zgRjjHs-Ec4hG8Y0hOcQkqVGbW-O8bqS21SszYTMhJo1xmEqsEnWzure1X0eQOImG9IljHNTyPTZcGldaNfRqzww26ik-REYdS-rDa5EAfiWeTUsfUs8BMzdtZYm1jOKrAzE3oC9qIiEvdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Steven Edwards, director of student achievement and instructional verification for Fox Chapel Area School District, presented a year-end review of student assessment data and academic trends to the school board.

Edwards told the board that elementary English language arts and mathematics PSSA results have been strong, with the district generally in the mid-80s percent proficient or advanced in grades 3–5—well above statewide levels. \"You can see we far outpace the state as far as proficient and advanced,\" Edwards said, citing long-term gains and increased numbers of students scoring in the advanced category.

The presentation highlighted specific points of data the district is tracking: a roughly 85% proficiency rate at elementary grades compared with about 55% statewide on PSSA English language arts; a 56.1% advanced rate for fourth-grade ELA in the most recent year; a 56.8% advanced rate for fifth-grade math noted as \"phenomenal\" by Edwards; and a science assessment result where overall proficiency was near 95% with 77.1% of students scoring advanced on the science PSSA where reported. At the middle school (DMS), math proficiency and advanced rates rose substantially over several years; Edwards attributed part of that growth to adopting the Reveal Math curriculum and schedule changes that created remediation opportunities.

Edwards described the district's use of projection and growth tools (PBOS/PVAAS) to identify students who are ready earlier than the district typically administers certain statewide exams. The board discussed whether moving some Keystone Literature testing from the usual sophomore trigger course into ninth grade for students who show readiness would capture students earlier and open pathway opportunities. Edwards explained the district must declare a \"trigger course\" to the Pennsylvania Information Management System and that changing the timing is permitted but affects course coding and reporting.

Board members and administrators discussed the implications of so-called \"ceiling effects\" on growth measures at high-performing districts and how growth metrics interpret high-achieving students. Edwards said the district compares multiple measures — state assessments, PBOS projections, internal common assessments and STAR data — before changing practice. He told the board he would provide building-level breakdowns and additional comparative benchmarks on request and would look up a detailed count of individual students who sat for AP assessments last year.

The presentation also covered advanced course offerings and college-credit pathways: the district offers a broad AP program, reporting 27 AP course offerings last year with roughly 1,090 student enrollments and 821 AP assessments administered; about 74% of those assessments earned scores of 4 or 5. Edwards and board members discussed the district's approach to AP as both a college-credit pathway and a college-readiness experience, fee waivers, and how to track whether students intend to take an AP exam when they enroll in the course.

Other items Edwards cited: recent rankings (Pittsburgh Business Times, US News, Niche) and an education recovery scorecard showing the district among those with notable recovery in learning since 2019. Charter enrollment and cohort tracking were also shown (about 47 students enrolled in charter schools this year, up from pandemic peaks). Edwards closed by noting that state science assessments are being field-tested under new standards this year and will shift grade alignments.

Board members asked for additional variance metrics (standard errors/standard deviations) and for comparable-district benchmarks; Edwards said the underlying data are public and that he would supply requested breakdowns to the board.

The discussion ended with the board and staff agreeing to continue data review, to consider whether targeted shifts in when a Keystone assessment is given would help students, and to use multiple measures before making curriculum or scheduling changes.","At a Fox Chapel Area School District board meeting, Director of Student Achievement Dr. Steven Edwards presented district assessment results showing substantially higher proficiency and advanced rates than statewide averages and recommended using growth projections to consider earlier Keystone testing and curriculum adjustments.","actionData","errors"]

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Fox Chapel presents draft special-education plan after state cyclical monitoring flags participation, placement and transition items

Fox Chapel director reports high PSSA, Keystone and AP outcomes; board discusses testing timing and curriculum