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Special-education office reports IMR review, rising autism counts and bolstered transition services
Summary
District special-education leaders told the board the state will conduct an Integrated Monitoring Review focused on child-find, early-childhood transition and secondary transition; the district has grown transition staff and launched a rollout of the new Launch IEP.
Lawrence Public Schools special-education leaders briefed the board on Feb. 26 about several district priorities ahead of a state Integrated Monitoring Review (IMR) scheduled for April.
Larissa Perez and Dr. Leah Salloway reported the IMR will focus on three indicators: child-find (identifying students eligible for special education), early-childhood transition and secondary transition planning. Perez said the IMR is a routine, cyclical review and the district has notified families and posted information on its website.
District data presented by Perez show the percentage of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) has tracked near the state average in recent years and is slightly below the state average this year. The special-education office reported a decline in some categories (specific learning disability, emotional impairment) and an increase in developmental delay and autism eligibility; staff cautioned that medical diagnosis and educational eligibility are distinct categories.
Officials described efforts to support dually identified students — those with both IEPs and multilingual-learner status — and said the district has contracted with Venture Educational Collaborative to analyze practices and recommend changes. The district has also expanded its transition team from one specialist to six to support students preparing for postsecondary life; staff said transition work begins as early as age 13 and includes family-facing newsletters, a 72-page transition resource and partnerships with community agencies such as the Merrimack Valley Welcome Center.
Perez and Salloway said the district implemented the new Launch IEP across staff and related service providers and has conducted professional development for teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators. They said the district will continue outreach to families and share findings from the IMR and the consultant engagement.
