Auburn schools cited on two special-education standards during DESE integrated monitoring review; corrective action planned

Auburn Public Schools officials told the School Committee that state reviewers found the district largely compliant after an on-site integrated monitoring review this year, but identified two areas requiring corrective action: timely Individualized Education Program (IEP) delivery and preschool inclusion ratios.

Superintendent Dr. Chamberlain said Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reviewers conducted an on-site visit Feb. 10–12 and issued a report April 10. Greg, a district special-education staff member who led the review response, told the committee the team examined files for indicator 11 and related indicators 12 and 13 and found that of 29 files reviewed for one indicator, 26 met timelines and 3 did not.

Why it matters: noncompliance on indicators requires a written corrective action plan, progress reports and follow-up from DESE. The district said it must submit a statement of assurance and will publish the plan to staff and the public.

What reviewers found and how the district responded Greg explained the timeline problem stemmed from three students who were in and out of hospital placements and could not complete evaluations at school. The district said it expanded its vendor list of independent school psychologists and hired a school psychologist prior to the end of the school year. District staff reported DESE later rechecked files during the on-site visit and found those corrected files compliant.

The second citation was tied to inclusionary preschool ratios. State guidance cited a limit that a preschool class with five or more students with disabilities cannot exceed 15 total students. The district reported one classroom rose to 17–18 students with six or seven students with disabilities as enrollment shifted through the year. District officials said they reviewed options with DESE and discussed strategies other districts use, such as half-day programs or separate classrooms, but noted trade-offs for young learners.

Other items: targeted monitoring of the English-learner program was folded into the review. DESE raised concerns that some high-school English learners might miss electives required for graduation because of scheduling conflicts with EL instruction, and that the district has not yet adopted a single, districtwide EL curriculum. The district said it has started using an online tool (Elevation) to create linked student profiles and is still expanding teacher access and personalized EL goal-setting.

Process and next steps Committee members were told the district has one year to resolve findings. The district will meet with Corey Steinman, the DESE review team chair, to finalize a corrective action plan and submit required progress reports. Dr. Chamberlain and staff also said they will publish the plan to stakeholders and monitor implementation; no formal board vote was required at the meeting.

District improvements noted Committee members complimented district staff for organization during the review. Caitlin, a special-education staff member, was singled out by reviewers for file organization; administrators said the DESE team spent three days on site rather than four because materials and records were readily available.

Closing District leaders emphasized they view the monitoring process as a compliance check and a chance to improve systems; they said some issues reflect changing enrollments and programmatic trade-offs rather than service denials.