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East Kingston board hears detailed update on special education staffing, ESY and assessments
Summary
At its Oct. 14 meeting the East Kingston School Board received a multi-part update on special education services, including staff roles, new in-house academic evaluations, enrollment and summer ESY participation.
The East Kingston School Board on Oct. 14 heard a detailed report on special education staffing, services and the district’s summer program for students with individualized education programs (IEPs).
The principal reported that East Kingston School had 119 students enrolled (24 kindergarten, 18 each in first and second grades, 26 third grade, 21 fourth grade and 12 fifth grade) and that 28 students, or 20.3 percent of the K–5 population, were receiving specialized instruction under IEPs. The principal said the district employs two full-time special education teachers (who also case-manage and provide specialized instruction), a full-time speech-language pathologist, a full-time school counselor and a contracted school psychologist. The district also contracts for a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA), an occupational therapist and a part-time physical therapist.
The principal told the board that a major change this year is that district case managers were trained over the summer to perform academic evaluations that previously were done by the school psychologist. The principal said who performs which parts of an evaluation will be determined on a student-by-student basis and that permission forms will specify which test and which staff member will serve as the evaluator.
Board members asked how parents would be informed about which staff members were conducting evaluations; the principal said permission-to-test forms will state the evaluator’s role and parents will be notified at meetings.
On summer services, the principal said 29 students signed up for summer learning last year; 19 of those were students with IEPs and attendance averaged at least 22 students per week though not every student attended every day. The board heard a breakdown of ESY staffing and compensation: one ESY coordinator who receives a $1,000 stipend, one special educator working 13 hours per week, two regular-education teachers (13 hours per week), two paraprofessionals (12 hours per week), one speech-language pathologist (4 hours) and one occupational therapist (4 hours). A BCBA contract was maintained but not used because no students required the service during the summer described.
Board members raised concerns that the summer schedule (for example, mid-morning blocks) made attendance difficult for working parents and that irregular attendance and small group scheduling limited the ability to run pre/post standardized assessments. The principal said low and variable attendance is an ongoing challenge and that program design has shifted each year in response to parent feedback.
The principal also reported results from a parent survey given last spring to families of students with IEPs: the special education team earned an average score of 3.2 out of 4 on questions covering communication about progress and whether parents felt included in discussions.
Board members discussed early intervention and preschool partnerships. The principal said the district provides some services to children starting at age 3 and partners with area preschools, including Swayze School in Brentwood, to deliver services when appropriate.
The board did not take formal action on special education staffing or programming at the meeting; the discussion was informational and focused on program operations and parent communication.
The board moved on to other agenda items after the special education update.
