New special‑education supervisor: district meets graduation target but must raise inclusion rates

Dr. Brandon Maids, the new supervisor of special education for the Saint Marys Area School District, told the school board on Feb. 10 that the district is no longer on corrective action for graduation rate after recent data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education but continues to fall short on inclusion, or least restrictive environment (LRE).

Maids said the district’s most recent data show 49.7% of students with disabilities spend 80% or more of their school day in general‑education classrooms, below the state target of 61%. “Least restrictive environment … is really my baby,” Maids said, describing LRE as a district priority and the focus of his review.

Why it matters: state monitoring can require corrective action when a district repeatedly misses targets. Maids said the district met the state graduation‑rate target for students with disabilities for school year 2023–24, removing the district from corrective action on that measure. However, he said classroom inclusion remains the largest remaining concern from the state monitoring review.

Steps proposed and underway - Co‑teaching expansion: Maids said the district will convert some study‑hall/resource periods at the high school into co‑teaching classes pairing a general‑education teacher with a special‑education teacher to provide supports inside the general‑education setting. He said the high school already has three co‑teaching classes in biology, algebra and English and that those classes have had “huge success.”

- Middle‑school scheduling and course changes: Maids identified the middle school as an area with the lowest inclusion rates because its ELA/reading block is taught as two linked periods by the same teacher. He said splitting those into two independent classes should allow some students to remain in general‑education ELA while receiving targeted reading instruction in a separate class.

- Use of Intermediate Unit and state resources: Maids said the district will work with the intermediate unit’s training and consultation team (IU TAC) and with PaTTAN (the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network) to provide targeted co‑teaching training and classroom coaching.

- Assessment participation: Maids outlined steps to raise participation in state assessments. He said ELA grades 4 and 8 and math grades 4, 8 and 11 met the state 95% participation target; ELA grade 11 did not, with a participation rate Maids reported as 90.9%. The district will implement a PASA (Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment) eligibility decision‑making tool so IEP teams document why a student should be given the alternate assessment rather than a Keystone or PSSA, Maids said.

- Accommodations and course placement: Maids said the district will review allowable assessment accommodations listed in IEPs and examine high‑school course placements beginning in ninth grade to encourage participation in core instruction tied to Keystone exams. He said the district has committed to a reading apprenticeship framework and structured literacy training.

Context and data cited - Total district enrollment: Maids reported roughly 1,880 students this year and noted enrollment has fallen by about 300 students since 2014–15, when enrollment was 2,106. - Special‑education caseload: Maids said the district serves “over 400” students with IEPs and that rising needs have contributed to budget pressure. - Inclusion metric: 49.7% of students with disabilities in the district receive 80% or more of instruction in general education, versus the state target of 61%. - Assessment participation: Maids said ELA grades 4 and 8 and math grades 4, 8 and 11 met the state 95% participation target; the grade‑11 ELA participation rate was reported as 90.9%.

Board and staff response Board members and staff asked about supports for teachers, caseloads and implementation timelines. Maids said he plans to sit in on as many IEP meetings as possible and to phase changes over multiple years. He described a coaching model where external co‑teaching experts would work in classrooms alongside district teachers to build capacity.

Quotation and closing Maids closed his presentation by quoting the district’s state compliance contact: “We have a great job here in Saint Mary’s. It just needs a little bit of publishing,” he said, adding that the district’s overall monitoring results compare favorably to districts he has worked in previously.

Maids said he will continue to meet with principals to review master schedules, expand co‑teaching, and implement the PASA eligibility tool and other state guidance.