Bethel Park approves targeted support plan after state indicators flag special‑education gaps

The Bethel Park School Board on Tuesday approved a Targeted Support and Improvement plan for Bethel Park High School after 2023–24 accountability data showed two state indicators below required thresholds for students with disabilities.

The plan, approved by an 8‑0 vote, responds to Every Student Succeeds Act accountability measures and the state’s Future Ready Index. Mr. Villani, a district staff member who presented the plan, said the district must submit a letter of affirmation and the plan to the Pennsylvania Department of Education by Sept. 30.

The plan matters because it formalizes interventions and measurable goals in areas where the school fell short. "We hit two indicators," Villani said, identifying low achievement and negative growth for students with disabilities in combined math and ELA and a lower four‑ and five‑year graduation rate for that subgroup. He told the board the subgroup achievement rate was about 22.12 percent with a negative 5.12 growth figure, and a special‑education graduation rate of 81.42 percent, below an 84.4 percent threshold.

Nut graf: The TSI plan packages curriculum adjustments, MTSS (multi‑tiered system of supports) interventions, and transition supports into four measurable goals so the district can both meet state filing requirements and pursue long‑term improvement for students with disabilities.

District presenters said the plan emerged from a deep data review rather than a checklist exercise. Villani said the committee included classroom teachers, math and special‑education teachers, and administrators who reviewed vertical and horizontal performance across subjects. "We had a full committee of teachers, including math and special ed teachers. We created four goals," Villani said, adding that two goals focus on math achievement and growth and two on post‑secondary transition and graduation for students with disabilities.

Administrators tied the plan to existing work: a middle‑school math curriculum pilot, expanded MTSS interventions, and transition programming for students with disabilities. Villani said some of the subgroup decline reflected a small number of students with high needs whose inclusion changed the subgroup percentage: "About two to three students put us under that percentage rate overall that would not usually have hit or impacted us," he said.

Board members praised the district’s approach and emphasized that the plan will be used even if the district’s future index improves. One board member said she was pleased the district was not treating the plan as a one‑time compliance task: "I was thrilled with the obvious dedication to that when I read the report," she said.

The plan will be monitored through district scorecards and aligned to administrator and principal goals. Villani said the work will be tracked year to year using Future Ready Index markers and the district’s internal performance measures. The board did not revise the plan at the meeting and approved it by roll call. The district will submit required documentation to PDE by the stated deadline.

Ending: The approved TSI plan sets specific, measurable district goals and links them to classroom interventions and transition supports; district staff said they will continue reporting progress to the board as Future Ready Index data become available.