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District plans expanded co‑teaching and inclusion supports, and will measure time out of class
Summary
Staff described the district’s expansion of integrated co‑teaching at the elementary level, plans for sensory rooms and a schedule redesign to reduce students’ time out of general education, and said they will track the share of time students spend outside regular classrooms.
Beacon City School District staff told the board Aug. 25 that they are increasing integrated co‑teaching across elementary grades, adding inclusive classroom design features, and changing schedules to reduce the amount of time students with disabilities spend outside general education settings.
A staff presenter said every elementary building will have integrated co‑teaching in nearly all grade levels this year, with kindergarten and first grade prioritized so special‑education teachers remain in a single grade-level curriculum rather than rotating across grades. The district told trustees it will gather teacher feedback via anonymous surveys on co‑teaching models and professional development needs.
Staff also described physical‑space changes to support diverse learning needs, including wobble chairs, quiet corners and, at Roundabout Elementary, a new sensory room. Administrators said they worked a full year to create a centrally located room so students could receive supports without long walks across campus.
To measure inclusion gains, staff said they will track “time out of regular class” — calculating schedules and related‑service minutes to quantify how often students are pulled from classroom instruction for therapy or services. The goal is to increase access to general‑education instruction by moving providers into classrooms wherever feasible and reworking schedules so that related services occur with minimal disruption.
District staff asked the board whether they wanted principals to highlight inclusion work in their presentations to the board. Trustees suggested both district‑level reports and examples from individual buildings would be useful when the administration returns with metrics.
No formal action was taken; staff said they will report back with survey results and time‑in‑class metrics.
