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Special education report: district APR score improves; Transition Academy and work-based learning highlighted
Summary
The district's special education coordinator reported improved federal APR performance for 2023–24 and highlighted gains in post-school outcomes and pre-K inclusion; staff urged continued focus on Transition Academy and work-based learning.
Annie Ralston, Coordinator of Special Education for Rutherford County Schools, presented the district's annual performance review (APR) results and highlighted program growth and outcomes.
Ralston told the board the APR overall score for the 2023–24 year was 65.93%, an improvement that moved the district from prior determinations of "needs substantial intervention" toward "needs assistance." She said the district needs 70% to reach the "meets requirements" determination and that the team is close.
Ralston summarized service and workload numbers: "We had 6,043 students with an individualized education plan, that's an IEP. We had 2,423 students with a 504 plan; our assessment specialist performed over 2,000 initial evaluations last year..." She listed supports in the special education department including behavior specialists, board certified behavior analysts, occupational and physical therapists, psychologists, interpreters and more.
On specific indicators, Ralston noted the district's graduation rate for students with disabilities dropped slightly from 81.27% to 79.94% and the dropout rate declined from 2.01% to 1.62%. Least restrictive environment (LRE) indicators showed 72.18% for ages 5–21 (below the 80% goal) and 29.68% for ages 3–5 (up from 5.69%; the pre-K goal is 45%). Post-school outcomes improved markedly: the percent of former students enrolling in higher education rose from 20.55% to 36.62%, and combined outcomes for higher education/competitive employment or other employment rose from 67.12% to 86.62%.
Ralston credited collaboration with CTE and work-based learning programs, and she praised Transition Academy and Project SEARCH as existing programs that help students move into post-school education or employment. "This places us as one of the leaders of the large districts in the state of Tennessee," she said of the post-school outcomes.
Board members thanked Ralston and some urged prioritizing expansion of Transition Academy access. Ms. Maxwell said the board should consider prioritizing transition services in the five- and 10-year plans so more students can access the program.
Why it matters: APR scores are the federal reporting mechanism under IDEA; improvements affect state determinations and can influence available supports and oversight. Gains in post-school outcomes indicate more students with disabilities are enrolling in college, working competitively or engaging in assisted employment.
Ending: Ralston offered to meet with board members to review the full 17-indicator APR report; the board directed staff to continue tracking LRE progress and post-school outcomes as planning proceeds.
